Director of Student Ministries–Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church–Austin, TX
POSITION DESCRIPTION // DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MINISTRY
Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church * Austin, Texas
Employment Status: This is a full-time, exempt position.
Compensation: 60-70k + 1K Signing Bonus
Purpose: The Director of Student Ministry provides collaborative leadership to middle and high school ministries of WHPC to help students experience and make faith in Christ connect with their everyday lives. Developing students who are equipped as apostles of Jesus for their adult lives, knowing that they have community for life in the church and that WHPC will always be “home” for them.
Qualifications:
● Live as a model of faith in Jesus Christ, exhibit spiritual and emotional health, and demonstrate an intentional approach to managing both work and personal life in a balanced way.
● Loves building relationships with students, their peers, and the adults in their lives.
● Strong skills in the following areas for the most connections with students as possible – play,
service, discipleship, and outreach.
● Strong skills in volunteer recruitment and development.
● Strong skills in teaching and speaking in small and large group settings.
● Ability to connect students’ passions into a larger context in the church, community and world.
● Ability to work within a larger staff context, interfacing and collaborating between a variety of
ministries within the church and the community.
● Ability to perform the administrative and organizational duties required of the position.
Specifically, a competency to learn and use software that the church uses.
● Demonstrate a commitment to the local church and its value in developing faith in students.
● Basic understanding of Reformed theology and the Presbyterian Church.
● Demonstrate a deep understanding of scripture and an ability to teach it effectively.
● 4+ years of experience leading or co-leading a student ministry in a large organization is
preferred.
Responsibilities:
● Engage the students in our community through outreach.
● Build relationships with students and their families so that they know that God loves them, their
life has purpose, and they have a faith family at WHPC.
● Recruit, train, and supervise student ministry volunteers to partner with parents and staff to
accomplish the above #1 responsibility. .
● Provide leadership to grow the church’s student ministries
● Create and implement a discipleship strategy for students from guests to core students.
● Effectively communicate with ministry teams, staff, parents, and the church
● Administrate and implement the Child Protection Policy, Background Checks and any other
safety related policies for the student ministry.
● Oversee the planning and execution of student ministry programming on Sundays.
● In collaboration with the Faith Formation team, annually choose the curriculum for student
ministry.
● Oversee the planning and execution of student ministry programming during the week.
● Oversee the planning and execution of student ministry programming on retreats.
● Oversee the planning and execution of student ministry programming on mission trips and
service projects
● Oversee Confirmation Process – recruiting lay leaders, mentors, confirmands, and creating a
syllabus
● Supervise and collaborate with other student ministry staff.
● Serve on the Faith Formation staff and session committee.
● Ensure consistency and alignment between all faith formation ministries (Birth through Adults)
● Oversee the student ministry budget in coordination with the faith formation team.
● Serve on the WHPC staff team.
● Participate actively in the life and mission of WHPC
Accountable to:
The Director of Student Ministry is accountable to the Associate Pastor for Mission and Outreach
Accountable to and supported by:
Faith Formation Committee, Session Committee, Youth Elders and Youth Committee, Staff, Pastors, Youth Leaders, and Student Leaders
Goals: Responsible for setting quarterly qualitative and quantitative goals in conjunction with supervisor and colleagues. These involve goals for personal contact work with students and leaders and for all youth programs. These goals are to be shared with the Faith Formation staff and committee at the beginning of each semester. These goals are to be held accountable by the associate pastor and youth elders at the end of each semester.
Application for the position of:
The Director of Student Ministries at Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church
Please send this application along with a cover letter and your resume to the search committee chair, Robyn Veal veal88@gmail.com. Be sure to put the following information in the email subject line… ↓
Subject Line: WHPC DSM Application – {Insert Your Name}
Application Questions 1-10
In order to understand your fit for this position, please respond to the following questions in written or video format. Questions 1-5 required.
1. WHPC is committed to reaching the students in our community with the love of Christ. What strategies/ideas come to mind for best practices of community engagement for young people beyond the walls of the church?
2. WHPC is committed to our reformed, Presbyterian theology and identity. What aspects of the reformed, Presbyterian tradition speak to forming the faith of young people?
3. This position will have management responsibilities over the Associate for Student Ministries. Please share your team leadership experiences or share about your supervising other staff members.
4. WHPC is a large church with a large staff. Communication and relationship building are critical for working in this environment.
What experiences/best practices come to mind when thinking about being part of a larger church organization?
5. Please list at least two references that we may follow up with regarding your recent work history.
*Please respond to 3 of the following questions (6-10). You do not need to provide a response for every question.
6. WHPC is committed to supporting our students and their families as they navigate their journeys of faith. What strategies/ideas come to mind for best practices to support students and their families?
7. WHPC is committed to training up lay leadership for the work of ministry, especially with our young people. What strategies/ideas come to mind for best practices of leadership development in a student ministry setting?
8. WHPC is committed to making our student ministry a safe place for exploring faith and growth. What strategies/ideas come to mind for creating a safe environment for students and their peers to explore their faith and grow?
9. WHPC student ministries is committed to being a fun, inviting space that looks nothing like school or any other achievement-oriented space that our students often find themselves in.
What strategies/ideas come to mind for creating this kind of environment?
10. WHPC is committed to the continued education and development of our leadership staff. What resources, conferences and/or authors do you consider helpful in the current age of the church and ministry to students and their families?
Closing Date: 12/25/24
