Objectives of the Position

The Director of Music Ministry (DMM) directs the JRUUC Music Ministry, in consultation with the Minister and the Worship Team.  The DMM and the Minister work together to shape and hold the vision for the Music Ministry, which includes:

• creating a welcoming environment for all to share the joy of making music together
• enriching the community and worship life of our congregation through spiritual music making, consistent with worship themes and cycles of the year
• reflecting the spiritual, cultural, and lifestyle diversity of our community

Primary Responsibilities 

Program design and administration

• Coordinate worship music with the Minister or any other worship leader:
  • Provide/arrange for appropriate and meaningful special music (prelude and offertory) options for all worship services
  • Contribute music information to shared worship documents
  • Select choral music and rehearse weekly through the choir season (September through June)
  • Rehearse and lead choir for Winter Solstice Celebration in late December
  • Recruit, rehearse, and develop choir members (including weekly choir rehearsals for September-June services)
  • Recruit singers and musicians to offer special music
  • Be available to choose hymns as needed
• Administer the music budget
• Secure music resources and maintain music library
• Follow copyright law for worship streaming
• Arrange for piano maintenance

Sunday mornings

• Be present three Sundays per month to accompany hymns and offer/lead special music; arrange for an accompanist and special music on other Sundays
• Direct the adult choir once or twice a month through the choir season

Communication

• Attend two weekly meetings for an average of an hour a week: a staff meeting and a supervisory check-in
• Contribute in a timely manner to weekly enews for congregation, emails to singers and musicians as necessary, and other relevant communication as needed
• Maintain contact with the UU MidAmerica Region and the Association for Unitarian Universalist Music Ministries (AUUMM)

Professional Development

• Participate in training and professional development opportunities through AUUMM and other organizations, as available
• Operate within the context of the AUUMM Code of Professional Conduct

Reporting

The DMM is supervised by the Minister.

Core Competencies

The DMM will demonstrate or develop:

• The ability to organize and direct a choir, and to stream rehearsals if needed
• Creativity and patience with musicians and singers with a wide range of musical skills
• Knowledge of a wide variety of music genres and willingness to explore new music
• Sufficient skill in keyboard techniques to play special music and accompany choir and congregational singing
• The ability to work well with a team in a Cloud-based environment to share information and participate in worship preparation
• The ability to work with patience and flexibility in a collaborative environment, and to work with minimal direct supervision
• Strong administrative and organizational skills, and direct communication
• A deepening understanding of Unitarian Universalism and our congregation’s mission, structure, and policies

Compensation

$12,900 annually (prorated for partial year; fiscal year begins in July), for an average of 12 hours per week at $20.67 per hour, plus professional development funds of $645 (5% of salary).

Application Information

Start date: January 1, 2026, or as soon as possible after that

If interested, please email a resume and cover letter to apply@jruuc.org

JRUUC members are not eligible to apply