Church Secretary Qualifications and Duties

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I have included Church Secretary Qualifications and Duties to this issue to help us better understand what is basic to know and what is crucial to know as a secretary along with free Church Secretary Resumes and Cover Letter Samples.

I also have reminders of Annual Contribution Letter deadline and essentials included in these letters. There is also great information and links to direct bookkeeping and accounting support for churches along with free 2014 Calendars, Christmas Bible Verses, Meeting Sign-In Sheets and Much More.

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Contents-At-A-Glance

Church Secretary Qualifications and Duties
Annual Contribution Letter Essentials
Church Direct Bookkeeping & Accounting Support
FreeChurchForms.com New Web Pages with New Forms
Shepherdbase (Church Membership Database) Extended Special
FCF (Free Church Forms) CD
Church Office Package – Special Limited Offer
Free eBook - ”Top 10 Tips on How to Organize Your Office”
FreeChurchForms.com Table of Contents

Church Secretary Qualifications and Duties

If you are a Church Secretary then you are an essential element in the smooth functioning of a church, and most often you are a member of the church. You typically run the church office, handle the administrative responsibilities and provide a wide range of support to the Pastor(s) and his staff. You are most often the first person visitors and newcomers see when they come to your church either by person, phone, email, etc. so you are an important part of your church's public image and outreach.

What are the basic level of skills required to be a secretary?

• Basic Office Skills like high school graduates have can qualify you for entry level secretarial positions. However, employers are increasingly requiring extensive knowledge of software applications such as MS (Microsoft) Word or word processing, MS Excel or spreadsheets and MS Access or database management.
• Proficient in Keyboarding is required and having good skills in spelling, punctuation, grammar and oral communication.

Secretarial and clerical duties are the primary functions for most church secretaries to fulfill their duties; however, there are a few qualifications and duties that are critical to the Church Secretary position such as:

• Strong Word Processing Skills with Computer Knowledge with programs such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher and more.

• Office Equipment (Copier, Etc.) Skills - Secretaries and administrative assistants have to be adaptable to the continuing changes in the office environment and be willing to retrain with continuing education. Be aware that you might have to attend some classes or participate in some online education to learn how to operate new office technologies such as information storage systems, scanners, internet, or new updated software packages. This education can also assist you in maintaining and selecting office equipment to help your office run smoothly.
• Perform a Wide Range of Office-Related Duties such as effectively ordering supplies, managing church schedule, maintaining files, handling church coorespondence, as well as scheduling maintenance personnel and deliveries. In a smaller church you might even have to help with bookkeeping and accounting duties.
• Always Smile because it goes a long way. I don't know about you but if I visit a church the last thing I want to do is come up to a stranger, especially the Church Secretary, and not even get a smile.
• Positive Attitude can go a long way in accomplishing your work as a church secretary. Remind yourself most things are possible if you try hard enough so set your goals and work hard to reach them. Negativity will get you no where quick.
• Excellent Communication Skills is a mechanism used to establish and modify relationships and without it your office will be unproductive. This communication is best face to face but can be conveyed in many other ways (email, phone, etc.). Always make eye contact when communicating face to face because this conveys interest and encourages your listener to be interested in you in return, but be a good listener also.
• Staff Support includes many duties. Similar to a corporate secretary, the Church Secretary takes care of the administrative and support requirements of the Pastor(s), Assistant Pastor(s) and other church staff members. Example of these requirements would be handling phone calls and messages, assisting them correspondence and scheduling issues, taking minutes at church meetings, assisting senior staff to advertise and fill staff vacancies.
• Discretion is the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information. The Church Secretary is responsible for dealing with frequently personal information about the church and community members. Empathy and discretion is a must since he or she is often privy to congregation members' marital, financial or health concerns.
• Strong Problem-Solving Abilities is a key quality for a church secretary because the truth is the secretary is the glue that holds the office together most of the time and being able to solve problems before or after the problem keeps the office running smoothly.
• Excellent Interpersonal Skills and Customer Service skills are what most employers look for in secretaries and administrative assistants because they must be tactful in their dealings with people.

I've been a secretary both in our church and throughout my hospital career for the last 33+ years so I have definitely lived and learned. I have always enjoyed creating forms, flyers, certificates and learning more ways to save time in the office and help organize me and my coworkers. Nothing makes your coworkers happier than for you to create a way to save some of their time throughout their day, and most of all to give them an organized office that runs smoothly without confusion. So take it from someone who has been a secretary for a long time, always be eager for new skills and take time to learn these time-saving new office technologies.

I have a new sample of a Church Secretary Resume and Cover Letter available for free to download, customize and print - click the link below to access.

Annual Contribution Letter Essentials