Youth Minister at Knowle Parish Church

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1 Youth Minister at Knowle Parish Church Are you an experienced Christian Youth Minister or with other relevant experience looking for the next step, but wanting to stay close to the action? We have a role which has focus, scope, and support. It is all about evangelism, Christian discipleship and growing leaders for Christian ministry. What is different about KPC is our focus on youth. Unlike a church in a university city we don t have a transient student population, so we are able to focus on the 11-18s - this gives us real energy and the ability to tailor what we do to meet their needs. The scope at Knowle is huge, local schools are welcoming to the Christian message, young people are happy to engage and commit, with over 40 young people regularly attending. But nothing is possible without the support of the church, and as a church, KPC strongly supports youth work. Resources, events, volunteers and passion all combine to make almost anything possible. We are looking for three things you are, and three things you will do: Who are you? You will have a strong and contagious faith, Want to see young people grow in their faith and be equipped for the future, and Have the passion to share the good news and ways of Jesus Christ. What do you do? If you are the person for the job you will be able to show us you have: Led and inspired a team of volunteers; Thought strategically while delivering today; and Communicated in person, and online, with both large groups and individuals, investing in personal relationships, making time for hot chocolate. Make us any one of a short video; a physical collage; or something to show how and what you do. Team it up with a CV and let us have it at vicar@kpc.org.uk. If you want to know more, come and meet us or discover more feel free to get in touch. Join us building a generation of leaders for Christ in our nation and the world! BACKGROUND Youth work Knowle Parish Church Youth work has been a thriving ministry at KPC for over 20 years, led by a paid youth worker, with a team including an assistant youth worker, and a large team of volunteers. Good Christian youth work is a high priority for the church here and reflects many opportunities available locally. Since September 2016, we had no paid youth team, and the gap has been filled by a strong team of volunteers. We intend that this period of time will give space for a new person to make their mark. There is every opportunity to shape the work, which has adapted and adjusted over the years. Right now we run: A monthly youth service (Re: Action (if its youth led) or Re:Fuel (guest speakers)). Bible study cell groups o Re:New on Sunday mornings for years 7-11 o Re:Main for years on Monday nights o Re:Boot for year 9 on Wednesday nights

2 We are taking a break from our open house Thursday group which has had young people regularly attend many of whom are not connected with Church. We would like new vision and passion for this part of our ministry. In July post exams there has been an annual Mystery Mission trip for people in Yr. 11 and 13. They have been to Kenya, London, Scotland, Ireland, and Birmingham for a week s mission activity within local churches. In the summer, around 30 young people go to Soul Survivor, and there have usually been two other youth weekends away each year for remix/renew and remain age groups. In addition lots of our young people attend summer camps, ski youth ventures, and other Christian festivals with family or in groups. Each year we invite our young people to consider confirmation and if needs be, baptism too. Some years there are two or three young people, other years as many as 15. It is a great privilege to support our young people through this milestone in their life, sponsor, and sometimes even physically baptize them. At Christmas Re:Main have a Ball, which is a great opportunity to invite guests. Once every three years there is a whole church weekend away, a gathering of about 300 people, with a separate youth program. At the centre of Knowle is Arden Academy, rated outstanding by Ofsted. Good academic results and wider extracurricular interest is of key importance to many teenagers, their parents, the governors, teachers and senior school leadership members. There is a strong relationship with the school. Twice a year, Christmas and the start of the year, the whole school comes to church. It takes 5 days, and the youth team present/speak alongside other school arranged input and a talk from the Principal. We take assemblies at school at Harvest, Remembrance and Easter. In 2016 for the first time within the school we ran a reflective space during the summer exams, which was well received. We are reflecting on the changing pressures faced by our young people, whether at school as course formats change from modular to fully examined, or social media, and we would like new vision and passion for this part of our ministry. The youth team work out of a youth office in the church buildings and use the main St John s Hall, the Guild House, smaller rooms upstairs in the Guild House and next door St Anne s Cottage has further small group space. The church owns a house in Crabmill Close within walking distance of the church, which can be available for the Youth Minister. Knowle Parish Church The Church has had a definite evangelical stance in its ministry for the last 25 years or so. Many in the community simply see us as the lively local Parish Church and come to us because of that. The staff team is strong as is voluntary Lay leadership and involvement. We are one of the largest Anglican Churches in Birmingham Diocese and have a full and varied pattern of activity during the week of which evangelistic events and courses, prayer, nurture groups, home groups, and patterns of every member ministry are norms. Sunday services have a range of styles to enable us to reach a broad range of temperaments and ages in the local community. The electoral roll membership is 565 and total average Sunday attendance is over 500 people of all ages. The total budget is in the region of 600,000. In March 2015 we had a Church weekend away and took 350 people. The Church gives a significant amount of support to other Churches in the inner city as well as having links in Africa and elsewhere. The vision of the church has recently been reviewed and is now summarised as: We are here to help people become lifelong followers of Jesus Christ.

3 The sentence is fuller than might at first appear: We, that is the people of the church, not simply the staff team or clergy or somehow the institution of Knowle Parish Church. to help people become over the next five years, we are prayerfully seeking to enable a significant additional proportion of the local community to so discover the goodness and reality of Jesus Christ that they choose to live with him as Saviour and Lord. lifelong, is to lay the emphasis on Christian commitment being lifelong not just for a chapter of life and we understand lifelong to be whole life discipleship. We are not just looking for converts but disciples with depth of Christian faith across the whole of life. followers of Jesus Christ, is to include worship, trust and commitment to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The PCC has initiated three small groups to take forward sharing faith, discipleship and gifting to support the progression of this five year (2020) vision and call we sense God has given us. The Church complex includes the St John s Hall, a great asset. The Guild House on the ground floor has a public room, kitchenette, toilets and upstairs the clergy office, two smaller rooms and staff kitchen. The St Lawrence House has an office downstairs for the administrative team and upstairs the children s workers office, the youth team office and the Church Services and Facilities manager. Also on site is the St Anne s Cottage which has been used as a Youth Assistant s home, it is good small group meeting space. The Crabmill Close house, the Associate Vicar s house in Newton Road and the Vicarage are all nearby. The area has many families and the Church invests significantly in youth and also children s ministry. On a Sunday the children s team provide age appropriate groups for all those aged under 11. We run a crèche and toddlers group and then Scramblers, Initi8, Gener8 and Reson8 make up the groups for those aged There are a number of one-off special events throughout the year for the different age groups. Midweek the team deliver both a Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 Collective Worship every week as well as welcoming the school to church for 6 key special services throughout the year. A key part of the children s ministry are the 3 lunch clubs that run in the school each week for those in Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 & 4. The school also brings the children into church for various workshops including prayer & baptism workshops. Developing continuity between the children s and youth ministries is a key element in our vision of being here to help people become lifelong followers of Jesus Christ. The Church is keen to reach out towards the whole range of age groups, and has programmes in place to help people grow in faith and discipleship. The Church offers a range of Sunday worship styles to aid a range of age groups and temperaments in their prayer and spiritual life. There are five services most Sundays. Discipleship/Lent courses tend to have attendances of about 80 people each week. There are midweek adult small groups for prayer, bible study, encouragement and care. We have run The Growing Leaders course for a few years now. Each year we have run the full pack of marriage, parenting children and parenting teenagers Relationship Central courses. Evangelism is a high priority. We have a present pattern of running Christianity Explored, Youth Alpha and Alpha courses each year; the adult courses are currently in non-church locations. Further information on Knowle Parish Church can be found at Knowle The Church is on the High Street in the midst of a lively community, which has strong community organisations. The Church is helped by roadside parking at the front and a large car park at the rear. Knowle (pop. 10,000) is linked to Bentley Heath and Dorridge (also pop. 10,000). Of the three Knowle is the strongest centre. It is part of Solihull Borough, with the Touchwood/Mell Square shopping centre containing a multiplex cinema, John Lewis, House of Fraser and many other major stores.

4 Knowle is bounded by the M42 to the north, green belt and the canal to the east and south, Dorridge and Bentley Heath to the west. Motorway links are very good. Dorridge has Chiltern Line trains into Birmingham and to London. Birmingham International station is 10 minutes away with Virgin trains to London and Manchester. Birmingham Airport is next to this station. Knowle is full of executives making use of these travel links. Warwick, Stratford, Coventry are all in easy reach as is the Warwickshire countryside. Knowle is a pleasant place to live, the High Street for instance has Costa and a thriving bread shop run by Gilles from Frejus in the South of France, so croissants and pain au chocolat are the real thing! Shops, schools, easy travel and general mood all make it an enjoyable place to be. The general environment and travel links mean that Knowle has many people who are capable in their fields, which makes it a stimulating place for ministry and mission. There are great opportunities.

5 Job Description 1. Strategic development and face-to-face delivery of Bible based youth ministry across KPC parish and community to develop Christian faith in young people. This will involve: Building on the heritage of youth ministry at KPC to develop a local strategy for mission and discipleship among young people. Recruitment training and support of youth ministry volunteers and staff, seeking to develop strong leadership within the youth ministry. Developing and maintaining mission, mentoring and discipleship programmes for young people and volunteer leaders. Making the most of existing opportunities at Arden Academy, developing them and potential other links at Solihull School and Saint Martin s School. Being available for one to one relationships with young people It is likely you will take direct responsibility for one or more young people s cell groups 2. Playing a key part in the KPC leadership team. This will involve: Advising the Incumbent and wider staff team on relevant matters relating to youth ministry and discipleship Reflecting spiritually, theologically and prayerfully on youth mission & ministry at and beyond KPC Working closely with the Children s Minister and wider children s team to ensure continuity across the age groups. Preaching, teaching and leading worship as agreed with the Incumbent Developing partnerships with other parishes, Christian organisations and teams within CofE Birmingham to support the youth mission and ministry of KPC Taking a full part in the prayer and life of the leadership team contributing to our mutual well being Being committed to the life and work of KPC as a full member of the church Enthusiasm about the breadth of being the Parish Church in Knowle with the community orientation this gives An enjoyment of larger churches, for there are both strengths to enjoy and also weaknesses to overcome or guard against Having the confidence to lead, the generosity to encourage and the humility to learn 3. Any other duties/responsibilities flowing from the mission & ministry of KPC or gifting/calling of the post holders as agreed with the Incumbent

6 The Package Term of Employment Pay Housing Holidays Expenses and Allowances Conferences/ Retreats Child Protection A period of at least 3 years is envisaged 28,000-30,000 depending on the individual appointed The church owns a house in Crabmill Close within walking distance of the church, which can be available for the Youth Minister. 5 weeks per year, plus a week after Christmas to be taken in consultation with the Vicar All expenses paid Paid for by the Church and agreed in consultation with the Vicar The post is subject to necessary DBS checking

7 Person Specification The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following qualities: A: Application I: Interview R: Reference How will it be assessed? Essential/ Desirable? An unshakable and personal commitment to Jesus Christ. A, I E Enthusiasm for sharing your faith. A,I E Significant experience of working with young people. A, I, R E Experience of setting the strategy and designing the mission and ministry for young people. Experience of delivering the day-to-day ministry and mission for young people. Experience in organizing and running larger projects such as a Youth Alpha course A friendly and warm persona with the ability to relate and build trust with a diverse range of people. Experience of delivering teaching/training/preaching to an excellent standard. Commitment to the important role young people plays in the Body of Christ. A,I E A, I, R E A, I, R D I E A, I, R E I E Ability to attract, motivate and lead the team. A, I, R E Experience as a line manager, and managing volunteers. A, I, R E An ability to work in a team but also use initiative and be self-motivated. A, I E The ability to prioritize and handle a number of projects simultaneously. A, I E Commitment to promote and model best practice in Safeguarding. A, I, R E Effective communication skills (oral and written), both with large groups A, I E assemblies and preaching - and individually. Degree level education or equivalent. A D Intellectual/theological capability to engage with some very capable and A, I D inquisitive school students approaching university age Experience of and an ability to work with technology and social media to a high standard. A, I E Previous work within a church or other Christian setting. A E Qualification (postgraduate or other) in a relevant area of Christian A D ministry/youth ministry or equivalent. Valid driving license with access to a vehicle. (The parish will pay travelling expenses at the appropriate level). A D