FT or PT Direct Ministry Associate for Shawnee HeightsTopeka, KS
Young Life · Topeka
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Because of Young Life’s exclusive Christian purposes of evangelism and discipleship as set forth in its Articles of Incorporation and in these Bylaws, and to reflect what has always been and will continue to be the position of Young Life, specifically the Christian belief that each and every employee and volunteer of the corporation should minister as a servant of God with the primary responsibility of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and, as such, is an integral part of the Christian mission and ministry of the corporation,
Young Life shall only employ individuals or enlist volunteer leaders who: (a) profess a belief in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord; and (b) subscribe to the statements and policies required of all Young Life staff, including the Young Life Statement of Faith. Therefore, employees and volunteers of Young Life, during working and nonworking hours, shall: (i) be ready, willing and able to fulfill such ministry functions as may be required by the organization; (ii) refrain from conduct and statements that detract from the biblical standards taught and supported by Young Life, and (iii) abide by all policies and practices of Young Life including, without limitation, those related to religious belief or ministry activities.
Job Specific Working Conditions:
Topeka Specific Job Description
Young Life Staff at Shawnee Heights
Part-time or full-time
Description:
Full-time Young Life staff to reestablish and lead ministry at Shawnee Heights High School and Shawnee Heights Middle School in Topeka, Kansas.
Young Life in Topeka began nearly 25 years ago at Washburn Rural High School and has had a long history of reaching students and engaging the community. A decade later, Young Life was launched across town at Shawnee Heights High School. Shawnee Heights Young Life was trending upward, showing exciting momentum before eventually being put into hibernation in 2021. Currently, a team of community members is looking to bring Young Life ministry back to the Shawnee Heights community.
Alongside the committee, the job of the Young Life staff for the Shawnee Heights district will be to reestablish and lead ministry at Shawnee Heights High School and/or Shawnee Heights Middle School. This staff member will work alongside the Topeka Young Life staff team and Shawnee Heights committee to form a volunteer leader team, ministry plan, and donor base to generate deep and formative ministry.
Located on the southeast side of town, the Shawnee Heights district is increasingly diverse with 37% minority enrollment. There is significant room for growth in this role with the hopes of having excellent ministry at both the high school and middle school. This opportunity for growth also creates an opportunity for the Young Life staff member to hire additional staff, contingent upon budget and committee health.
The Shawnee Heights Young Life Area is one of eight areas that make up the Greater Topeka Metro, which encompasses 14 total staff members, 65 volunteer leaders, and committee members across 11 campuses who know more than 1,200 students by name.
The city of Topeka has been the beneficiary of substantial investments made by local entrepreneurs who want the town to be a place where people are happy to live. Located an hour away from the Kansas City International Airport, Topekans appreciate a low cost of living, a small-town feel with all of the amenities you need, and generous hospitality by folks all across town.
Ministry Functions:
Spiritual Development — The job of Young Life staff is to not only pursue their own spiritual development, which is crucial, but to also grow those on their teams spiritually. This looks like:
Developing a yearly personal growth plan that fosters a vibrant spiritual life including time for solitude, retreat, reflection, prayer, and a sincere commitment to understanding God’s Word.
Seeking and maintaining relationships and disciplines, in the context of active participation in a church community.
Actively participate in the spiritual life of the Young Life community.
Leading teams and individuals in spiritual development.
Keeping prayer as our first strategy and maturity in Christ as our end goal for everyone involved in ministry.
Leadership Development — The job of Young Life staff is not only to do the ministry work with students, but to build teams that are also doing that work, multiplying our impact. This looks like:
Meeting with volunteer leaders and area leadership on a regular basis.
Learning to recruit and train new leaders to build a leadership team that reflects the community.
Modeling excellence in contact work, club, Campaigners and camping to other leaders.
Assisting in training leaders, team leaders, and committee members in how to work effectively in teams.
Developing a yearly ministry strategy.
Resource Development — Ministry demands resources, which is one element of life on Young Life staff. This includes:
Fundraising an agreed upon dollar amount.
Keeping donors up to date and invested in the ministry.
Participating in city-wide fundraising events.
Engaging the Young Life committee as they work to develop resources.
Remembering that ministry resources include time, talent, and treasure, all of which need to be developed.
Direct Ministry — This is the work Young Life staff do with students, which include:
Contact Work
Young Life staff lead the charge as they build a team that goes where kids are, earning the right to be heard.
Campaigners
Young Life staff not only lead their own campaigner group (small group), but set up volunteers to do the same.
Club
Leading the team that plans and executes a Young Life club with excellence.
Camp
Young Life summer camp is the best week of a student’s life. Trips to Young Life camps also happen in the fall for Weekend Camp.
We also ask Young Life staff to be available to serve on a summer assignment (3-4 weeks) at a Young Life camp property.
Ministry Support — Young Life staff includes much more than hanging out with kids. It includes taking care of business like internal accounting/cash flow, administration, communication (internal), data management and strategic plan.
Adhere to all Young Life policies and procedures and maintain professionalism concerning office hours, dress, conduct and time management.
Manage finances with stewardship, accountability and transparency using the mission-wide applications.
Maintain accurate information on kids, leaders and donors for area records.
Provide clear, prompt, appropriate and professional communication to everyone involved in ministry.
Set yearly strategic ministry plans and initiatives to reach every kid; review them on a regular basis.
Perform other duties as assigned and congruent with gifts, experience, and area needs.
Training – We want to invest in our staff! Young Life staff are lifelong learners, so we offer and require different training to ensure continued development. This includes:
Local Training: Leadership I, Leadership II, Biblical Interpretation, and others as assigned by your supervisor.
Winter Training: New Staff Training, New Testament Survey, Systematic Theology, Christology, Old Testament Survey, Ministry as a Person, Area Director School, etc.
Education:
College degree preferred.
Qualifications Required for the Job:
Paid or unpaid experience in student ministry.
Proven relational skills with both kids and adults.
Demonstrated verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to maintain confidentiality.
Ability to serve as part of a team and lead a team.
Work Conditions:
Includes the extremes of a camp including: heat/cold, dirt, long hours and the physical demands of hiking, horseback riding, boating and more. Staff person must be able to handle these conditions. This description is not intended, and should not be construed, to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, efforts or working conditions associated with this job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the principal job elements essential for making compensation decisions.
Direct Ministry