Leader of High School & Young Adult Ministries- Allentown Presbyterian, Allentown, NJ
- Title: Leader of High School & Young Adult Ministries- Allentown Presbyterian, Allentown, NJ
- Location: Allentown, PA
- Date Posted: 1/30/2012 ml
- Denomination: Presbyterian
- Type: Non-YMA Church
Allentown Presbyterian Church
20 High Street
Allentown, NJ 08501Applications should be emailed to:
kimsdaly@optonline.net
allentownpresbyterian.orgLeader of High School and Young Adult MinistriesHigh School and Young Adult Ministries Leader Job DescriptionThe High School and Young Adult Leader is a passionate disciple of Jesus Christ who is called to love young people and encourage them in their faith. The HS/YA Leader will not only embrace the leadership of an existing, dynamic High school ministry but also help create and launch new midweek worship initiatives that target High school students, college age and young adult populations. Following Christ’s model of ministry, we seek a strong leader who is willing to “dwell” among young people in this community, to build relationships with the churched and the unchurched and to help create places where young people are encouraged not only to avoid detours of faith but to grow and flourish in Christ.The HS & YA Leader must embrace and seek to carry out the mission of the APC youth and young adult ministry. The mission statement of the APC youth and young adult ministry is as follows:
• To inspire youth/young adults in the Allentown area to develop life-long, intimate relationships with Jesus Christ
• To encourage those youth/young adults to grow as active members of God’s family,
• To empower the youth/young adults of APC to serve with such passion for God that their communities and their worlds are impacted for Christ
The High School and Young Adult Leader seeks a close, personal walk with Christ and chooses to nurture his/her own faith through scripture, worship, daily devotion, observance of the Sabbath and prayer.
The High School and Young Adult Leader ‘s primary responsibilities will be to:• Help develop and launch a new midweek service targeting High School, college age and young adults that is also inter-generationally inclusive.
• Create a climate of hospitality at Crossroads Youth Center that encourages HS students, Young Adults and shepherds to want to become part of the community of Jesus Christ
• Lead the HS youth ministry including midweek and Sunday morning programs (youth group, Confirmation and Sunday school)
• Lead a college age/young adult weekly Bible Study
• Coordinate 2 annual retreats
• Lead a summer Bible study for HS students– Young Adults
• Lead and build the summer mission teams/trips
• Nurture and empower the shepherd team
• Embrace fundraising initiatives to support ministry needs
• Brainstorm, pray and vision with the Youth Staff at their weekly meetingThe High School and Young Adult Leader is part of a team that seeks to inspire young people to love Jesus Christ and reports to the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
Introduction to Allentown Presbyterian Church:
Allentown, New Jersey is an historic small town with a population of about 2000, an easy one-hour drive to New York or Philadelphia, within 20 minutes of Princeton and 30 minutes of the Jersey shore. Allentown’s excellent schools, just across the street from the church, are located just blocks from the quaint downtown area, peppered with shops and restaurants. Not a single traffic light can be found in town. The surrounding area was, until recently, all farmlands. But new housing developments now dot the area, bringing a new generation of families to move to this charming community.Founded in 1720, Allentown Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest Presbyterian churches in New Jersey, yet in many ways, the church is very contemporary and innovative. We are a young congregation with many families with children and teens. Consistent with our motto, “Growing In Christ,” we have seen dramatic growth over the past 10 years, with membership and worship attendance doubling, forcing us to move from one weekly service to multiple Sunday morning services.
With a membership of over 550, approximately 350 people attend one of the church’s worship services on an average week. Our professional staff now includes a pastor, a full time director of worship and music, a full time director of children’s ministry, a full time director of youth and young adult ministries, and we are currently seeking a full time high school and young adult ministries leader.
The congregation has a strong intergenerational flavor. Visitors often comment on their striking first impression of how crowded our sanctuary is with teens. Undoubtedly, the area of most dramatic growth in the life of APC over the last10 years has been the youth ministry, meeting at the Crossroads Youth Center. In that time, the ministry has grown from a handful of youth to over 200 youth participating on a weekly basis in four different mid-week groups and many Sunday morning classes, and groups meeting at various times.
The church leadership sees the youth ministry as a mission outreach of the church, with many youth and parents from other churches, and many unchurched youth participating regularly. As a result, a number of youth (and their families) have come into a relationship with Christ through the doorway Crossroads. As the ministry has grown, the youth/young adult staff has grown from one part time person to four paid positions (Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, High School and Young Adult Ministries Leader, Director of Youth Music, and a Youth Administrative Assistant), as well as several seminary interns from Princeton Theological Seminary.
The new High School and Young Adult Ministries Leader will enter a faith community with a rich history of treasuring and nurturing its youth and young people, a congregation that understands that the entire community shares the responsibility for raising its youth. APC strives to surround its youth with a constellation of Christian adults who themselves seek to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
This position will require a spirit of humility, as the High School and Young Adult Ministries Leader discerns ways to delegate as much responsibility as possible, empowering parents, shepherds, teachers and volunteers to create the community and a climate of transformation. It is within this climate of love, compassion, discipline, truth, and hope that shepherds and youth experience the presence of Christ.
The High School and Young Adult Ministries Leader will create a climate in which everyone who walks through the doors of Crossroads is warmly welcomed. This staff person will be responsible for welcoming, introducing, bringing people together and making sure everyone feels like they belong. He or she will work with shepherds (volunteer adult advisors) to build a safe arena for youth and young people to practice a sometimes dangerous, counter-cultural way of life that Jesus calls us to live.
