The First United Methodist Church of Bedford is seeking a part-time Church Secretary.   

Secretary, Financial / Administrative Assistant POSTED: 18 August, 2016 – OPEN TO: 27 August 2016

This position entails many different task supporting church operations including office operations, financial operations, and staff/pastoral tasks.  As an integral part of the staff team you will have access to personal/ private individual information, (PII).  This will require strict confidentiality, your integrity and level of trust will be a measure of your success in this position.  There is a lot of confidential information of which the church secretary will be aware such as financial records, counseling situations, and other private matters. It’s absolutely essential that all items of a personal nature of which she/he becomes aware must remain a highly guarded treasure which they must keep to their self. It is the position of the personnel committee that divulging any private matters of any person – church member or not – is considered grounds for immediate dismissal.

Secretarial duties:

  • CORRESPONDENCE: Respond to individuals needing written communication. Compose letters when re-quested by the pastoral staff. Send letters to all first-time visitors to the church. Be sure all correspondence is mailed in a timely manner.
  • MAINTENANCE OF OFFICE EQUIPMENT: Operate, clean regularly, and recommend to the supervisor maintenance needs for all office equipment (i.e., copier, folding machine, computer, etc.).
  • PREPARATION OF BULLETIN: Keep an up-to-date calendar of events, gather information, type bulletin information in designated format, spell-check, proofread, get pastoral approval, copy and fold weekly bulletins.
  • ADMINISTRATION OF COMPUTER OPERATIONS: Do everything possible to become a proficient computer operator. Supervise all computer-related procedures. Plan overall utilization of computer capabilities. Responsible to see that all changes are kept up-to-date. Generate reports when required by pastoral staff or other members of the church.
  • MAINTENANCE OF OFFICE FILES: Keep all files in an orderly manner and prepare filing system directions for other users. Maintain records of baptisms, dedications, weddings, membership and visitor attendance.
  • ADMINISTRATION OF A LOST AND FOUND CENTER.
  • KEYS: Maintain a current list of key holders and provide keys to personnel as needed. Collect keys when people leave.
  • MAINTAIN PETTY CASH.
  • MAINTAIN MASTER CALENDAR.
  • OPEN, DATE, AND SORT INCOMING MAIL.
  • CHECK EMAIL AND RESPOND.
  • RECEIVES VISITORS TO OFFICE AND RESPONDS TO NEEDS.
  • ANSWERS THE TELEPHONE AND TAKES MESSAGES FOR PASTOR AND OTHER STAFF.
  • INVENTORY CONTROL FOR OFFICE SUPPLIES. Provides an uninterrupted support of total church office operations. Orders supplies as needed.
  • SUPERVISION OF VOLUNTEER OFFICE HELP. Includes recruiting, scheduling, training, and work re-view.
  • PREPARATION OF THE ANNUAL CHARGE CONFERENCE REPORTS.  Responsible for setting reasonable deadlines for acquiring reports/and or information from the responsible individual(s), entering the information received, copying and assembly of reports.
  • COLLECT ARTICLES FOR NEWSLETTER AND PREPARE.
  • TYPE AND PREPARE BULK, ALL CHURCH MAILINGS.
  • OTHER RECORDS: To maintain records and follow-up on items borrowed from the church, and the col-lection of money owed to the church (i.e., personal long distance calls, wholesale purchasing cards, etc.).
  • MAINTENANCE OF BULLETIN BOARDS. To maintain orderly bulletin boards with current information.
  • OFFICE PROCEDURE MANUAL. Maintain an Office Procedure Manual so that information as to the function of the church office is kept up-to-date and is easily accessible to others should it be needed.
  • PRINTED MATERIALS: As necessary, update any printed materials so that information is accurate and current (i.e., Application for Assistance, Facility Use Forms, etc.).
  • KEEP MEMBERSHIP BOOK UP-TO-DATE.  A new member, baptisms, weddings, deaths, transfers in and out.
  • PREPARE CERTIFICATES OF TRANSFER IN/OUT.  Notify churches, if requested by a new member.
  • KEEP COMPUTER DATABASE UP-TO DATE.  Add new members, children, friends and those interested in being on the mailing list.

Financial duties:

• To work according to the guidelines established by the church

• Records the contributions to each family’s contribution record

• Prepares journal entries and post them to the general ledger

• Process all checks, recording them in the appropriate accounting software program

• Insure that computer files are backed up weekly, at a minimum monthly, and the back-ups are stored off premises

• Supervise daily cash balances to insure sufficient funds are maintained

• Maintains filing system and storage system for all financial records and banking records

• Maintain historical data, and establish a retention system for old financial records in accordance with government requirements

Administrative Assistant to Pastoral Staff duties:

  • SECRETARIAL SUPPORT TO PASTORAL STAFF: Help with correspondence, telephoning, and any other tasks that might be done to free them as much as possible to do more important duties.
  • SEND OUT REMINDERS FOR BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
  • Other duties as assigned related to general secretarial, financial / administrative assistant support.

Job Requirements and Guidelines

  • Protect the reputation and integrity of others through strict confidentiality.
  • Develop an attitude toward role as a minister of church, not merely office help.
  • Demonstrate a high level of trust.
  • Display the ability to communicate well, both verbally and written.
  • Create an environment that is inviting to people passing through on a daily basis.
  • When urgent situations arise, your first priority is to the person involved. Identify the need and its degree of urgency. Then refer or take a message for one of the pastoral staff members.
  • Develop procedure for handling complaints and problems.
  • Develop procedure for handling visitors during office hours.
  • Cooperation in scheduling and planning to see that the goals and objectives of the church are being realized is necessary requiring firsthand knowledge of  policies, procedures and programs at the church.
  • Keep abreast of church protocol by keeping policies current and drafting needed policies for the pastoral staff to channel to the proper commissions.
  • Maintain a high degree of computer skills/literacy, must be proficient in MS Word and Excel.

The position of the Church Secretary is a very special ministry and important in a church setting. The church secretary is on the front lines of this ministry and is one of the very first person’s the public sees and talks to. She or he is a reflection of the church and should always keep this as an honor and reflect as such.  The person selected for this position should be a Christian with general and office skills who truly feels “called to Christian service” and who is willing to go “above and beyond” the personal investment in a job that is considered “normal” in the secular world of work.

The Church Secretary must be a team player and work well with diverse groups of people. Knowledge of the structure of the United Methodist Church is helpful.  This is a part-time position for 10 hours per week. Salary is commensurate with experience.

If you would like to be considered for this position, please send a resume and cover letter by email to:  firstumc@hpcisp.com or by regular mail to: Pastor Michelle White, First UMC of Bedford, 1409 K Street, Bedford IN. 47421.