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Mission:

“To frame up a recommendation for future Youth Ministry at St. Luke Church.”

FINAL REPORT April 5, 2015

“GEN Z” TASKFORCE

Doug Callies Cindy Frounfelker

Ric Hartman Jody King

Holly Koerner

Pastor Tom Kent – Advisory Leadership (Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church – Sussex)

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CONTENTS

1. Gen Z Mission and Process Page 3

2. Research Summaries a. General Youth Trends Page 4

b. Youth - St. Luke Middle School Page 6

c. Youth - St. Luke Sr. High School Page 5

d. Parents - St. Luke Middle School Page 6

e. Parents - St. Luke Sr. High School Page 5

f. Staff - St. Luke Page 6

g. Other Congregations we surveyed Page 7

3. Current Youth Successes Page 8

4. Needs and Opportunities Page 8

5. Proposed Program Model Page 9

6. Proposed Staff Model Options Page 14

7. Draft Job Description Page 17

8. Summary Reflections of Gen Z Team Page 23

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The St Luke Generation Z Task Force Overview

Our Mission: “To frame up a recommendation for future Youth Ministry at St. Luke Church.” Purpose: Research, compile, and recommend - Youth Ministry Model(s), ideas, and goals for St Luke - Staffing Model(s), ideas, and goals for St Luke - An updated effective job description for a St Luke “Youth Leader” Deliverable: A recommendation(s) to the M.O.V.E Strategic Planning Team Timeline: By early April 2015. PROCESS

1. Conduct and share Research - JANUARY a. Comparable-sized churches b. Our youth – Middle school and HS c. Parents of youth d. Our St. Luke Staff - Interview separately 2. Compile Research Results – JANUARY/FEBRUARY What we’ve learned about others and our selves. a. Youth ministry Program Models - what sounds exciting? b. Staffing Models b. Trends with Youth and Youth programming b. Strengths and Weaknesses / Successes and failures 3. Share ideas for future St. Luke Youth Program - FEBRUARY a. Program ideas - What might work at St. L? b. Staffing ideas c. Brainstorm and dream d. Prioritize and clarify our basic needs and wishes e. Identify obstacles f. Identify opportunities 4. Establish a Recommendation for M.O.V.E. Team - MARCH a. Youth ministry Program Priorities and Model(s) b. Staffing for those models c. Revise/ Update and Propose Job Description(s) – Range of options? d. Short term vs. long term?

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General Youth Trends For starters, it may be helpful to consider a few very general (not St. Luke specific) trends with youth

today. Actually not so sure if they are all trends as much as “common threads” worth noting:

§ The percentage of students reporting religion plays an important part in their lives has

decreased since the early 2000s.

§ Youth are “caught” between tradition and progress

§ Extremely busy and involved, offered many options – school, sports, jobs

§ Do not regard themselves as alienated, rebellious or antagonistic towards families or adults

§ Many admit to some risky, experimental behaviour.

§ Look for opportunities to develop a sense of independence, competence and participation

§ Connect to new trends, new ideas and new technologies BUT sometimes feel their value

systems are being eroded, their authority diminished, and this knowledge seen as

irrelevant (by adults) because of these connections

§ Most concerned about family, education, work and economic issues

§ Many share similar worries -- from fears of illness in the family to worries about nuclear war

and environmental destruction.

§ Express the desire to participate in society through volunteer work (but not politics)

§ Don’t need a place to just “hangout” – they are too busy and want reason to “hangout”

§ Want and need activity, action, stimulation

§ Want to feel respected and feel their voices are being heard, and they aren’t judged

§ Want to feel invited, welcome, connected, and included

§ Want consistency – in authority, schedules, etc.

§ Want programs FOR youth, WITH youth, and BY youth.

§ They want to decide what they want to do

§ Do NOT want another social group – they like the ones they already have, they want to do

something

§ More likely to get involved in short-term projects rather than long-term commitments

§ They want to do meaningful projects – not just labor

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GENERATION "Z" RESEARCH The following GenZ observations and comments are the result of an extensive information-gathering endeavor with the objective of learning how the students (6th through 12th grades), parents and St. Luke staff view the current youth programs and continuing faith development. Over the last few months we met on separate occasions with youth, parents and staff and asked them a series of questions to solicit their perceptions. The statements below are the summaries of our findings. We strongly encourage you to read the raw data (see appendix) as it represents more of the detailed emotion that may have been lost in this summary. Documents reflect both High School and Middle School students and parents. Each question / answer is formatted side-by-side with Students, Parent and Staff. They show areas where students and parents/staff are in agreement, and also where there is disconnects. At the bottom of each, you will find further misc. input.

High School Student Summary § High school students liked the confirmation process and miss meeting regularly.

§ They want consistency and things advertised better and farther in advance.

§ They feel valued at church because of relationships with people in the congregation.

§ Some do not feel valued at church and that is because of lack of relationships.

§ They like Pastor Matt and hoped that he would stay forever.

§ They want to learn more about the bible and their faith; however the traditional format is not

conducive to their learning style.

§ They want to serve others.

§ They want to be treated like equals but also given their own space and groups.

§ They want more opportunities to create relationships with others and with God.

High School Parents Summary (only 6 attended) § Parents in attendance echoed the HS student’s need for consistency.

§ They reported that families are so busy they needed something consistent on the calendar or

it was hard to schedule.

§ They also felt relationships at church were very important.

§ Pastor Matt was mentioned as a strong relationship.

§ They reported strong areas in our church as Sunday school, confirmation, and music.

§ They wished there was faith-based resources available for parenting.

§ Parents in attendance wished that worship was relevant, relationships between staff and kids

were deeper (staff had more time to get to know kids), that kids had more support from

church (mentoring program and support groups), and there were opportunities for HS kids to

continue to learn about their faith (bible studies).

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Middle School Student Summary § The Middle school students listed many of their Sunday school activities as the best things

that happen to them, as well as:

o Meeting new friends,

o $100 confirmation project,

o Church camp and VBS,

o Being part of music programs and Pastor Matt.

§ They felt that their small group leaders supported and cared for them.

§ They have many questions about all aspects of their faith.

§ They are willing to volunteer, in events like the Inasmuch day.

§ They felt that the church is providing them with a good foundation of biblical knowledge, but

do not like doing sermon notes or homework for confirmation.

§ They would prefer shorter, contemporary, more hands-on services with a youth pastor.

Middle School Parents Summary § Middle school parents felt that the aspects of church going well include:

o A caring congregation,

o Growth in their kid’s faith,

o Growing friendships,

o Sunday School (especially 5th grade)

o Learning to serve ($100 project great success).

§ They appreciate and like Pr. Matt.

§ This group strongly voiced much concern in the current youth leader and her lack of

developing relationships with their kids.

§ They expressed concern over the lack of consistent and timely event information.

§ They echoed how busy families are & their need for flexibility in the confirmation program.

§ They felt their children have lots of questions about faith and importance of church.

§ They say some kids are ready to leave. Parents want them to want to come to

church/confirmation

Staff Response Summary The staff feels that they are supporting the youth through the building expansion, the volunteers in

Sunday school, small group leaders, and interaction with all church members.

They are aware that there are areas that need to be strengthened; communication, consistency,

connections and relationships.

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Highlights from other Congregations we interviewed Gen Z team interviewed 7 other congregations

Youth ministry at other churches were staffed in various models, including:

- 30-hour youth minister,

- Second pastor who oversees youth with volunteers under,

- Second pastor plus a 1/4 time youth position and 1/4 time Sunday School coordinator

They offer a range of activities. Consistency is huge factor in success of all

The different churches have participation ranging from 20% to over 50%

Some things they felt worked best for them were:

- mission and service work

- consistency

- parental involvement

- strong leader relationships with kids

- mentorships

- All of these churches had staff overseeing and some were running the Sunday School.

- Most valuable asset for these programs were supportive congregations, having ability to engage

and connect with wide range of kids, and making any events worth the youth’s time.

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After reviewing the research and looking at the programs we offer at St. Luke, we reached the following conclusions: Current Youth Successes at St. Luke (We would want to maintain the current state)

* Learning about faith and developing relationships with leaders through Confirmation Program

* Learning about faith and developing relationships through Sunday School Program

* VBS (Youth presence as leaders also)

* Summer Camp

* Youth Gathering

* Youth feel love of congregation/feel welcome

* Youth have good relationship with Pastor Matt

* The Hundred-dollar project

* Music program (Youth choir)

* Newly formed Bible study

Current Needs Identified

* Consistency

* Activities being communicated better/farther in advance

* Faith based gatherings

* Connections to staff (especially youth director)

* Adult support and mentoring

* Better communication

* More fellowship events (camping/concerts/etc.)

* Teen focused worship (contemporary service, new songs, later service, sermon that relates to

younger age)

* More service related activities

* More ownership of youth room

* Faith based resources for parents

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PROPOSED PROGRAM MODEL St. Luke Youth And Family Ministries The model we recommend spans four major demographic groups and should BUILD UPON one

another.

1. CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SUNDAY SCHOOL AND FELLOWSHIP

2. MIDDLE SCHOOL DISCIPLESHIP ACADEMY & FELLOWSHIP

3. HIGH SCHOOL DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING, DEVELOPMENT & FELLOWSHIP

4. PARENTS AND YOUNG FAMILY SUPPORT & FELLOWSHIP

All programs should contain components of:

A. Education (receiving)

B. Service (giving)

C. Fun and Fellowship (community)

St. Luke already has a great Sunday School Program for children and Confirmation classes for

Middle School students – although there certainly could be areas of improvement. It is believed that

the Sr. High School program needs more focus and needs to be strengthened.

The Gen Z team feels the current St. Luke focus needs to expand to add programming for Young

Families and Parents. The primary reasons include:

A. Not all parents know how to lead a Christ-centered home, lead Bible studies, & devotions

B. The growing trend toward non-traditional family units

C. Single parent families and/or separated families may desire additional support

D. Without parental encouragement and support, youth involvement is minimal and

success will be marginal.

The Champion of the model is “The Director of Youth and Family Ministries (or whatever title ends up

being used). This person leads the charge – but does NOT necessarily DO everything. They are the

leader, the organizer, and the person who owns the vision and gets it done. The “Director” is

responsible for recruiting, motivating, equipping and organizing a support team of volunteers,

teachers and group leaders, and other St. Luke Staff – including the Pastor - to make it all happen.

Furthermore, we need the entire congregation to support the model. We encourage the formation of

“Congregational Godparents” who will provide informal, behind-the-scene support based on their

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gifts, abilities and desires. Perhaps our discipleship coordinator or discipleship team can help identify

who those people might be, inviting and connecting them to carry out those roles.

A Volunteer “Godparent” can add hundreds of tiny, continuous touch points that let our youth and

young families know that we care, think about them, pray for them, and that we are there to help

them with their faith development. Our “Godparents” are especially key for Middle School and High

School Youth. Young families may also greatly benefit from a “Godparent Grandparent”.

Elementary age youth may benefit much less from a Congregational Godparent – so it may not be as

important for that age group.

REGARDING LEADERSHIP / STAFFING OF JR. AND SR. HIGH PROGRAMS

It has been said that if “Youth aren’t leading, they are leaving”

To make our senior high programs effective, we need to get Sr. High students to take the lead and

take ownership. We should create “Youth Board(s)” (for each age group?) and let them make

decisions, plan, organize the events, and get friends / kids to attend. AND, we have to let them and

the things they plan fail. If given this responsibility, we believe programs will only get stronger, kids

will gain leadership skills and will be deeply vested. The “Director(s)” should lead from behind, and let

kids lead kids. Directors need to keep them on task, facilitate, and hold them accountable, but they

must ultimately lead themselves (or at least feel like they are).

The Gen Z Team was asked to propose a range of solutions from short to long term. After much

discussion, we felt it was important to identify an ideal model, which we would strive toward.

It felt awkward to say that Model A would be OK short-term, and at some time we would move toward

a different Model B.

We can really only identify the needs, goals and preferred mission today and into the near future.

I don’t think we feel comfortable projecting long-term recommendations too far into the future.

The only difference in short and long-term changes we can see now, might be how much time is

committed or allotted – or what degree of commitment (# of compensated hours) St. Luke can make

today vs. tomorrow. The degree of commitment (decision to hire up to a full-time person) will

ultimately be based on the future financial resources of St. Luke Church.

Regardless of church growth, budgets, and/or number of staff employed, the model should serve us

well into the future – short and long term.

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An illustration of the proposed YOUTH AND FAMILY PROGRAM MODEL is below.

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The Mission and Goals of Youth and Family Ministries We recommend that St Luke develop a comprehensive educational curriculum for all St. Luke Ministries. We suggest a curriculum that clearly identifies The Mission and Goals for each level, AND prepares members for the next level. (Illustration of possible Mission and Goals on next page). Sunday School and Discipleship Academy appear to have pretty good programs in place, and we recognize that there are Forums for adults. But there is a need for structured High School and Young Family educational programs. It may also be interesting to note the way we name (or fail to name) some of our current program levels. We have good appropriate names for our Childhood and Middle School age children – but then what? For ex: Beginning 1. Sunday SCHOOL Intermediate 2. Discipleship ACADEMY Advanced 3. Youth …. WHAT???? …… (How about Discipleship Training and Development)? It appears that education for our youth culminates at Discipleship Academy! How can we expect High School Youth to actively engage when their educational training appears to become mostly social? We need to design curriculum, which lets our Youth know that education continues – certainly through High School years. High School education should take on a higher level of expectation and discipleship – like a “practicum” or “internship” or “on-the-job training. We have offered an occasional mission trip and service projects, as opportunities for a few interested Sr. High Youth. Should we communicate an expectation that Christian educational training is not done at Confirmation, and that it is a life-long expectation? What if we let our youth know that they are not done at Confirmation? Some of this concept happens successfully as a project in Discipleship Academy – and may be happening occasionally at Sr. High level. What if Sr. High Youth didn’t “graduate” from St. Luke Christian Ed. until they perform a discipleship that includes: - Mission Trip(s) - volunteer work - hours of community service - conducting / leading # Bible study(s) - planning and organizing a youth event - bringing a friend to church - mentoring a MS student or Sunday School class - doing service at St. Luke, etc. Can we require all Sr. High Youth to do this? No, and we don’t suggest that we should. However, if we like the idea, communicate the value of it, continually encourage participation, recognize achievements and success, and reward students for participating, we will see greater involvement and meaningful involvement from more youth. This may not be a weekly program, but we certainly can offer it bi-monthly, monthly or quarterly. We need let our youth know that we expect more from them, that there is more, and that we want to help prepare them for a life of service and discipleship. On a side, it’s interesting to note a success that was learned from another congregational interview (see appendix). The youth director DOUBLED participation by simply doing one thing. She switched Sr. High Youth programming to Wednesday night – the same night as Confirmation. She believes that families and youth were used to setting aside Wednesday as Church night, and they like the consistency. They also had siblings involved and it was easy for them to all come together. This may be a worthwhile idea to try since we heard that M.S. parents and H.S. Youth didn’t like all the changing dates and times of programs. This would certainly help with the consistency concerns.

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PROPOSED STAFFING MODEL St. Luke Youth And Family Ministries

If “It Takes a VILLAGE to Raise a Child”, then it would “Take nothing less than an ENTIRE

CONGREGATION to nurture the Faith and Education of a Christian Child/ Family.”

A single staff person, or even a team of talented teachers and leaders cannot shoulder this

tremendous job responsibility. If we truly believe this ministry is as crucial as we feel, we must

support it with an army of congregational volunteers, and a budget to match.

“Across the past two decades, Search Institute and others have shown that the number and intensity of

high quality relationships in young people’s lives is linked to a broad range of positive outcomes,

including increased student engagement, improved academic motivation, better grades, higher

aspirations for the future, civic engagement, more frequent participation in college-preparatory

classes and activities, and a variety of other individual outcomes. We also know that high-quality

relationships are characterized as caring, supportive, meaningful, reciprocal, and resulting in young

people’s sense of agency, belonging, and competence.”

(Search Institute – “Discovering what kids need to succeed” and “Developmental Relationships”

http://www.search-institute.org/research/developmental-relationships)

We advocate involving as many people as possible, sharing leadership, and empowering as many

volunteers as we can recruit. One of the emergent themes is there is an abundance of resources

among members to provide pivotal connections with children and teens already. Placing that role on

one staff position might make it difficult to find all the gifts and abilities desired in one person. The

deeper the involvement, the more success we should see.

We could see at least four different staffing models – although, there could be many more ways to

structure the ministry. (For concept purposes only, job titles, and employment status (part-time/full-

time), are indicated – but would be modified based on the size of the volunteer “army” and the budget

committed.

Four staffing models are presented on the following pages.

*Please consider the models as just that – models. The job status (full-time, part-time, quarter-time

indications can be changed without discarding the models.

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Option A This option proposes a “Director” (full-time) that oversees the entire Ministry. Each of the four Ministry areas would have a Volunteer Support Leader or Director for that specific area. Additional teachers, volunteers, etc. would be recruited to staff the programs as needed.

Option B This option proposes a “Director” (half/part-time) that oversees the entire Ministry (like above). Each of the four Ministry areas would have a Leader or Director (quarter-time or voluntary) for that specific area. Additional teachers, volunteers, etc. would be recruited to complete the staffing.

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Option C Perhaps two half-time Staff leading a couple of areas would best serve us? The more people involved the better? Responsibilities could be paired by age and Education (Sunday School and Confirmation / Sr High and Families) or by similar age pairings (Children and Families / Jr. and Sr. High students)

Option D This option is similar to above although one person would oversee the entire area. Another staff person could focus on one or two areas to help lessen the burden of the “Director Overall”. Part-time or full-time status would depend on fiscal capabilities and ability to recruit candidates.

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DRAFT JOB DESCRIPTION DRAFT

Director of Youth and Family Ministry

St. Luke Lutheran Church

4860 Arthur Rd. Slinger, WI 53086

262-644-6003 POSITION MISSION:

This position description represents a new direction for youth and family ministry at St. Luke. We

believe that “Youth Ministry” is a function of the entire church at all levels including staff and the

congregation. We also believe that “Youth Ministry” needs to include ALL children of school age, as

well as young adults and families. Youth and Family Ministries includes:

A. Learning Ministry – Biblical Education - Sunday school and Confirmation

B. Fellowship Ministry – Development of friendships especially important for youth

C. Supportive Ministry - Crucial for parents and young families

D. Serving Ministry - Recruiting gifted adults and equipping for service

Ultimately, the mission is to facilitate programming that helps people become faithful followers of

Jesus Christ and to turn the “inward gaze” of membership outward toward our neighbors in the

community around us.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The core of this ministry is building and strengthening relationships between young people and

Jesus, their peers, significant adult mentors and parents. Through these relationships, young people

will bear witness to faith in action and discover how to live out their faith in service. This person must

continue to REACH OUT, WELCOME ALL and foster A CULTURE OF ACCEPTANCE.

The Director of Youth and Family Ministry drives a vision, provides leadership and coordinates

programming for Ministries related to faith formation of youth and family. They will equip, motivate,

and recruit congregational members to help lead, teach, and mentor our youth and young families.

Reference Youth and Ministry Program Model (should be attached).

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STATUS This position may be full or part-time depending upon the following factors: available applicant pool,

willingness of congregation membership to support and engage in youth, family and education

ministry, and the church budget. Actual time requirements, degree of involvement, and leadership

expectations will be “prorated” accordingly.

SUPPORT: In keeping with the Mission of the position, the entire St. Luke family pledges it’s full support to this

position. We have a strong staff, leadership, and congregational membership including:

A. Pastor - Proclaims the word of God and make it relevant, etc.

B. Discipleship Coordinator - reaches out to new and existing members to connect

them with meaningful ministries that make use of the gifts God gave them, etc.

C. Office Secretary - provides clerical and administrative support, etc.

D. Musical Staff – engages musicians of all ages to create a worship

experience where all can encounter the living God!

E. Church Council – Oversees and directs all operations of the church, etc.

Hires, evaluates, oversees staff and employment issues, etc.

F. Personnel Team - This team assesses the personnel needs of the church, makes

recommendations to allocate resources to staff church ministries. They develop

and implement a Christian and comprehensive approach to church human resource

management

G. Congregation – Teachers, leaders, mentors, volunteer workers, prayer support, etc.

H. Youth Boards – Not currently active, but development is encouraged.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: SPECIAL NOTE: The Director of Youth and Family Ministries will have PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY

for all aspects of Youth and Family Ministries at St. Luke. They will be the KEY staff person for ALL of

the duties and responsibilities indicated below. HOWEVER it is NOT expected that the Director will

do all the footwork. The Director is responsible for recruiting, motivating, and equipping a support

team of volunteers to help lead, organize, empower, support, and facilitate jobs as needed.

GENERAL DUTIES: - At a minimum, maintain the current level of programming and momentum at St. Luke.

- Gradually increase participation, improve programming, and grow the Ministries

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- Begin by working with pastoral staff and congregational team to develop a

comprehensive vision and a roadmap of learning for youth and family ministries

- In cooperation with staff and congregational team, develop a mission statement, goals

and objectives for faith formation at St. Luke

- Determine curricula for youth and family ministries

- Maintain a ministry manual for planning and documentation purposes

- Train and support volunteers in learning, youth and family ministries

- Develop an annual calendar for educational and family events and post on web site

- Establish and manage a budget for Youth and Family Ministries, track spending, and

provide monthly reports

- Engender relationships between youth and adults in the congregation

- Promote and communicate regularly with the congregation about Youth and Family

activities, goals, and initiatives via Church Newsletter, Website, pulpit talks, etc.

- Establish effective communication networks to keep youth & families informed

and engaged.

- Build relationships with youth and families of all ages

- Attend worship at St. Luke on a regular basis

- Spend time with people and attend community events that highlight the people with

whom you minister

- With pastoral leadership, develop a personal & professional development

plan for continuing growth in your field

- Model Christian living and connecting with other ministry professions in the region &

larger church

- Prayerfully support and commit to development of our Youth and young families

- Support staff and congregation with other related responsibilities as needed

MINISTRY SPECIFIC DUTIES INCLUDE: 1. CHILDHOOD / SUNDAY SCHOOL EDUCATION AND FELLOWSHIP Support from Christian Education Leadership, Teachers, & helpers - Oversee training & support opportunities for volunteer ministry leaders

- Coordinate the acquisition of / or develop curriculum to support the ministry

- Provide assistance in training & development of leaders for ministry

- Provide social, age-appropriate fellowship events to build for future

- Arrange, recruit, and encourage participation in Summer Camping Ministry

- Recruit coordinator and assist the Annual Christmas Program

- Work with a Team to assist and coordinate Vacation Bible School

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2. MIDDLE SCHOOL CONFIRMATION / JR. HIGH EDUCATION & FELLOWSHIP Support from Pastor, Leaders, & Congregational “Godparent(s)” - Help lead / teach / coordinate Discipleship Academy (DA) program / ceremony

- Arrange, recruit, and encourage participation in Summer Camping Ministry

- Understand how the Confirmation program functions

- Be available as an occasional substitute for Confirmation classes

- Recruit and train small group Leaders for DA

- Coordinate volunteers to plan and implement youth activities

- Help facilitate the transition from Confirmation to Senior High Group

- Act as liaison between the youth and other congregational groups as needed

3. SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH EDUCATION AND FELLOWSHIP With support from Volunteers and Congregational “Godparent” Prepare youth to effectively communicate with non-Christian teens, joyfully celebrate

the greatness of God, enthusiastically join in Christian relationships, continually grow

as disciples, and fruitfully serve Christ and others.

- Invite, encourage, and engage youth on an on-going basis

- Develop a Youth Board and encourage leadership from within

- Arrange, recruit, and encourage participation in Summer Camping Ministry

- Oversee, plan & provide mission experiences that are developmentally appropriate

- Excite youth to attend National Youth Gathering

- Provide assistance in budgeting & fundraising initiatives

- Model Christian living by growing a personal prayer and study life

- Provide and help lead regular opportunities for Bible studies and devotional worship

- Coordinate regular and consistent program opportunities to keep youth engaged

- Connect students to the life of St. Luke (especially worship & service opportunities)

- Build and maintain an online social community to build relationships and create

an outreach to students’ friends

- Identify spiritual/social needs of students and engage in active dialog and feedback

- Foster leadership skills with students to help them lead themselves

- Staff and Maintain Youth Room – create a warm, welcoming, and functioning and

purposeful environment

- Act as liaison between the youth and other congregational groups as needed

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4. PARENTS AND YOUNG FAMILY SUPPORT AND FELLOWSHIP With support from other peer families and volunteers - Develop and coordinate parenting classes

- Encourage faith formation in the home and daily life

- Coach parents on role of being spiritual leaders in their homes

- Provide resources for leading devotionals and Bible studies in the home

- Encourage / offer Retreat and Family Camp opportunities

- Maintain contact and provide outreach with college students as feasible

- Help equip parents to deal with difficult faith questions and societal issues.

- Oversee and train staff, coordinate schedule, recruit volunteers

- Assist in planning IN AS MUCH day events for families

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES: Qualifications: - College degree B.A. (advanced degree in ministry preferred (e.g. MA, MDiv))

- 3-5 years experience working in youth and/or family ministries

- Baptized, confirmed, and current membership in a Christian Church

- Committed to Jesus Christ, and Biblically-based principles in accordance with the

beliefs and traditions of St. Luke Lutheran Church and the ELCA

- Lives and models a grace-centered, theology of the cross

Competencies: - A modest mentor, visible team player able to “Lead from the rear”.

- Strong organizational skills with strengths in event planning and problem-solving

- Strategic communicator with confidence in public speaking

- Self-motivated, and able to work independently with minimal direction

- Excellent oral and written communication skills including phone, mail and email

- Comfortable using social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Calendars, Polls, etc.)

- Above average competence using Office programs (Office, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

- Able to effectively prioritize, meet deadlines and obligations

- Friendly and outgoing with strong interpersonal skills, and appropriate charisma.

- Reliable, dependable, able to gain respect and build trust

*** Last but not least, it would be helpful if candidate has ability to walk on water, turn water

into wine, and perform miracles frequently upon demand *** (yes, we know we want a SAINT!)

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ACCOUNTABILITY AND EVALUATION This position is accountable to, and supervised directly by the Pastor and church council.

There will be a formal review and formal evaluation at the end of the first six-months, and

annually thereafter. Informal reviews may be requested (and are encouraged) more frequently.

Monthly reports should reflect accomplishments toward annual goals to the Church Council.

Evaluations may include your staff supervisor, a member of the church council, and member of

Personnel Team. If the need should arise, staff has the right to appeal to the Personnel Team.

The position description may be modified - according to the gifts and talents of the Applicant or

changes to the St. Luke Program / staffing models - at any time.

COMPENSATION Compensation is based on numerous factors including:

- Synod guidelines and local area financial trends

- Applicant’s education and prior job experience

- Full or part-time job status

- Proficiency at which Director performs job responsibilities

- Church Budget

NOTE: This job description represents a broader vision and a process of building relationships and programs that will develop over time. As programs and relationships develop, this position may expand or be modified as needed.

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Summary So if “It Takes a VILLAGE to Raise a Child”, then it would “Take nothing less than our ENTIRE CONGREGATION to nurture the Faith and Education of a Christian Child/ Family.” Do “We commit to supporting and partnering with the St. Luke’s staff/council to support the youth in our congregation”? This is our hope and the focus of designing this new proposed model. As a congregation we make commitments to the youth at their baptism and confirmation to be “like godparents” to them. How can St. Luke’s follow-through on our commitment and achieve this for our youth and families? This proposal supports our successes, which were identified through research; to further develop and enhance the programs and things we do well as a congregation. We also identify opportunities for improvement, provide structure and support to turn those areas around. And, we propose a model that takes into account the continuum of support needed for our youth from infancy to adulthood. Fortunately, over the past 5 years, St. Luke Lutheran has grown in leaps and bounds, and doubling the youth. This is both a blessing and a challenge for a congregation. The Gen Z taskforce (a subgroup of the M.O.V.E. team) was created to discuss, research and make recommendations around the broad category of future youth and family ministry programming. To include a little background, the Gen Z team started back in September with a meeting, which included a “great brain dump” of mostly general thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Topics discussed, A. What is Youth Ministry B. Questions around Current Youth Minister C. Questions around Christian Ed/staffing We set our Mission “To propose recommendations for the future of Youth Ministry at St. Luke Lutheran Church.” We determined that would include program models and models to staff programs. We also determined we would not evaluate existing staff or programs. We would look forward and dream about future visions and goals. We would avoid critique of current staff and programs, and encourage people to address issues directly and openly, and/ or follow appropriate channels of protocol. We conducted a lot of research. We queried roughly a dozen churches – similar in size and attendance. We looked at how they run their youth ministry (middle and high school), Confirmation classes, Sunday school, what challenges they have encountered, what they feel are their strengths, and what they would like to do differently. We wanted to determine if our challenges were unique, or were other churches experiencing similar challenges and how did they correct those challenges or plan to meet those challenges. We reviewed the current job description for St. Luke Director of Youth and Family Ministry. We compared it to job descriptions from other congregations, taking into account our hopes and prayers for the future of St. Luke’s Youth and Family Ministries. We learned a lot about our congregation as we talked to other churches, looking at what they do well and what they could improve. We learned a lot from our youth, their families, our staff and the congregation as a whole. Our research included calls to other churches, interviews with high school youth and parents, middle school youth and parents, and our St. Luke staff. We found one of our biggest strengths to be a strong culture of acceptance and a welcoming atmosphere. So, our primary goal would be to “Continue to foster our culture of acceptance and a welcoming environment for all.”

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We have a substantial number of families involved, and interested in making a difference in the lives of our youth and their families. We have families and youth willing to provide input to making a change, and support the growth of our church moving forward. We are united in purpose, faith, and God’s love. Our youth and families have identified many wonderful, positive and successful components of St. Luke Lutheran. Learning about faith and developing relationships with leaders through the Discipleship Academy and Sunday School Programs are a few. Youth are given opportunities to take leadership roles at VBS and Sunday school. St. Luke supports: - sending youth to faith building opportunities - trips to Summer Camp, retreats, and the Youth Gatherings - the Five Hundred Dollar project - youth choir - the newly formed high school Bible study. Youth feel they have strong, welcoming, and non-judgmental relationships with Pastor Matt and small group leaders. Our youth and families also identified needs and opportunities for improvement. Needs identified included: - consistency - improved communication (details/specifics of activities farther in advance) - more opportunity to participate in faith based gatherings - service related activities and fellowship events (camping, concerts/etc.) - teen focused worship opportunities (contemporary service, new songs, later service, sermon that relates to younger age) - better connections to staff (especially youth director). - adult support and mentoring - faith based resources for parents In our interviews with St. Luke’s staff, all felt that our youth lead busy lives and that more and more is expected of them. All felt that the youth are reaching out looking for more, and needing more. They may not have all identified the same problems, but they were all aware that there is a need. They all felt that communication was a challenge as not all youth communicate in the same medium/method- so logistics can be challenging to reach all of them collectively. Pastor Matt was “Glad that we have this opportunity/need to do something more for our youth”. There were many of the same themes as the families and youth, and some differences. As Gen Z continued to think about St. Luke and the role that the congregation plays, we created a graphic model for how the future work can be conceptualized. It was great to see this and continue to move our ideas forward with the model in mind. (See graphic in program model section). Gen Z identified that budget will play significantly into how this role will play out. In light of that, we identified 4 options of staffing models that could support our recommendations. Each model is based on the role having work from part-time to full-time responsibilities; and options that we could grow into from current state to a future state staffing model. Considering all models, we pulled a few key concepts out of the research for the role of “Director”. - to “Equip, motivate, and recruit members to share in youth ministries”. - to be “Primary support of congregation members”—and a colleague to other church staff. - work closely with the Discipleship Coordinator to utilize talents identified in members. - have a higher profile in the church-visibility is the key (speak in church, lead prayers) or other means to help person be more visible. - be regarded as a leader, minister/colleague.

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Regarding Discipleship Academy, the Youth Director could participate in activities similar to another church we researched:

- opening, prep for prayer - provide summaries of content previously presented, - review of information- specifics of upcoming events, - help with behind-the-scenes operations - coordinate “stump the presenter” questions that kids have for Pastor. - Pastor does the teaching. - Director would track and review the Sunday worship service forms, track service work etc. - could lead prayers in church every week.

Our team identified attributes that would support the Director, and create success in this role - high communication skills - computer background - literate in social media - strong organizational skills and event coordination, - personable, and possessing traits of charisma. See Job description for more specifics. We recommend that staff conduct a behavioral traits assessment to identify areas this person could support, contribute and augment most. Traits should play to the strengths and weaknesses of the staff as a whole. To help our staff be successful, they must clearly understand expectations, and annually set S.M.A.R.T goals. They should provide important communications including summary reports of accomplishments on biweekly/monthly basis. Regular and consistent evaluations are crucial. Clear lines of authority and reporting are imperative. High visibility and involvement will help eliminate inaccurate perceptions, questions, and suspicions – which is happens easily in this environment. So how can members of St Luke seek to move more to the role of godparents? Embrace the model of our youth and family ministry. Support the move to new staffing model and establish a budget that would support such a model. Get involved and participate, be the hands and feet of Christ in these youth’s lives. We don’t have to go outside of the church to make a difference in the life of a child. There are many here that need and want our love, help and support. Thank you, The "Generation Z Taskforce” Doug Callies Cindy Frounfelker Ric Hartman Jody King Holly Koerner Pastor Tom Kent – Advisory Leadership Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church - Sussex