Pastor of Student Ministries
Full time (45-50hrs/wk) - Reports to the Senior Pastor and Elder Team
About College Park & Ministry Vision:
College Park is affiliated with the United Brethren in Christ (UB.org), located in Huntington, Indiana (pop. 19K city, 37K county), next to Huntington University. Attendance averages 250 adults in worship, about 25 young people active in student ministry, and is among the largest churches in Huntington. The mission/purpose of College Park Church is:
College Park Church exists to develop thriving followers of Jesus
In an effort to bring this mission to life in this season of ministry, our current vision is:
To reach, teach, and equip families to passionately follow Jesus
This vision statement is crucial for understanding the current state of ministry, direction, and development at College Park. Our “all in focus” right now is ministry and relationships relevant to families with children living at home. So we are unapologetically directing much of our attention, energy, and resources to our children, students, and family ministries.
The Ideal Candidate:
We are seeking a high-capacity, true visionary, and self-directing, innovating, leader to help lead our church family upward and forward into fruitful relationships, ministry structures, and the reach of our ministry into the community. The ideal candidate is:
- A man or woman with a pastoral calling and a deep passion for ministry to students & families. While there are specific programs to be coordinated and led with excellence, this is a highly relational position - one that requires a high degree of emotional intelligence, interpersonal and relational skill, a desire to teach the Word of God, lead from the starting point of prayer, shepherd the Church, and advance people in their developing discipleship.
- A team player. We seek to foster a true “team ministry” approach with each member, while responsible for distinct areas of ministry, contributing to the overall leadership, direction, and discernment of the life and ministry of the church. Like all College Park Pastors and Directors, the man or woman in this position will be expected to invest in the shepherding, discipling, and care-giving aspects of ministry for the whole congregation.
General Qualifications:
- A healthy and growing, personal, abiding relationship with Jesus Christ
- A commitment to a life of fervent and regular prayer
- 5+ years of pastoral/director ministry experience is preferred
- A team-focused commitment to ministry.
- Commitment to personal/professional self-development through books, seminars, and conferences.
- Experience with developing, organizing, and effectively managing teams and programs.
- Ability to relate effectively with students and families in large and small group settings.
- Experience and training related to:
- Organizing volunteer efforts
- Public relations leadership skills
- Exercising discretion with confidential information
- Program/meeting planning
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Experience reading, interpreting, editing, and/or extracting information from various sources, including policies and procedures, program guidelines, manuals, reports, contracts, invoices, and correspondence.
General Role Responsibilities:
- Pastoral Staff Team: Weekly ministry/administrative staff meetings, weekly meeting with the Senior Pastor, monthly Elders/Staff meetings, full engagement with all-church (tier 1) events.
- Ministry Vision: Develop and maintain a student ministry consistent with the mission, vision, and values of College Park Church.
- Relational Ministry: Personally model relational ministry by being present in the world of the young people of the church and community. College Park expects the Pastor of Student Ministries to devote no less than 15 hours per week to relational settings with students and families outside the regular “programmatic” settings.
- Discipleship: Define a clear path of discipleship for every young person.
- Mobilization: Recruit, equip, empower, develop, motivate, and celebrate a team of caring adults to invest in young people in personal/relational ministry, large group, small groups, events, and programming.
- Ministry to Parents/Families: Invest not just in students, but also in their parents and families - equipping, encouraging, and motivating parents to fully realize their role and calling as the primary disciple-makers of their children.
- Other Ministry Area: Given the size of the College Park Congregation and staff, the Pastor of Student Ministries will be expected, after an appropriate time of acclimation, to provide pastoral leadership for at least one other aspect of church ministry commensurate with his/her gifts and passions, and the needs of the ministry of the church.
Programmatic Responsibilities:
- Sunday Mornings: Currently, College Park features a Sunday morning group for 4th-6th grade students during both worship services. Students attend the first portion of the worship service and are then released to their group, while 7th-12th grade students remain in the entirety of the worship service. The Pastor of Student Ministries will partner with the Pastor of Children’s & Family Ministries to oversee this group, though teaching may be delegated to capable volunteers.
- Sunday Evenings: Weekly youth group is most Sunday evenings, 5:30-7:00PM, from the first Sunday after Labor Day, through the final Sunday of April. This time features large group games, worship, a 15-20 minute large group teaching element, and small groups. Adult volunteers assist with all aspects of Sunday evenings, and a brief leadership meeting is held each week at 5:00PM while the Youth Band rehearses. Teaching responsibilities are often shared with other capable adults.
- Wednesday Evenings: “Youth Discipleship Table” is a weekly bible study and discussion group for all students 6th-12th grade, 6:30-8:00PM.
- Retreats and Special Events: Each ministry year features a retreat to some location outside Huntington, local Huntington Youth Network events, a summer trip experience (mission trip or conference), and several special events through the year for the purposes of fellowship, discipleship, community service, and outreach.
- Summer Ministry: Presently, the summertime for student ministry involves a mission trip or conference, special events (e.g. swim parties, outings to sporting events, zoo, etc.), a weekly fellowship time (“Homestead Hangout”) and service projects. This is a highly flexible and customizable time of the year for student ministry.
Interested candidates should forward their resume and a customized cover letter to:
jason@cpubchurch.com
Please do not use the “post your resume to apply” utility.
