Youth Director Search

The Search Committee helping the Rector find our Director of Youth met on Sunday, July 22. Members of the committee include Fr. Rich, Fr. Dick, Anna Flournoy, Bert Groover, Charlotte Laverty, Rachael Peek, Mollie Smith, Parker Swift, and Courtney Twigg. At their first meeting the committee discussed Trinity’s vision for youth ministry and then fine-tuned a position description to be distributed to interested applicants. We are posting the position description in various youth worker networks and sent it by email to several prospects. The committee will meet again on August 9 to review resumes.  Please keep this work in your prayers as we seek to discern who God is calling to lead our youth – and that God will lead that person to Trinity.

Position Description

Under the direction of the Rector or his designee, the Director of Youth Ministries evaluates, plans, coordinates, implements, and directs the Christ-centered, Parish-based youth ministry of Trinity Episcopal Church, encouraging and enabling young people to live into the life and ministry to which they are called by their Baptism. The Director of Youth Ministries is called first to set a personal example of faithful devotion, and by that example, to be a leader, mentor, advisor and friend to all the youth of Trinity Church. The youth ministry of Trinity Church is an ongoing ministry of spiritual formation with primary focus on young people in middle school and high school (grades 6-12), but we have a secondary goal of continuing that ministry to college-aged Parishioners, and to the college students in our community.

Specific Duties:

·   Designs and develops long range and annual program plans to guide and support educational, service and fellowship ministries of and to the youth of the Parish.

·   Organizes and chairs regular meetings of a Youth Ministry Council of youth, parents and volunteers to plan and implement ministry plans and programs.

·   Maintains regular contact with parents to encourage their support of the ministry, receive their feedback, and address concerns.

·   Communicates youth ministry plans, programs and events to youth, parents, and the Parish at large, including contribution to the monthly newsletter and weekly bulletin, and responsibility for the content of the youth portion of the Parish web site. Develops additional communication opportunities as they become available.

·   Recruits, trains and supports adult youth ministry volunteers to actively assist in the implementation of youth programs.

·   Serves as part of the Parish program staff, attending regular staff meetings, and consulting and coordinating with staff as needed to accomplish program goals.

·   Prepares the youth portion of the annual operating budget proposal. Allocates and reconciles income and expenditures related to youth ministry programs. Plans, implements and accounts for fundraising in support of special activities.

·   Prepares the youth ministry portion of the Parish Annual Report.

Trinity offers a wide range of opportunities for worship, service and education for all ages. Though we are open to a program redesign, our present youth programs include Sunday morning education curriculum as part of the Parish’s overall Christian Formation program, Sunday evening fun and fellowship at the church, in people’s homes or at other locations, and Wednesday evening discussion and activities that focus on Christian living and social issues, ideally in separate groups for middle school and high school. Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation is part of the youth program and is currently offered as the Sunday morning program for sixth graders. A summer mission opportunity has long been a key feature of our youth programs, with recent trips including New Orleans, New York City, and San Mateo, Belize. For the last few years, we have also sponsored a youth ski trip. We would like to see more involvement in programs like Happening and New Beginnings offered at the diocesan level.

Like other full-time positions, the Director of Youth Ministries will usually spend more than forty hours of active work per week. Since our goal is to have a youth minister who is both excited and able to serve the youth of Trinity for at least four or five years, we also support intentional self-care. In addition to what is usually a very active Sunday, the workweek will normally include activities in and from the office Monday through Thursday, with Friday and Saturday generally reserved for the minister’s personal use. In addition, sick leave and vacation leave are provided according to Trinity personnel policies, initially ten workdays per year. Salary and other compensation levels will depend on education and experience level.

To be effective in this ministry, the Youth Director must be selfless in commitment to young people, a self-starter who works well with limited direct supervision, willing and able to encourage and empower others to ministry with youth, effective in communicating with youth, parents and other members of the Parish and community, a team member of the Parish staff, and proficient in managing the administrative and fiscal aspects of the ministry. And, of course, the Director of Youth Ministries must love all the young people we serve with a passion to show them the love and joy that Christ wants in their lives.

About Trinity Parish

Trinity Church, a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta with 750 members, has been an integral part of downtown Columbus, Georgia for 175 years. Dating back to the 1890’s, the present church facility includes a recently remodeled youth suite, and an office is set aside for the Director of Youth Ministries. Trinity’s 2009 operating budget of more than $850,000 includes funding for the Director of Youth Ministries and $8,000 for youth programming. Additional support of specific areas of youth programming comes from funding outside the operating budget. The staff of Trinity Parish includes two full-time and one part-time clergy, and seven full-time and four part-time lay employees.