Student Pastor

Highlands Community Church); Renton (WA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Highlands Community Church in Renton, WA seeks a Student Pastor to lead ministry to middle and high school students and families, providing gospel-centered teaching, strategy, and pastoral care to help students grow in faith and connect with the church.

You will recruit and train volunteers, develop a ministry calendar, connect students in small groups, and collaborate with parents to disciple at home, while upholding safety policies.

Qualifications

• Strong biblical conviction aligned with Highlands’ Statement of Faith
• Ability to teach Scripture clearly to students in an engaging way
• Experience leading volunteers and ministry staff

Responsibilities

• Provide clear, gospel-centered teaching for middle and high school students
• Develop ministry strategy and annual calendar for student ministry
• Recruit, train, and lead adult volunteers
• Connect students into small groups for accountability and discipleship
• Communicate regularly with parents to equip them to disciple at home
• Plan and lead camps, retreats, and key events
• Maintain high safety standards and reinforce policies
• Provide leadership, development, and pastoral care to Student Ministry staff
• Create welcoming environments for students to invite friends
• Help students participate in worship, service, relationships, and mission of the church

Skills

Character & integrity

Bible teaching

Pastoral leadership

Communication

Campus ministry

Leadership development

Initiative & creativity

Relational presence

Church integration

Safety policies

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

Overview

The Student Pastor oversees ministry to middle school and high school students and their families. This person will provide the leadership, teaching, strategy, and pastoral care necessary to help students grow as followers of Jesus and become meaningfully connected to the life of the church.

What We’re Looking For

• Character Someone who enjoys God, loves people, and is passionate about serving in the local church. Cherishing the gospel,demonstratingthe fruit of the Spirit, and relating well to people matter most in this role.
• Biblical and Theological Conviction Someone with established theological convictions who is strongly aligned with Highlands’ Statement of Faith and feels at home in the The Gospel Coalition stream of evangelicalism, both in regard to theology, ministry, and cultural engagement.
• Bible Teaching Someone who loves Scripture and can communicate it to students in a clear, engaging, age-appropriate, and theologically faithful way.
• Calling to Students and Families Someone who genuinely enjoys students, understands their world, and is energized by helping them find and follow Jesus. This person should also value parents and desire to equip them as the primary spiritual influence in their children’s lives.
• Pastoral Leadership Someone who leads through others and enjoys recruiting, training, coaching, encouraging, and caring for adult volunteers and ministry staff.
• Communication Someone who communicates clearly and effectively in public teaching, written communication, conversations with parents and volunteers, and collaboration with church staff.
• Initiative and Creativity Someone with an entrepreneurial spirit who is hardworking, creative, and willing to build, evaluate, and improve ministry.
• Relational Presence Someone who is approachable and able to build trust with students, parents, volunteers, staff, elders, and the broader congregation.
• Church Integration Someone who believes students should not onlyparticipatein Student Ministry programming but should also be meaningfully connected to the worship, relationships, service, and mission of the whole church.
• Commitment to Integrity and Safety Someone who understands the importance of safety policies and procedures and is deeply committed to following and reinforcing them with integrity.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide clear, engaging, gospel-centered biblical teaching for middle school and high school students.
• Develop and implement a clear ministry strategy and annual calendar that helps students grow in their faith.
• Recruit, train, lead, and care for adult volunteers.
• Connect students into small groups where they are known, supported, and discipled.
• Communicate regularly with parents and equip them to disciple their children at home.
• Plan and lead camps, retreats, and other key events that support the ministry’s discipleship goals.
• Maintain the highest standards of safety and ensure all policies and procedures are consistently followed.
• Provide clear leadership, development, and pastoral care to Student Ministry staff.
• Create welcoming environments where students feel comfortable inviting friends who are not connected to a church.
• Help studentsparticipatein the worship, service, relationships, and mission of the broader church.

Education + Experience

• ABachelor’sdegree isrequired.
• AMaster’sdegree in relatedfieldis preferred.
• 5+years experienceworking in a church ministry setting strongly preferred.

About Our Community

Highlandsis located inRenton, Washington on the east side of Seattle, near Lake Washington and within easy reach of Seattle, Bellevue, and communities throughout South King County. The region offers access to mountains, hiking trails, Puget Sound, and the cultural opportunities of the greater Seattle area.Our surrounding communities are economically, culturally, and ethnically diverse. This creates a tremendous opportunityfor gospel ministry.

How to Apply

Apply by completing the brief application below:

https://highlandscc.churchcenter.com/people/forms/1269001