Program Coordinator: Special Needs

Who We Are:

The MET Church is located on the Northwest side of Houston.  We are a progressive worship environment, ultra-relational, and have a huge heart for discipleship.  We seek Truth from God’s word and love to celebrate the work that God is doing through our church and staff.

About This Role:

Our goal is to develop and grow an intentional environment designed to invite individuals with special needs into a meaningful relationship with Jesus while building a community of families that are well supported and equipped for discipleship.  This is an amazing ministry opportunity for a person that enjoys creativity and building something new. 

The Special Needs Program Coordinator will play a key role in ensuring programming is aligned with the overall mission and virtues of the church.  You will support the Kids Pastor in building, encouraging, and supporting a team of volunteers to help create safe & caring environments where all individuals have a place of belonging and can be introduced to the love of Jesus.

Who You Are: Competencies, Abilities, & Character Qualities

• You love Jesus and are committed to growing as a disciple by abiding in Christ, living in meaningful relationships with others, and being a disciple-maker (John 15, Acts 2, Matt. 4:19, Matt. 28).
• You find joy in ensuring that a given project, program or effort is taken to completion and achieves the desired result.
• You’re a continual learner. You seek out new opportunities that better equips you to be an effective servant leader while empowering & developing key leaders to help support the ministry.
• You’re emotionally mature. You understand the dynamics of effectively working with and through others to complete tasks and projects, as well as resolving conflict in healthy, God-honoring ways.
• You champion and model the core virtues of The MET Church – humility, effectiveness, awe, relationship and truth.

The WHY:

The Special Needs program is an empowering resource to a community of families who often feel overlooked and unequipped. You will be encouraged to dream, create ways to improve upon, and implement steps towards growing a program that is seeking to invite all people into meaningful relationship with God and each other.  You get to serve in a capacity that enables parents and siblings to attend regular church services and ministry programs who otherwise may not be able to do so.  You will get to celebrate important developmental & spiritual milestones while equipping parents to be the primary disciple-makers of their families. 

What You Will Do:  Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Live out the core virtues and mission of The MET to invite others into meaningful relationship with God and each other.
• Invest in the recruitment, development, discipleship, and care of volunteer teams to effectively support the ministry programs and events.
• Provide leadership and be the primary point of contact on Sunday mornings, and potentially Wednesday nights, for programming that accommodates persons with special needs.
• Schedule weekly volunteers and delegate out responsibilities to effectively prepare curriculum and materials to be Sunday and Wednesday ready; Ensure classes are properly staffed with trained adults to support the number of those participating (minimum 1 adult to every 2 disabled individuals).
• Identify, develop and execute on volunteer training that uphold our values around safety & security, including the use of our facility space and our standard of care procedures, ensuring volunteers are all equipped and well supported to promote a safe environment.
• Partner with the Kids Pastor to identify opportunities for discipleship and to equip parents to be the primary disciple-makers of their families; Develop methods & avenues to care for siblings & parents (i.e., family gatherings/events; small group opportunities).
• Actively seek solutions when there are challenges in the classroom or when a family is struggling to participate in church due to the unique needs of their child.
• Maintain church databases, including Fellowship One Check-in & assignments, and proactively update facility request systems.
• Other tasks as needed to advance the growth and impact of a new developing program.

Your Qualifications: Education & Experience

• You are a fully committed follower of Jesus Christ and a member of The MET Church (or willing to transfer membership to The MET).
• You agree with and act in accordance with The MET’s Statement of Beliefs.
• Must be actively involved in or leading or participating in a discipleship small group.
• Requires a high school diploma or GED equivalent.
• Proven work experience working with individuals with a wide range of disabilities and ages.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to maintain a calm and patient demeanor with all students.
• Forward thinking. You anticipate the needs of future events in preparation for the short-term and long-term goals & objectives.
• Solution oriented as well as flexible to the ever-changing needs of building a new program.

Hours and Physical Work Requirements

This is a part-time, hourly position with an anticipated work week up to 15 hours/week.  This person must be available Sunday mornings, Tuesday morning staff meetings, and potentially Wednesday evenings.  The remaining hours will be assigned and determined by the supervisor and may evolve based on the needs of the ministry.

The coordinator must also be able to handle the physical requirements that often come with working with persons of disabilities.  They must be able to help support the weight of an individual who has physical difficulties and must be able to lift up to 50 pounds at a time.  They must also be able to kneel, sit on the floor, squat, crawl, etc. to help support the physical needs of the individual.