Families, Children and Youth Worker

PURPOSE OF ROLE: The Families, Children and Youth Worker will pioneer and lead mission and ministry to families, children, and young people in the Western Dales Mission Community (WDMC) in Cumbria. Reporting to the WDMC Leader and Steering Group, they will seek to nurture and grow the faith of young people within the church, and establish contact and evangelistic opportunities with families and children outside the church. They will work collaboratively alongside other ministers in the Mission Community, and play a full role within the life of the churches, encouraging and equipping volunteers. Ministry will be shaped by a commitment to the Christian Gospel, which evidences the generous love of God shown for us in the life, death, and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ, and empowered by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Public worship- The role will oversee all existing activities relating to families, children and youth- focused acts of worship within the Western Dales. This will include leading Family Services, Messy Church, Teatime Church, and other worship services as they arise. They will have a Mission Community wide oversight that means they will work with the WDMC Leader to develop and lead engaging acts of all-age worship across the churches of the Mission Community. There is also opportunity for further pioneering expressions of worship should they feel called to develop the role in this way.

Discipleship- In collaboration with the WDMC Leader, the Families, Children and Youth Worker will take responsibility for the discipleship and nurture of our young people, equipping them in faith, helping them to make connections between faith and life, and encouraging them in basic Christian practices such as prayer, bible reading, and corporate worship. The means of this will be defined and developed by them in collaboration with the WDMC Steering Group.

Outreach- The Families, Children and Youth Worker will help support Ignite Youth Club, KidsClub@Cowgill, and other existing initiatives to reach young people. They will consider new opportunities as they arise. They will particularly focus on reaching out to families that have existing links with the church and being proactive about welcoming new people too. They will participate in the annual Holiday Club and seek ways to build upon this during Easter and Christmas holidays.

Schools work- They will build on existing relationships with Sedbergh Primary School, Dent Primary School, and Settlebeck Secondary School. They will lead collective worship in the schools, and help students to explore Christian spirituality.

Church Life-  They will manage and work well with volunteers who form the teams that offer ministry to families and young people across the WDMC. They will contribute to wider church life as a member of the ministry team, attending ministry meetings, and helping with the wider mission and ministry of the WDMC as and when required.

Safeguarding- They will work with the Safeguarding Officers to safeguard our children and their volunteers. To provide pastoral and safeguarding oversight of the young people including use of social media. 

They will develop age compliant and appropriate social media profiles with effective safeguarding ways of working at the center to connect to new young people and develop online communities that link into onsite groups and churches and teach them how to use them safely.