Source: OrthodoxJobs.com
Job Description
St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis is seeking a dedicated leader to oversee the Youth and Children’s ministry under the guidance of the Priests. This includes religious, cultural, and social activities.
General duties:
· Preparation and maintenance of the youth group calendar and events
· Communication (includes social media) of events
· Summer church camp task force director
· Coordination of plans with other religious programming (Church school, Vacation church school) under guidance of Priests and other education leaders
The essential functions and accountabilities of this position are as follows:
Equipping people for ministry
1. Enlists volunteers where needed to help coordinate, run/lead ministries and programs.
2. Works with the Priests to recruit and train youth workers (parents and other interested adults) for each age group who will assist in planning and coordinating ministries and engaging with the youth activities.
3. Supports leaders of existing ministries to ensure that our present programs are as effective and well-staffed by trained volunteers who are excited about being involved.
4. Utilizes available Orthodox Christian resources where available, to lead discussions sessions, especially with junior and senior youth groups (Jr. & Sr. GOYA).
5. Develops lesson plans/ discussion guides where needed across the youth ministry.
6. Sets up and runs periodic meetings/training with volunteer ministry leaders.
Relationship Builder with youth and their families
1. Works actively to develop strong relationships with youth and their families.
2. Creates and maintains – with the support of the Administrative Assistant – a Youth website/webpages, and social media outlets to communicate with youth and their families.
3. Sets up and runs periodic parent meetings to inform and foster good communication with parents and to receive their feedback.
4. Responds to inquiries to the Church regarding youth activities.
Planner/Overseer
1. Plans and conducts gatherings for each youth group, makes necessary arrangements with the assistance of delegates/teams, and notifies parents, advisors, and youth groups of the activities. Groups included, but not necessarily limited to are:
· Faith – Pre-K. Children and their families
· Hope – Kindergarten through- 1st grade
· Joy – 2-5th grade
· Jr. Goya – middle school and Jr. High
· Sr. Goya – High school
2. Works with Priests and religious education leaders on integrated programming as needed.
3. Works with the Priests on shared responsibilities for Young Adult League (YAL), as directed by them.
4. Oversees the camping ministry of the church.
Administrator of youth ministries
1. Maintains a master mailing list email list of all parents and youth in the parish by age and group affiliation.
2. Creates and maintains a youth calendar.
3. Teams with other staff members to prepare communication and media for various groups in a timely way.
4. Promotes the youth ministry and youth-related activities.
5. Creates and maintains a resource file of materials used by the youth ministry, and allows access to appropriate people involved with the youth.
6. Ensures facilities are in order for events.
Networker/ Liaison
1. Creates and maintains working relationships with other Orthodox youth workers in our region and in the Metropolis.
2. Serves as a liaison between all youth ministries to the Council, as requested by the Priests.
3. Participates in continuing education/training/conferences for youth workers.
4. Takes part in other parts of parish life as able and as requested by the Priests.
5. Works as director of summer camp task force on scheduling and programming.
6. Works with the Priests and religious education leaders as needed.
Job Requirements
Required:
1. Maintains a love for Christ and His Church.
2. Follower of the Orthodox Church faith and knowledgeable of its beliefs and practices.
3. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited four year college or University.
4. A proven track record growing and developing a Youth and Children’s ministry in some other church or Parish setting.
5. The ability to mentor/role model for youth and young adults.
6. A proven track record of equipping adults as volunteers into the Youth and Children’s ministries, with successful team’s and lay-driven programming.
7. Successfully works in a multi-staff setting experience.
8. Ability to work independently in the initiation of programs and the organization of events.
9. Ability to get along well and work productively with others.
10. Previous financial and administrative experience.
11. Ability to speak before the Parish Council and other Parish groups or organizations.
12. Ability to write routine reports, documents, and correspondence.
13. Ability to maintain confidential information.
14. Strong social media skills, and understands how to effectively use web channels.
Preferred
1. Prior experience in working with GOYA, Sunday school of all ages, camping and retreat management.
2. A good speaker and motivator of people of all ages.
Physical Demands
Includes sitting and standing in an office environment, cleaning activities in the kitchen, and variety of outdoor and other environments while participating in activities with the youth and young adults. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the job requirements. Ability to lift 50 pounds.
