Youth Leadership Team of Decatur Presbyterian Church (YLT) 2016 Application Instructions: Please read over the the purpose and responsibilities of the Youth Leadership Team. Answer the application questions and turn in your response to Allysen by September 23rd. Purpose: To provide leadership and direction to the Decatur Presbyterian Church youth group. The YLT aims to nurture the leadership and gifts of our youth as they grow as faithful disciples of Christ and as leaders in our church and in their communities. The YTL is a ministry of leadership and service. YTL members (YLT s) provide insight and information that help guide the direction and shape of our youth ministry program. The YLT aims to support, encourage and challenge the relationships and spiritual formation of our youth and their families. YLT s share in leading youth group on Sunday nights, high school Bible study on Wednesday nights and other special events like retreats, and service projects. WHO is the YTL 8-10 DPC Youth in 8th-12th grade youth (7-9) High School Youth. Balance between grade levels will be a goal but numbers may fluctuate depending class sizes, the gifts needed on the team and time commitments of the youth. (1-2) 8th grade youth (1-2) Adult advisors Youth Intern Youth Pastor Term of Service: August-May of school year, can be renewed for next year but not necessarily automatic. How the YLT is decided each year - Youth and advisors put in nominations during spring semester (in the Fall the inaugural year) - Youth nominated and others encouraged by Youth pastor and advisors will fill out YLT application and turn in to the Youth Pastor - DPC Youth Ministry Team discusses and discerns (It is recommended that the YMT seek the guidance and insight of Sunday night youth advisors for more insight into each youth and their gifts) - Youth Pastor & YMT make final decision YLT Meetings: Every other month (once a month in beginning stages) (Potential time: Sundays at 12pm or 8:30am, as decided by the YLT and their schedules). YLT s will commit to missing no more than two meetings during the year.
Commitments of a YLT This is a guideline to be edited and added to by the YLT I am committing to seek to build a relationship with God in my daily life I am committing to spiritual growth through the habits of: - Time alone with God in prayer - Accountability with another YLT member - Regular* worship attendance and worship leadership - Regular* attendance at Youth group, Sunday school/bible study, retreats, etc. - Personal Bible Study I am committing to serving God by using my gifts and abilities as a servant-leader. I am committing to try to live the Christian life and be a leader for other students in and outside of church *Regular attendance as discussed and defined by the team. We know our youth are involved in many activities, family trips and other events. However, we do want our youth leaders to be a regular, visible presence in worship and at youth group so that they may be filled spiritually and also put into practice their role as youth leaders. Responsibilities 1. Attend YLT meetings and assist in the planning of Sunday night youth group, special events and retreats 2. Be involved in DPC worship leadership outside of planned Youth Sundays in at least one way of your choice (i.e. liturgy, crucifer, music, ushering, greeting, beedle, etc.) 3. Work with YMT to establish and maintain local service partnerships and picking high school mission trip location 4. Provide leadership at Youth Group through: Welcoming, greeting and taking attendance Leading games, discussion, worship etc. Leading Prayer, writing down prayer requests and/or following up on prayer requests (These tasks will be divided amongst the YLT and vary depending on gifts and desires of each YLT member) 5. Communicate with Middle School Buddy(s) that I am paired with and my peers during the week to encourage prayer, deeper relationships and involvement with DPC youth 6. Engage in prayer and accountability with another YLT member during the week 7. Connect with their fellow youth and adult YLT leaders each week (either by email, Facebook, text messaging or phone) 8. Work with other YLT s and other adults and youth of DPC s youth ministry to fulfill my specific YLT position:
YLT Positions: (For positions shared by multiple youth, youth will work together or divide the tasks) 1. Moderator (1 youth, traditionally a 12th grader) - Discuss agenda for YLT meetings with Youth Pastor - Serve on the Youth Ministry Team and make reports to the Faith Formation Council and Session as needed - Check in with the other YLT s during the week and leading up to special events - Help plan team building and other group bonding events for the YLT 2. Mission & Service (~3 Youth) - Work with YMT to establish local partners for service in our community - Work with Youth Pastor and YMT members to schedule and plan service projects with our local (and other) partners at Youth Group and on weekends (to include but not limited to the MLK Day Service project) - Work with YMT, Congregational Care Council and Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care to engage youth in caring for our congregation (i.e. through meals, notes, visits etc.) - Research possible sites for summer High School Mission Trips and bring to YLT and YMT for discussion and decisions 3. Experience and Faith Formation (~3 youth) - Look for gifts in our youth and encourage them to use their gifts in worship and other areas of the church and youth group. - Collect feedback (verbally and surveys) from youth periodically throughout the year and after major events to gage success of events based on enjoyability, engagement, group building and spiritual formation - Work with adults on YMT to brainstorm ideas and plan engaging events for intergenerational parent and youth events. - Will research and brainstorm new activities for youth group such as games, creative ways to pray (ex. art, music, movies) and discuss scripture, worship ideas, and bible study topics and bring them to YLT meetings and to the Youth Pastor 4. Relationships (~3 youth) - Use social media to tell the story of how God s love is overflowing in the community of DPC youth by recording holy moments at youth group, worship, retreats etc. - Recruit youth to write reflections on their experiences with DPC youth (especially after mission trips, retreats and special events) and post them on social media. - Use social media to advertise youth group events and to post photos of recent events. - Find ways to use social media to build connections between youth, foster discussion and prayer between youth group gatherings - Pray for our youth, the church and our world and follow up on prayer concerns - Help plan special events (as desired) that will help foster deeper relationships between our youth - Gather the extracurricular schedules of youth and work with youth pastor and youth intern to make a calendar that all youth can access in order to support each other at their events
Time Commitment We are especially concerned about the family life and personal life of our YLT leaders. We don t want to create more meetings and programs to keep students out every night of the week. Spiritual growth does not necessarily mean sacrificing family time and other commitments. Although we are asking for a significant commitment from our Youth Leadership Team members, there are also benefits. Part of the high reward is that YLT s receive more intense and personal time with the Youth Pastor and Adult leaders. They will also be involved in making DPC s youth ministry something that is enjoyable and meaningful not just to themselves but to many others. YLT s will also receive encouragement and feedback and the opportunity to grow as leaders in the church and as disciples of Christ. The team is designed so we can all share in the work together and that several youth in each role position may divide and share their specific work. While it is understood that youth will not be able to participate in every event, it is expected that they will be present and engaged in our community often so that their leadership is visible and their planning and insights put into practice. Youth will communicate with Youth Pastor when they anticipate being absent and the Youth Pastor will work to have flexibility around their schedules while also encouraging the commitment and consistent leadership of the YLT s.
Application Questions Application questions should be filled out and turned in to Allysen by September 23, 2016. Please hand in a paper copy or email your answers to aschaaf@dpchurch.org. Questions are not intended to prove a youth s worthiness but more so to encourage each applicant to think about the commitments of being on Youth Leadership Team, to discern what gifts they would bring to the team and to help the Youth Ministry Team and Youth Pastor form a team that will support DPC s Youth Ministry well and be composed of a variety of ages and spiritual gifts. Please respond to the following questions on a separate sheet of paper: Name: Grade: School you attend: 1. Why do you want to be on the Youth Leadership Team and what do you feel you can add to the team? What gifts do you feel you would bring? 2. What do you like to do for fun (on your own or with family and friends)? 3. What other commitments do you have that might interfere with being a dependable YLT member? 4. What role on the youth leadership team would you feel most excited about and why? (This can be any of the position roles or other responsibilities of the YLT) Examples: Planning service projects and mission trips Building relationships between the youth Connecting youth and their gifts to roles in the youth group/church Using social medial to publicize events and share stories of how God is at work in our community Praying for and following up on prayer concerns Finding new ways for us to pray and explore faith (through music, art, movies, movement etc) Finding meaningful topics, scriptures and themes for us to discuss at youth group and retreats