Director of Adult Faith Formation and OCIA

Job Description

Summary
This role reports to the Pastor through the Director of Parish Operations & Pastoral Ministries. The Director of Adult Faith Formation and OCIA oversees three primary areas: adult education, Christian Initiation, and young adult ministry. This position fosters spiritual growth through educational programs, individualized pastoral care, and community-building initiatives, while also supporting parents in preparing for their children's baptism and local parish faith formation initiatives.

The Director assists and empowers parishioners to be effective evangelizers and disciple-makers through training and equipping, focusing on evangelization workshops, mentoring, accompaniment, and discernment of charisms with the intended goal of individuals seeing themselves as witnesses of their encounter with Jesus.
The Director maintains a standard for effective teamwork and fosters a healthy working environment, operating with excellence, staying zealous, humble, faithful to the mission of the Church and rooted in prayer.

Key Responsibilities:
Adult Faith Formation
• Lead weekly forums featuring parishioners and guest experts in fields such as theology, literature, liturgy Scripture, Church history, and Catholic moral teaching (e.g., sexual morality, Catholic social teaching, respect for human dignity and life). Foster responsible, faithful, ecumenical, and intellectually curious dialogue.
• Fosters and reinforces whole family participation in faith formation, stewardship and involvement at Mass and supports and nurtures the family's evangelical needs.
• Leads family meetings, assessing and evaluating needs of each family and determining appropriate formation path.
• Develop and implement additional adult formation opportunities, including workshops, retreats, and educational series, to enhance parishioners' understanding of Catholic faith and practice
• Provide opportunities several times a year for parishioners to participate in small groups and create materials for their use in meetings.
• Maintain and/or develop a variety of digital opportunities, such as ChatCTK, a podcast featuring voices from the parish community, to encourage broader participation in parish life.

Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA)
• Oversee three yearly OCIA cycles: two for baptized Christians coming from other churches and one for unbaptized persons preparing for full initiation at the annual Easter Vigil.
• Create and teach within a comprehensive OCIA curriculum
• Recruit and support OCIA catechists and OCIA sponsors
• Oversee the OCIA Inquiry ministry, a team of parishioners who help those interested in becoming Catholic share their stories and ask questions.
• Coordinate all OCIA-related rituals, retreats, and formation events
• Prepare adult Catholics who were never confirmed to complete their initiation
• Handle pastoral/canonical issues related to Christian initiation, especially pertaining to evidence of baptism and marital status

Baptismal Preparation for First-Time Parents
• Conduct one-hour conversations with each set of parents, discussing how their decision to baptize their child relates to their past faith journey and their future participation in parish life.
• Facilitate monthly group meetings for parents that focus on the rite of baptism, exploring the meanings and purposes of its various parts, and offering guidance on how parents can enrich the celebration of their child's baptism.

Young Adult Ministry
• Oversee the young adult ministry by recruiting and supporting the Credo leadership team, ensuring the provision of regular spiritual, service, formation, and social opportunities for Christ the King's young adult community.
• Provide quarterly young adult formation events focusing on topics related to Catholic theology and practice.

Additional Responsibilities
• Collaborate with the Director of Parish Operations and Pastoral Ministries to record and produce CTKConnect, weekly videos that keep parishioners up to date on important parish events.

Support Local Faith Formation Initiatives:
Oversee and provide support for local parish faith formation initiatives, including current initiatives and future ones as discerned with the pastor and pastoral team.
*Individualized Pastoral Care & Spiritual Direction (Per individual interest/training):
Offer one-on-one pastoral care and spiritual direction, attending to the unique needs of parishioners.

Requirements
• Strong Catholic theological background (Graduate Degree preferred), with a focus on adult faith formation, Christian Initiation and integration of liturgy and catechesis.
• The candidate should be knowledgeable of, faithful to and able to effectively and enthusiastically articulate the formal teachings of the Church.
• Knowledge of formal Roman Catholic Church practices and celebrations of the Sacraments, especially Baptism, First Eucharist and Confirmation programs and process.
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office & social media.
• The candidate needs excellent verbal, written, and computer skills and working knowledge of computer applications including Google Forms, Outlook, Word, Canva, Adobe and Excel and the ability to master other applications, as needed.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely
• Ability to understand and follow established operating procedures and to perform duties in a professional manner and appearance.
• Ability to make independent and good judgment decisions within the established procedures of the Roman Catholic Church, Diocese of Nashville and Christ the King Church
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with diverse individuals and groups.
• Ability to exhibit accurate, dependable and reliable work habits, be able to work independently and efficiently, ability to be detail-oriented and possess excellent problem-solving skills.
• Ability to practice excellent customer service skills.
• Expertise in adult learning, group facilitation, and communal prayer.
• Proficiency in producing digital media, particularly podcasts and videos.
• Ability to create and provide resources for small groups and formation programs.
• Experience in spiritual direction, pastoral care, and young adult ministry.

TO APPLY:
Copy the following link into your web browser: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Apply/3446657/CHRIST-THE-KING-PARISH/Director-of-Adult-Faith-Formation-and-Order-of-Christian-Initiation-of-Adults-OCIA

About the Employer

Christ The King Parish is a dynamic community in Nashville's city core. We are young and old. We take an active part in our Belmont-Hillsboro and 12 South Neighborhoods. All of us come together to live the mission of Jesus Christ in the Catholic tradition.