Children's Ministry Director: Duties, Pay and Safety

A children’s ministry director runs a church’s programs for children from birth through elementary school, recruits and trains the volunteers, and sets the safety rules. Of the 44 children’s ministry postings on Church Posting on October 19, 2026, 15 say full time and 8 say part time, and the five that state annual pay run from $15,000 for a part-time role to a $55,000 to $80,000 range.

The figures come from 44 children’s ministry church postings read October 19, 2026, at 24 churches in 14 states, and the BLS May 2025 wage estimates. The job pages show current openings.

What should the church define in this role?

Ask which ages and programs the director will lead. Get the schedule for Sunday, midweek programs and seasonal events. Confirm who chooses curriculum, communicates with parents, recruits volunteers and approves spending. Ask the church to explain its screening, check-in and incident-reporting procedures.

How much does a children’s ministry director make?

Five postings state annual pay in their structured listing fields. The table lists those five.

The median of the five annual midpoints is $63,500.

BLS has no category for a children’s ministry director. Its nearest numbers for May 2025 are these.

How much do children’s pastors get paid?

In our postings, full-time children’s pastors and ministers state $55,000 to $80,000, with the three full-time ranges centered at $74,500, $67,500 and $63,500. The BLS median for directors of religious activities and education is $52,100.

How should a church set the pay?

Compare pay with the hours and benefits the church offers. BLS reports a mean hourly wage of $29.86 for directors of religious activities and education and $16.84 for childcare workers. Ask whether preparation, Sunday mornings, midweek programs and seasonal events all fit inside the paid hours.

Is a children’s ministry director a full-time job?

Not always. Of the 44 postings, 15 say full time, 8 say part time and 21 do not say. Titles predict the hours.

Ask for a weekly schedule before accepting a part-time role, especially when you also hold another job.

What do churches call the job?

Churches use “kids” and “children” about equally. Of the 44 titles, 21 say “kids” or a variant, 19 say “children,” 3 say “elementary” and 6 name a nursery or preschool. Ten titles use “director,” 6 “pastor,” 3 “minister” and 7 “coordinator.”

What does a children’s ministry coordinator do?

The coordinator postings sit at the campus or service level. They include Kids Coordinator roles at Bayside Church, Gateway Church and Christ Fellowship Church, a Kids Ministry Coordinator at The Crossing, a part-time NextGen Coordinator at Menlo Church and an Evening Service Coordinator at Redeemer Presbyterian Church. One of the seven coordinator and manager postings says full time.

How do multisite churches staff children’s ministry?

They use several levels of title, and the postings show the ladder. Bayside Church lists a Kid’s Ministry Pastor, a Kids Pastor for 4th and 5th grade, a Kids Coordinator for the Auburn campus and four Children’s Ministry Program Worker postings for the Blue Oaks, El Dorado Hills, Folsom and Adventure campuses. Gateway Church lists a Kids Coordinator for its Frisco campus, a Kids Service Leader for North Fort Worth and Kids Team Member postings for three campuses. Elevation Church lists an eKidz Director for its Ballantyne campus and Journey Church lists a Central Kids Pastor who oversees every campus.

What should an application explain?

Describe your work with children, your training and the volunteers you have supervised. Read the church’s education and experience requirements before applying. Ask whether a degree is required, preferred or replaceable by experience, and identify the evidence you can provide.

What about preschool and childcare jobs?

Preschool and childcare postings form a separate group, and the pay data for them come from BLS. Eleven postings in our data name a preschool, childcare, nursery, daycare or extended care job. They include childcare workers at Fellowship Church in Texas and RockHarbor Church in California, a Preschool Assistant at Bay Area Church, an eCademy Preschool Teacher at Elevation Church and a Preschool Coordinator at Christ Fellowship Church. None states pay. BLS puts the median for preschool and daycare administrators at $59,300 and for childcare workers at $34,980. The preschool director pages and church childcare pages list the open jobs.

What safety rules does the job carry?

Ask the church to explain four procedures before accepting responsibility for children.

1. Screening for staff and volunteers that includes background checks.
2. Check-in and check-out for every child, with security standards.
3. Scheduling and training for volunteers.
4. The state’s reporting rules for suspected abuse, described below.

The Federal Trade Commission says an employer that uses a background check company has to give the applicant a written disclosure in “a stand-alone format,” get written permission, and give notice before and after an adverse decision.

Are children’s ministry staff mandatory reporters?

State law decides, and states differ on clergy. The Child Welfare Information Gateway publishes a page for each state. Its Texas page says the duty to report suspected abuse “applies, without exception, to an individual whose personal communications may otherwise be privileged,” and names a member of the clergy. Its Georgia page says a member of the clergy “shall not be required to report child abuse reported solely within the context of confession.” A children’s director should read the page for the church’s state and ask the church’s attorney how it applies to staff and volunteers.

Where are children’s ministry jobs?

The 44 postings come from 24 churches. Texas has 12, California 9, North Carolina 4, Florida 4, and Missouri and New York 3 each. Bayside Church has 7 postings and Gateway Church 5. See open jobs on the children’s ministry director pages, the preschool director pages and the church childcare pages, or by state for Texas, California and North Carolina.

How do you get hired as a children’s ministry director?

Four steps match what the postings ask for.

1. Serve as a volunteer or part-time leader in a children’s program, and keep numbers such as children served, volunteers recruited and events run.
2. Learn the safety and check-in systems the church uses and get the church’s training certificates.
3. Read the church’s statement of faith and ask how it applies to the role.
4. Prepare answers from the interview questions guide, which has a set for children’s ministry directors.

A church that is hiring can use the church job description guide, which has a children’s ministry director template, and the church staff salaries guide to set a range. It can post the job free. The Vacation Bible School themes guide helps with a major yearly event, and the weekly newsletter sends new guides and job data.