Church Secretary Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a church secretary. You can use our job description template in this article to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a church secretary.
Who is a Church Secretary?
A church Secretary is a person who manages all daily operations and administrative tasks in a church. The pastors and employees are helped with a range of administrative tasks by the church secretary, who also controls the running of the church office. As a church secretary, you are responsible for taking calls, scheduling events, filing paperwork, and creating service schedules. You also keep track of personal information on new converts, guests, and other matters impacting the church. For the majority of church secretary roles, basic accounting is a valuable skill since some of this data may include church money. Your responsibility is to make sure the church is operated correctly, effectively, and discreetly about the personal information of its members.
Any church staff would be incomplete without a church secretary. They are in charge of managing every administrative duty required to keep a church operating efficiently. Setting up appointments, taking calls, composing letters and other papers, filing paperwork, etc. are all included in this. Church secretaries often get along well with their pastor or other clergy. They could also act as a go-between for parishioners who want to communicate with these people directly with them.
Church Secretary Job Description
Below are the church secretary job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a church secretary include the following;
- Create meeting agendas, record meeting minutes, and archive meeting minutes.
- Help the clergy members by supporting the church’s administrative needs, such as coordinating weddings and funerals, keeping databases of members and donors, and setting up visitor transportation.
- Coordinate all church activities with the pastor or other clergy to ensure that they are completed on time.
- Keep track of expenses and record donations to manage the church’s finances.
- Take care of office tasks like greeting clients, taking calls, and setting up appointments with parishioners.
- Arrange special occasions like concerts or church conferences.
- Keep a record of each church member’s birthdays and anniversaries.
- Give the pastor clerical support by typing sermons and other documents, keeping track of worship service attendance, and overseeing the church website.
- Coordinate volunteer efforts among church members.
- Take calls at the church office and answer them.
- Perform clerical duties such as typing, filing, and copying as required.
- Read emails and reply to them.
- Welcome guests, answer their inquiries and offer assistance as necessary.
- Direct guests and parishioners to the pastor or other administration.
- Help with event planning for the church.
- Develop, maintain, and aid in the distribution of a church event calendar.
- Assign the appropriate staff to receive mail that is delivered to the parish office.
- Serve as a point of contact for committees connected to the church and other volunteer groups.
- Maintain all church records, including data on weddings and baptisms.
- Plan meetings for the staff of the church office.
- Participate in parish meetings, record minutes, and distributes records to the appropriate parties.
- Help with the weekly church bulletin’s composition, editing, printing, and distribution.
- Organize the details of any events that call for the use of the church, such as weddings, funerals, baptisms, and other similar ceremonies.
- Help the parish with the recruiting and scheduling of student employees, church volunteers, and junior secretaries.
- Maintain the office calendar up to date and inform personnel of future meetings and activities.
- Prepare payroll information, distribute checks, and keep track of the office’s finances with the help of the finance manager.
- Mail out church announcements.
- Place orders for office supplies as required.
- Keep the workplace tidy and organized.
- Communicates information to parishioners and guests straightforwardly and efficiently.
Qualifications
- An equivalent to a high school diploma is required.
- Bachelor’s or an associate’s degree is recommended.
- Demonstrates tolerance and empathy.
- Demonstrates courtesy and friendliness, and gets along well with a variety of diverse personalities.
- Knows how to use Word, Excel, WordPress, Quicken, and other financial, publishing, and word-processing programs.
- Great organizing abilities are on display.
- Gives meticulous attention to detail.
- Demonstrates knowledge of HTML and website development.
- Regularly can multitask well.
- Has the capacity for creative thought for creating the church website and other widely disseminated resources.
- Relevant Knowledge and Experience
- Knowledge of office procedures.
Essential Skills
- Event Management: Events and gatherings for a church are often planned by the secretary of the organization. This involves ensuring an event goes successfully via scheduling, budgeting, vendor management, and other activities. Being an experienced event planner might make you a successful church secretary. Planning occasions like weddings or funerals is another way you may put your organizing abilities to use.
- Management of time: The capacity to schedule and carry out work in a manner that guarantees you meet deadlines is known as time management. It’s crucial to effectively manage your time as the church secretary to finish all of your responsibilities on schedule. This includes arranging meetings with congregation members, making arrangements for major occasions like weddings and funerals, and keeping track of any other obligations you may have.
- Church Membership Administration: Church secretaries often keep track of their congregation’s members’ contributions and gifts, as well as oversee the process of welcoming new members and updating contact information. Software is used in membership management to enter data and monitor member activities. Additionally, it calls for maintaining thorough records on each member so that you can respond to any inquiries they may have about their accounts or other facets of their affiliation with the church.
- Organization: An organization’s capacity is its ability to keep track of a variety of responsibilities. Meeting planning, keeping records of congregation members, and overseeing other office duties may be your duties as a church secretary. You can keep on top of your responsibilities and make sure that the relevant information is accessible when needed by having great organizing abilities.
- Management of databases: Databases are often used by church secretaries to store and arrange information. For instance, they may utilize a database to manage the specifics of each member’s church membership or to keep tabs on the contributions that members have made. Databases are often used by church secretaries for their own administrative needs, such as keeping track of previous events or compiling files on members who have paid dues.
- Social Media Administration: The capacity to establish and administer social media accounts for a business or organization is known as social media management. Because many churches utilize social media to interact with their members, prospective members, and other organizations, church secretaries often possess this talent. To advertise events, respond to inquiries about the church, and encourage people to attend services, church secretaries could, for instance, handle the church’s Facebook page.
- Taking Minutes: The ability to take thorough minutes of meetings is a crucial talent for church secretaries. This calls for accuracy in transcription as well as meticulous attention to detail. When creating follow-up materials or communicating with participants through email, taking notes might help you recall specifics from a meeting. To give everyone a chance to express their views, it’s crucial to make sure that everyone has an equal amount of time to speak.
- Observation of Details: The capacity to pay close attention to details and confirm their accuracy is known as attention to detail. For instance, if a church member provides you with their address, you could verify it numerous times to make sure you have the correct details. This ability may assist you in avoiding errors that can negatively impact someone’s life or create confusion at work. Additionally, it guarantees the accuracy of all of your records.
- Public Affairs: Church secretaries should have good public relations abilities since they facilitate interaction with the general public. You could be asked questions about the church by volunteers, members of your congregation, and other individuals. Your ability to communicate effectively with the public enables you to advertise church activities or inspire people to join a ministry.
- Flexibility: The ability to alter course when necessary. You can be requested to work multiple shifts or stand in for other staff members while they’re away as a church secretary. You may change your schedule and tasks as necessary by being adaptable. Additionally, it’s critical to maintain flexibility with your jobs so that, if you lose your job, you may pick up a new one.
- Communication: The capacity for clear and succinct information transfer is referred to as communication. You can be in charge of liaising with volunteers, other staff members, and members of your congregation as a church secretary. This requires excellent verbal and written communication skills. Additionally, you must be able to speak well on the phone and write clearly in emails.
- Multi-tasking: Church secretaries often need to multitask, which calls for the capacity to do numerous jobs at once. For instance, a secretary may take calls, type emails, and file documents all at once. This ability is crucial since it might enable you to maintain productivity and adhere to deadlines. Additionally, it guarantees that your company has a replacement in case you need to miss work.
- Office Management: The capacity to utilize software, run office machines, and maintain data are known as office administration skills. These abilities will be useful to you if you work as a church secretary, particularly if you do so in an office setting. Utilizing Microsoft Office, maintaining databases and spreadsheets, and utilizing a variety of office equipment are a few examples of office administration abilities.
- Upkeep of the website: Church secretaries often update and manage their employers’ websites, thus they must be familiar with web design and coding. Additionally, they must understand how to update website material and resolve any problems that may come up. For instance, the church secretary has to be able to update the website whenever an event is added or altered.
- Correspondence: The capacity to compose and reply to emails, letters, or messages is known as correspondence. You would have to communicate with people from your congregation, people from other churches, people from other faiths, and people from companies as church secretaries. Additionally, you can be in charge of creating and distributing newsletters, invites, and other kinds of communication.
- Keeping of Financial Records: The capacity to preserve accurate records of a company’s financial activities is known as financial record keeping. You can be in charge of keeping track of finances and making sure that all transactions are appropriately documented as the church secretary. This may include keeping track of contributions received, payments made, and other financial data.
How to Become a Church Secretary
- Acquire knowledge: A high school diploma or GED is the minimum educational qualification for employment as a church administrator. Smaller congregations are more likely to encounter this. A church administrator often requires either a bachelor’s degree or an associate degree. Although it is not always necessary, possessing an associate’s or bachelor’s degree might provide you an advantage over other applicants in the recruiting process.
- Think about getting a degree in a business, communications, or finance-related subject: A degree in these fields may indicate that you have the necessary skills and training to carry out the main responsibilities of a church administrator.
- Acquire expertise: Whether or whether you decide to continue your schooling, having relevant experience may help you get a job. Church administrators often have managerial, secretarial, or customer service expertise. To demonstrate your ability to interact with the public and maintain organized records, think about applying for an entry-level position as a customer service representative or a comparable position.
- Participate in church-related activities: Church volunteer days, fundraisers, and festivals are often planned by church management. If you are familiar with the congregation at the church where you serve, preparing these activities may go more smoothly. Although churches do not mandate that their administrators belong to a particular religion, hiring managers may prefer applicants who demonstrate a commitment to the church’s principles. Participating in church events may sometimes demonstrate your commitment to supporting the congregation. Knowing the church you want to work for beforehand might help you establish professional ties that could offer you an edge throughout the hiring process.
Where to Work as a Church Secretary
Church secretaries operate in the administrative departments of places of worship. They normally work from Monday through Friday, however, they could have to work on the weekends and in the evenings if they need to be at church functions. Church secretaries are in charge of a variety of administrative duties, such as taking phone calls, keeping records, creating mail, setting up appointments, and managing the church’s money. Additionally, they assist the priest and the church personnel, and they could be in charge of organizing the efforts of volunteers. Church secretaries should always be amiable and helpful since they often serve as the initial point of contact for churchgoers and the general public. Additionally, they must be capable of handling sensitive material with sensitivity and care.
Church Secretary Salary Scale
In the USA, the typical church secretary makes $29,250 a year, or $15 an hour. Most experienced professionals earn up to $33,540 per year, while entry-level occupations start at $26,325 annually.
In Canada, the typical church secretary earns $34,125 a year, or $17.50 per hour. Most experienced professionals earn up to $36,715 per year, while entry-level roles start at $33,150.
Australia’s average secretary income is $38.40 per hour or $74,870 annually. Most experienced professionals may earn up to $115,023 per year, while entry-level roles start at $63,555.
