Youth Minister Hope Christian College Columbia, NE, Youth

Why This Is a Great Opportunity:
Hope Christian Church is looking for a relational, coachable builder who is ready to lead a student ministry with real strengths already in place. The next Student Minister will inherit engaged middle school and high school students, committed adult Youth Leaders, dedicated ministry space, strong summer experiences, and a church that genuinely values the next generation. The opportunity is to build on that foundation by developing leaders, empowering students to serve, strengthening discipleship, and expanding the ministry’s presence in local schools and the surrounding community.

The Church:
Hope Christian Church is an independent, elder-protected, staff-led church in Columbia, Illinois, averaging approximately 350 people in weekend attendance. Its mission is to love God and love people to Jesus for life because Hope wants to see every life filled with the hope of Jesus Christ. The church has a strong culture of service, which it describes as “sweaty spirituality.”

That commitment is visible through ministries such as JAM, a week-long summer outreach serving more than 750 kids and families each day, and the Hope Food Pantry, which serves more than 200 households each week. About the Community:
Columbia, Illinois, is part of the greater St. Louis area and is approximately 22 minutes from the Gateway Arch. Hope sits between Columbia and Waterloo, with roughly 67,000 people living within a 15-minute drive of the church. The area offers a smaller, family-oriented community with convenient access to St. Louis and a strong foundation for community-focused ministry.

• Organization Name Hope Christian College
• Organization Location Columbia, NE, United States of America
• Number of Employees 9
• Average Weekly Church Attendance 350

The Student Minister will provide spiritual and strategic leadership for Hope’s middle school and high school ministry. This leader will teach Scripture, build relationships with students and families, develop adult leaders, create a clear ministry strategy around REACH, GROW, SEND, and help students become active participants in the life and mission of the church.

• Build meaningful relationships with students and families and provide consistent spiritual leadership.
• Lead and teach in student ministry environments with biblical clarity and practical application.
• Recruit, coach, develop, and empower adult Youth Leaders.
• Build and implement a clear ministry strategy around Hope’s REACH, GROW, SEND framework.
• Develop student leaders and create opportunities for students to serve throughout the church.
• Expand the student ministry’s presence in area schools and the broader community.
• Lead the Leaders In Training Team, which includes approximately 150 middle school and high school students serving during JAM.
• Oversee camps, trips, key events, the student ministry budget, and ongoing ministry communication.

Hope is looking for a builder who loves students, develops people, teaches Scripture well, and can turn vision into action. Candidates should be relational, humble, coachable, spiritually grounded, and committed to healthy teamwork. A bachelor’s degree is preferred, along with at least one year of ministry experience. The right candidate will demonstrate a growing relationship with Jesus, integrity, a strong work ethic, relational health, and alignment with Hope’s theology and mission.

The strongest candidates will be relational leaders who communicate Scripture clearly, develop adult volunteers, empower students, organize ministry well, and build bridges into schools and the community. Hope values humility, coachability, collaboration, and a willingness to keep learning.

Salary is negotiable based on experience. Hope provides 50% of employee health-insurance coverage, relocation assistance, and leadership and ministry coaching through LEAD
222.