Job Description
About NovusWay Ministries NovusWay Ministries is a progressive and growing outdoor ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), operating camps and conference centers at Lutheridge, Lutherock, and Luther Springs.
Mission, Vision, & Core Values Mission:
To be places apart for meaningful experiences, authentic friendships, high adventure, leadership development, and fun in God's creation. Vision:
Rooted in Christ's promises, lives are transformed to love and serve. Core Values:
Safety Care Joy Unity Inclusivity Position Summary The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is an executive leader responsible for guiding the communications, marketing, and brand strategy of NovusWay Ministries. The CMO ensures consistent messaging, strong storytelling, and effective promotion of programs, hosted ministry, and ministry impact across all NovusWay sites. Working closely with the CEO, the Chief Development Officer, and site and program leadership, the CMO leads efforts to strengthen visibility, engagement, and participation in NovusWay programs and hosted ministry while ensuring a unified brand and communication strategy across Lutheridge, Lutherock, and Luther Springs. Consistent with best practices in camp and outdoor ministry leadership, the CMO helps communicate the transformative impact of camp and retreat experiences, strengthens relationships with churches and partner organizations, and supports the long-term growth and sustainability of NovusWay programs. This is a solo role. The CMO personally executes across all areas of responsibility—writing copy, managing digital channels, producing materials, and stewarding the brand—with support from program, fundraising, and leadership staff and external vendors and contractors as budget allows. The right candidate brings both strategic vision and strong hands-on production skills. Key Responsibilities Communications & Marketing Leadership and Execution Develop and lead a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy for a multi-site outdoor ministry that reaches into and beyond the traditional ELCA audience. Ensure consistent brand identity, messaging, and visual standards across all NovusWay communications. Create and direct distribution of print and digital marketing materials for programs, retreats, and special initiatives. Manage relationships with marketing vendors, agencies, and creative contractors. Coordinate photography, video, and storytelling efforts that highlight the impact of NovusWay ministries. Collaborate with site and program leadership to promote summer camps, retreats, conferences, outdoor education programs, and mission opportunities. Lead marketing efforts that recruit and retain campers, retreat guests, volunteers, and seasonal staff. Ensure program materials and communications support ACA standards, guest safety messaging, and registration clarity. Manage online stores. Development Communications Partner with the Chief Development Officer to support fundraising and donor engagement. Create and manage development communications including campaign materials, impact stories, newsletters, and donor updates. Help communicate the mission and impact of NovusWay to churches, donors, and ministry partners. Support storytelling that demonstrates the transformational impact of camp and retreat experiences. Digital Strategy & Implementation Manage digital communications including websites, social media, email marketing, and online storytelling. Oversee website strategy and digital tools that support marketing and guest engagement. Work with outside vendor to manage effective execution of Google Ads Grant. Utilize analytics and engagement metrics to evaluate marketing effectiveness and inform decision making. Maintain strong digital presence to reach churches, families, youth leaders, partner organizations, and new markets beyond the ELCA. Organizational Communications Coordinate communications across the three NovusWay sites to ensure clarity and alignment. Support leadership with messaging related to major initiatives, strategic priorities, and ministry updates. Ensure communications reflect the ministry's commitment to Christian hospitality, safety, care, and inclusion. Provide communication guidance for crisis messaging or major organizational announcements when needed. Ministry Representation Represent NovusWay at appropriate Synod, ELCA, camp and outdoor ministry, and other relevant gatherings. Build relationships with congregations, church leaders, and ministry partners through effective storytelling and communication. Strengthen NovusWay's visibility and partnerships within the wider church and outdoor ministry community. Identify appropriate networking opportunities and represent the organization, often serving as the initial point of contact for bringing in new retreat groups. Organizational Leadership & Administration Serve as a member of the executive leadership team and participate in strategic planning and organizational leadership. Develop annual communications goals and budgets aligned with organizational priorities. Provide guidance and support to site leaders and staff regarding communications best practices. Safeguard organizational brand integrity and messaging consistency. Other duties as assigned by CEO. Qualifications Required Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, public relations, nonprofit leadership, or a related field. Minimum of 6 years' progressive experience leading communications or marketing strategy, including hands-on execution across multiple channels. Demonstrated experience managing digital communications including websites, email marketing, and social media. Proficiency with digital communications and productivity platforms, including Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, WordPress, Canva, Claude, and similar tools. Strong writing, storytelling, and messaging skills. Confident presentation skills. Ability to lead collaborative projects across multiple teams and locations. Strong organizational and project management skills. High ethical standards and ability to maintain confidentiality. Commitment to Christian hospitality and the mission of the ministry. Preferred Experience in nonprofit, faith-based, camp, and/or outdoor ministry settings. Experience supporting fundraising and development communications. Experience managing brand strategy and marketing campaigns. Experience supervising staff, contractors, or creative teams. Familiarity with American Camp Association (ACA) standards or camp/outdoor ministry operations. Experience representing an organization in church, nonprofit, or ministry networks. Leadership Competencies Strategic communication and brand leadership Storytelling and mission-centered messaging Cross-site collaboration and relationship building Data-informed marketing decisions Organizational awareness and strategic alignment Creativity and innovation in communications Reporting Structure Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Collaborates with: Chief Development Officer, site Executive Directors, Program Directors, and executive leadership team Supervises:
External vendors and creative contractors as applicable. This is a solo role with no dedicated internal marketing staff. The CMO personally executes across all areas of responsibility. Compliance, Schedule, & Travel Status:
Full-time, Exempt Work Site(s) : Hybrid. Primary office at Lutheridge in Arden, NC; up to two remote workdays per week. Serves a three-site ministry (Lutheridge, Lutherock, Luther Springs) across the southeastern U.S. Travel required to support multi-site ministry events, church partner engagement, and organizational gatherings (up to 20%). Schedule:
Primarily weekdays, approximately 40+ hours per week. Some evenings/weekends required. Compensation & Benefits Salary range: $75,000-$80,000 annually, commensurate with experience. Benefits include health, dental, life insurance, long-term disability, and retirement contribution, plus generous paid time off, consistent with NovusWay personnel policies for Category 1 employees. Statement of Faith & Equal Opportunity NovusWay is an outdoor ministry of the ELCA. Candidates should be committed to Jesus Christ and the Church and dedicated to serving in a church-related organization, while embracing the ministry's practice of Christian hospitality and full inclusion. NovusWay welcomes candidates from outside the Lutheran tradition. Experience in camp and outdoor ministry and/or familiarity with Lutheran church culture is valued and will strengthen a candidate's application. NovusWay Ministries provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. Pay:
$75,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year Benefits:
Dental insurance Employee assistance program Employee discount Flexible spending account Health insurance Health savings account Life insurance Paid time off Parental leave Professional development assistance Retirement plan People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply Work Location:
In person
