Youth Task Force Recommendation

The Youth Task Force makes the following recommendations:

1. The goal of Anchor Student Ministry is to develop in students a Head-Heart-Hand Faith in Jesus. The Anchor Student Ministry will be considered Successful/Fruitful when this goal is met in the majority of the students.

How is this goal measured?

Head Faith In Jesus: Knowing and Understanding Basic Bible Stories, Doctrine concerning the Trinity, Salvation and Church, Chrisitan Character and Ethics. This knowlege and understanding develops according to age and life circumstances.

Heart Faith In Jesus: Affection for Jesus; Also, that the Knowledge and Understanding of Bible, Doctrine, Ethics is Meaningful in their present life. That they care about Jesus personally, and that they care about what they know, and care about other people, and care about themselves.

Hand Faith In Jesus: Practical Obedience that stems from what they know and understand, as well as from their affection for Jesus. This Hand-Faith is modeled after the life of Jesus, and actions are taken in direct connection with the teachings of Scripture towards God, towards oneself, towards other believers, towards those outside the Faith.

Again, how is this goal measured?

Head Faith in Jesus: Teach content in age-appropriate manner, regularly test for retention of knowledge and understanding. Engage in conversations that start with what the student is interested in and help unpack ideas in connection with issues they are concered about. Give students ample opportunities to discuss and explain what it is they are supposed to know and understand (through conversation, writing projects, art, etc.)

Heart Faith in Jesus: Demonstrate personal affection for Jesus while interacting with students, whether in classroom setting, life situation, or during program events. Discuss what you understand in a meaningful way, be honest about what you do not understand, be gentle and clear on what you do understand. Give students opportunities to express their passionate beliefs and doubts. Walk with students at their pace, don't force them to articulate an idea they are not ready to accept. Listen to how they talk about what they do know and understand and give them feedback on where you think they are at.

Hand Faith in Jesus: Model for them the kind of obedient service you want them to follow. Be clear on what they are to do as an act of obedience, and why. Hold them accountable to the actions they state they are willing to do. Reward obedient actions, discourage disobedient actions. Give students many opportunities to serve others, in and outside the church and home. Help studnets make a connection between what they know and feel with what they do.


2. The plan for implementing this Anchor Student Ministry will be primarily through volunteers.
The church must take care of its own. Church participation is primarily demonstrated in volunteering with students and their parents, developing in them a Head-Heart-Hand faith in Jesus. By relying heavily on volunteers, the church opens itself up to more and more acts of love, as well as greater risk that not enough volunteers will volunteer, and thus an unsuccessful volunteer program. No matter how many staff people are involved in the student ministry, unless volunteers make up the bulk of ministers to students, no student ministry will be successful. Volunteers must make up the bulk of the student ministry.

Ephesians 4:12-14 "to equip his people (ministry volunteers) for works of service (to students), so that the Body of Christ (one another, each of us caring for the other as non-professionals) may be built up (in struggle, suffering and joy), until we ALL reach Unity in the Faith and in the Knowledge of the Son of God and become Mature, attaining to the Whole Measure (Head-Heart-Hand) of the Fullness of Christ."


What role does staff have in a successful student ministry at Anchor?

The Youth Task Force recommends that Anchor hire a Student Ministry Director to oversee all student ministry (ages birth through post highschool).

The primary task would be administration and support to ministry leaders and their volunteers. Each seperate student ministry will have a volunteer leader. That volunteer leader will work directly with the Student Minsitry Director in planning and implementing a program/event. The Student Ministry Director will take care of that volunteer leader, and help that volunteer leader take care of his/her volunteers with that minsitry. The Student Ministry Director is not primarily expected to teach or hang out with kids (this can happen, but is not the point of hiring this person).

We propose to hire a Student Ministry Director at 20hrs/wk with a pay range of $12-$15hr ($12,500-$15,500).
The primary spiritual gift would be administration. Must be able to manage volunteers and meet stated goals of ACC Student Ministry.
Student Ministry Director would oversee all student ministries and the leaders/volunteers. Student Ministry Director would work with ministry leaders and volunteers to encourage them, train them, direct them, work alongside them so that they can succeed. The ministry leaders and volunteers will do the personal work of leading, teaching and caring for the students.

We envision that as the quality of the Student Ministry increases, as it becomes more fruitful, Anchor would be able to hire a second Student Ministry Director at 20hrs/wk. We would then have a part time Student Ministry Director that oversaw kids ministry volunteers (birth through fifth grade) and another Student Minsitry Director to oversee youth ministry volunteers (sixth grade through post-highschool). This strategy would allow for greater specialization and attention to the nuances of each student ministry. As this phase of student ministry increases in quality and fruitfulness, we could potentially hire another Student Ministry Director at 20hrs/wk and further subdivide the kids/youth categories as needed to further the specialization and attention that each ministry will need at that time.

Two reasons for not automatically seeking a full-time person to oversee this work: one is specialization, second is cost. By focusing on quality and specialization we can further the fruitfulness of our student ministry. By utilizing a part time position, we open ourselves up to several different people who are able to operate in their primary area of giftedness and passion.
There are limitations and cost issues to be discussed that are inherent in this plan as opposed to hiring a full time person, and they ought to be discussed at some point.

The Student Ministry Director would report directly to the Senior Pastor. The Student Ministry Director would meet weekly/montly with every ministry leader for encouraging support, planning, evaluation/training and fun. The Student Ministry Director will also meet with each volunteer several times throughout the year for support, encouragement and training. The Student Ministry Director will utilize the Office Administrator to further the Student Ministry.

The Youth Task Force envisions this Staff Position to begin January 2007, assuming that funding is available and that the best candidate has been hired.


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If you have any questions, email Tim at tim@anchorpeople.org

Thanks,

Tim