Director of Youth Ministries — Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church

Mission Statement:
As Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church, our purpose is to:
GLORIFY God through ministry, prayer and worship, as we
WELCOME all people to a journey of faith in Christ;
CELEBRATE the presence of the Holy Spirit through worship;
SHARE our gifts, talents, time and financial resources;
EQUIP people for discipleship through Christian education;
NURTURE and love each other through fellowship as a family of faith; and
SERVE those within Knoxville and throughout the world in Jesus’ name.

Description and Church Vision: Nestled in one of Knoxville’s most treasured neighborhoods, Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church
(SHPC) is located just 3 miles from a revitalized downtown and only minutes from the University of
Tennessee. In most everyway we are a traditionally oriented congregation, in that, we desire to always
preserve what is faithful and good, yet at the same time there is a fresh openness to be guided by the
Spirit to find new opportunities to serve others in the name of Jesus Christ. We are a high functioning,
well-educated and professionally oriented congregation, yet there is a comfortable, familiar and inviting
spirit that abounds at SHPC. There is a blend of the old and new that provides both stability and
strength to SHPC and enables us to steadily learn together, grow together, and be together in our walk
with Christ. We strive to strengthen Christ’s body by caring for our members, as well as, answering the
call to serve the local and global community through programs such as the preschool early enrichment
program and an annual Haiti mission trip. We will continue to share our time, talents and financial
resources by supporting over thirty benevolences e.g. FISH Food Pantry, Habitat for Humanity,
Knoxville Area Rescue Mission, along with building relationships and spreading the gospel’s good
news.

We are called to reach out to the Knoxville community in many ways. SHPC values connectedness                                                                                                        within both our church family and the wider body of Christ. We are a
growing church with deep family roots. Our commitment to one another includes not only celebrating
joyful moments but also bearing one another’s burdens. We care about each other and care for one
another through our children, youth, and adult ministries. Many of our adults have been trained in Stephen Ministry,                                                                  Grief Care and visitation. We are a faith-filled church where Biblically based
Christian education is both preached from the pulpit and emphasized in Sunday School, beginning with
the youngest children in the “Kingdom” continuing through our adult ministry. We are blessed and
strengthened by our music ministry, which is enhanced by our outreach scholarship program that
welcomes more than a dozen University of Tennessee music majors each academic year. God has gifted
SHPC with remarkable facilities and in response we share this sacred place with community groups such
as Boy Scouts of America, Alcoholics Anonymous and invite our neighbors to play basketball, share in
pottery classes, enjoy our playground, and reflect while stepping through our labyrinth. We have a long                                                                                                and dedicated tradition of benevolent giving, quite often exceeding a quarter of our annual budget. Our youth                                                                          regularly serve locally, regionally, and globally (including Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala).

Candidates would want to serve at SHPC because of a: team approach to youth ministry, an active support committee,                                                                long tenures of several previous youth directors, and a skilled youth ministry staff team including an                                                                                        Assistant Youth Director and two interns.

FULL Job Position description: https://www.sequoyahchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/JD-Youth-Director-Feb-2023-final.pdf

Abbreviated Position:

The full time Director of Youth Ministry at Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian will oversee all aspects of ministry with middle school and high school aged youth, both already connected to our church and within our community, with the mission of growing a ministry that, in partnership with families, nurtures faith in Christ and a love for his/her church. We seek a Biblically oriented, relationship-driven leader with a heart for ministry and for students.  One who will place a strong emphasis on creating and maintaining an environment that is enriching, lively and enjoyable for its participants.

Leadership- In partnership with the Youth Ministry Committee, execute a ministry that meets the mission set forth by youth stakeholders, nurturing faith in Christ, collaborating with church and community members in order to build and maintain a successful youth ministry program. With support from the Associate Pastor, recruit, hire, empower, and train paid interns and lay member volunteers. Work with SHPC staff and session to determine and facilitate the role of youth in the greater SHPC community. Attend and assist, as needed, in one of the church’s weekly worship services

Management- Youth Strategy: in accordance with the SHPC youth mission and vision, develop and implement long and short-term planning for youth programming and communicate and uphold clear behavioral expectations for youth participants at all SHPC youth activities

Communication: Develop and lead both a parent and student communication strategy that nurtures a vibrant, engaged youth group with an emphasis on parental engagement. Create and maintain a communication system that includes long-range forecasts of events, monthly and weekly reminders of upcoming activities, and personal invitations to individual youth and families. Leverage social media to maintain youth engagement and attract greater youth involvement

Events: Create and publish a year-long calendar for the youth ministry activities, while also crafting opportunities for impromptu social gatherings. Ensure that the execution of all events leave parents confident that their children are safe and well nurtured in faith. Provide continual oversight of the development, supervision, and direction of the Confirmation program.

Relational- Develop meaningful relationships with middle school and high school students. Develop ministry structures for further relationships to be formed between youth and lay leaders within the church. Seek out opportunities to connect with youth or youth families outside of regularly scheduled ministry activities; empower lay leaders within the church to do the same. Coordinate pastoral care needs of the church’s youth and their families with the pastoral staff.

Administrative- Assist in the development of the annual youth budget and regularly review the finances of the youth ministry to ensure that year-to-date figures remain on budget. Ensure that necessary control documents have been put in place and distributed in a timely fashion (including the student directory, volunteer job descriptions, the student ministry calendar, calendar requests, event and trip registration forms, and leaders’ directory), and confirm that all compliance documents have been updated and distributed to all involved parties (copyright licensing, background checks on volunteers and staff, etc.). Track attendance at all youth events. Track and report weekly hours for self and interns. Maintain confidentiality of youth, employee, and membership information. Maintain youth designated areas and supplies.

Salary: $45,000+ including health benefits

Inquiries and a fuller job description: contact Search Chair, Clay Dye at YDsearch@sequoyahchurch.org References upon request.

www.SequoyahChurch.org