Job Overview

Position Description: Middle School Student Director/Pastor

Real Life Christian Church

The role of Middle School Student Director/Pastor at Real Life Christian Church is to build leadership teams that create environments and foster relationships with students and families, equipping both students and parents for living Jesus > everything discipleship model now, and preparing students to carry their faith beyond their time in Middle and High School.

1. This person must be highly relational, energetic, dynamic, and relevant to today's student culture.
2. They must be passionate about seeing students and parents develop a solid foundation in Christ.
3. Needs to demonstrate the ability to create, plan, execute, and evaluate successful events.

4. Need to be pastoral: Knowing students and leaders. Connecting new students to other students and leaders, being aware of needs, and caring for the whole flock as well as leaders

5. Needs to be a leader of leaders: Executing a program to recruit, onboard, and develop adult leaders to disciple students, understanding that the impact of the ministry is reliant on 1- God. 2- Adults knowing and discipling kids at a low ratio (ideal is 5-1)

6. Needs to be administratively adept: Executing weekly gathering, preparing material and getting it to leaders, regular events promoted to rally kids and their friends to, camps 2x per year, serving opportunities, student leadership teams, and parent meetings all need excellent communication and promotion with parents and students. Follow-up with newcomers is also a must.

Job Description

Personal Responsibilities:

This individual must demonstrate a shepherd's heart for people and model biblical priorities by being committed to:

• Spending regular time in God's Word and prayer.
• Faithfully supporting the ministry of RLCC by giving regularly.
• Must demonstrate spiritual maturity and a growing relationship with Jesus.
• Displays a balance of humility and drive to build God's kingdom.

Responsibilities:

We will be intentional and strategic in:

Growing students deeper in relationships with Jesus and others.

This includes a weekly, Sunday morning gathering, a mid-week small group focused time, and events to help students grow in relationship with each other as well as invite guests to at least once a quarter. 2 camps a year to get away, gather, and grow.

Leading our people to seek opportunities to serve both inside and outside the church walls.

Work with the children's ministry director, community director/pastor, parents and students to get students into positions of serving inside the church on a regular basis. We would like to see at least 70% of students serving on a regular basis (1/month). Schedule and plan community serving events (in the city, or things you can do at church for the community) two times per year (not including our two all-church RL serves, which you will encourage students to participate in with the larger church family.)

1. Oversee Student ministry for grades 6-8.
2. Works with the Children's ministry director to help families (students AND parents) to live Jesus > everything discipleship model.
3. Communicates vision for student ministries with passion, conviction, and clarity
4. Ensure alignment of the student ministries with the overarching church strategies and values.
5. Recruit, train, and provide leadership to volunteer teams
6. Select, prepare, and teach student curriculum
7. Assume responsibility for quality control of the overall environment
8. Develop and deliver student services (Sunday Morning and Mid-week) that help deepen students' growth and deepen their faith.
9. Create events and environments that are designed for welcoming and loving friends, and being intentional in helping guests get connected to others and Jesus.
10. Implement ways to partner with parents to develop students' faith.
11. Oversee small group ministry and ensure it aligns with other programming and overall church vision.
12. Maintain a safe environment, including requiring background checks of all volunteers, avoiding dangerous activities, and ensuring that liability release forms for students are completed.
13. Meet and mentor interns, leaders, and parents.
14. Build student leaders (creating disciples).
15. Pastor and provide resources to kids/families in crisis
16. Communicate, promote, and prepare for meetings/events/trips (local and overseas)
17. Plan budget and monitor spending
18. Develop and implement an 8th-grade specific discipleship plan to equip and prepare them for faith in high school and work with the High School Director to transition students to HSM seamlessly.

REQUIREMENTS/QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Must have proven experience in student ministry.
2. Must exhibit strong leadership skills with high school and middle school students, as well as adult volunteers
3. Must be able to communicate relationally with large and small groups
4. Must provide relevant, interesting, creative, and appropriate programming skills—large groups, small groups, worship team
5. Must place a high value on the quality of production – décor, music, setting, feel, background music, staging, food, etc. and have the ability, creativity, and leadership to execute
6. Must be a team player; able to work well with the people within this ministry, as well as the other ministries and staff
7. Must relate well to a diverse group of students
8. Must possess good technical skills—computers, sound, lighting
9. Must have a high energy level and the physical ability to be active with students
10. Four-year degree is preferred.
11. Must possess strong administrative skills for executing all areas of the program.
12. Musical talent—vocal, guitar, etc. is preferred

Organizational Relationships:

1. Reports to: Lead Pastor and Executive Director
2. Staff reporting to him: None at this time