Student Pastor

General Description

The Student Pastor is responsible to lead students to follow Jesus and His essential methods for making disciples through intentional relationships. The Student pastor will partner with parents to lead their middle and high school students to grow in their relationship with Christ. This leader will also recruit, coach, train and lead staff and volunteers to love and lead students to be relational disciple-makers. Finally, the Student Pastor is responsible for developing relationships in the community with schools and organizations in order to continue to build bridges into places of influence.

Organizational Relationship:

 The position is accountable to and reports directly to the Executive Director of Community.

Essential Job Functions:

• Lives out the mission and core values of Riverside Church, as directed by leadership. Trains and nurtures ministry staff and servant leaders to engage and equip students to become both disciples and disciple-makers who are following Christ, being changed by Christ, and committed to the mission of Christ.
• Provides overall directional leadership and age-graded vision and strategy for student ministry (grades 6-12).
• Overall leader of the student ministry including continuous oversight of daily tasks/duties, team meetings, trainings, and events. Responsible for timely coaching and feedback for volunteers.
• Evaluates all student ministry activities and implements approved and recommended changes and/or improvements as needed.
• Partners with communications team to ensure Student Ministry is promoted, visible, inviting and relevant to students in the surrounding community.
• Actively participates in preparing student small group curriculum that equips leaders and engages students in such a way that it helps them understand God’s word and how to apply it to their lives.
• Develops and maintains an annual plan that ensures continuous improvement and healthy growth of student involvement in alignment with established metrics and drivers. Develops and implements volunteer recruitment methods and processes to ensure a healthy student ministry growth rate as well as healthy leader to student ratios.
• Keeps SLT (Senior Leadership Team) informed of student ministry dynamics (spiritual atmosphere, health, facilities, volunteer staff).
• Provides leadership in building partnerships with local schools and gets involved as is appropriate to family and ministry season.
• Coordinates, manages and executes camps, retreats, mission trips and special events.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with the Riverside staff, volunteers and parents.
• Models and encourages personal spiritual development for both volunteers and students. Performs spiritual counseling as requested and appropriate.
• Oversees the development of the annual budget and reviews monthly financial metrics in the student ministry with the Executive Director of Community to ensure budget/spending targets are met or exceeded as directed.
• Works with parents to resource them as the primary discipler of their student.
• Partners with the Kids ministry on developing and executing a discipleship strategy for students entering the ministry.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Must be actively involved in or leading a discipleship small group.
• High school diploma or general education degree (GED) required, bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 5 years of ministry experience with groups ranging in size from 50 to 150+, including at least 3 years of directly related leadership experience with responsibility for coaching and developing both volunteers and staff.
• Must be a team player, willing to collaborate with others to complete the mission of Riverside Church.
• Strong stage presence with dynamic speaking abilities.
• Strong self-awareness and teachable spirit.
• Ability to engage and equip volunteers to lead and serve.