Executive Director

About Kingwood Methodist Church & This Opportunity Kingwood Methodist Church is a vibrant, growing Global Methodist congregation of approximately 4,000 members located just north of Houston, Texas. For decades, the church has been recognized for biblical preaching, Christ-centered worship, intentional discipleship, exceptional music, and a deep commitment to serving both the local community and the world through missions. Reporting directly to the Senior Pastor, the Executive Director serves as the church's chief operating executive, providing strategic leadership for administration, finance, accounting, human resources, facilities, technology, legal and regulatory compliance, risk management, and organizational operations. The Executive Director partners closely with the Senior Pastor, staff, elected leadership, and ministry teams to ensure that the church's resources, people, and systems are aligned to fulfill its mission with excellence. This is not a pastoral position. Unlike many executive searches, this opportunity is not about rebuilding an unhealthy organization or introducing sweeping organizational change. Kingwood Methodist Church enjoys strong governance, sound financial stewardship, capable staff leadership, and healthy operational systems. Following the retirement of the current Executive Director after ten years of faithful service, the church is seeking a leader who will thoughtfully steward what has been built, strengthen operations where appropriate, and help position the church for continued ministry effectiveness in the years ahead. Position Summary The Executive Director serves as the senior business executive of Kingwood Methodist Church, providing executive leadership for all non-pastoral operations. Working in close partnership with the Senior Pastor, this role translates ministry vision into organizational execution by ensuring that the church's administrative, financial, accounting and operational functions consistently support its mission and strategic priorities. This position provides executive oversight for approximately 135 full-time and part-time employees while leading multiple departments including finance, accounting, human resources, facilities, information technology, legal and regulatory compliance, risk management, and the School for Little Children. Success requires balancing strategic leadership with operational engagement, ensuring that organizational systems remain healthy, efficient, compliant, and aligned with the church's mission. Because this position oversees numerous disciplines, the successful candidate is not expected to be the foremost technical expert in every area. Rather, the Executive Director must possess broad executive capability, exceptional judgment, strong business acumen, and the ability to lead talented professionals across diverse operational functions. Perhaps most importantly, this role requires outstanding interpersonal skills. The Executive Director must be able to build trust across staff, elected leadership, volunteers, ministry leaders, and the congregation. Emotional intelligence, humility, wisdom, sound judgment, and collaborative leadership will be every bit as important as operational expertise. Primary Areas of Responsibility The Executive Director provides strategic leadership and executive oversight for the operational ministries of Kingwood Methodist Church, ensuring that every department effectively supports the church's mission while operating with excellence, integrity, and sound stewardship. Executive Leadership & Organizational Management Serve as the church's senior business executive, providing day-to-day operational leadership while working in close partnership with the Senior Pastor to translate vision into execution. Provide executive oversight for all non-pastoral operations, ensuring that departmental priorities, organizational resources, and staff efforts remain aligned with the mission and strategic direction of the church. Lead, coach, and develop department directors and ministry support leaders by fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and servant leadership. Encourage professional development while creating an environment where staff members are equipped to thrive both personally and professionally. Promote healthy communication, sound decision-making, and effective cross-departmental collaboration to ensure the church functions as one unified organization. Finance & Stewardship Provide executive leadership for the church's financial operations, ensuring faithful stewardship of the resources entrusted to the ministry. Oversee the annual budgeting process in partnership with ministry leaders, department directors, the Finance Committee, and church leadership while ensuring alignment between financial resources and ministry priorities. Monitor organizational financial performance, review regular financial reporting, oversee forecasting and long-range planning, and recommend strategies that strengthen the church's long-term financial health. Provide budget vs actual variance analysis. Ensure strong internal controls, responsible purchasing practices, appropriate financial policies, and compliance with applicable accounting standards and regulatory requirements. Partner with external auditors, banking institutions, legal counsel, and financial advisors to protect the church's assets and maintain financial integrity. Human Resources & Staff Culture Provide executive oversight for all human resource functions while cultivating a healthy, Christ-centered workplace culture. Oversee employment practices including recruitment, onboarding, compensation administration, performance management, benefits administration, policy development, employee relations, and organizational development. Ensure compliance with employment laws and regulatory requirements while maintaining personnel policies that reflect both sound business practices and the mission and values of Kingwood Methodist Church. Support supervisors in developing strong teams, addressing personnel matters with wisdom and consistency, and cultivating an environment characterized by respect, accountability, and servant leadership. Partner with church leadership to strengthen staff engagement, leadership development, succession planning, and organizational effectiveness. Facilities & Campus Operations Provide executive oversight for the stewardship, maintenance, safety, and long-term planning of all church facilities and campus operations. Ensure that church buildings and grounds remain welcoming, safe, attractive, and well-maintained while supporting worship services, educational programming, ministry activities, community events, and weekday operations. Oversee facility maintenance, capital improvements, vendor relationships, security planning, custodial operations, emergency preparedness, and long-range campus planning. Develop proactive maintenance strategies that protect the church's physical assets while supporting ministry excellence and responsible financial stewardship. Information Technology & Operational Systems Provide executive leadership for the church's technology infrastructure and operational systems. Ensure that technology effectively supports worship, ministry, administration, communications, financial operations, cybersecurity, and organizational efficiency. Oversee technology planning, system improvements, vendor relationships, data security, and business continuity planning while encouraging thoughtful innovation that enhances ministry without creating unnecessary complexity. Legal, Risk Management & Regulatory Compliance Provide executive oversight for organizational risk management and legal compliance. Work closely with legal counsel, insurance providers, financial professionals, and governing committees to ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Oversee contract administration, insurance coverage, regulatory reporting, corporate records, policy development, and organizational risk mitigation. Develop systems that protect the church's people, property, financial resources, and reputation while supporting wise organizational governance. School for Little Children Provide executive oversight for the School for Little Children as an important ministry of Kingwood Methodist Church. Partner with school leadership to ensure operational excellence, financial sustainability, regulatory compliance, and continued alignment with the church's mission and values. Support long-term planning, staffing, facility needs, and organizational development while respecting the school's educational leadership and day-to-day operations. Governance & Committee Leadership Serve as a trusted advisor and resource to the Senior Pastor, Board of Trustees, Finance Committee, Staff-Parish Relations Committee, and other elected leadership as appropriate. Prepare reports, recommendations, financial information, operational analyses, and strategic planning materials that support informed decision-making. Implement decisions approved by church leadership while ensuring accountability, transparency, and effective organizational follow-through. Build strong relationships with volunteer leaders through clear communication, collaboration, and mutual trust. Partnership with the Senior Pastor The Executive Director serves as the Senior Pastor's primary strategic and operational partner, helping translate vision into effective execution across the organization. This relationship is built on trust, open communication, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to advancing the mission of Kingwood Methodist Church. The Executive Director is expected to be a trusted advisor, thoughtful sounding board, and collaborative leader who anticipates organizational needs, provides wise counsel, and helps solve complex challenges with professionalism and humility. Success in this role requires the ability to lead with confidence while remaining highly relational, recognizing that influence is built through trust, credibility, and service. Qualifications The successful candidate will be an experienced executive leader who combines broad business expertise with exceptional judgment, emotional intelligence, and a heart for serving the local church. While experience in a church or nonprofit setting is beneficial, the church welcomes candidates from a variety of organizational backgrounds who demonstrate a genuine calling to support ministry through operational excellence. Education Bachelor’s degree required. BBA Accounting strongly preferred. MBA along with CPA preferred. Professional Experience Demonstrated senior executive leadership experience with responsibility for multiple operational functions within a complex organization. Proven success leading and developing high-performing teams while fostering a healthy organizational culture. Significant experience in financial leadership, budgeting, strategic planning, and organizational management. Experience overseeing or partnering with human resources, facilities, technology, legal, regulatory, and administrative functions. Demonstrated ability to manage organizational priorities, navigate complex decisions, and lead through collaboration and influence. Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to boards, executive leadership, and committees. Preferred Experience Experience serving faith-based, nonprofit, or other mission-driven organizations. Experience working with governing boards, volunteer leadership, or complex committee structures. Experience leading organizational growth while maintaining operational excellence and financial stewardship. Familiarity with legal, regulatory, and employment matters applicable to faith based nonprofit organizations. Experience with ACS Realm software along with other software packages. Personal Characteristics The Executive Director should demonstrate personal qualities that reflect both mature Christian character and exceptional executive leadership. The ideal candidate will be: A mature follower of Jesus Christ whose life reflects integrity, humility, and servant leadership. Fully supportive of the mission, theology, and values of Kingwood Methodist Church. A collaborative leader who values relationships and builds trust across the organization. A person of wisdom and discernment who exercises sound judgment in both routine and complex situations. Calm, steady, and thoughtful under pressure. Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail. An excellent communicator who listens well, communicates clearly, and brings people together around common goals. A leader who demonstrates courage, accountability, and grace in difficult conversations and organizational decisions. Passionate about developing others and creating an environment where staff members can flourish personally, professionally, and spiritually. #J-18808-Ljbffr