PRESENTS
CHILDREN'S PASTOR
At Redland Hills Church
Wetumpka, AL
SNAPSHOT
Redland Hills Church is a fantastic community-focused church in Wetumpka, AL - a bedroom community just 10 minutes from the capital of Montgomery. Planted in 2014, it still has the passion and excitement of a young church plant, while having an established presence in the community and a beautiful campus on the main thoroughfare through town. Redland Hills is a non-denominational church currently running about 350 people as they build out of the pandemic. With their focus on young families and being actively engaged in their local community, the future is extremely bright for Redland Hills and the growing Wetumpka area.
HISTORY & CURRENT STATUS
Redland Hills Church, located just outside Montgomery, Alabama, began in 2014 with a small group of families committed to loving God & loving their neighbors. The population in their ZIP code has exploded--growing 37% from 2010-2020. However, the number that got their attention the most was that 52% of people in Elmore County claim no religious affiliation. That makes Elmore County the 5th least-reached county in Alabama.
Rather than try to take people away from other churches, Redland Hills has focused on the 52%. Whether this group has never known Jesus, or have walked away from church, Redland Hills has a heart for them. Their children's ministry has been incredibly successful at caring for kids and families, while still working with the church as a whole to foster a truly multi-generational community. They are looking for the next children's pastor who can come in, breathe fresh life and vision into the ministry, and continue reaching the families of this wonderful community.
Wes Gunn left his role as a missions minister at a large Montgomery church to plant Redland Hills. In January 2014, the core team launched their public service in a neighborhood clubhouse. In 2017, they moved into their local elementary school. And in April 2018, they moved into a newly constructed facility on the main road with terrific visibility in their community. Since that time the church has grown to around 300 and the energy and vision for this growing church body and its community is infectious!
The Redland Hills mission is CONNECTING WITH GOD, COMMUNITY WITH EACH OTHER, COMPASSION FOR OUR NEIGHBORS.
Connect with God
Redland Hills longs to grow as people who know and love God. To know Jesus is to know God, so the church seeks to grow as followers of Jesus by gathering to worship on Sundays, participating in Bible studies and discipleship groups during the week, and living faith-filled, obedient lives at home and in their community.
Community with each other
They also prioritize building community by encouraging and helping each other along the way. The church feels like a family, and they work to build that family through a variety of small groups which begin every semester.
Compassion for neighbors
Redland Hills actively displays God's love through their committed participation in the community and local schools, in addition to a strong global missions emphasis. The Redland Hills church family regularly serves its community and wants to make a difference in their neighborhoods.
MULTI-GENERATIONAL
Redland Hills is a new church and a young one, with more than half of their congregation under the age of 40. This multi-generational church family is made up of people from many backgrounds, including those who have no religious upbringing.
Redland Hills is a non-denominational church. To learn more about their statement of beliefs, click here.
CHILDREN'S MINISTRY APPROACH
OPPORTUNITY
Redland Hills and the surrounding community has an ever-growing population of young families. As they build back from the pandemic, they are only seeing an increase in kids returning to church. There is a terrific multi-generational approach to ministry within the church, and an opportunity to really make an impact in the lives of kids and families.
Here is a quick video of Wes Gunn (Senior Pastor) explaining a bit more about the church, the community, and opportunity for the next Kids Pastor of Redland Hills Church.
SUNDAY MORNINGS
Redland Hills has two identical services on Sunday mornings. Kids from preschool and above intentionally worship together in the main service, then are dismissed to their age-appropriate classes. Kids birth-3rd grade have classes led by trained and loving leaders in the kids facilities, and older kids and students are encouraged to continue to worship with their families and/or get involved in serving in any number of ways.
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
Wednesday nights are an incredible opportunity with the students meeting in the main auditorium, and a chance to dive in deeper with kids from 1st-6th grade in the children's facilities. With kids and students essentially having the run of the campus, there is a great deal of potential to have some extremely memorable and meaningful ministry opportunities.
SUMMERS
Summer is a terrific opportunity to not only provide kids with amazing spiritual opportunities, but to also reach the community with exciting events. From a local camp, to VBS, to fun and simple opportunities to connect with families on the church campus, Redland Hills certainly tries to maximize the opportunity of summer in the South.
LEADERSHIP
Wes Gunn was born and raised in Montgomery, AL. After graduating from Auburn University, Wes worked in campus ministry for seven years at his home church. Having been transformed in campus ministry himself, Wes was passionate about spiritual growth in college students. As Wes began to lead students on mission trips around the world, he became more engaged in mission work abroad and eventually transitioned into a new position as Missions Minister. He began working with his church to establish full-time missionary works in various countries from east Asia, Muslim countries, and sub-Sahara Africa. In addition to church planting work with missionaries, Wes has been significantly invested in the lives of orphan children and the establishment of a surgical ministry in the country of Malawi.
His mission heart continued to grow when he and his wife Amanda moved to the Redland Community in 2006. Over the years, they developed a love and burden for this growing community and had several nudges from God towards planting a church in the area. Through some relationships built around discipleship, God brought together several families with the same heart and passion to establish a new church. In the fall of 2013, Wes dedicated himself full-time to establishing the Redland Hills Church. Both he and his wife are regularly involved in local activities to make the community a better place and to serve their neighbors.
LEADERSHIP STYLE
Redland Hills Church is highly relational. They are simple on structure and light on committees. Wes & the leadership team lead by example. The leadership team members are the hardest working servants in the church.
Wes allows his staff a fair amount of independence. He expects staff members to work hard and take initiative with their ministries without requiring him to micromanage.
LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
Redland Hills is governed by a board of Elders who provide oversight to the Sr. Pastor (Wes). The Elders also oversee a separate Stewardship Team that Wes works closely with to provide wisdom and accountability for the church's finances. Wes leads the staff, consisting of the Student Pastor, part-time admin assist, and part-time worship leader.
CHALLENGE & OPPORTUNITY
TEAM BUILDER
With two services over the weekend and Wednesday night ministry to elementary kids, Redland Hills needs a strong team builder who can recruit and develop a strong team in all areas of Children's Ministry. Young families abound in the church and community, so there is a terrific untapped potential to engage parents and other members to join the kids team.
VISIONARY LEADERSHIP
Redland Hills is seeking out a strong visionary leader who has the ability to develop leaders, cast vision, and develop strategies that will promote growth within the Children’s Ministry. The staff and serve teams are excited to head into the next chapter and eager to begin partnering with a new leader.
EQUIPPER
Redland Hills firmly believes that parents are the primary disciplers of their children. The Children's Pastor will need to be comfortable and effective engaging and equipping parents to lead their kids closer to Jesus. A leader with experience and fresh vision for how to best implement these strategies will be a perfect fit.
LOCATION
Wetumpka is a growing, beautiful bedroom community of Montgomery, AL. During the 2000-2010 census, the area grew its population by 43%. Today, new housing developments are breaking ground for 700 new homes. The area has a highly-rated school system, featuring an award-winning robotics program, a tech center, theater, and popular athletic program.
New homes can be purchased in the low $200,000's for a 2,000 sq ft. home. For the outdoor enthusiast, opportunities abound with everything from fishing, hiking, hunting, and kayaking. Montgomery is 10 minutes away, though the quaint downtown of Wetumpka was recently revitalized and featured on HGTV making it an unexpected tourist attraction. Atlanta is also only 2 hours away.
Visit the following websites to learn more about this beautiful area
JOB DESCRIPTION
Overview
Redland Hills Church in Wetumpka, AL, just outside the capital of Montgomery, is a young church plant seeking to hire a new Children's Pastor. The community is expanding with new homes and new schools. Tremendous opportunities exist in the community to reach kids and families. The local elementary school has almost 1,000 children K-6 and a brand new middle school opens in the fall of 2022. This church family is excited about the future and the important part that children's ministry plays in developing followers of Jesus.
The ideal candidate
- Has a deep relationship with Jesus and loves the local church.
- Is knowledgeable in children’s ministry and has a heart for children growing in faith.
- Is a visionary who can implement a plan to grow kids and parents in their walk with Jesus.
- Is a self-starter with a solid work ethic.
- Has completed a degree (seminary a plus but not required).
- Is a relationship builder who thrives on making connections with others.
- Is an effective communicator of God’s word and can develop curriculum accordingly.
- Sees children’s ministry within the context of the overall mission of the church.
- Is a team player and highly collaborative.
- Is in agreement with the RHC Statement of Faith.
Reports to Sr. Pastor Wes Gunn
CONTACT
Ready to take the next step?
To find out additional information about Redland Hills Church, visit
redlandhills.org to discover and learn more about the church and its ministries.
If, after prayerfully reviewing this information, you sense this role and church culture could be a good fit, please apply HERE.