We are looking for someone with vision and enthusiasm who can work with us to enable, support, and grow our existing Christian ministry with young people in the church, local schools, and within the wider community; and to explore new potential for outreach, both in person and online.

JOB CONTEXT – ABOUT STRATHENDRICK BAPTIST CHURCH (SBC)

SBC is a small and informal church in the heart of rural Stirlingshire, meeting in Balfron village hall. We have around 50 regular attendees with around 20 of those being children and teenagers, from Balfron and many of the surrounding villages. It was founded around 35 years ago, has never had a formal ‘minister’, and is led by a team of volunteer men and women who jointly take responsibility for the life of the church.

SBC is a community of believers who value loving and serving each other in day-to-day life. Our vision is to be a Spirit-filled and empowered witnessing community, based on Acts 1:8. We believe that relationships are key to developing opportunities to share the Gospel and as adults seek opportunities in daily life to do so. However, we are acutely aware that our young people need discipleship and encouragement in their own faith in order to be confident to share it with others. We also have wide open opportunities within our local school (the High School for the whole rural area is located in Balfron) and community, yet at present do not have the capacity to do the many things that we feel God is calling us to do.

JOB DESCRIPTION – ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Role Description

The Youth and Outreach Worker will be required to:

• Lead, oversee and grow an effective youth ministry at SBC that reaches into the wider community and local schools. (SBC currently hosts regular ‘Prayer Spaces in Schools’ in the local High School. There is currently no regular Christian group in the school, but SBC has been invited to host one (e.g. Scripture Union) – what an exciting opportunity!
• Develop the youth ministry such that young people can both come to faith and flourish as enthusiastic disciples. He or she will be expected to model a lively and committed faith in Jesus Christ, that impacts all areas of life, and be an active member of the worshipping community at SBC.
• Increase church capacity for all age outreach by leading and co-ordinating events such as Alpha Courses and Holiday Clubs. The village currently has no regular youth group or toddler group, so opportunities abound!
• Lead, develop, encourage, and coordinate a committed and able team of volunteers to accomplish these goals – providing an overall vision and leading a strategy to achieve this.
• Engage in post-covid society online with regular uploading of content to website and social media, making connections to local web pages and raising the profile of SBC online locally.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead: To oversee an effective and growing youth ministry. The Youth and Outreach Worker will have overall responsibility for implementing a strategy to achieve this goal, working closely with volunteers and ministry leaders, as well as the Leadership Team of SBC.
• Care: To ensure excellent pastoral care for the young people and providing support and encouragement to the ministry volunteers.
• Plan: To work with the volunteer leaders to plan and organise successful programmes of groups and events, ensuring necessary administrative tasks; record-keeping; budget-management and communication are undertaken to the necessary high standard.
• Initiate: To create and deliver new events and initiatives as appropriate that cohere with the wider vision and strategy of the SBC.
• Motivate: To encourage the volunteers that enable the ministries to function effectively. This will include recruiting new volunteers, running relevant volunteer training and managing volunteers.
• Witness: To explore the potential for new ways of outreach in the community. To develop initiatives and cooperate with others in the local area as appropriate to reach out to unchurched youth and other age groups in Balfron and surrounding villages.
• Administrate: Ensure all youth ministry activities are well organised, properly administered, and relevant legislation and SBC polices are adhered to (such as Health & Safety, Safeguarding and GDPR) and relevant Risk Assessments completed.
• Communicate: To regularly update the youth and their parents making them aware of any relevant information. To ensure good lines of communication with the volunteers, ministry leaders and other staff. The Youth and Outreach Worker will update the Leadership Team on a monthly basis and will meet fortnightly with their line manager.
• Create: To create/upload online content that helps to engage with those who do not/cannot engage with us in person both on our website (under construction) and social media. To make connections to local web pages and seek ways to raise the profile of SBC online locally.
• Cooperate: To maintain and develop links with other Churches and the local High School. Liaising and where appropriate partnering with other youth leaders and supporting networks. To undertake other tasks, commensurate with the post as required by SBC Leadership Team.

Responsible to: SBC Leadership Team (volunteer only), of which one will act as line- manager.

Due to the nature of this role, this post is subject to an occupational requirement that the applicant be a practicing Christian under Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010.

SBC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The post holder will be required to take care to safeguard their own safety and that of others with whom they work and to co-operate with those designated with responsibility for health and safety.

The successful applicant will be subject to PVG checks with Disclosure Scotland.