Director of Youth & Missions

Grace, A United Methodist Congregation
5125 Sicard Hollow Road
Birmingham, AL 35242

Grace, a United Methodist Congregation, is an active, Christ-centered church in the Vestavia Hills area of Birmingham, Alabama. We are a medium-sized, progressive church serving people from all over the greater Birmingham area. Grace values vibrant worship, small group Bible study, inclusiveness, and significant missional outreach both locally and internationally.

To understand our ministry, you must first know our mission: “Strengthening families by making and growing highly committed disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” All of our ministry decisions flow from this one foundational statement, and this signifies why God put our church in this community. Our most recent “strengthening families” initiative was to support local families by creating and launching a full-day Christian preschool for children ages three months through Pre-K.

We also offer an after school program for elementary school students. Ministry to young families is truly at the heart of what we do at Grace!

The Director of Youth & Missions (DYM) will join our ministry teams to further develop and implement a robust discipleship program for students in 6th grade through 12th grade. The purpose of this role is to encourage youth to cultivate a personal relationship with Christ and to understand the role of community in living out their faith journey. The DYM will work with youth to enhance their understanding of the communal nature of faith, inspire students to recognize the importance of studying scripture, and to convey what it means to be a Christ-like servant.

In addition, this individual will teach students how to treat all people with dignity and love.

• Lead, plan, develop, and evaluate all aspects of youth ministry
• Empower and mentor youth in their spiritual journey, encouraging students to cultivate a meaningful relationship with Christ.
• Foster caring relationships with youth and their families.
• Develop and implement youth small groups, house parties, events, activities, mission trips and camps.
• Recruit, train, develop and deploy volunteer leaders and teachers to fulfill the vision and goals of the overall youth ministry.
• Effectively promote youth events in coordination with the other program directors (i.e., children, worship, adult discipleship).
• Coordinate and facilitate a Confirmation program effectively utilizing the support of volunteers, staff and mentors.
• Continue to identify and implement best practices and resources in youth ministry programming.
• Create or select curriculum that supports our mission and doctrine of the Methodist Church.
• In conjunction with our missions team, dedicate approximately 5-10 hours a week planning and organizing year-round missional outreach efforts.

• Identify and partner with community groups, businesses, and organizations to further enrich missions programming.
• A unique monthly outreach opportunity that successfully engages an increasing number of laity in local, national and/or international missions.
• Priority is placed on ongoing missional relationships rather than “one-off” projects.
• Utilize effective communication tools, resources, and practices (i.e., web page, social media, newsletter, email, etc.) to effectively promote participation in the youth ministry program.
• Involve youth in worship, fundraising, and missional/outreach opportunities.
• Ensure that all staff, volunteers, and leaders working with youth have completed “Safe Sanctuaries” training and that guidelines/policies are enforced.
• Participate in staff meetings, continuing education events, conferences, training workshops,…