5 Church Staff Positions to Consider

“A workman is worthy of his wages” (1 Timothy 5:18). When I was growing up, my pastor-parents casually sprinkled this kind of biblical insight into our dinnertime conversations and bedtime routines. I didn’t fully understand the application of this verse until I served with a church plant years later, but the wisdom quickly became apparent. 

If you have been around church ministry for any amount of time, you know that volunteers are the not-so-secret sauce of a church’s success. When people volunteer their time, gifts, and resources, the church can operate as the flourishing body of Christ that it was called to be! Even so, some ministry responsibilities – such as church administration, pastoral support, and building maintenance – may require more time and dedication than a volunteer position can allow. 

Church ministry is hard work, and because certain church functions require part-time or full-time vocational attention – and because I genuinely believe a worker is worthy of her wages – it is in a church’s best interest to maintain at least a few paid staff roles. With that in mind, I want to suggest a few staff positions your church might want to consider this year.

Every Church Has a Unique Expression of God’s Mission

Before I move forward, I want to offer a quick caveat. 

While every church should attach itself to God’s mission (instead of the other way around), God’s mission is much bigger than one church model can cover. Some churches heavily focus on evangelism, while others lean into Christian education. Some churches have a wide reach with world missions, while others are actively engaged in their local community. 

Just as Phoebe's church in Cenchreae had different needs and different people than Timothy’s church in Ephesus, so do churches today have unique expressions of God’s mission. This means that some staff roles may or may not be necessary for the current work the Holy Spirit is doing in and through your work. Conversely, you may need to hire a role to support how God is currently moving. 

So without further ado, here are 5 staff positions to consider.

5 Church Staff Positions to Consider

1.) Youth/Young Adult Pastor

According to a 2023 Barna research article, over half of Gen Z teenagers are motivated to learn about Jesus. This is an encouraging  statistic, and churches should seriously consider hiring more youth and young adult pastors to serve this budding generation. Notably, the article also states that nominal Christian teens (those without a strong, personal relationship with Jesus) are more likely to search out religious texts themselves than to seek out help from internet sources, influencers, or pastors. Put plainly, Gen Z doesn’t naturally rely on church leaders with the same blind trust as past generations. 

While this may seem to present a challenge for churches, I think it presents an opportunity. This generation is curious and ready for answers, and Christian leaders must demonstrate – through relationship and humility – that they are a safe place for authentic questions. Then – and only then – will teenagers begin to trust these leaders as they work through their belief systems. If there has ever been a time in which youth pastors and young adult pastors needed to step out the church doors into high school cafeterias, it’s now!

2.) Creative Media Director

Here’s a statistic that may surprise you. According to the YouTube blog, over a billion hours of video content are watched on their platform every single day! That number represents millions of people, spread out throughout the globe, all searching and scrolling and looking for entertainment - and answers. And if your church has a live stream platform to stream your Sunday services, there is a chance that one of those people stumbles across a message that may change his or her life. This is one of the many reasons why I think hiring a creative media director is a really, really good idea. A creative media director is more than a modern necessity; they are a 21st-century digital missionary!

Sure, this role can help with practical needs such as troubleshooting audio and overseeing the Sunday live stream, but they can also do so much more. The creative media director can create missional video content that promotes the kingdom of God. They can design eye-catching graphics that teach people about Jesus. Overall, this church staff position can be a game-changer when it comes to your church’s missional presence in the digital world.

3.) Church Administrator

If you haven’t added an executive assistant to your church roster yet, I highly recommend doing so this year. Regardless of the size of your congregation, every church needs staff members who are gifted with organization, execution, and church administration. This includes working with a church management software that can serve the various needs of your organization. 

A detail-oriented church administrator will be able to oversee office needs, schedule meetings, create itineraries, and complete tasks – all things that are necessary for a church to run smoothly. 

While it is possible to delegate these church administration tasks to another staff position (such as the communication director), they are best served by a dedicated and skilled executive assistant.

4.) Missions/Outreach Director

Churches tend to attract leaders who love to teach, pastor, and study scripture. While these are very important functions of church ministry, one of our primary calls as Christians is to “go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15). Consider the staff positions your church currently holds. Do they reflect a primarily internal focus rather than an external focus? It may be time to hire a missions or outreach director. 

While “missions” and “outreach” are relatively interchangeable, a missions director tends to oversee global evangelism and mission trips. An outreach director, conversely, may be more focused on community partnership and local evangelism. You are free to mix and match job responsibilities based on your church’s missional emphasis, of course! Regardless of whether you choose to focus more on local outreach, global missions, or a mixture of both, you’ll want a staff member to lead the charge.

5.) Connections Pastor

If your church has at least three new visitors per week, it may be time for you to consider hiring a connections pastor. The connections pastor will oversee first impressions, follow-up, and community engagement, ensuring that everyone who wants to be part of your church has the support they need to actually plug in! Basically, the connections pastor is the shepherd who helps people move from new visitors to engaged community members.

If your church does not have a constant flow of new visitors, the responsibilities of the connections pastor can be expanded to fit your church’s specific needs. Some connections pastors oversee small groups and culture classes, and others assist with church administration by keeping the church management database updated with names and contact information. Overall, hiring someone for this church staff position will ensure that the people who come through your church doors are valued and warmly welcomed into the community. 

Build a Team!

I’ll leave you with one more of my parents’ favorite biblical quotes: “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Ministry is hard work, but it was never meant to be done alone. Whatever roles you are hiring for this year, make sure that you build a team that is committed to doing the work of the Lord, together!

If you’re not sure where to begin on building a team for your church, a church management software can help you create a strong foundation for your church’s workflows and processes. To learn about how Breeze ChMS can help you communicate and work with your team–and engage your church members–click here.