Student Pastor

General:  First Baptist Richardson is looking for a passionate leader who who has been called into a position of student leadership.  Our church has a 152 year tradition of making an impact in Richardson and the surrounding community.  At the same time we are poised to engage with students in our community in a relevant and dynamic way, spreading the gospel and overseeing activities that lead to the making of Christ followers.  We are looking for a proven leader for our students, who is skilled and excited about leading the ministries for our junior high and senior high students.

The community:  Richardson is a diverse community that is a Dallas suburb.  The Dallas-Fort Worth  area is the fourth most populous in the nation and is rich with opportunities of recreation and enhancement with a number of professional sports teams, colleges, seminaries, cultural events, great restaurants, parks and recreaction areas, area lakes, and outstanding publc and private schools.

The opportunity:  This is a full time position with a strong salary and benefits package.  The Richardson area is growing and this is a great opportunity for a pastor (male or female) to have a significant role in seeing the community transformed through the student ministry.

Position Description

Student Pastor

First Baptist Richardson

The role of the FBCR Student Pastor is to advocate for families with students and oversee discipleship of the next generation. The Student Pastor will advocate for the students as well as for the parents of these young people.  This pastor will influence parents to realize their role as primary leaders in children’s spiritual formation. A function of the Student Pastor is to develop and coordinate a balanced program of Student Ministry that includes Bible study, discipleship training, missions’ education and opportunities to serve, outreach, and fellowship.  The Student Pastor will have a firm understanding of, and will be in alignment with, the FBRichardson mission/vision statement, core values, and church leadership. The Student Pastor will work with the Student Lead Team and the Adult Lead Team as a source of ideas, advice, support, and implementation.   The Student Pastor reports to the Executive Pastor.

Parental Development

• Give vision for developing faith at home.
• In conjunction with the Children’s department, the Student Pastor will create a clear path that starts at birth and continues through 12th grade so that children and students understand what it means to walk the way of Christ. This path should include clear, smooth transitions between developmental stages of life.
• Develop and implement strategy for partnering between parents and leaders for seventh through 12 grade students
• Plan and organize events that can be utilized for outreach.

Students’ Spiritual Development

• Identify and implement curriculum to teach students about God and His plan for their lives
• Work with lay leaders to maintain a meaningful “next steps” course for New Christians.
• Counsel students about questions regarding their faith.
• Develop, maintain, and coordinate a Student Ministry program that includes--Bible study, discipleship training, mission education, outreach, and fellowship.

• Develop and lead a weekly program (other than Sunday morning) designed to address current issues and needs of today's students in a relevant worship format.

• .Give special direction and support to the Sunday School program which would include regular planning and training opportunities for the Adult Leadership Team.

• Work with lay leaders to maintain meaningful discipleship groups.
• Create programs that allow students to experience God.
• Create programs that allow students to explore and begin to resolve complex, difficult, and real life issues for each of them.

Leadership Development

• Recruit lay leaders for current staffing needs and plan for future staffing needs.
• In developing teams, identify potential leaders, invite such leaders, engage, equip, empower and affirm these leaders.
• Develop standardized training process for volunteers. (CPP, relationship building, teaching students about God life issues)

• Develop and channel special events through the program organizations of the Student Ministry. These events will include such things as summer camp, Disciple Now Weekend, retreats, mission trips, back to school event, graduation recognition, and other events as needed

• Mentor, encourage and empower leaders to teach students.  
• Cast vision and communicate regularly with leaders.    

Miscellaneous:

• Invest in personal and professional development
• Invest heavily in relationship building with parents and students
• Be proactively planning and problem solving
• Maintain excellent communication with students, leaders, and parents

• Supervise and evaluate the work of a Student Ministry Associate year-round and at least one summer intern.

• Provide oversight of weekly programs

• Perform pastoral responsibilities as required such as hospital visitation, weddings, funerals, etc.

Team Member Contribution

The Student Pastor will actively contribute to the improvement of the ministry of First Baptist Richardson and the overall vision of the staff. The Student Pastor will hold to and operate under these principles:

• Teamwork: Functions well with co-workers, treating them with honor and grace.
• Spiritual Encouragement: Encourages spiritual focus and commitment by modeling the Core Values of First Baptist Richardson.
• Staff and Church Member Relations: Encourages cooperation, peace, and strives for biblical conflict resolution with co-workers and church members.
• Improvement of Ministry Operations: Contributes toward the improvement of the ministry as a whole.

The Student Pastor will possess the following characteristics:

• The Student Pastor diligently seeks a vital and growing personal relationship with the Lord. He/she will be a student of the Scriptures and a person of prayer. In this way, he/she will keep watch over himself/herself and over the flock (Acts 20:28) and pay close attention to himself/herself as well as his/her doctrine (1 Tim. 4:16). Under God’s strong hand he/she will seek to manage his/her own household well (1 Tim. 3:4,5) In all areas of life and witness he/she will seek to shepherd the people of First Baptist Richardson by being an example to the flock (1 Pet. 5:3)
• If married, a strong marriage and family life visible to others
• A heart for God that is evidenced by proven character and a spiritual-mindedness that understands that “apart from Christ we can do nothing.”
• A shepherd’s temperament; servant-leader/mentor attitude and inclination
• Strong interpersonal skills—ability to communicate persuasively and compassionately, both orally and in writing
• Strong biblical foundation for wise management in a church setting
• Able to establish and maintain appropriate standards for the accomplishment of ministry in a way that honors both God and people
• Since work is done primarily in teams at FBRichardson, the Student Pastor must understand group dynamics and ensure effective consensus building and decision-making
• Strong leader and developer of other teams of leaders
• The ability to cast vision to the various teams
• Personal initiative and diligence which produces follow-through in tasks
• A bias for action
• Solid biblical/theological convictions which are aligned with the FBRichardson leadership
• A willingness to grow and adapt to the inevitable changes found in a growing local church