DIRECTOR OF YOUTH MINISTRIES

Cross Lutheran Church

126 Chapel Terrace

Burlington, WI 53015

STATUS: Full-time, Salaried

BENEFITS: Health Insurance, Pension, Continuing Education Funds

Purpose of Position:

To build young disciples for Christ by developing and implementing a comprehensive approach to youth ministry (in the areas of group building, worship, discipleship, mission, and outreach) while serving as a spiritual leader and role model.

Organizational Relationship and Supervision:

The Director of Youth Ministriesreports to the Senior Pastor for spiritual and ministry guidance. The directorprovides monthly updates to the Mission Council on programs, milestones, and concerns. The Senior Pastor, in cooperation with the Personnel Team, provides an annual evaluation of the director’s performance.

Primary Objective:

The director is primarily responsible for developing and overseeing programs for all youth of Cross Lutheran Church. The director is an advocate for youth and educates the congregation about the hopes, concerns, and needs of youth in the church and community. In fulfilling these responsibilities, the director will:

- Accompany youth on their faith journey

- Respect where youth are on their faith journey

- Provide youth with opportunities for nurture and growth

- Challenge youth to respond to God’s call to serve our community and the world

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

  • Plan, develop, and implement all aspects of a balanced youth ministry.
  • Provide program and activity opportunities that are accessible, welcoming and engaging to all youth.
  • Recruit and train adult mentors who work with youth in all aspects of youth ministry and ensure adequate volunteer support and adult to youth ratios.
  • Coordinate and provide leadership for volunteers involved in events.
  • Intentionally build and maintain relationships with youth of all ages and their families.
  • Be available to youth in a variety of ways – (i.e. lunch at school, attendance at extracurricular activities, visitation, times of crisis, etc.)
  • Mentor youth to identify, guide, and develop leadership skills.
  • Accompany youth on mission trips, at confirmation camps, and to the ELCA National Youth Gathering.
  • Work in partnership with the Growing Team to Coordinate Sunday school for grades PK-6
  • Choose and evaluate Sunday School curriculum, recruit teachers, and serve as a guide and/or resource for teachers
  • Establish and maintain expectations and learning goals to prepare the youth for entry into the Confirmation Program
  • Coordinate and teach Confirmation classes in partnership with the pastor(s) and provide leadership for confirmands, mentors, and parents beyond the classroom.
  • Remaincurrent and qualified in using resources for developing youth ministry programming and participate incontinuing education events and training opportunities.
  • Maintain clear channels of communication with church staff and leadership, parents, and the congregation. Communicate in a timely manner, and as effectively as possible, using all available resources (email, website, bulletin, newsletter, bulletin board, etc.).
  • Ensure that the Child Protection Policyis observed in all youth ministry settings.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a related field and training in youth ministry.
  • Two years of experience in leading youth ministry.
  • Professional Certification in Youth Ministry is desired.
  • A commitment to be a disciple of Jesus Christ able to articulate faith who will pursue ongoing professionaland spiritual formation.

Ideal Candidate will have:

  • An engaging, upbeat personality, able to easily and comfortably communicate with youngpeople and with strong belief in the abilities and goodness of our youth.
  • Strong analytic and organizational skills; capacity for strategic planning and initiatives; and ability to follow-through with attention to detail in all related activities.
  • A level of comfort and fluency in the various social media opportunities and networks, able to reach youth where they communicate.
  • Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, diplomacy, tact, and professionalism.
  • Self-starter and creative thinker, comfortable collaborating and working as part of a team.
  • Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities.
  • Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.