Director of Religious Education

Reports to: Minister
Directly Supervises: Teachers, Facilitators, Childcare Workers, or Volunteers
Effective date: Summer 2023
Job Summary
In support of the mission and covenant of The First Unitarian Church, aka Church of the River, the DRE
will develop, facilitate, and help to inspire member engagement with religious and spiritual education,
exploration, action, and appreciation programs across the lifespan for children, youth, and adults,
including multigenerational events. The DRE provides the members of the congregation with many
opportunities to discover and grow their Unitarian Universalist faith.
Essential Functions
– In collaboration with the Minister and the Family Ministry Team, provide vision and leadership
for all aspects of religious education and spiritual development programming for children, youth,
and adults, including opportunities for bridging the generations, both in-person and virtually as
needed
– Manage all aspects of the children’s program, including recruiting volunteer teachers, developing
the curriculum, and ensuring that teachers have the practical and program support they need.
– Lead the Time for All Ages as part of the weekly worship service in collaboration with the
Senior Minister
– Lead adults to greater spiritual exploration and engagement by developing, coordinating, and
helping to inspire involvement with adult educational seminars, small groups, book study groups,
and other educational and spiritual development programming.
– Coordinate the recruitment, safety clearances, training, support and appreciation of teachers,
facilitators, advisors, and other volunteers
– Develop, manage, and track annual budget for the Religious Exploration program
– Provide leadership and support to the Family Ministry Team
– Participate in regular staff meetings and attend a weekly one-on-one meeting with the Minister
– Be present at the church building on Sunday mornings and on at least three weekdays (exact
hours to be worked out between the DRE and their supervisor); establish office hours to meet
with staff, volunteers, congregants, or vendors
– Articulate and promote the RE program through church communication venues including the
weekly email update, the monthly newsletter, the monthly report to the Board, and the annual
report
– Coordinate and schedule nursery care providers, as needed
– Provide on-site supervision of children’s programming on Sunday mornings and other RErelated events, including nursery staff; arrange coverage for Sundays away.
– Maintain policies and practices that support the religious exploration program
– Present a welcoming presence to all children, adults, and families who come to the church
– Maintain neat and organized classrooms for safety and for age-appropriate activities; ensure
infant space provides needed materials for their care
– Respond to inquiries and follow up with outreach to visiting families
– Participate in major all-church events as determined with the Minister
– Participate in the implementation and review of the Safe Congregations Policy
– Ongoing professional development in support of the essential functions and core competencies
– Procure, assess, and update Unitarian Universalist Association curricula and/or program content
that reflect and develop Unitarian Universalist values including Our Whole Lives or other
relevant curriculum.
– Maintain membership in the Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) and attend
annual conferences, chapter meetings, and workshops
– Abide by the LREDA Code of Conduct
– Abide by the Child Protection Policy of the First Unitarian Church of Memphis
Minimum Qualifications:
– Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, in a field pertinent to education, religion, child development or
human services
– Excellent written and verbal communication skills including word processing such as Microsoft
Office, presentations, email communication, virtual media, and spreadsheets
– Experience for at least three years in education, teaching, children, and youth services, and/or
religious education
– Experience for at least two years in working within educational environments and development
of curriculum across generations
– Experience for at least two years supervising volunteers or paid staff