To know Jesus and to make Him known

Shepton Mallet Benefice

Children’s, Youth and Families’ Worker Job Description and Person Specification

For further details please contact Revd Jonathan Hunter Dunn rector@sheptonbenefice.org / 01749 342420

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Job Description – Children’s, Youth and Families’ Worker

Title: Children’s, Youth and Families’ Worker (Minister) Hours: This is a full-time post (37.5 hpw, including Weekend and evening

work) Employer: The PCC of St. Peter and St. Paul, Shepton Mallet Salary: £23,000 to £26,000 according to qualifications and experience, with

JNC recommendations as a guide. Initially this is a 3-year position with the expectation it will become permanent. All terms and conditions will be set out in a contract of employment. Purpose of the post The Children, Youth and Families’ Worker will: 1. develop the current Children’s and Youth work in St Peter and St Paul’s Church and the

community and support their families in discipling their children. 2. develop and support the teams of volunteer leaders, with a shared vision for

discipleship and outreach to deliver a sustainable, lasting ministry. Accountability

• Initially to meet fortnightly with the line manager for supervision. • Annual review with line manager. • Attend any relevant staff meetings and PCC meetings where required. • Provide a termly report to the PCC and an annual report to the APCM. • Meet monthly with a pastoral support worker.

Ministry responsibilities Discipleship of children and young people of St Peter and St Paul’s church and the local community

• Plan and organise a variety of Sunday morning, mid-week and holiday programmes, providing faithful Bible teaching materials.

• Provide opportunities where children and young people can grow in their relationship with Jesus and share their faith with others.

• Provide pastoral support for children and young people and, where necessary, to offer the same for their families through the wider leadership team.

• Provide opportunities for the children and young people to explore and grow in their gifts e.g. teaching, music, leading, evangelism, mercy, practical service in the community.

• Plan and organise regular socials and events for building friendships and inviting friends along to.

Outreach in the community and schools

• Maintain and develop points of contact with children, young people and families outside the church, build relationships and opportunities to share the good news of Jesus.

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• Maintain and develop links with local schools, for example leading collective worship, making the most of Christian festivals, providing support to the staff in RE lessons and out-of-class activities.

• Engage with community events e.g. The Lantern Festival, Collet Day etc.

Team and leadership • Support and expand the current team of volunteer leaders to help deliver

children’s and youth activities in the church, schools and community. • Disseminate relevant training to volunteer leaders working with children and young

people. • Organise rotas for children’s and youth programmes and events. • Chair youth and children’s team meetings at least once per term for planning and

preparation. • Pray regularly for and with the children’s and youth team volunteer leaders. • Ensure the church’s Safeguarding Policy is implemented and adhered to by all

volunteer leaders working with children and young people. Personal responsibilities

• Commit to growing in the love, knowledge and obedience to Jesus Christ, for example through, personal devotion, prayer, Bible study and attending worship.

• Be disciplined about your days off work each week. • Be committed to personal and professional development.

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Person Specification – Children’s, Youth and Families’ Worker Faith and Quality of Mind

• A living and growing faith in Jesus as Saviour and Lord.1 • A good knowledge and understanding of the Bible. • The ability to think and reflect theologically about life for personal development

and the pastoring and care of others. • An approachable, caring and resilient nature. • A desire to learn and grow.

Qualifications and Experience

• Experience in teaching Bible truths to children and young people. • A relevant qualification in working with children and young people. (Waived if the

candidate has extensive experience working with children and young people.) • At least 4 years’ experience in leading children’s and/or youth ministry. (This may be

in a paid or significant voluntary capacity.) • Driver with own means of transport would be an advantage. • Experience of working with children and young people with special educational

needs would be an advantage.

Skills • Effective personal organisational and time management skills. • The ability to relate to children and young people (aged 0 to 18 years). • Excellent communication skills. • The ability to communicate the Christian faith in vibrant, challenging and relevant

ways. • The ability to develop and maintain good working relationships and work

collaboratively as part of a larger team. • Good IT skills.

Attitude to Work

• Able to use initiative and work independently. • A pastoral heart for children and young people within the church and wider

community. • Willingness to work flexible and sometimes unsocial hours (between 8am and

10.30pm) • Willingness to undertake relevant training for personal development and the

development of others. • Ability to maintain confidentiality.

1  There is a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) that the holder of the post is a Christian as this is a Christian ministry post. Equality Act 2010 part 1.  

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The Benefice of Shepton Mallet, Doulting & West Cranmore

The Ministry and Staff Team

Rector Revd Jonathan Hunter Dunn Administrator (PT) Helen Bennett Children, Youth and Families’ Worker (FT) Vacancy

Retired vicar Revd. Tony Birbeck Readers Matthew Dawkins, Gill Goodall, Albert Owen, Julian Tucker Lay Worship Assistants Dave Crisfield, Eleanor Dawkins, Wendi Davis Lay Pastoral Assistant Janice Minchin An incredible number of volunteers!

The staff of the Bath and Wells Diocese, including the Safeguarding Team and Children’s and Youth Advisors, work at the Old Deanery in Wells (6 miles).

Vision During 2016, we went through a vision discernment process. Looking to the Lord for His vision for us was a unifying experience, a time of healing and blessing. In sum, the vision, mission and goals are:

Vision To know Jesus and to make Him known

Mission to go Deeper into the Gospel of Jesus Christ Closer in fellowship with each other Further in mission to the community

Goals to Strengthen our Bible teaching 2 Timothy 4:1-2

Stimulate our prayer life Ephesians 6:18 Deepen our fellowship Hebrews 10:24 Enrich our worship Colossians 3:16 Proclaim Jesus Matthew 28:18 Steward our resources Matthew 6:33

In January 2017, we began a Mission Survey to better understand the people of the Benefice: their hopes, fears and aspirations. Understanding our community will help us communicate the Gospel, not only so that they understand it but in how it speaks directly into their hopes, fears and aspirations.

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To focus our mission, we have identified five specific people groups:

• the significant number of families connected with our children’s work • schools work • shut-ins, the lonely, the bereaved and those with chronic illness • youth and young adults • community groups and civic bodies

Strategies for supporting and reaching out to these groups are in varying stages of development. The Diocesan Children’s and Youth Advisor, Tony Cook, challenged us to move the families on the very fringe of the church community a step closer. Our volunteer children’s worker has already begun to do this by being more explicit in affirming God’s love and making connections to the good news message of Jesus. With two Church of England Schools in the Benefice, we have excellent opportunities to minister to children and their families. Thanks to the hard work of key staff working in partnership with the churches, both have recently achieved ‘Excellent’ SIAMS ratings. We have plans to bring ‘Open the Book’ assemblies to both schools. Opportunities exist for developing church links with the other three schools in the Benefice.

There remain significant regions of the Benefice where the churches have yet to have impact, notably the new housing developments in Shepton Mallet and areas of

deprivation. There are also small communities of first-generation Portuguese, Polish and Russian families living in the town. Looking ahead, there is a genuine excitement about the future, and numbers at services are already rising. Future plans include a new congregation in Shepton Mallet, culturally relevant and accessible to the ‘un-churched.’ In all these areas, opportunities exist for a

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capable Children’s, Youth and Families’ Worker to use his/her gifts and experience, supported and encouraged by the wider staff team.

Children and Youth Ministries King’s Kids is our ministry to children (up to Year 4) and UnLimited is our ministry to young people (Year 5 onwards), although there is a great deal of overlap between the 2, and the different age groups enjoy coming together for different activities and events. King’s Kids and UnLimited comprises various groups, events and activities through which children, young people and their families come together for worship, teaching, prayer and fellowship throughout the week. Where possible, the groups use the same Bible passage or focus from the sermon series. Through these ministries, we have contact with around 55 families. The King's Kids groups meet in The King's Kids' Den in our church rooms. The Den is a dedicated children's room packed with toys with a separate baby den and craft area. There are facilities for changing babies and heating bottles. The UnLimited groups meet in The Attic, on the top floor of our church rooms. This is a great space with bean bags, areas for craft, air hockey and other games. Prams & Toddlers

• Weekly parent and toddler group with around 35 children on the books with about 20 coming along on a Tuesday morning plus parents/carers.

• A large number of mums with young babies have joined over the last year. They have formed a supportive network amongst themselves and also meet up outside of the toddler group. Scramblers, Climbers & Explorers

• Weekly teaching session for children and young people during the 11am (or joint) services, with 20 ‘core’ members across the 3 age groups.

• Monthly Kids’ Praise Service gives the children, young people and their parents a chance to worship together using accessible material.

• Weekly emails explain to parents what will be covered in the session. Cave Youth Group and ‘Who Let the Dads Out?’

• Monthly social youth club for 10-16 year olds with up to 40 young people on the books. • Between 5 and 15 families attend our termly ‘Who Let The Dads Out?’ events.

Munch Bunch & MB Majors

• Monthly after-school club for 4-11 year olds (Munch Bunch) and 11-16 year olds (MB Majors) with up to 25 children attending each month.

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• This group is currently ‘on hold’, whilst the position of Children’s, Youth and Families’ worker is in vacancy. Schools Work

• Members of the local churches lead collective worship at the two Church of England schools. We also host services in our church buildings and offer support to the staff.

• We have helped to develop the distinct Christian ethos in these schools. Both have had Outstanding SIAMS inspections.

• There are opportunities to extend our support to the other schools in the Benefice, by leading collective worship and running out-of-class Bible clubs.

Special Services and Events

• Our Festival Services, and their associated events, attract good numbers of children, young people and families from the local communities.

• Throughout the year, we’ve run many events for children, young people and their families: from Easter egg hunts to trampoline parties, bar-b-ques to prayer walks. The Diocesan Go Team The Diocesan Children’s and Youth Advisors provide ongoing support to all those involved in our children’s and youth ministries through:

• Regular Deanery meet ups for children’s and youth leaders (paid and volunteer) • Termly Inspire Events providing resources and training • Annual ‘away days’ offering a chance to receive teaching, prayer and an opportunity to

connect with other workers • One-to-one support

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What our families think… "Having a good Children's and Youth Worker is important because my children's faith is just as important as my own." "For me a Children's and Youth Worker needs to be able to inspire children in the teachings of Christianity. It needs to be relevant to today's children, at their level. Above all it needs to be fun!" "Having a Children's and Youth Worker means having a link with the church for my children that we wouldn't otherwise have." "A Children's and Youth Worker needs to be passionate about seeing children grow in their faith and be able to genuinely get excited with them when they learn new things about God and their relationship with him." "Having a Children's and Youth Worker has meant that our boys can hear, receive and live into the gospel in a way that meets them where they are at. Their faith has grown and deepened immeasurably, and we are so grateful that the church makes the work with children such a priority." "It is nice to go to church not just in church but still learning about Jesus" "We want someone funny and creative." "I like having someone to go to when I've got doubts or questions about my faith." "I really enjoy the Youth Work at my church because of how included I feel within the community. Having somebody there to pray and care for you makes you feel loved and cherished at once. My favourite part of the youth work is the sessions as I learn something new all the time whilst having tons of fun!"

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APPENDIX - Our Benefice

The Benefice is made up of the town of Shepton Mallet and the villages of Doulting and West Cranmore. With various hamlets, the population is approximately 12,000. With 560 new homes due to be built in Shepton Mallet, plus the conversion of the old

prison into flats, the population will head towards 15,000 over the next 10 years. There are 5 state schools in the Benefice (including 2 Church of England schools) providing education from Foundation Stage through to KS4. The Mendip School, in the nearby village of Prestleigh, provides mainstream education for children with Autistic Spectrum

Disorders and Speech, Language and Communication Needs. Shepton Mallet is a small, rural town surrounded by beautiful countryside but with good road connections to Bristol, Bath and Yeovil. There are direct mainline trains to London and Exeter from Castle Cary Station (8 miles away) and flights to the rest of the UK and Europe from Bristol airport (20 miles away). The demographic of the Benefice is very mixed. There are areas of social housing and deprivation, and areas made up of large houses with land. Employment is diverse with the around 2/3 of the employed population working in the service and manufacturing industry. Around 1/3 work in managerial or professional occupations. Shepton Mallet has a good size retail park, small hospital with MIU and a busy sports centre. The main High Street and weekly market are developing after some years in decline. There is a library, large park and a variety of cafes and pubs within walking distance of the main town centre. A diverse range of activities are hosted in the town, from weekly roller discos to youth groups, sports clubs to art groups. There are many annual community events such as Collet Park Festival, Lantern Parade and Mid-Somerset Show, along with the numerous events held at the nearby Bath and West Showground.

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Ministry Context As an old Market Town, Shepton Mallet has a strong sense of history which informs its sense of identity today. However, large areas of ‘new build’, complete and planned, are bringing new influences into the town. This combination of ‘old’ and ‘new’ Shepton Mallet is slowly fuelling an economic recovery in the town. The church is ideally placed to take a ‘missional lead’ at this unique and exciting time. The potential for the growth of the church cannot be understated. Pioneer missional opportunities abound with every possible demographic from new-borns to ancient residents, the un-educated to the very highly educated, the seventh-generation to be baptised in the same font to the immigrant arrived only yesterday, from the GCSE genius to the kids who stash drugs between the organ pipes.

Throughout the Benefice, the commitment is to faithful Bible teaching (through sermon series rather than the lectionary), clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus and discipleship of believers. We have seven Bible Fellowships in which groups of 8 to 10 meet weekly during term for fellowship, Bible study and prayer. We hold a wide variety of services from Prayer Book Communion, through to Common Worship services with beautiful organ accompaniment and choir where robes are generally worn to much more contemporary, informal services led by piano, guitar and bass. St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, Shepton Mallet Sunday service pattern 9:15 am Holy Communion from Common Worship 10.30am Refreshments, bookstall and prayer ministry 11:00am Service of the Word (communion once a month) with Scramblers, Climbers and Explorers (our Sunday school/youth group) Plans to reorder the building are underway including raising the floor to street level, toilets, a servery and improved heating and lighting to make the building fit for 21st century worship, more useable by the wider community and

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to reduce our carbon footprint. Our church rooms lie nearby which, despite being in need of maintenance house our well stocked rooms for the children’s and youth groups. St. Aldhelm’s Church, Doulting 1st Sundays Prayer Book Holy Communion Messy Church 2nd Sundays Family Service 3rd Sundays Common Worship Holy Communion 4th Sundays Family Service

In recent years kitchen and toilet facilities have been installed. The monthly Messy church attracts 15 to 20 children with at least as many parents, grandparents or carers. The church also hosts Lunch at St. Aldhelm’s, a community lunch, once per month. This is having a very positive impact, mainly in the older generation who had drifted away from church over the years.

St. Bartholomew’s Church, West Cranmore 1st Sundays Family Service 2nd Sundays Common Worship Holy Communion 3rd Sundays Morning Worship 4th Sundays Join with congregations in Shepton Mallet or Doulting Similar to St. Aldhelm’s, in 2017 Lunch at Bart’s was launched to build bridges between church and local community. These lunches are well supported and much appreciated. Building on the success of this, there are plans to host a Café monthly in the church.