Church Secretary Careers – Job Application, Salary, Age & Interview Questions

Church secretaries are the supervisors of the church office’s operations; they assist the staff and pastors. We will discuss Church Secretary Careers here. They should possess administrative skills to assign duties in the church. The church secretary’s main responsibility is to answer phone calls, schedule managing, program generation, and filing. Church secretary must be discreet, pleasant, and being tactful. They should be capable of dealing with confidential matters.

They perform work under the pastor’s supervision, and hence they shall co-operate with staff. They should provide support to the pastor in the council. Also, they organize by conducting administrative work for the church. They are responsible for handling information from other ends. The job description of church secretary includes the ability to communicate with parishioners. They shall also stay organized. It requires keen attention to detail.

Role of a Church Secretary

• They handle office works widely, from the role of filling to answering calls and responding to emails. They act as liaisons between the administrative branch and parishioners of the church. Their duties involved governing the church documents.
  
  
• They prepare accurate records of the church, which is up to date and thorough way. They shall also preserve church records, assist the church, and other stuff. They should also be friendly and courteous manner.
  
  
• The church secretary happens to be an integral part of the church’s operation. They are the first person to come across the church, sometimes through phone, as it essential part of the church’s public image. They should possess a strong attitude in solving problems, uphold a positive attitude, and interpersonal skills.
  
  
• They must be pleasant able always and should be able to handle confidential communications. They should be aware of all the office equipment, take care of the supplies, and be keen on getting trained. Church secretaries should have great communication skills, as they must handle many personalities professionally, either directly or through phone calls. They should be an active member of the local church.

Responsibilities – Church Secretary

The responsibility of the Church secretary involves the following:

• They shall keep the staff informed working at church in illness, death, or any other criteria.
• Answering phone calls for queries, also handling screen calls for directing staff.
• Maintaining supplies and performing office work. They should also maintain files and records as per date accurately. It requires details to attention.
• Maintenance of reports, file sermons, and other materials that are assigned.
• Practicing to be courtesy, being tactful, and maintaining confidentiality and diplomacy while communicating, maintaining calendars for an appointment.
• To type letters, documents as and when needed, using equipment for word processing.
• Preparing weekly bulletins and documents when required.
• Making calls for supplies, ordering of material, and for the pickup of supplies.
• Maintaining and preparing the church roster and the list of mailing.
• Assembling the photocopies of the document as and when required.
• Preparing routine letters and documents based on the request.
• Keeping an accurate record of the church in cooperation with the clerk includes prospects, church members, and a calendar.
• Paying church bills, writing checks, payroll, handling the disbursement of funds from church, with the help of the treasurer of the church.
• Maintaining records of the deposits and individual contributions.
• Handling Sunday attendance records and preparing sheets for attendance every week.
• Make sure that the policy and guidelines of the church are followed regarding the usage of the building.
• Performing overall duties assigned by the pastor.

Church Secretary Careers

General Expectation

• They should be conscious about maintaining the information of the church confidentially.
• Exhibiting professionalism when it comes to work, following work ethics, and accountability.
• Showing your willingness to work with varying circumstances and being flexible at work.
• Maintaining attention to detail for the excellence of work.
• Being an initiator at work, ability to do multi-tasking, and prioritization of projects.
• Ability to work independently without being supervised.

Office Management

• Maintaining the office area and keeping it organized.
• Scheduling equipment for maintenance, managing, and ordering supplies.
• Filing of paperwork, ordering of special bulletin covers and

Bulletin packets whenever required.

• Offering envelopes, maintaining supplies, school materials of the church, materials for communion, candlelight service. etc
• Maintaining accurate records and receipts for petty cash.

Management of Facilities

• Scheduling events for the church, assigning calendars for the church, and organizing.
• Handling calls for maintenance in the church as noticed by the appropriate person.

Supporting Worship

• Printing, typing, and folding weekly service and special services such as funeral and wedding bulletins.
• Notifying audio-visual person and organist about the programs conducted in the church.
• Informing the participants like acolytes, ushers, and lectors who come to worship every week.
• To send the copied worship DVD to the participants and to send bulletins to shut-ins.

Communication and Keeping Records

• To pick up, distribute, and disseminate mail, answering incoming calls.
• Editing, typing, and folding the monthly newsletter.
• Type and fold annual reports and membership directories.
• The monthly treasurer’s report has to be printed, filled, and kept ready for the council meeting, along with another important report. Also, they need to file the income sheet. 
• Maintaining accurate membership records for weddings, death, or any other occasion. 
• Updating standard forms, ministry literature, and reports for the conference.
• Preparation of wedding, or certificates of new members.
• Tracking the memorials, flowers that are donated, and luminaries.
• Keeping appropriate records of the transient fund.

Educational Background and Work Experience- Church Secretary

• Having strong computer skills
• Adequate speed and accuracy in typing and ability for transcribing.
• Usage of office machines such as fax machines, folders, and copiers proficiently.
• They should be extremely organized.
• Good command of the English language in terms of punctuation and composition.
• Must proofread the documents in the church’s office.

Education

• Should have completed diploma in high school
• Require bachelor’s degree or any other equivalent,
• Prior experience in office work

Work Environment

• The major time of work will be spent in the office.
• Sometimes walking and lifting will be required.
• They will have to address people and assist them with their problems.
• Planning events and organizing them at church.
• The work schedule will be 5 days a week, and the duration is about 8 hours a day.

Salary and Outlook

The average salary for a church secretary is about $27,000.The lowest salary is about $17,000,highest pay is $41,000.Salaries may vary based on many factors. It majorly fluctuates based on the revenue of the church. They pay on an hourly basis is $13.07.They have common benefits such as paid vacation, flexible schedule, parental leaves, health insurance, and 403(b).

Skills – Church Secretary

• They shall be able to demonstrate and communicate the information effectively to the visitors.
• Should be calm while dealing with heated situations like grieving and confusion or a tough visitor at the office.
• To be friendly, courteous, and work with various personalities.
• Possessing knowledge about word processing, publishing, financial software, and Microsoft office.
• Effective in working with WordPress, Adobe, and quicken.
• Extremely organized, the individual should exhibit strong organizational skills.
• Paying close attention to minute details.
• Familiar with HTML and building a website.
• Efficient in multi-tasking daily.
• Ability to think creatively, to design a website and the prospectus issued in the church.
• Responsible to frequently deal with confidential information about the church and the members of the community.
• The key quality of a church secretary is discretion and empathy.
• Handling finances outside and within the church.
• Should be aware of the locally available sources.
• Providing emergency and counseling support to the individuals.

Tips for the Job- Church Secretary

According to the church helps website, the secretary job is one of the church’s difficult jobs. They are an asset to the ministry of the church. Along with the typical duties of a secretary, they shall be very confidential about the parishioner’s members and their issues, as they are the church’s representatives. The church secretary is responsible for all the activities, from filing paperwork to making coffee for the pastor. They shall receive training to gain computer knowledge. A college degree is not mandatory in most churches, but office knowledge is mandatory to receive the job. They shall dress conservatively. They have to maintain decorum not only during work hours but even during the off-hours. It is a detrimental activity if you get dressed inappropriately. The aspiring applicants can take up classes to run the church efficiently. It does not require the applicant should be a member of the church. Churches require a full background check before employing the church secretary. They should abide by federal employment laws.

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