Youth Minister

PARISH SUMMARY: Holy Spirit Parish is a multicultural, urban community of approximately 450 families. The parish offers vibrant liturgies and welcoming fellowship through a variety of ministries. Holy Spirit is an aging parish community, however, there is a dedicated base of young families with youth who are in need of being ministered to. The parish desires to be more intentional in serving the needs of the youth and their families, encouraging the youth’s foundation of faith in Christ, and making them a part of the legacy of the Holy Spirit family. The Youth Minister will play a key role in facilitating this activity in the lives of our youth and their families.

POSITION SUMMARY: ​​The Youth Minister will minister to the parish's high school-aged (9-12 grade) and junior high school-aged (grades 6-8) youth through vibrant comprehensive Catholic youth ministry with the goals of leading teens closer to Christ and forming missionary disciples. They will report to the Parish Administrator/Pastor who will evaluate the effectiveness of their position. They will serve as a collaborative member with other parish ministry leaders, be a “face” of the parish and of Christ.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

● Reach out to youth, particularly those on the peripheries; to invite them to a personal encounter with Christ, and to walk with them on their faith journey

● Guide the ministry using components of Comprehensive Catholic Youth Ministry as defined by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: https://www.usccb.org/topics/youth-and-young-adult-ministries/renewing-vision

● Prepare and facilitate programming including:

○ Spiritual: High-school and Middle-School faith formation, engagement in parish life

○ Social: Regular social events for middle and high school youth.

○ Service: Works of Mercy: ie. service/ministry to the parish, other outside service projects, The March For Life, etc.

● Supervise volunteers, including ensuring safe environment standards

● Communicate with youth, families, and parish – explaining the vision, providing resources, and ongoing updates.

● Promote and facilitate vocational discernment.

● Develop youth leadership

● Develop and monitor a youth budget (program income/expenses) in collaboration with the Administrator/Pastor and Finance Council.

● Develop and maintain records and database(s) of information pertinent to Youth Ministry such as membership lists, resource materials, event information, etc.

● Submit formal long-range plans and set goals for youth ministry programs to the Administrator/Pastor to be reviewed and evaluated annually.

● Serve as the liaison with the Diocesan Office of Youth Ministry and the Diocesan Office of Black Catholic Ministries and their programs, services, and resources.

○ Engage youth in diocesan and national events

● Maintain a personal relationship with Christ through regular prayer, Mass attendance, and more

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

● Faithful, passionate Catholic disciple and role model who recognizes their own need for growth and a sense of self-worth that comes from being a child of God and a minister second

● Solid understanding and agreement of the teachings and theology of the Roman Catholic Church and the local bishop, including:

○ Adherence to Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage and restriction on cohabitation before marriage

○ Agreement with the Diocese of Cleveland’s Parish & School Policy on Issues of Sexuality and Gender Identity:

■ https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/files/assets/parish-and-school-policy-on-issues-of-sexuality-and-gender-identity.pdf

● Excellent organizational and time management skills, creative solution seeker, enthusiastic collaborator, and the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately.

● Ability to interact with youth, parents, staff, parishioners.

● Strong verbal, written, and social media communication skills.

● Experience with audio/visual and social media

● Understanding of and adherence to all aspects of Diocesan Safe Environment standards

● Knowledge of Pope Francis’ Christus Vivit, the USCCB documents: Renewing the Vision and The National Directory for Catechesis and other pertinent Church documents

● Knowledge of diocesan documents from the Secretariat for Catechetical Formation: Catechetical Models for Children and Young People (if doing middle school youth ministry) and Sacrament Preparation: Handbook for Catechists (if doing Confirmation Prep)

● Has knowledge of current youth culture and current trends and issues within those cultures.

● Education, Training and/or Experience:

○ Past experience with youth ministry programs is preferred.

○ Proven participation and continuing updating of the VIRTUS Safe Environment Program sponsored through the diocese.

○ Strong verbal and written communication skills; proficient in composing reports, correspondence and in publishing e-newsletters and flyers in English.

○ Proficiency in Word, Excel, and Microsoft Office; Technological proficiency in email and text communication, web, Facebook, etc.

● Must pass a criminal background check (including not having been convicted of a felony), drug screen, and social media check

APPLICATION MATERIALS:

Applicants should provide the following:

● Resume and Cover Letter

● Two professional and two personal letters of recommendation.

● Written answers (no more than 200 words) to the following questions:

○ What are your strongest skills for the role of parish Youth Minister?

○ In which Youth Ministry skills do you believe you need further training, experience, or practice?

○ If you were to describe an ideal Youth Ministry for Middle School and High School, what would it include?

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $18.00 - $20.00 per hour

Expected hours: 10 per week

Schedule:

• Day shift

Work Location: In person