Hope Community Church is a non-denominational Christ-centered church of approximately 500-600 people in the Philadelphia suburb of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Our Mission is to help people find and follow Jesus. Our Strategy is to create opportunities to reach seekers (influence the unchurched) and build believers (develop intimacy with God and community with followers). Our current 3-year Ministry Vision is to Know Jesus, Grow in Jesus and Go reflect Jesus to the world.
The Student Ministry Director, with support of the Youth@Hope (Y@H) Associate Director, will provide spiritual leadership to teens and college students by reflecting personally, and expressing relationally, God’s love in a dynamic, loving, Bible-based student ministry setting. As a leader of Youth@Hope (Y@H), this position will also work closely with parents, Y@H leaders and student leaders to create a welcoming environment where young people will flourish spiritually. As a member of church staff and Ministry Operations team, the Student Ministry Director will collaborate with fellow staff members to pursue the church’s vision, in keeping with our mission, discipleship process, culture and values.
The Student Ministry Director will be personally, spiritually, and professionally developed through mentoring relationships and team training. The Student Ministry Director is responsible for leading, developing, and implementing a middle school (grades 5 to 8), high school (grades 9 to 12), and providing a framework for college age students to fellowship and take steps toward a growing relationship with Jesus. They will shepherd and oversee Youth@Hope (Y@H) leaders, student leaders, and students involved in the ministry.
The Student Ministry Director reports directly to the Executive Pastor. This is a full-time salaried position and will include - but is not limited to - the following essential job functions:
Primary Responsibilities
Shepherd students in grades 5 to 8, grades 9 to 12, in the context of the Hope’s stated mission and alignment with the church-wide discipleship process to help people find and follow Jesus.
o Plan and lead weekly Sunday and mid-week meetings, retreats, and
other special events
o Provide regular one-on-one and small group discipleship with volunteer leaders
o Prepare and teach biblical, relevant, gospel-centered lessons to a diverse audience
o Cultivate a heart and habits of worship, prayer and bible study amongst students
o Share the gospel with students who do not know Jesus—model this to all as a life-passion
o Develop or adopt a mission opportunity for students
o Develop a “Love Works” (community service) strategy for students
o Raise up student leaders within the ministry
· Provide direction and leadership for the Youth@Hope (Y@H) staff (including the associate director and volunteers) who work with youth and college students
o Manage and supervise the job responsibilities of the Y@H Associate Director
o Recruit, connect with, develop/coach/train, and care for volunteer leaders
o Establish regular (~once a month) planning and training gatherings for Y@H leaders. We put a high priority on training our volunteer and student leaders.
o Ensure background checks on all individuals working with students
· Build relationships with parents and counsel as needed
o Provide parenting resources and direction to families
o Attend trainings on teenage and college issues
· Minister to the local community
o Build relationships in the community
o Partner with key people in Upper Merion and the surrounding communities (e.g., school officials, coaches, etc.)
· Develop a college-aged ministry
o Partner with parachurch college ministries (Cru, IVF, YL, FCA, etc.)
o Minister to college age students of Hope
o Create opportunities for fellowship for those that come to Hope during their college years
o Develop a “Love Works” (community service) strategy for this age group
· Communicate and Coordinate
o Communicate regularly with parents, students, and Y@H volunteers via weekly email, webpage, and social media, etc. as needed
o Develop long-range plans and goals
o Oversee the Student Ministry Budget with the Associate Director
o Delegate select tasks to Y@H Leaders and volunteers as appropriate
o Participate in developing Youth Ministry interns
· Participate on the Ministry Operations team to collaborate on and lead various church-wide strategic initiatives
· May be called upon to preach on a Sunday morning to the congregation
· Support a culture of diversity within our congregation
o Organize student events that bring together racial diversity in the student population
Core Competencies and Values
· Spiritual:
o A heart for God that is evidenced by proven character
o A person of integrity, authenticity, and transparency with a commitment to unity in the body of Christ at Hope Church
o A Spirit-led believer, growing and motivated to increase in fruitfulness
o Possesses the heart and gifts of a shepherd and teacher
· Leadership:
o A compassionate person who seeks to empathize and understand the hearts of others
o Able to model, motivate, lead, and train others in Christian maturity
o Collaborates well in groups: valuing people, affirming diverse gifts, and compromising appropriately
o Is a proven leader – develops adult and student leaders effectively
o Works well with others; gives and receives feedback graciously and resolves conflict effectively
o Displays flexibility and adaptability; able to pivot quickly and flourish in an ever-changing environment
· Missional:
o Strong passion and vision for diversity and inclusion as well as an aptitude to work within a variety of multi-cultural environment
o Passion for evangelism and commitment to developing missional minded students and students that demonstrate tangible care to our surrounding communities
Qualifications
· A personal and maturing relationship with Jesus
· A minimum 3 years of experience
· Bachelor’s degree with biblical education required – seminary degree preferred.
· Demonstrated passion for sharing Christ with students with a proven ability to communicate biblically and relevantly with both churched and un-churched students
· Prior experience with demonstrated effectiveness in leading and developing student and volunteer leaders
· Proficiency with various media, including audio/video production, social media & multimedia
· Experience working in a multicultural environment, preferred
· Agreement with all aspects of Hope Community Church Statement of Beliefs
· An ability and readiness to be a member of Hope Community Church
Final Statement
Hope Community Church believes we should be a reflection of the diversity God ordained for His heavenly kingdom. Our church has become much more racially diverse in the last decade, and we are blessed to be a space where people from many backgrounds and cultures come together and worship our God. We know our leadership structure needs to reflect the diversity of our congregation, and we highly encourage people of color to apply for this position.
Please send a resume, cover letter, references and personal testimony to [email protected]