Church Secretary
(Female, Age 59) from Quarryville, PA
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 59 who works as a Church Secretary in Quarryville, PA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
Job Title | Church Secretary |
---|---|
Salary | $17,000 |
Other Compensation | None Set |
Hours/Week | |
Company Size | (not answered) |
Location | Quarryville, PA |
Years Experience | 9 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
Years in Career | 0 |
---|---|
Education | (not answered) |
Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
This is a Methodist Church with about 300 members and 4 pastors.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I handle all phone calls, foot traffic, church weekly bulletin, monthly newsletter, copying, correspondence, accounts payable computer entry, offering computer entry, setting up appointments, etc.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
2 weeks vacation, 5 sick days
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
well compensated
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Entails working with the pastors as well as parishoners, salesmen, etc. which I truly enjoy.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 4
Benefits: 7
Hours: 3
Co-Workers: 2
Supervisors: 1
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 5
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
5am to 6am | |
6am to 7am | |
7am to 8am | N/A |
8am to 9am | Arrive at work 8:30 AM. Check telephone and email messages and write up for Pastors. Gather unused bulletins from Sunday service. |
9am to 10am | Type and prepare reminder cards to be mailed. Answer phone calls. Relay messages to Pastors. Start putting together this weeks bulletin. |
10am to 11am | Continue answering phone calls. Collect and enter all offering envelopes for the week. |
11am to 12pm | Answering phone calls. Take reminder cards to post office. Continue work on the bulletin. |
12pm to 1pm | Continue answering phone calls, meet with pastor. Go for lunch. |
1pm to 2pm | Go over prayer concerns with pastor, check for messages that came in while out for lunch. Collect mail and sort. |
2pm to 3pm | Finish up the newsletter calendar, print out newsletter, prepare to copy in AM tomorrow. Close office at 3 PM. |
3pm to 4pm | N/A |
4pm to 5pm | N/A |
5pm to 6pm | N/A |
6pm to 7pm | N/A |
7pm to 8pm | N/A |
8pm to 9pm | N/A |
9pm to 10pm | N/A |
10pm to 11pm | N/A |
11pm to 12am | N/A |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
I saw the ad in the newspaper.
What was the application process?
I presented a resume to the Administrative committee.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I had my initial interview with the Administrative Committe. They then presented their recommendation to the pastor who gave me a follow-up interview. He then proceeded to advise the committe he agreed with their recommendation and they contacted me.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Mostly about my office experience, capabilities on office equipment, phone experience, ability to work in an environment that would include any number of interruptions, ablility to work on my own, and my ability to keep things confidential.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, definitely. I worked with the departing secretary for a month.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes. My training was in how the weekly bulletins were put together, how the monthly newsletter was laid out and printed, and some computer and office equipment training with machines I was not familiar with.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, I was involved in people care both in my high school and post high school education and jobs (Future nurses of America, nurses aide, nursing student, childcare worker). I also took typing and computer courses.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Present yourself as to who you really are, with a good work ethic and Christian values.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
The most important part of my job is confidentiality. Social, organizational and technical skills are also very important because interruptions for church personnel are the norm. Death, illness, accidents are happening at unexpected times and pastors need to be available 24/7. Secretarys must be able to handle all situations that arise within the congregation both with confidentiality and compassion, especially when the pastor is not immediately available.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes, but along with that you need to be a people person.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Always keep what is going on in the office to yourself, not discussing it with church members and be prepared to drop everything to deal with any emergency situation that comes up, or anyone who needs someone to talk to.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes. I can’t think of another job that would give me the freedom to be who and what I am with no judgement. This job also gives me the freedom to deal with family situations that might come up because my co-workers understand when I am needed outside of my job and work with me to resolve any issues.
What are your current career goals?
To be the best church secretary I can be and to grow spiritually. To be compassionate, non-judgemental and always available for anyone who needs me. To be supportive to both my co-workers and walk-ins from the community.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
Just that this job is the right one for me and I intend to stay at least until I am retirement age!!
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
Prior Job 1 | Office Manager | 12 1/2 years | 12.50 per hour | I managed an office of 3 employees who took care of all the billing, payroll, cash collecting and depositing from the companies multiple stores. |
Prior Job 2 | Daycare provider | 2 years | 4.00 an hour | Provided church sponsored daycare for working parents. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:2.5
GPA | School | Degree | |
College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
N/A | N/A | N/A |
Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
N/A | N/A | N/A |
Ask a Question of this Mentor
This mentor has opted to receive questions from people interested in this career or job position. Please be respectful of their time and willingness to help. Include some basic relevant background so they can intelligently answer your question.