Position Profile

Mission:

• Uniting together to know Jesus and bring Hope to our community.

Discipleship pathway:

• Gather, Grow, Give, Go.

Student ministry aim:

• To lead students into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ through small groups, Sunday school, prayer and Bible study, high energy gatherings, and students encouraging one another.

Doctrine:

• Southern Baptist, affirming the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Non-reformed, with a big tent for members from a range of backgrounds.

Staff strategic lenses:

• Improve Our Ministry, Serve Our People, Improve Our Image, Build Our Culture, Steward Our Resources.

• Fun, tight-knit, and quick to laugh. Humor is part of how this staff works.
• Latitude given. The lead pastor hires people he trusts and then gives them room to do the job.
• Room to disagree. Make your case, then get on board once direction is set.
• Collaborative when it counts. VBS, Christmas Eve, a new campus launch: everybody jumps in.
• Family ministry works as a unit. Preschool, kids, and students coordinate calendars, plan events together, and cover for each other.
• A staff that has weathered a hard season together and is genuinely glad to be here.
• Leadership that protects your family. More than one staff member has been sent home to spend time with their kids.

Teaching and Discipleship

• Teach God’s Word faithfully and accurately in a way that is relevant and developmentally appropriate for middle school and high school students.
• Oversee Bible study, small group discipleship, fellowship, and worship gatherings for students on Sunday mornings, Wednesday evenings, and at other scheduled times.
• Select, evaluate, and implement curriculum appropriate to each age group.
• Identify and develop student leaders, providing meaningful opportunities for students to serve and lead within the church.
• Provide biblical counsel and guidance to students and parents, referring to professional care when circumstances warrant.

Outreach and Ministry Growth

• Develop and execute an intentional, ongoing strategy to reach unchurched students in LaGrange and Troup County.
• Establish a visible, consistent presence in the schools, athletic programs, and activities where students already are, as permitted by school authorities.
• Follow up promptly with first-time and returning guests, and actively reach students in the congregation who are not currently connected to the student ministry.
• Oversee the Wednesday evening student meal as an outreach and connection point for students and their friends.
• Partner with the Senior Pastor and Executive Pastor on vision, strategy, and agreed-upon benchmarks for the growth of the ministry.

Parent Partnership

• Equip and encourage parents as the primary disciple makers of their students.
• Conduct regular, consistent, and proactive communication with parents through relevant platforms.
• Provide resources, training, or events to support families through the unique challenges of adolescence.

Volunteer and Team Leadership

• Recruit, screen, train, coach, and retain a volunteer leadership team of sufficient size to support a growing ministry.
• Provide ongoing training and spiritual development for volunteer leaders.
• Supervise the Family Ministry Administrative Assistant with respect to student ministry work, coordinating priorities with preschool and children’s ministry leadership.
• Recruit, supervise, and evaluate seasonal student ministry interns as approved.

Events, Camps, and Programming

• Plan, promote, and lead retreats, camps, Disciple Now weekends, mission opportunities, and other student ministry events.
• Coordinate all student ministry activities with the church calendar, church staff, and area school calendars.
• Secure appropriate adult chaperones, collect required permission and medical release forms, and make financial arrangements for events involving travel.

Leadership and Administration

• Develop and execute an annual ministry plan, and manage the student ministry budget within approved amounts and church financial policies.
• Maintain accurate attendance, participation, and follow-up records, and report regularly to the Executive Pastor.
• Participate in weekly staff meetings and applicable leadership meetings.
• Ensure full compliance with the church’s child protection policy, including required background checks and training for every adult who serves with students.
• Coordinate closely with children’s ministry and other staff so that discipleship pathways connect from one age group to the next.

• A growing, personal relationship with Jesus Christ and a clear sense of calling to student ministry.
• Agreement with, and willingness to uphold, the beliefs, mission, and ministry covenants of First Baptist Church on the Square.
• Demonstrated experience leading a student ministry, with a track record of numerical and spiritual growth.
• Proven ability to recruit, develop, and lead volunteer teams. A leader of leaders, not only a leader of students.
• Gifting in teaching God’s Word, with the communication skills to cast vision to students, parents, volunteers, and the congregation.
• A shepherd’s heart, with strength in relationship-building and pastoral care for students and families.
• Self-motivated and able to work with significant autonomy, with the initiative and drive to build rather than maintain.
• Bachelor’s degree required. Bible college or seminary training preferred.
• Reliable transportation, a valid driver’s license, and willingness to travel with students for camps, retreats, and mission opportunities.
• Successful completion of a background check and the church’s child protection screening process.