Student Pastor

Friends Church; Willoughby Hills (OH); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Friends Church in Willoughby Hills, OH seeks a Student Pastor to lead the student ministry (grades 6–12), shaping a Christ-centered environment where students encounter Jesus, grow in faith, and become lifelong disciples.

You will provide spiritual leadership to students, families, and volunteers, develop annual ministry strategy, recruit and train volunteers, and collaborate with parents to strengthen family discipleship while overseeing outreach, events, and the ministry budget.

Qualifications

• Growing and authentic relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Demonstrated theological alignment with Friends Church and willingness to become familiar with Evangelical Friends beliefs and practices.
• Experience in ministry or a related field preferred.
• Experience in leading and developing student ministry, small groups and leading volunteers.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, develop, and lead volunteer teams.
• Strong communicator with the ability to teach God's Word in a relevant and engaging way.
• Organized with the ability to lead multiple projects simultaneously.
• Willingness to work a ministry schedule that includes evenings, weekends, camps, retreats, and occasional travel.
• Ability to navigate difficult conversations with students, parents, and volunteers with wisdom and confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Lead middle and high school ministries with vision and direction.
• Develop and execute an annual ministry strategy aligned with the church's mission.
• Create engaging weekly worship experiences including biblical teaching, worship, small groups, and relationships.
• Evaluate ministry effectiveness and continually improve systems, programming, and volunteer engagement.
• Recruit, equip, develop, and encourage volunteer leaders.
• Build healthy leadership pipelines that multiply leaders and sustain ministry.
• Provide ongoing coaching, training, appreciation, and spiritual development for volunteers.
• Equip leaders to disciple students effectively and partner with parents for family discipleship.
• Oversee outreach initiatives, camps, retreats, conferences, and events.
• Develop and steward the annual Student Ministry budget and calendar.
• Maintain ministry systems including communication, scheduling, safety, and follow-up.

Skills

Strong communicator

Organized

Leadership

Volunteer development

Education

Bachelor’s degree in ministry or related area

Tools

Planning Center

Job description

Job Summary

The Student Pastor is responsible for leading the execution and development of Student Ministry (grades 6–12) at Friends Church. Serving under the leadership of the Executive Director of Ministries, this role exists to cultivate a Christ-centered ministry that helps students know God, grow in their faith, find freedom, discover their purpose, and build a better future. The Student Pastor provides spiritual leadership to students, parents, volunteers, and leaders while creating engaging environments where students can encounter Jesus, build authentic relationships, and become lifelong disciples.

Responsibilities

Spiritual Leadership

• Lead in biblical accordance while modeling a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Champion the mission, vision, values, and culture of Friends Church.
• Shepherd students, families, and volunteers through discipleship, encouragement, and pastoral care.
• Foster a ministry culture marked by prayer, authenticity, servant leadership, and spiritual growth.

Ministry Leadership

• Provide vision, leadership, and direction for all middle and high school ministries.
• Develop and execute an annual ministry strategy aligned with the overall mission of Friends Church.
• Create engaging weekly worship experiences that include biblical teaching, worship, small groups, and relationship-building.
• Evaluate ministry effectiveness and continually improve systems, programming, and volunteer engagement.

Volunteer Development

• Recruit, equip, develop, and encourage volunteer leaders.
• Build healthy leadership pipelines that multiply leaders and create sustainable ministry.
• Provide ongoing coaching, training, appreciation, and spiritual development for volunteer teams.
• Ensure leaders are equipped to disciple students effectively.

Student Discipleship

• Create clear next steps that help students grow spiritually.
• Develop student leaders who serve throughout the church and their community.
• Encourage biblical community through consistent small groups and mentoring relationships.
• Provide opportunities for students to discover their gifts and make a difference.

Parent Partnership

• Equip and encourage parents as the primary spiritual influence in their student's life.
• Maintain consistent communication regarding ministry opportunities, events, and resources.
• Develop intentional opportunities that strengthen family discipleship.
• Build relationships with parents through visibility, accessibility, and care.

Outreach & Events

• Lead outreach initiatives designed to connect unchurched students to Friends Church.
• Oversee camps, retreats, conferences, mission trips, and special events.
• Create inviting environments where students feel welcomed, known, and encouraged to invite friends.
• Develop partnerships that extend the ministry's impact within the local community.

Administration

• Develop and steward the annual Student Ministry budget.
• Plan and execute the annual ministry calendar.
• Maintain ministry systems including communication, scheduling, safety procedures, and follow-up.
• Champion and consistently enforce Friends Church’s child and student protection policies, including volunteer screening, background checks, appropriate adult-to-student boundaries, transportation and overnight-event procedures, incident reporting, and mandatory-reporting requirements.
• Participate in staff meetings, planning sessions, and church-wide initiatives.

Metrics for Success:

Spiritual Impact

• Students are making decisions to follow Jesus and taking next steps through baptism and discipleship.
• Students demonstrate measurable spiritual growth through consistent participation in small groups, serving, and personal faith development.
• Students are actively inviting friends and sharing their faith.
• Graduating students demonstrate meaningful connection to the broader church and are equipped to continue following Jesus beyond high school.

Ministry Growth

• Student Ministry demonstrates healthy engagement and appropriate growth relative to church attendance, community opportunity, and established annual goals.
• First‑time guests are intentionally followed up with and successfully connected into the ministry.
• Student retention improves year over year.
• Outreach initiatives effectively engage students from the surrounding community.

Leadership Development

• Volunteer leaders are recruited, equipped, cared for, and retained.
• New volunteer leaders are continually developed through a leadership pipeline.
• Student leaders are identified, mentored, and empowered to serve within Student Ministry and throughout Friends Church.
• Leadership responsibilities are effectively delegated, creating a ministry that multiplies leaders rather than depends on one person.

Parent Engagement

• Parents receive regular, clear, and meaningful communication.
• Parents are equipped with practical resources to disciple their students at home.
• Parent participation in ministry events and family initiatives continues to grow.

Ministry Excellence

• Weekly gatherings are well‑planned, engaging, biblically sound, and executed with excellence.
• Camps, retreats, mission trips, and special events are organized, impactful, and aligned with the church's vision.
• Ministry systems, communication, and follow‑up processes are consistently executed.

Organizational Health

• Quarterly Rocks are completed on time and produce meaningful ministry progress.
• Student Ministry Scorecard metrics are updated, reviewed, and used to drive healthy decisions.
• Ministry processes are documented, evaluated, and continually improved.
• Budget is stewarded responsibly and within approved guidelines.
• Projects and initiatives are completed with excellence and accountability.
• Healthy collaboration exists with Kids Ministry, Worship & Creative, Communications, Facilities, and other church departments

Qualifications:

• A growing and authentic relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Demonstrated theological alignment with Friends Church and willingness to become familiar with Evangelical Friends beliefs and practices.
• Demonstrated calling to student ministry and disciplining the next generation.
• Experience in ministry or a related field preferred.
• Experience in leading and developing student ministry, small groups and leading volunteers.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, develop, and lead volunteer teams.
• Strong communicator with the ability to teach God's Word in a relevant and engaging way.
• Organized with the ability to lead multiple projects simultaneously.
• Willingness to work a ministry schedule that includes evenings, weekends, camps, retreats, and occasional travel.
• Ability to navigate difficult conversations with students, parents, and volunteers with wisdom and confidentiality.

Preferred

• Bachelor’s degree in ministry or related area.
• Three to five years of student ministry experience in a growing church.
• Familiarity with Planning Center.
• Experience leading multi‑generational volunteer teams.

Core Competencies

• Gets It: Understands the vision of Friends Church and the role the church plays in disciple‑making of students.
• Wants It: Has a passion for leading and discipling students, developing volunteers, and building healthy ministry teams.
• Capacity: Demonstrates the leadership, relational skills, musical ability, and organizational capacity to lead a growing student ministry.
• Spiritual Maturity
• Humility and Servant Leadership
• Team Builder
• Strong Communicator
• Organizational Excellence
• Collaborative
• Disciple Maker
• Adaptable and Solution‑Oriented
• Creative Thinker

Reports to Executive Director of Ministries