Missioner for Youth and Young Adult Ministries

In our new diocesan mission strategy, we reassert in these tumultuous times that “As a people of hope, we come together to find the way forward.” We see ourselves as disciples of Jesus, seekers of justice and protectors of creation. We know that to succeed, we will need to more fully engage the unique brand of enthusiasm, honesty and energy of our youth and young adults.

The Missioner for Youth and Young Adult Ministries is charged with encouraging, applauding and challenging the church to embrace creative and robust ministry both for and with youth and young adults, both in our worshiping communities and in the life of the diocese as a whole.  

In order to do this, the Missioner for Youth and Young Adult Ministries, reporting to the Bishop Suffragan, will

·        Provide direct service to young people (through the Diocesan Youth Council and other activities)

·        Provide professional development and networking opportunities for youth workers (through training events and ongoing communication)

·        Nourish the visible leadership of young adults through support of the Young Adult Advisory Committee and Young Adult Network

·        Foster connections between young adults and those that minister to them in the diocese in congregations and other settings, including college chaplaincies and the Life Together residential fellowship program, and encourage partnerships and collaboration among these ministries

·        Look for innovative ways to integrate young people and youth ministry into all areas of congregational and diocesan life

·        Oversee administrative and supervisory activities of the office

·        Take on other duties as assigned and mutually agreed to

In all this work, the Missioner is expected to work intentionally to dismantle racism within the church, to work in ways that challenge white supremacy culture, and to recruit, raise up and support POC leaders and communities.

Work Plan/Details to accomplish these responsibilities:

Reporting to the Bishop Suffragan, the Missioner for Youth and Young Adult Ministries will:

Provide direct service to young people

·        Recruit, select, support and manage the Diocesan Youth Council (DYC)

·        Recruit, select, support and manage other diocesan wide groups, such as the Las Fronteras Pilgrimage Group, as needs and as opportunities arise

·        Plan and organize the annual weekend retreats and pre-Confirmation retreats at the diocesan Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center (BCHCC), in partnership with the DYC

·        Promote, plan and organize involvement of diocesan youth in denomination-wide opportunities such as the triennial Episcopal Youth Event (EYE), the Official Youth Presence at the General Convention of The Episcopal Church, and others offered by The Episcopal Church.

·        Plan and organize additional half- and full-day youth events across the diocese, opportunities for young people from multiple congregations to meet and collaborate in the name of Christ

·        Serve as advisor and resource to the BCH Camp Director and Summer Chaplain in their efforts to recruit visiting chaplains for the summer; develop the summer faith formation theme and Bible study curriculum and plan the worship life for camp at the BCHCC; serve on the BCHCC board, attending board meetings and participating on board committees as available

Provide professional development and networking opportunities for youth workers

·        Plan and organize periodic trainings and networking opportunities for youth workers in the church, serving both paid and volunteer youth workers, lay and ordained

·        Serve as resource to congregations across the diocese on youth ministry and the spiritual formation of young people by responding to inquiries, hosting and attending meetings, making parish visits and other activities

Nourish the visible leadership of young adults through support of the Young Adult Advisory Committee and Young Adult Network

·        Support the leadership of the Young Adult Advisory Committee in scheduling, planning and running the committee’s bimonthly meetings

·        Support the work of the committee’s working groups and subcommittees and assist in assuring maximum coordination among the committee’s activities

·        Work with the committee’s leadership and bishops to recruit and orient new members to the committee as called for in their Terms of Reference

·        In partnership with the Missioner for Networking and Formation, support the cultivation and mobilization of the Young Adult Network, encouraging leadership from within the network and providing support to cultivate, nurture and develop those leaders who emerge

·        Foster connections between young adults and those that minister to them in the diocese in congregations and other settings, including college chaplaincies and Life Together, and encourage partnerships and collaboration among these ministries

·        Convene Episcopal chaplains working in a variety of settings for periodic meetings with the goal of enhancing opportunities for mutual support, ministry collaborations and seeking out opportunities for on-campus activities to engage with off-campus young adults, as well, when appropriate

·        Meet regularly with Life Together staff and, as appropriate, with fellows to seek ways to engage this community with other young adult communities, and vice versa

·        Maintain consistent contact with the regional canons of the diocese who are involved with cultivating new campus and young adult ministries in their regions in order to support those efforts and help align them with overall diocesan efforts (such as the emerging possibilities with UMass/Dartmouth, St Peter’s, Dartmouth, and Grace, New Bedford)

·        Support the Young Adult Advisory Committee to consider the broader map of ministries and opportunities across the diocese and assure that the committee’s membership continues to include representatives from Life Together, campus ministries and other key young adult ministry efforts

Look for innovative ways to integrate young people and youth and young adult ministry into all areas of congregational and diocesan life

·        Seek, develop and maintain partnerships with diocesan task forces, commissions, committees and other work groups to assure broad participation of young people in the life of the diocese

·        Maintain and coordinate communications about youth and young adult ministry activities, opportunities and resources through the diocesan youth ministry website (diomassyouth.org) and diocesan website (diomass.org/young-adult-ministries), FYI, eNews, and other communication vehicles

·        Keep abreast of emerging trends, promising practices and national thought leaders in the field of youth ministry, campus ministry and young adult ministry, and share this information as useful and appropriate

·        Cultivate and maintain relationships with a diverse range of individuals across the diocese in order to assure that the activities of the office are effective and useful

·        Participate in the meetings, proceedings and activities of the diocesan staff, looking for opportunities to collaborate with other ministry areas to the benefit of youth and young adults, of our congregations and of the life of the church overall

Oversee administrative and supervisory activities of the office

·        Oversee the annual budget of the office and process payment of expenses incurred on behalf of the office as well fees for service and other income

·        Supervise all staff, volunteers, contractors and interns assigned to Youth Ministry

·        Support and advise the Executive Director of Life Together

·        Supervise the college chaplains who are on diocesan payroll

·        Work closely with the Canon for Ordained Vocations whose role is as staff liaison to the Young Adult and Campus Ministries subcommittee of Diocesan Council’s Mission Initiatives Committee, assisting in aligning their work with the overall coordinated Young Adult Ministries strategy

Qualifications

·        Bachelor's degree ant 7+ years’ leading and managing youth and young adult programming or an equivalent combination of education and experience

·        Familiarity with the Episcopal Church or a similar tradition highly desirable

·        Excellent leadership, management and organizational skills

·        Excellent communication skills required, with ability sensitivity and confidentiality

·        Highly self-motivated and able to work collaboratively

·        Available to attend evening meetings, weekend events and occasional travel 

·        Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with different abilities to perform the essential functions of the position

Applications

Please apply by sending cover letter and resume to [email protected] or to Human Resources, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, 138 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02111.