Denomination: United Methodist
Weekly Attendance: 2,200 (both campuses)
Location: Houston, TX
The Role: Director of Student Ministries
Meet St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Gethsemane Campus:
Gethsemane welcomes our community of cultures into kinship with Jesus. That’s our mission, our legacy, our future.
Named after the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed, “not what I want but what you want” (Matthew 26:39), Gethsemane was founded as Gethsemane Methodist Church in 1956 with the purpose of reaching a new generation of Houstonians as Houston expanded to the southwest. In 2009, Gethsemane merged with St. Luke’s United Methodist Church of Houston and became the second campus of St. Luke’s.
We Welcome
God has called us to welcome our neighbors with extravagant grace and hospitality, as Scripture has said, “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it (Hebrews 12:1-2).
We welcome our neighbors by serving their spiritual needs and physical needs. We believe that people only care about what you know when they know that you care. Our neighborhood will care about what we know – that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John:6) – when they know that we care about them – when we love them as we love ourselves (Luke 10:7).
We inhabit the sacred space between congregation and community center. Some people have called Gethsemane a mission. Others, a non-profit. Others, a church. To that we say- YES. We are here to love people with the love of Jesus and welcome them into the Jesus family.
We are a community of cultures
We’re proud to call southwest Houston home. We serve the Sharpstown, Gulfton, and surrounding neighborhoods of Houston. It’s the most diverse corner of the most diverse city in America. We strive to reflect the diversity of our neighbors. That’s why we worship in English, Spanish, and Swahili- because that’s who’s living next door. Acts 2 tells the story of Pentecost: “They were all together in one place… All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (2:1,4). We are the “one place” of Pentecost, where the Spirit equips us to offer Jesus in whatever language is necessary.
We live in kinship with Jesus
The dream of Scripture is that, because of Jesus, we can be one human family, where there is no us and them; there is only us. Ephesians 2 says, “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has broken down the dividing wall between us, that is, the hostility between us… so that he might create in himself one new humanity” (2:14,15). That is the vision of kinship, to be one people not divided by language, race, culture, origin or any label the world might put on us. We simply belong to one another, as we all belong to Jesus.
Values
Three values shape the Gethsemane culture:
Translate the good news of Jesus Christ in ways people need and understand.
Transform our lives by taking Jesus in and our community by taking Jesus out.
Transcend the barriers of the world and make friends in Christian community.
About the Director of Student Ministries:
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church is seeking their next Director of Student Ministries at their Gethsemane Campus. This person will ensure high-quality programming for Middle School and High School students. The Director provides volunteer coordination, opportunities for parent engagement and supports the overall mission and vision of the church.
The Director of Student Ministry will be responsible for directing the spiritual formation of students to help them have an authentic faith in Jesus Christ.
The Director of Student Ministries’ Responsibilities Include:
Administrative
Attend staff meetings and keep the Lead Pastor informed.
Maintain relationships with student ministries staff at St. Luke’s Westheimer Campus.
Develop and maintain the budget for ministry programming. Monitors in coordination with the Lead Pastor.
Recruit volunteers from the church and community.
Assure that volunteers are properly vetted to work with youth.
Work with team members in sharing vision, and setting goals and strategies to grow the program spiritually and numerically.
Follow-up with new students and help them get connected into the Student Ministry. Check-in on youth who have been absent from programming for consecutive weeks.
Communicate with church staff, volunteers, parents, and students in a timely manner regarding events and ministry details.
Oversee Student Programming
Plan, lead, and oversee a weekly Sunday discipleship experience and Confirmation annually.
Starting in 2023, oversee an afterschool program for middle and high school students, including managing community partner relations and supervising part-time staff.
Lead the large group teaching time on Wednesday evenings ensuring messages communicate biblical truth in engaging ways.
Ensure the student ministry environment visually reinforces the current theme of the curriculum.
Foster a welcoming and respectful culture among all participants of the ministry.
Build relationships with students, parents, and volunteers.
Help students and families celebrate spiritual milestones such as baptism, Confirmation, and graduation.
Develop Student Leaders
Help raise student leaders and give them opportunities to serve and develop their leadership skills.
Encourage participation in ministries, leadership, and in the life of the church.
Equipping Volunteers
Onboard, train, and appreciate student ministry volunteers.
Utilize various communication channels to help volunteers learn and prepare for the next meeting.
Support and equip small group leaders to work with students through periodic training events, resources, and check-in.
Partner with Parents
Communicate with parents to help them stay connected to the ministry and help new parents be brought into the fabric of the ministry.
Service, Outreach, and Fellowship Events
Plan camps, trips, or retreats.
Empower teenagers to serve and experience hands-on ministry by providing age-appropriate service opportunities inside and outside the church.
Engage and support students on their school campuses.
Plan and implement creative outreach events for unchurched youth in the community.
Foster an invitational culture where students are encouraged and incentivized to invite their friends to ministry programs and events.
Help leaders and students build community through fun events and social outings.
What You Bring:
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required.
Preference will be given to candidates with at least five (5) years of experience in a church setting or a non-profit setting working with underserved youth.
Personal Characteristics
Displays a love for God and a passion for discipling students.
Demonstrable skills working in cross-cultural settings.
Passion for working with underserved youth in an urban setting.
Positive, energetic, and fun.
Team player who works well with others.
Innovative, self-starter, able to come up with new ideas to reach students and families.
Seeks to build relationships with students and their families.
Ability to coordinate and lead a large group of volunteers.
Good communicator (written and public speaking skills).
Good organizational skills and manages time wisely.
What it’s Like to Live in Houston, TX:
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and the largest city in the state of Texas! It offers several nationally acclaimed restaurants, shopping centers, and events.
The city is the home of the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest concentration of healthcare, research institutions, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where the Mission Control Center is located.
Rated as a global city, Houston’s economy has a broad industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and transportation. It is also leading in health care sectors and building oilfield equipment; only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters. The city has a population with various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. It is also home to many cultural institutions and exhibits in the Museum District, which attracts more than seven million visitors a year.
There’s an active visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District, and it offers opportunities to experience resident companies in all major performing arts genres in Houston throughout the year. Houston, Texas is a great place to call home, be surrounded by a great community of people, and raise a family.
>>APPLY HERE: https://www.vanderbloemen.com/job/st.-lukes-united-methodist-church-director-of-student-ministries
Full Time
Job: Youth Ministry
DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MINISTRIES
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Gethsemane Campus
Sarah
Meggers
smeggers@vanderbloemen.com
>>APPLY HERE: https://www.vanderbloemen.com/job/st.-lukes-united-methodist-church-director-of-student-ministries
Denomination: United Methodist
Weekly Attendance: 2,200 (both campuses)
Location: Houston, TX
The Role: Director of Student Ministries
Meet St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Gethsemane Campus:
Gethsemane welcomes our community of cultures into kinship with Jesus. That’s our mission, our legacy, our future.
Named after the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed, “not what I want but what you want” (Matthew 26:39), Gethsemane was founded as Gethsemane Methodist Church in 1956 with the purpose of reaching a new generation of Houstonians as Houston expanded to the southwest. In 2009, Gethsemane merged with St. Luke’s United Methodist Church of Houston and became the second campus of St. Luke’s.
We Welcome
God has called us to welcome our neighbors with extravagant grace and hospitality, as Scripture has said, “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it (Hebrews 12:1-2).
We welcome our neighbors by serving their spiritual needs and physical needs. We believe that people only care about what you know when they know that you care. Our neighborhood will care about what we know – that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John:6) – when they know that we care about them – when we love them as we love ourselves (Luke 10:7).
We inhabit the sacred space between congregation and community center. Some people have called Gethsemane a mission. Others, a non-profit. Others, a church. To that we say- YES. We are here to love people with the love of Jesus and welcome them into the Jesus family.
We are a community of cultures
We’re proud to call southwest Houston home. We serve the Sharpstown, Gulfton, and surrounding neighborhoods of Houston. It’s the most diverse corner of the most diverse city in America. We strive to reflect the diversity of our neighbors. That’s why we worship in English, Spanish, and Swahili- because that’s who’s living next door. Acts 2 tells the story of Pentecost: “They were all together in one place… All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (2:1,4). We are the “one place” of Pentecost, where the Spirit equips us to offer Jesus in whatever language is necessary.
We live in kinship with Jesus
The dream of Scripture is that, because of Jesus, we can be one human family, where there is no us and them; there is only us. Ephesians 2 says, “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has broken down the dividing wall between us, that is, the hostility between us… so that he might create in himself one new humanity” (2:14,15). That is the vision of kinship, to be one people not divided by language, race, culture, origin or any label the world might put on us. We simply belong to one another, as we all belong to Jesus.
Values
Three values shape the Gethsemane culture:
Translate the good news of Jesus Christ in ways people need and understand.
Transform our lives by taking Jesus in and our community by taking Jesus out.
Transcend the barriers of the world and make friends in Christian community.
About the Director of Student Ministries:
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church is seeking their next Director of Student Ministries at their Gethsemane Campus. This person will ensure high-quality programming for Middle School and High School students. The Director provides volunteer coordination, opportunities for parent engagement and supports the overall mission and vision of the church.
The Director of Student Ministry will be responsible for directing the spiritual formation of students to help them have an authentic faith in Jesus Christ.
The Director of Student Ministries’ Responsibilities Include:
Administrative
Attend staff meetings and keep the Lead Pastor informed.
Maintain relationships with student ministries staff at St. Luke’s Westheimer Campus.
Develop and maintain the budget for ministry programming. Monitors in coordination with the Lead Pastor.
Recruit volunteers from the church and community.
Assure that volunteers are properly vetted to work with youth.
Work with team members in sharing vision, and setting goals and strategies to grow the program spiritually and numerically.
Follow-up with new students and help them get connected into the Student Ministry. Check-in on youth who have been absent from programming for consecutive weeks.
Communicate with church staff, volunteers, parents, and students in a timely manner regarding events and ministry details.
Oversee Student Programming
Plan, lead, and oversee a weekly Sunday discipleship experience and Confirmation annually.
Starting in 2023, oversee an afterschool program for middle and high school students, including managing community partner relations and supervising part-time staff.
Lead the large group teaching time on Wednesday evenings ensuring messages communicate biblical truth in engaging ways.
Ensure the student ministry environment visually reinforces the current theme of the curriculum.
Foster a welcoming and respectful culture among all participants of the ministry.
Build relationships with students, parents, and volunteers.
Help students and families celebrate spiritual milestones such as baptism, Confirmation, and graduation.
Develop Student Leaders
Help raise student leaders and give them opportunities to serve and develop their leadership skills.
Encourage participation in ministries, leadership, and in the life of the church.
Equipping Volunteers
Onboard, train, and appreciate student ministry volunteers.
Utilize various communication channels to help volunteers learn and prepare for the next meeting.
Support and equip small group leaders to work with students through periodic training events, resources, and check-in.
Partner with Parents
Communicate with parents to help them stay connected to the ministry and help new parents be brought into the fabric of the ministry.
Service, Outreach, and Fellowship Events
Plan camps, trips, or retreats.
Empower teenagers to serve and experience hands-on ministry by providing age-appropriate service opportunities inside and outside the church.
Engage and support students on their school campuses.
Plan and implement creative outreach events for unchurched youth in the community.
Foster an invitational culture where students are encouraged and incentivized to invite their friends to ministry programs and events.
Help leaders and students build community through fun events and social outings.
What You Bring:
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required.
Preference will be given to candidates with at least five (5) years of experience in a church setting or a non-profit setting working with underserved youth.
Personal Characteristics
Displays a love for God and a passion for discipling students.
Demonstrable skills working in cross-cultural settings.
Passion for working with underserved youth in an urban setting.
Positive, energetic, and fun.
Team player who works well with others.
Innovative, self-starter, able to come up with new ideas to reach students and families.
Seeks to build relationships with students and their families.
Ability to coordinate and lead a large group of volunteers.
Good communicator (written and public speaking skills).
Good organizational skills and manages time wisely.
What it’s Like to Live in Houston, TX:
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and the largest city in the state of Texas! It offers several nationally acclaimed restaurants, shopping centers, and events.
The city is the home of the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest concentration of healthcare, research institutions, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where the Mission Control Center is located.
Rated as a global city, Houston’s economy has a broad industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and transportation. It is also leading in health care sectors and building oilfield equipment; only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters. The city has a population with various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. It is also home to many cultural institutions and exhibits in the Museum District, which attracts more than seven million visitors a year.
There’s an active visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District, and it offers opportunities to experience resident companies in all major performing arts genres in Houston throughout the year. Houston, Texas is a great place to call home, be surrounded by a great community of people, and raise a family.
>>APPLY HERE: https://www.vanderbloemen.com/job/st.-lukes-united-methodist-church-director-of-student-ministries
04/24/2023
3471 Westheimer Rd
Houston
77027
(219) 384-8178