Director of Student Ministries

Position Title: Director of Student Ministries

Department: High School Ministries-General / San Jose

Direct Reports: n/a

Classification: Regular / Full time / Exempt

POSITION SUMMARY

Menlo is a multisite church in the San Francisco Bay area and a member of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. The Director of Student Ministries is a key member of our team in San Jose, California. As part of a multisite church, our San Jose Director of Student Ministries needs to have a strong collaborative nature and be able to work in a matrix organization. You’ll work closely with our San Jose team and report directly to the San Jose Campus Pastor. In addition, you’ll collaborate with Student Ministry Directors from other locations and have a dotted line reporting relationship with the Central Director of NextGen Ministries. All our locations comprise one church where everyone is welcome, nobody’s perfect, and anything’s possible.

Our San Jose Director of Student Ministries must model what it means to live a faith-filled life with integrity. You must be above reproach as you provide spiritual leadership to our middle and high school students, their families, and our congregation as a whole. You will work with the Campus Pastor and other staff to cast vision, implement programming and services, and inspire others to love and follow Jesus more deeply. While you will interact with the middle and high school students, your priorities will be recruiting, training, shepherding, and developing student leaders and adult volunteers.

Our Director of Student Ministries must also be passionate about building relationships with and serving our neighbors and local community. We are in South San Jose near Pioneer High School, surrounded by low-income housing. Many of the parents of students nearby only speak Spanish. As we grow our team, we are committed to finding qualified staff that reflect the populations we serve. Our Director of Student Ministries in San Jose will be out in the community serving and forging partnerships with schools, businesses, non-profits, and other social services to serve our student population and their families. You must have a heart for those in need, be sensitive to their pain points and community realities, and know how to reach them. As the San Jose Director of Student Ministries, you will extend God’s love and mercy to those you serve.

Our ideal candidate will be a self-starter, strong collaborator, feel called to serve middle and high school students, and be willing to fight for healthy working relationships. Our San Jose team is committed to open and honest conversations, having each other’s backs and supporting one another, and tackling difficult topics together. We do not shy away from awkwardness. At Menlo Church, our staff is a team of humble, hopeful, and gritty Jesus-followers who do what we do so that people can find and follow Jesus.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Work as a cohesive unit with our San Jose team, shaping the future of our campus.
2. Work with San Jose campus staff to plan and execute events and services to reach our neighborhood (weekly worship services, Easter, Serve Your City, Christmas Eve, and special drive-through events).
3. Implement the Menlo Students strategy that draws middle and high school students to Menlo Church and launches them into a lifetime of faith in Jesus Christ.
4. Recruit, train, and lead adult volunteers and student leaders to lead small groups and help own the midweek service.
5. Responsible for the safety of all students, ensuring adult leaders are screened, participate in mandated training, and maintain healing boundaries.
6. Implement a strategic year-long plan that outlines teaching content, events, and milestones in the life of students. This intentional plan will be clearly communicated in advance and referenced to throughout the year to staff, parents, students, and the congregation.
7. Provide leadership to parents and plan events throughout the year that equip, inform, and support parents.
8. Plan monthly events that build community and invite other students in to participate.
9. Shepherd and develop student leaders.
10. Oversee Student Ministry Life Groups that are split by gender and led by adult volunteers.
11. Oversee weekly student worship experiences.
12. Develop positive working relationship with local middle and high schools and be a physical presence on campus.
13. Collaborate with the team from Central Ministry and Student Ministry Directors from other locations.
14. Manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and intelligently delegate.
15. Develop and maintain positive working relationships by actively living out and championing our staff values of teamwork and being humble, hopeful, and gritty.
16. Additional duties and special projects as assigned by the Campus Pastor, San Jose.

PLEASE NOTE: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each of the essential duties satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Required Education and Experience
  • High school diploma or equivalency
  • Some college coursework
  • Minimum 2-years’ experience leading a youth ministry
• Preferred Education and Experience
  • Experience overseeing and developing both staff and lay leaders in ministry
  • Experience working in a church with multiple locations
• Knowledge and Skills
  • Spanish speaking highly preferred
  • Strong theological foundation
  • Knowledgeable about student/youth ministry best practices
  • Strong written and spoken communication skills
  • Enthusiastic and high energy leadership style
  • High Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
  • Positive attitude and strong interpersonal skills
  • Team player and team builder with a focus on the vision of the whole church
  • Proficiency with Zoom and Microsoft Office Suite, especially Outlook, Excel, & Word
  • Planning Center Online (PCO)
  • Familiarity with MS Teams, LEADR, Dropbox, Pro-Presenter, MailChimp, and Fellowship One
  • Ability to speak effectively before small and large groups
• Physical Demands
  • Stand or sit for prolonged amounts of time
  • Walk, bend, twist, and kneel
  • Climb up and down stairs
  • Finger and hand dexterity to operate computer and office equipment
  • Specific vision abilities required by this job include close, distance, and peripheral vision; and the ability to adjust focus
  • Lift and carry up to 20 pounds with or without assistance
• Work Conditions
  • This job typically operates in a professional office or church environment with standard office equipment such as computers, printers, filing cabinets, and telephones
  • Days and hours of work are generally business hours Sunday-Thursday with occasional evenings or weekends as needed
• Effective November 1, 2021, all Menlo Staff will be required to abide by the Menlo COVID-19 Vaccination Policy
• Must have an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ
• Must be a committed disciple of Christ and committed to serving God and the body of Christ
• Must have compatible theology in alignment with ECO essential tenets
• Must be pursuing or active in a community of believers who can speak truth into your life