POSITION DESCRIPTION
St. John’s Lutheran Church
Salisbury, NC

Associate Pastor

MINISTERIAL FOCUS:  Youth and Family Ministry

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: 
Guide the congregation in the continued development of comprehensive youth and family ministries which deepen faith and strengthen family relationships.

REGULAR ASSOCIATIONS AND COLLABORATIONS:
Congregation Council, Service and Fellowship Board, Youth Ministry Committee and advisors, Education Board, Sunday School and Weekday Church School teaching staffs, pastoral and office staffs.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provide the public ministry of Word and Sacraments with a regular rotation of preaching and Eucharistic leadership, including worship planning.  Conduct weddings and funerals as requested.

Visit in hospitals and homes with emphasis on families with young children and youth.

Guide congregational leadership in the development of an active and complete youth ministry program:

1.	Recruit, guide and train advisors for youth ministry groups; i.e. elementary, middle school, and senior high youth.  Collaborate with advisors and youth to plan adequate and effective programs and activities.

2.	Develop caring and supportive relationships with individual youth and their parents.  Maintain direct contact with youth through planning sessions, work assignments, outings, home visits and through other intentional ministry designs.

3.	Provide pastoral support to the Youth Ministry Committee of the Service and Fellowship Board and help them develop  a youth ministry plan in accord with congregational goals.

4.	Help youth form caring relationships with one another and teach church leadership skills to young persons.

5.	Regularly review the educational curricula and help the Education Board and Sunday School staff determine learning objectives.

6.	Provide training for teachers in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and Weekday Church School as requested.

7.	Manage the program of Confirmation ministry and provide instruction.

8.	Help locate outside resource people for various educational programs.

9.	Investigate ways to strengthen and expand the children and youth educational ministry of the congregation.

Guide the leadership of St. John’s in the development of  programs of ministry which support and strengthen family life.

1.	Develop a family ministries team to identify specific ministry needs and to form strategies, goals, and programs to meet those needs.  Examples of such programs include, but are not limited to:
•	Sponsor retreats and workshops for couples, families and singles;
•	Develop ongoing support groups for parents with young children, recently divorced, children of divorced, singles, and;
•	Create opportunities for families to relax and enjoy being together. 

2.	Equip families and their children to live out their faith in relation to one another and in relation to the communities in which they live.  Examples of such programs include, but are not limited to:
•	Help families develop faith-informed strategies to successfully discuss and work through growth issues, especially during the teenage years;
•	Sponsor workshops designed to support healthy family life, e.g. communication skills, decision-making skills.

3.	Promote intergenerational events which bring together all ages and monitor church programs to ensure that these are supportive of family relationships.

PROGRAMS UNDER DEVELOPMENT IN THIS AREA OF MINISTRY;

A child development center for infants and toddlers . (1996 Strategic Plan: scheduled to open July, 1998)

A five-day after school enrichment program featuring math, science, arts and religion. (1996 Strategic Plan)

July 1997
Used with permission from St. John’s Lutheran Church, Salisbury, NC