Youth and Young Adults Pastor (urban youth, FT & PT options)

**POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT**

Pastor/Director of Youth and Young Adults

City Life Church

If you’re looking to lead in an exciting church where God does amazing things every day, you’re in the right place!

About City Life Church

City Life is a vibrant, urban, multiethnic, multi-economic church in the heart of Grand Rapids, MI. We are a church of about 225 people, and we are part of the Wesleyan denomination. We believe God has uniquely placed us in our location to serve our community. We serve a significant number of people who are unhoused, at-risk, and/or mentally ill. Doing ministry WITH people different from ourselves (vs. doing ministry TO people) is core to how we live out God’s kingdom.

Want a taste of who City Life is?

This video was put together to describe what City Life looks like through the week: https://youtu.be/3Th1iRhjDmo?si=N6CwSzc4OuQkAzpR

Our mission statement is to:

Manifest God’s kingdom now,

by calling out disciples

and renewing our neighborhoods.

You can also check out our Dream and our Core Practices here: https://citylifegr.com/visions-values/

If you are local, please feel free to visit a service on a Sunday morning. Our services are at 9:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., and we are located at 574 Division Ave S, Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

At a Glance:

·      This is a full-time role that is about:

o  60% youth (6^th-12^th grade)

o  25% young adults (ages 18-29)

o  15% adult discipleship/general pastoral duties

·      This may be either a pastoral role or a director role for a non-pastoral candidate. Ministry Residents (those in training) are also encouraged to apply.

·      Our youth group is in a rebuilding phase, and the young adult ministry will be essentially starting from scratch. This is an exciting opportunity to shape culture and vision of these ministries.

·      Base salary for this role is approximately $50,000, with total compensation (including benefits) discussed further in the interview process.

·      You need to know that City Life is not your average church. We’re a multiethnic, multi-economic, multi-generational church in an urban center. On any given Sunday, you'll worship alongside business owners, college students, families, immigrants, people overcoming addiction, those with mental illnesses and neighbors experiencing homelessness. We believe this diversity is one of God's greatest gifts to our church!

This Role: The Opportunity

The number one purpose of this position is that we want to see teens on fire for Christ!

The Youth Ministry role for grades 6-12 is our number one priority for this role. We want the youth group to grow, and we want this next season to be the best season for youth ministry at City Life that we have seen yet!

This role includes three major ministry areas, with youth ministry being the priority:

o  Youth Ministry

o  Young Adults Ministry

o  Adult Discipleship

o  For pastoral role, other pastoral responsibilities based on giftedness, including preaching, pastoral care and counseling, etc.

Key Responsibilities: Youth Ministry

You'll build a disciple-making youth ministry where students know Christ, love scripture, build spiritual roots, and invite friends. You'll recruit and develop volunteer leaders, teach regularly, partner with parents, and create environments where students grow spiritually. You must have an ability to build and lead a racially and culturally diverse group.

·      Lead youth group on Sunday nights, 6^th-12^th grade

o  Programming

o  Teaching

o  Implement small groups (10^th-12^th boys & girls, 6^th-9^th boys, 6^th-9^th girls)

·      Recruit and develop adult volunteer team

·      Plan events

·      Work with parents of teens

·      Lead fundraisers

·      Connect with youth conferences, mission trips, and camps, in conjunction with Lead Pastor’s vision

·      Co-lead new Club 56 ministry with Kid City Director (5^th-6^th grade “Sunday School” style group on Sunday mornings during school year)

·      Network with other youth leaders in the city

Key Responsibilities: Young Adults

You'll launch a thriving young adult ministry where emerging adults find authentic community, grow spiritually, and explore their calling and purpose.

·      Primary focus on ages 18-24

·      Gathering points for two distinct age groups: 18-24 and 24-29

·      Work with Lead Pastor to develop a starting strategy

Key Responsibilities: Adult Discipleship

·      Oversee Life Groups and Bands (accountability groups)

Staff Culture and Leadership

We highly value spiritual leadership formation, and our leadership systems reflect that. You'll work closely with the Lead Pastor to dream, collaborate, and build together. We value trust, flexibility, creativity, accountability, and giving leaders room to lead according to their gifts.

What We’re Looking For

The Youth and Young Adults Pastor/Director will be a passionate, mission-minded leader who shares our heart for the city and our call to discipleship. The ideal candidate will:

·      Have experience in a multiethnic church context

·      Have experience in not just participating in youth ministry, but leading youth ministry

·      Be a starter and a community builder

·      Be personally on fire for Jesus and his mission

·      Have a deep love for the poor and marginalized

Special Qualifications:

             Mature use of scripture in life and in ministry    

             People connector

Leadership gift

Teaching gift

Excellent people skills

Education: Bachelor’s degree

Application Process

To apply, please submit the following to Lead Pastor Christy Lipscomb at christy@citylifegr.com:

1) Cover letter and resume

2) Your Myers-Briggs Type. If you don’t know it, you can take a free online test here:

https://www.16personalities.com/

3) Your spiritual gifts. If you don’t know them, there are free assessments online. A great option that is a little more thorough is: https://www.freeshapetest.com/.

If it sparks excitement in you when you think about seeing teens come alive in Christ, helping young adults discover their calling, and serving in one of the most unique churches in Grand Rapids, we'd love to talk.