Sports Ministry Lead

The Sports Ministry Lead will oversee River Active, our fast-growing sports outreach, sharing the Gospel through Bridge the Gap football, running, and our student gym.

20-24 hours (negotiable) | £24,570 (pro rata)

There may be an opportunity to expand the role up to 32 hours for the right candidate, subject to funding. Please enquire for further details.

Closing date: 30th June 2025

ROLE PROFILE

Job title: Sports Ministry Lead

Department: River Active

Reports to: Senior Leaders

Direct reports: River Active and Bridge the Gap volunteers

Principal location: River Church Ipswich; MOVE Gym; Portman Road Stadium

DBS check required: Yes

Special conditions of employment: There is a genuine occupational requirement that the post-holder is a Christian, as permitted under the Equality Act 2010.

Start date: August 2025

Working days/hours: 20-24 hours (Mon-Thu)

Salary: £24,570 (pro rata)

Travel: May be required on occasion

Holiday: 25 days per annum plus bank holidays (pro rata)

Probation period: 6 months

Contract length: 1 year (extension possibly subject to funding)

Other expectations: The role holder will need to be available to work some other key dates outside the usual working pattern, such as special services (Christmas, Easter etc.), annual meetings, and Focus (our annual one-week church holiday in the summer). It is expected that staff members will be active members of River Church (praying, serving, giving, and growing).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work with Senior Leaders to develop and implement strategy for River Active in line with the dream, purpose, and goals of River Church
• Manage MOVE gym including subscriptions (via Squarespace)
• Liaise with the University of Suffolk and Student Union to deliver inductions, sessions, and other support to users of MOVE gym
• Support the Bridge the Gap Ipswich team in delivering football sessions for men at Portman Road, working to expand to offering Bridge the Gap Youth sessions in partnership with River Youth
• Deliver River Active running sessions for varying abilities alongside volunteer team
• Actively disciple and pastor those attending River Active sports sessions, sensitively sharing the Gospel with those who are not yet Christians, and making frequent invitations to Alpha and Sundays
• Ensure that all safeguarding and health and safety requirements are met, including twice-weekly equipment safety checks at MOVE gym
• Oversee, recruit, train, and pastor the River Active volunteer team
• Manage River Active departmental budget
• Contribute to other River Church events including Alpha and Sundays
• Support other areas of Student and Collective (young adults) ministry as required
• Work with Comms and Media Manager to curate River Active and Bridge the Gap Ipswich social media accounts and webpages
• Track impact data and report to Senior Leaders, as well as external partners and funders
• Explore and implement opportunities to expand River Active provision
• Attend and contribute to Staff Meeting, and Tuesday morning Prayer Meeting, and when required also, Sunday Services and other River Church events such as Focus
• Regularly pray for all River Active ministries
• Ad hoc tasks and other project work

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Personal qualities and beliefs

It is essential that the role holder:

• has a mature, personal faith in and relationship with God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit
• Believes and embodies the orthodox Christian teaching revealed in the Bible and in accordance with the CEEC basis of faith and declarations
• is demonstrably committed to their own discipleship (i.e., praying, serving, giving, and sharing faith) and is intentionally discipling others as followers of Jesus
• is committed to the dream, purpose, and goals of River Church
• is passionate about church finances and operations

Personal skills and abilities

It is essential that the role holder:

• has excellent organisational skills and time management
• is self-motivated and resilient
• has outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal, including an excellent level of English spelling, punctuation, grammar, and mathematics
• has strong teamwork and team-building skills, and is able to manage, motivate, and encourage others
• has a high attention to detail and high production values
• is able to understand and navigate a large organisational budget
• is flexible, with a can-do attitude
• is teachable, humble, and has a desire to learn and grow
• understands the importance of confidentiality, and is trustworthy and reliable, with a good self-awareness
• has enthusiasm, energy, commitment, and a sense of humour

Knowledge, qualifications, and experience

It is essential that the role holder:

• has excellent IT skills, and experience in and/or the ability to learn to use Mac OS X, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, ChurchSuite, and Expense Plus
• has excellent financial management skills and familiarity with financial documents
• is able to efficiently produce large numbers of high-quality grant funding applications
• has a track record of previous successful grant applications
• has experience producing invoices and other financial documents

It is desirable that the role holder:

• has prior experience in a church or business fundraising role (or similar)
• has other relevant experience or skills related to the role, or other areas of ministry and church life
• holds a bachelors degree (or higher level qualification) related to the role
• holds financial or accounting qualifications
• has worked within the HTB Network of churches (or is able to demonstrate a strong level of familiarity and alignment with the Network’s vision, values, and ecclesiology), in a city centre resource church setting, or another large church
• has a thorough and up-to-date understanding of the requirements of financial compliance for charities, and churches with the Church of England

NOTES FOR APPLICANTS

We particularly welcome applications from candidates whose ethnicities are underrepresented in the Church of England. We would welcome informal conversations with anybody considering applying for this position. Email matt.key@riverchurchipswich.org to get in touch. When completing the application form, please feel free to continue your answers on separate pages if you require more room.

There is no specified closing date for applications for this role. We reserve the right to close applications and/or shortlist at any time. As such, we recommend applying for this role at your earliest convenience.

We will inform you as to whether or not you will be invited for interview within 5 full working days of applications closing.

Interviews will be held in person at River Church Ipswich, Key Street, IP4 1BZ.

Please bring your passport (and, if necessary, proof of right to work in the UK) and a document showing proof of your home address, such as a utility bill or bank statement, to your interview.

Please note that any offers made are subject to: the receipt of satisfactory references; satisfactory completion of a DBS check, safeguarding training, and any other training necessary for the role; proof of right to work in the UK; satisfactory completion of a 6 month probationary period; and agreement to adhere to the policies and procedures of River Church.

When you apply for this role, please also complete the Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form at the bottom of this page.