Executive Leadership Team Application

Applications are due via EMAIL by 2:00 PM Friday, March 9th.

Howdy! We are very excited to announce the release of applications for the Executive Leadership Team. Please fill out the questions below and email and attach the document. If you are selected for an interview, they will be the week after spring break. We expect to let you know if you are invited to interview sometime during spring break.

Note that submitting an application does not guarantee you an interview, as we may not have the ability to interview everyone that applies.

Please do not submit the application before March 1st, when we will discuss the application process at formation.

Here are some materials from the John 15 Constitution to help you prayerfully discern.

Article II: Mission

Section 1: Mission Statement

Mission Statement: To provide a spiritual community for college freshmen that is centered around the person of Jesus and his teachings found in John 15.

John 15 is a ministry designed specifically to integrate freshmen into the faith community at St. Mary’s. This is done by forming an intentional community for students to journey through their freshman year together, along with the support of older students. John 15 is designed to be the

spiritual equivalent of Texas A&M’s “FLOs” and will serve as a home at St. Mary’s to help freshmen with the transition to college life.

Section 2: Four Pillars of John 15

  1. Community: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Community is the primary way that John 15 serves its members. Through an attitude of generosity, spiritual support, and healthy comradery. John 15 should strive to be a home where its members are encouraged to develop their relationship with Jesus and with each other.
  1. Prayer: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love” (John 15:9). Prayer makes a community into a “spiritual community”. Naturally, the grace of prayer is centric and essential to the mission of John 15. Prayer should always be a focus not only for the individuals in John 15, but for the group as a whole. John 15 provides an encouraging atmosphere of personal prayer for its members.
  1. Joy: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). Joy is one of the hallmarks of a Christian life and one that makes Christianity attractive to others. The practice of our faith should be joyful as opposed to being obligatory or boring. John 15 strives to inculcate a lasting sense of joy in its members both for themselves and for those they come in contact with.
  1. Growth: “Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2). John 15 should constantly and consistently be striving for growth in its members. This primarily consists of growth in relationship with Jesus, but also growth in character, leadership, and human formation. Growth should be the result of a person's experience in John 15.

Above all else, John 15 is a ministry, not an organization. Rather than focusing on ourselves, the aim is to serve the freshmen.

Article V: Leadership

Section 1: Executive Leadership Team

A. Director: The Director maintains the overall vision and ministry of John 15. It is his or her responsibility to prayerfully discern the ministry as a whole including leading the Executive Leadership and directing the overall vision of formation. Other responsibilities include: lead weekly John 15 general meetings (create agenda, MC each meeting, etc); lead weekly executive leadership meetings; lead informationals at the beginning of the year for freshmen along with the Executive Leadership; create or modify the existing freshmen and Exec application; create a calendar of the year with all meeting dates, weekly events, social events, and informationals; leading conflict management if needed; initiate and lead process of new Executive Leadership discernment including applications and interviews; keep track of freshman and GL attendance; reserve rooms for all meetings; attending The Well. Some of these responsibilities may be delegated to other executive members if the director deems it necessary. Lastly, the director of John 15 is responsible for finalizing all decisions for the ministry with the advisor.

B. Assistant Director (2): The Assistant Director position is to supplement the position of Director, serving as additional support to all of the Director responsibilities. Additionally, the majority of the Assistant Director’s responsibilities concern overseeing the GL team. Responsibilities include: taking on all responsibilities of the Director in the event of the Director’s absence; assisting and advising the Director wherever additional help is needed and whenever larger decisions are being made; meeting with the Director and pastoral staff outside of meetings whenever necessary; leading the GL application, interview, and selection process with the help of Executive Leadership; creating and executing a plan for communication with GLs over breaks such as summer and winter; planning and facilitating GL events such as GL socials and partner reveal; oversight of the Fall Kickoff, including managing the team of GLs for setup and cleanup responsibilities; assisting the Director and Community Coordinator with all events, including Ministry Fair, Retreats, and Informationals; planning and leading the weekly GL meetings; planning, facilitating, and overseeing GL formation, with the help of the campus ministry intern and the rest of executive leadership; passdown of responsibilities to the new Assistant Director in the spring semester after discernment; attending The Well.

C. Communication & Finance Coordinator: The Communication & Finance Coordinator serves John 15 by acting as the community’s treasurer and financial liaison to Pastoral Staff. Major responsibilities include maintaining accurate record of John 15’s budget, keeping track of expenses and receipts during individual reimbursement, collecting membership dues and updating the paid/unpaid member list, working with executive leadership to set the budget for events, and organizing all additional fundraising for John 15. This will be accomplished through organized, approved events such as working the parking lot of St. Mary’s or cleaning Kyle field. Proceeds from these events can be put towards John 15 as needed or appropriately used for or donated to a charity or cause of the Executive Leadership’s choosing. On the communications side, he/she is also responsible for contacting speakers at least 2 weeks in advance of their speaking date; sending out weekly freshman emails; taking care of Mass announcements; maintaining the facebook page and website; editing talk videos and uploading them in a timely manner; maintaining the John 15 email account.

D. Formation Coordinator (2): The Formation Coordinators are responsible for facilitating the formation of all the freshmen in John 15 into disciples of Jesus Christ. This includes both interior, spiritual formation in prayer as well as exterior, missionary formation in evangelization and service. This will normally be accomplished through meetings or events outside of the regular Thursday night meeting. These formations should be stand-alone events that make it easy for freshmen to attend when they are able and should vary in type and style. These formations could range from meeting up on campus to pray the rosary or learning about a specific topic in apologetics to doing a service project or hosting a praise and worship night. GLs may be called upon to assist as needed or as they desire. The Formation Coordinators will work closely with the Community Coordinator for scheduling and fostering human formation.

E. Community Coordinator: The Community Coordinator is responsible for providing and encouraging a community of friendship focused on Christ. The responsibilities of the Community Coordinator include: event planning (ministry fairs, socials, trips, retreats, hangouts, intramurals, etc); leading the planning (venue, schedule, food, talks, activities, etc) for Fall and Spring Retreat with the help of the Executive Leadership; coordinating with GLs to plan events. The Community Coordinator is responsible for planning and leading social events for John 15. The purpose of these events is to glorify God and to draw freshmen, GLs, and Exec closer in community to one another. The Community Coordinator is also responsible for designing and ordering t-shirts and other merchandise.

F. Campus Ministry Intern: The Campus Ministry Intern assigned to John 15 assists the Pastoral Advisor and Executive Leadership in achieving the mission of John 15 in a way that is harmonious with the broader mission of St. Mary’s Catholic Center. Responsibilities include being present at John 15 meetings, attending weekly Executive Leadership meetings, assisting the Pastoral Advisor in planning meetings with Director and Assistant Director. The Campus Ministry Intern also assists in leadership formation for both the Executive Leadership and GLs. The Campus Ministry Intern will meet individually with each leadership member, over the course of a month, at least once a semester, to examine their effectiveness as a leader and to provide support. Information on successes, failures, and desire for improvements can be shared with the Pastoral Advisor. The Campus Ministry Intern also supports the Assistant Director in his/her work of GL formation. Some of these duties may change at the discretion of the Pastoral Advisor and/or leadership. If no intern is assigned to John 15, these duties become the responsibility of the Pastoral Advisor.

G. Pastoral Advisor: The role of the John 15 Pastoral Advisor is filled by a member of the St. Mary’s pastoral staff. The advisor functions as a member of leadership while maintaining final say on all decisions. Other duties include: inviting speakers to weekly meetings or special events, listening to and approving talks given by students, requesting room reservations, assisting the Director with long-term planning, helping with conflict management if needed, attending weekly leadership meetings, and functioning as a pastoral staff liaison. Some of these duties may change at the discretion of the advisor and/or leadership.

Section 2: General Leadership Duties

  1. At the beginning of each semester, John 15 leadership will:
  2. Hold an initial meeting with the Executive Leadership, Intern, and Advisor to create goals for the semester, assign responsibilities, divide tasks, and set a regular meeting time.
  3. Hold an Executive Leadership workshop planned and prepared by the Director.
  4. Hold an initial Workshop with all the Group Leaders (GLs).
  5. Clean and restock the John 15 supply and storage cage, as necessary.
  6. Plan and lead a John 15 fall and spring lock-in , with the main purposes of acquainting new members to the organization and to each other.
  7. Be involved in any St. Mary’s parish-wide welcoming activities.
  1. At the end of each spring semester, the current John 15 Executive Leadership will:
  2. Conduct nominations and discernment procedures for the next year’s leadership according to the constitutional provisions.
  3. Lead an end-of-year Spring retreat for the freshmen
  1. At the end of each Spring semester, next year’s John 15 Executive Leadership will:
  2. Conduct nominations and discernment procedures for next year’s GLs.
  3. Meet with new GLs if appropriate

John 15 Exec Application

Name:

Major(s):

Phone Number:

Email:

How can we be praying for you:

Application questions

Please carefully and prayerfully read the leadership descriptions above, and rank them in order of preference (1 = most preferred, 7 = least preferred). The points refer to St. Mary’s policy. You don’t really need to worry about it, but it does generally correlate to time commitment. (Being a GL was 1 point). The only important thing to note is that you cannot have more than 3 points total (all leadership positions at St. Mary’s combined) without special permission.

Please note: Preference does not guarantee what spot you may be offered.

Position Preference:

___Director(3 points)

___Assistant Director(3 points)

___Communication and Finance Coordinator(2 points)

___Formation Coordinator(2 points)

___Community Coordinator(2 points)

Prayerfully answer the following questions. Please limit to around 300 words per response.

  1. In what position do you most want to serve, and why do you feel called to serve in this area?
  1. How has Jesus led you closer to Him this year?
  1. How have you led your John 15 freshmen closer to Jesus this year?
  1. What are your strengths and weaknesses on a team? Please provide situational examples of each.
  1. What is one way that you would like to see John 15 grow next year? What is one practical step you would take to make it happen?
  1. Describe in your own words the mission of John 15 and why you are passionate about it.
  1. Please list any involvements for next year (including work, on campus, St. Mary’s etc.) potential or otherwise.

May God Bless you!