About Highway Vineyard Church (HVC)

HVC is a growing multicultural church in the Borough of Newham in East London, with the

vision  to  be  a  multi-site  church  and  our  aim  is  to  pastor  the  city.  We  are  seeking  to

contagiously  and compassionately demonstrate and communicate the love of Jesus to the

people of our city.

Our  Sunday  morning  worship  service  at  our  Stratford  site  has  regular  attendance  in  the

region  of  200.  Our  Sunday  morning  worship  service  at  our  Manor  Park  site  has  regular

attendance in the region of 30-40.

Organisational context and Current Priorities

HVC currently runs a variety of compassion projects at both our sites, including a food bank

and  pantry  at  our  Store  House,  a  baby  clothes  bank  called  Growbaby  and  we  are  also

working  with  a  local  hotel  which  houses  new  asylum  seekers,  providing families space to

cook in a large church’ kitchen.

Our Stratford site has a large purpose-built building on the main road into Stratford within

20 minutes’ walk of the Olympic Park and our Manor Park site has a smaller building which

is situated in a diverse community.

We have the following on our staff team (some paid, some voluntary) at HVC:

●  A Senior Pastor
●  Two Site Pastors
●  A Pioneer Pastor
●  A Youth and Community Pastor
●  Children & Families Pastor
●  A Welcome Pastor
●  Operations Manager
●  A Store House Manager
●  A Finance Officer
●  A Facilities Manager

We  are  in  a partnership with London City Mission and have an evangelist working with us

half a day a week.

This post carries an occupational requirement on the grounds of religion and belief.

Candidates applying must be able to demonstrate a Christian belief and value system in

line with Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland Statement of Faith:

http://www.vineyardchurches.org.uk/resources/tools/statement-of-faith/

Children and Families Pastor Job Description

Highway Vineyard Church

Job Title

Children and Families Pastor - One Year Fixed Term Contract (Maternity Cover)

The Role

Are you passionate about seeing children come to know Jesus and grow in relationship with

Him? This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of our growing children’s ministry, helping

to direct the vision of Highway Vineyard Kids and deliver our programme of children’s

discipleship. We have four groups running across two sites and around 25 - 35 children

regularly attending our church.

Alongside running the children’s ministry, you will be responsible for our compassion and

outreach ministries aimed at local families with under 11s. We are seeking a seasoned and

skilled individual with a keen understanding of church leadership and a heart to see the

Kingdom advance through children’s ministry and a passion for bringing God’s love and

truth to families in our local areas.

Team

You will be responsible to Simon Clinton, Senior Pastor, and will regularly work together

with the Youth Pastor and Operations Manager.

Hours worked

Full-time, 5 days per week (37.5 hours), Tuesday - Friday and Sundays. You will sometimes

be required to work evenings and Saturdays, for which time off in-lieu will be rewarded.

Alternative working arrangements may be considered for suitable candidates

Salary

£30,000 pro rata + pension provision

Annual Leave

The annual total is 25 days +8 Bank Holidays for full time or pro-rata.

Terms of Employment

This is a one year, fixed-term contract as maternity leave cover.

Key Responsibilities

●  Facilitating the vision and direction of Highway Vineyard Kids

Highway Kids is full of potential; there is so much we believe God wants to do in and

through our children’s ministry. We are looking for a Children and Families Pastor who will

continue to cast and facilitate the vision of our ministries so that they grow and flourish.

●  Planning and preparing our Sunday groups

You will be required to oversee and support the children’s ministries at both our sites

(Stratford and Manor Park), by developing a yearly curriculum for Kids’ Church, planning

and preparing the material for Sunday mornings for all age groups and ensuring that all

teams are operating at a high-standard with the support and resources they need.

●  Development of volunteers

You will be managing and working with a lot of volunteers across the children’s and

outreach ministries. A key role of the Children and Families Pastor will be to recruit,

delegate and support the volunteer teams so that they can do excellent work!

●  Overseeing Growbaby

One of our exciting compassion outreach projects here at HVC is Growbaby. We provide

clothing and equipment for 0-5 year olds and give to all who come through the door. But

more than that, we focus on connecting and building relationships with the many parents,

babies and toddlers who we welcome each week, by offering a listening ear, kind words,

support and prayer.

●  Helping facilitate the Vineyard Discipleship Year Programme

We currently have 2 amazing young adults participating in the Vineyard Discipleship Year

Programme at HVC. You will be involved, alongside the Youth Pastor, in facilitating weekly

teaching days, with resources provided by Vineyard Churches UK.

A Children’s Ministry Stream will be made available for the 2026/2027 Discipleship Year

cohort. Should someone take this, they would be able to assist you in your responsibilities

for one day a week and you would be responsible for managing them.

●  Connecting with local primary schools through Faith in Schools

Through a local charity, Faith in Schools, you would regularly (around 3 times a term) visit

local primary schools to teach children about Jesus. Training can be provided if needed. You

can find out more about Faith in Schools here: https://www.faithinschools.co.uk/

●  Running our toddler group

We run a stay-and-play group for 0-5s every Friday in term time from 10 - 11.45 am, at the

Stratford Site. This is a chance for pre-school children to come and play together and

provides a community space for local parents. You will be responsible for the running of

Highway Tots, including setting up/down, managing volunteers and connecting with local

parents.

●  Planning and organising events

Over the last few years we have been running ‘Light Party’ and ‘Messy Easter’ events at the

Stratford Site, in collaboration with local churches. You would plan and organise these

events, as well as any other events of your choosing!

●  Planning and leading all-age services

The Sunday morning services at Stratford and Manor Park have approximately 3 to 5

all-age services per year, including Harvest and a Nativity. You will work with the senior

pastor, site pastors and other members of the leadership team to plan and lead these

services. There will also be opportunities to preach.

●  Safeguarding Lead (Children and Youth)

You will be responsible for the safeguarding for all under 18s in the church. This includes

carrying out DBS checks and safeguarding training and being the first point of contact for

any safeguarding situations that arise, as well as supporting the Youth Pastor with

safeguarding for the young people in the church.

Other responsibilities:

●  Manage the Kids’ Budget
●  Represent the interests of the children in church life.
●  Have a proactive stance towards personal development by reading, accessing

training and seeking relationships with people in the next stage of ministry.

●  Attend all staff meetings, away days and training as required.
●  Play a full part as a member of the staff team, working collaboratively on shared

goals and supporting wider ministries of the church as appropriate.

Competencies required (E - Essential; D - Desirable)

Skills
•  Have good written and oral communication skills - E

•  Clear evidence of planning, organising and office administration skills - E

•  Be able to use initiative and work proactively. - E

•  Ability to organise work and prioritise - E

•  Be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines. - E

•  Ability to Train, teach and mentor others - E

•  Competent with the use of IT and Social Media - E

Knowledge
•  Will have some understanding of Safeguarding procedures - E

•  Training/qualification in children’s work - D

•  Microsoft Office (or equivalent) to Intermediate Level - E

Experience
•  Have experience working with young people - E

•  Have experience leading a team (preferably in a church setting)- D

•  Experience of working well in teams - D

•  A team player with a willingness to serve and learn - E

Gifts and temperament
•  An ease of friendliness with children, young people, adults and parents - E

•  Friendly, enthusiastic, approachable - E

•  Strong initiative and networking skills - D

•  Ability to approach confidential matters with discretion, sensitivity and diplomacy - E

In addition you must

•  Be a passionate disciple of Jesus Christ, demonstrating personal growth and

accountability.

•  We would also expect the successful candidate to attend and be a full member of HVC,

including joining a Connect Group attending mid week prayer meetings where possible

and joining in with the life of the church.

Approval

Senior Leadership Team

How to Apply:

Please submit your CV and a covering letter explaining your suitability for this role to

irma@highwayvineyard.org

Applications close at 12.00pm on Friday 30th January, 2026