Planned Parenthood of Mid-Hudson Valley

1 1JOB DESCRIPTION June 2007 2 3 4 THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST 5 IN THE USA 6 7 General Secretary 8 9NCC 10 11The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC*1) is the leading ecumenical 12organization among Christians in the United States. It encompasses 35 member communions including 13Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox communions. NCC member churches reflect the diversity of 14Christianity in the United States. They also vary greatly in size and in the geographic distribution of 15their congregations, their style of worship, even the architecture of their buildings. Each participating 16communion brings distinctive faith traditions to the Council’s common table. Protestant and evangelical 17traditions are represented by churches of British, German, Scandinavian and other European origin, 18historic African American churches, historic peace churches, and immigrant churches from Korea and 19India. Orthodox member communions have roots in Armenia, Greece, Syria, Russia, Ukraine, Egypt, 20India and other places where Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy have long histories. 21 22Reflecting the rich variety of its members, the NCC believes that genuine unity demands inclusivity and 23a respect for diversity, and strives to embody this belief in its programs, decision-making and staffing. 24A key value in the churches’ life together is to be an anti-racist body in their life and witness. 25 26The Council serves as both a convener and voice for a faith constituency of almost 50 million people and 27over 100,000 congregations in all 50 states. It is organized around five program Commissions and does 28extensive work in research, Bible translation, Christian education, theological and interfaith dialogue, 29witness through the media, and advocacy around issues of social justice and public policy. The Church 30World Service is a key partner with NCC in its focus on international relief; both organizations enjoy an 31important relationship through the General Assembly. 32 33The Council’s operating budget in fiscal year 2006 was approximately $7.5 million, supported by 34contributions from member communions, secular foundations, individual donors, and royalties from the 35publishing of bibles and church school curriculum materials. There are reserves of about $10 million. 36NCC’s staff totals approximately 40, including 8 in the Washington, DC office. NCC is based in New 37York City. 38

21 The initials NCC are widely used when referring to the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. This is not 3to diminish the centrality of Christ in the life of the council, which is boldly declared in the Preamble to the Constitution. 4 5National Council of Churches 6General Secretary 7Page 2. 8 39POSITION DESCRIPTION 40 41The General Secretary of the NCC will provide executive leadership of the organization, implementing 42the strategic plan for the organization in support of its mission and functions as defined by the Council’s 43Governing Board, and will develop and strengthen the Council’s services for its membership and 44mission functions. 45 46It is critically important that the General Secretary be able to act as a catalyst that can create excitement 47and energy in the organization and encourage others to support NCC’s mission and move it forward. 48The General Secretary is responsible for managing NCC’s day-to-day operations, staff and all budget 49and fiscal matters. The General Secretary also will be expected to develop strategies to engage, broaden 50and increase the interaction between and among member communions as well as with the Council to 51intensify the Council’s impact moving forward. The General Secretary will have primary oversight for 52fundraising and will develop and implement strategies that support the organization’s goal of increasing 53its funding from member churches, foundations and other private sources, as well as from new products 54and services. 55 56Key Relationships and Accountability 57 58The General Secretary is elected by and accountable to the Governing Board. The General Secretary 59also reports to the Executive Committee and is also accountable to the member communions through the 60General Assembly. 61 62 63IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES 64 65In the first 12 months, it is expected that the General Secretary will: 66 67  Thoroughly understand NCC, its mission, membership, programs, operations, culture and 68 environment; 69  Establish strong working partnerships with the Governing Board, Executive Committee, 70 Standing Committees and Commissions, inspiring their confidence to bring forth their best ideas 71 and efforts; 72  Focus on activities and relationships that will encourage an increased level of “ownership” of the 73 Council by member communions, including through their participation, leadership and financial 74 support; 75  Meet with representatives of member communions, listen to their questions, concerns and issues, 76 find commonalities and encourage cohesion, and craft action plans with the goal of strengthening 77 the relationship of member churches to one another; 78  Maintain a balanced budget and increase funding from a variety of sources, especially member 79 communions, foundations and individual donors; articulate a clear and compelling case for 80 membership in and financial support of the Council, spreading the Council’s message to extend 81 its reach and increase its base of supporters; 82  Assume a proactive, creative, and entrepreneurial leadership role in the identification, cultivation 83 and solicitation of new members, working with the General Assembly, Standing Committees and 84 Commissions, as appropriate, both to reach out to new partners and to relate more fully to other 85 parts of the ecumenical movement;

9 10National Council of Churches 11General Secretary 12Page 3. 13 86  Strengthen NCC’s role as coordinator of relationships among state, regional and local councils of 87 churches, as facilitator of professional and volunteer ecumenical education and development, and 88 as a mechanism for ecumenical education and organizational trouble-shooting, toward the goal 89 of strengthening the ecumenical movement in the US and serving as a means for “reception” of 90 shared agendas beyond NCC member denominations when appropriate; 91  Continue the work with Church World Service to clarify roles, including their relationship 92 through the General Assembly, as well as opportunities for collaboration and areas for 93 coordination; work closely with the CWS Executive Director/CEO to identify themes and 94 strategies where joined forces will have greater impact; 95  Provide an on-going public voice for peace and justice in the world, demonstrated in connection 96 to the leadership of the church around the world. 97 98 99IDEAL EXPERIENCE 100 101The successful candidate should have the following experience and qualifications: 102 103  Membership in good standing in one of the NCC constituent communions (required); 104  Leadership characteristics and experience that are theologically grounded, whether as an 105 ordained or lay person, as well as a commitment to nurturing the Christian faith tradition; 106  Demonstrated and successful leadership in the life of the church; 107  At least 10 years’ leadership experience at the regional or national level at his/her communion, a 108 nonprofit agency, local or regional council of churches or similar environment, demonstrating 109 the qualities of sound judgment, management and problem-solving creativity; 110  Experience with financial development practices, fundraising, and fund accounting; 111  Ability to work flexibly and effectively with diverse individuals in a complex organizational 112 setting with multiple levels of governance, oversight and representation; 113  Excellent oral and written communication skills, including excellent public speaking and media 114 skills for formal and extemporaneous presentations; the ability to represent NCC to a broad 115 public; 116  A comprehensive understanding of administrative operations; 117  An understanding of the opportunities and challenges of the National Council Churches and its 118 denominational constituency; 119  Experience working with boards; 120  Experience in providing supervision skills with exempt and non-exempt staff. 121 122 123PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS 124 125The successful candidate will have an unquestionably high level of integrity, and should also be the 126following: 127 128 Committed to Christ; 129 A sense of call to ministry with and through the National Council of Churches; 130 Committed to the mission of the National Council of Churches as well as to its staff and 131 constituencies;

14 15National Council of Churches 16General Secretary 17Page 4. 18 132 A basic knowledge of the history of the ecumenical movement and current trends in ecumenical life 133 in global, national and regional contexts; 134 A broad understanding of the major doctrinal and ethical distinctions between major branches of 135 Christianity; 136 A visionary with the maturity, confidence, wisdom and collaborative skills necessary to garner the 137 trust and confidence of a diverse and complex organization; 138 A leader able to articulate a vision and motivate and engage others in order to achieve; a catalyst 139 able to promote high impact, high quality programs as directed by the strategic plan and mission; 140 Able to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to being anti-racist and culturally 141 proficient; fair-minded; non-partisan; honest; straightforward and ethical; with a high degree of 142 personal courage; 143 A self-confident manager with a naturally participative style and strong interpersonal skills; an 144 individual with the ability to entrust staff with the freedom and autonomy to do their work while at 145 the same time stimulating a team approach to the overall work of the Council; a leader with a style 146 of openness, clarity and accessibility that fosters a collaborative work environment; 147 Able to garner support for difficult decisions; politically astute; a good listener and open decision 148 maker who can bend when necessary, yet be diplomatic, firm and decisive when appropriate; able to 149 maximize the contributions of the staff, volunteers and Board; 150 A persuasive individual capable of maintaining high morale in a group of committed professionals; a 151 can-do person, who understands the subtleties of working with, as well as motivating and directing, a 152 diverse group of personalities; 153 Able to consider multiple points of view; an open and innovative thinker; entrepreneurial, and not 154 overly bureaucratic; able to think, act and develop relationships globally; 155 Persuasive and resourceful with the instincts to anticipate and act on events which may create new 156 opportunities for the Council, particularly in funding and resource generation; a proactive problem 157 solver and skilled negotiator who initiates rather than just responds to challenges as they arise; 158 Emotionally mature with a healthy ego in check; even-tempered, approachable, thick-skinned and 159 resilient. 160 161 The National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA is an equal opportunity employer and does not 162 discriminate. 163 164 http://www.ncccusa.org 165 166 167 Please send applications and nominations in strictest confidence to: 168 169 G. Angela Henry, Principal at Phillips Oppenheim [email protected] OR 170 521 Fifth Avenue, 29th Floor, New York, New York 10175, USA 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 NCC 180 June 2007