Leadership Development Program: Come. See. Do. Learn.

March 29, 2017 by Chris Parker 1 Comment

The short version: An amazing, fully immersive, hands on, learning experience is waiting for YOU!

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE APRIL 28th. Apply here to begin in Fall 2017.

The detailed version:

When I was a freshmen in college (almost 10 years ago!) someone gave me the great opportunity to intern and learn from them, this happened again both during and post college. If it weren’t for those opportunities I wouldn’t know the things I know today nor have the privilege of leading where I am currently. I want to offer a similar opportunity for someone else out there that is curious about student ministry or ready to dive all in.

I can promise you this, you will gain more working knowledge from this program about student ministry than you will any class or book. How can I promise that? Myself along with many of my peers are products of this model. I went to college (a prestigious bible college at that) and I’m grateful for all things learned… but there are simply things you cannot learn in a classroom. Perhaps you graduated college and now you are eager to begin full-time ministry. My word of encouragement: DON’T! At least not until you have taken an opportunity such as this one to put things learned into practice. The program will save you tons of time, heartache and protect you from burnout in the long run.

This is not an internship. It’s so much more. The Leadership Development Program at Gateway Church in Austin, TX is an immersive ministry experience with mentoring and leadership training. You will do hands-on ministry and work along-side our NextGen team.

This one-year opportunity will ensure that the student ministry LDP gets both a broad overview of a NextGen team and a close look on how to operate a student ministry. This will involve hands-on learning by attending weekly planning meetings, helping run middle & high school programs, and learning student ministry philosophy from a well seasoned student pastor. If the LDP brings a certain gift/trade to the program we will do our best to utilize and empower them in that area (speaking, worship, administration, etc.) Our goal is that after this experience, you will be ready to find a full time staff position at a church or para-church ministry. There are a limited number of LDP positions available. The LDP opportunity is flexible in hours, a minimum of 25 hours a week is required.

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE APRIL 28th. Apply here to begin in Fall 2017.

Compensation

The role requires raising support, but allows the flexibility of also having a part-time job.
Free housing with a staff family may be available on a first-come first-serve basis.
One frisbee golf disc.
Unlimited supply of jelly-bellys, your choice of flavor 🙂

What will I learn?

Assist in leading student ministry at one of our campuses.
Participate in preparing and executing Winter Camp.
Participate as an adult leader on a summer GO! Team.
Assist in recruitment and training of volunteers.
Have a weekly presence on local school campuses.
Be an active mentor for at least one student.
Learn the unique complexities and opportunities of student ministry.

Desired Qualifications/Skills

Must be an active, committed Christ-follower.
At least one year of college or work experience outside high school.
Must have basic computer skills.
Has a passion to serve, interact and be around MS/HS students.
Must be teachable. This program is a learning experience! Do you have a desire to learn?

Desired Strengths/Spiritual Gifts

Leadership
Responsibility
Administration
Personable

About Gateway Church

Gateway Church in beautiful Austin, Texas, is a highly diverse culture, reaching people far from God. Our staff gets to be a part of an amazing movement making a difference in the city and around the globe, living out our values of Come As You Are, Live Connected, Be Transformed and Change Your World. If you’re a fan of ACL, SXSW, year-round sunshine, great Tex-Mex and not ever wearing a tie again, then you get us. We are a church where no perfect people are allowed and we’ve worked hard to create a non-threatening, culturally relevant environment that welcomes anyone and everyone who seek out the claims of Christ. For more information about who we are, head to www.gatewaychurch.com where you can experience our services live streamed, listen to podcasts, learn about our staff and much more.

Ideal candidates are:

College students or post-college emerging leaders
Growing Christ-followers
Have leadership experience
Open to raising support
Will be able to work 25-40 hours per week.

This opportunity is right around the corner, don’t wait too long, space is limited and our next round for LDPs won’t be until Fall of 2017! Apply now. Got questions? Just ask!

The Leadership Development Program – a guest posting by Kristen Johnson

May 6, 2016 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

This is the first guest post on lifeofayouthpastor.com and I could not be more thrilled of who is writing it. Kristen (one of my former students) is awesome at what she does in ministry and has a bright future ahead, if you are at all considering an internship type program you should consider what she has to say. -Chris

Last June I was presented with an opportunity to be in the Leadership Development Program(LDP) at my church, Gateway Church in Austin Texas to work in student ministry. It’s basically been my dream since I graduated high school to intern or be an assistant here. I didn’t even know if I wanted to be in full time ministry for the rest of my life, but I did know that I loved what Gateway was all about and I loved the NextGen team!

We started the year long LDP off in August by going on a retreat to bond as a group, to work on character building, and to take a look at our personality types (myers briggs, and strengthsfinder). After those days with my fellow LDP’s and our leader Shaula, I realized that this was more than the simple internship I thought it would be. It has been an immersive ministry experience with a ton of hands on training, theology classes, mentoring by multiple people in different areas in my life, accountability with the other LDP’s , and spiritual development.

I have had the opportunity to help plan and execute our Winter Camp, help run GO! Teams (mission trips) and participate as an adult leader, go on a scouting trip to El Salvador, and to Orange Conference in Atlanta with my team. On top of all that, each week we have huddles where we get to learn about a variety of topics, from strategic planning and working with volunteers, to evangelism training and how to study the Bible!

So far, this year of being an LDP has been one of my favorite things I’ve done so far in my life! I have been blessed to work primarily under the amazing student pastor, Chris Parker, and also with the rest of the NextGen staff. I have learned so much about myself, ministry, and God’s plan! All the things I have learned this year will not only help me in my future in ministry, but also in all other aspects of my life!

The time commitment is a full year (August-August) in which you can choose to work part time (25 hours) or full time and the hours are consistent with a typical ministry schedule. Depending on your ministry area, you will serve 2-8 hours on Sundays. There is no cost to apply or attend the program. You can either work a part-time job to pay for your living experiences, or you can raise support to cover the cost of rent, food, and other necessities…Gateway will help you walk through this. The program begins in August, so you would need to be able to move to Austin prior to your start date. This year, Welcome Day is August 22nd, and the kick off week includes a retreat for all LDPs. (Read here for more FAQ’s)

If you read this and you are interested at all, with no hesitation, I would encourage you to APPLY! This program is an amazing opportunity to be mentored in all areas of life, learn from the best and make amazing friends!

Apply here before May 9th, to begin in Fall 2016.

Small Group Leaders: Listen before you lead.

April 29, 2016 by Chris Parker 2 Comments

I stood in the courtyard after church one Sunday and saw something that every youth pastor dreams of seeing. The services were over (yes we dream of that haha!) yet an entire middle school boys small group was still hanging out…with their leader. They weren’t “meeting” as a small group, just talking with their leader…not throwing a football, not playing tag, not making farting noises…though this happens most of the time. In this moment theses students were relationally engaged with their leader, looking up to him, and incredibly fixed on him.

What was different about this leader than many of my other leaders? Sure, he was “cool” but even still there was something different in the way these boys just continued in conversation beyond service letting out.

After doing some digging I came to find out that THIS SMALL GROUP LEADER IS A GREAT LISTENER.

He didn’t show up to tell them how to do life better. He didn’t show up to punch a volunteer clock. He certainly didn’t do it to feel better about himself. He wanted to hear, know and empathize with these middle school boys. No doubt, it worked. These boys opened up in a way that I didn’t see other boys opening up. Because these boys knew their small group leader cared more about them as a person rather than pushing an agenda the listening became mutual.

Many small group leaders and even youth pastors are trying to figure out how to “make this small group work” because the kids are way off topic, always making jokes, not respecting the leader, etc. We try to implement rules for the small group, come up with behavior agreements, and even get parents involved to help reinforce the idea of authority. I suggest we begin with listening. If our students/kids are feeling heard I strongly believe they are more likely to listen to the leader during and more importantly AFTER small group is over.

2 things when considering strategy.

April 28, 2016 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

Yesterday I attended a Jon Acuff breakout here at the Orange Conference in Atlanta, he talked about strategy. It was short and sweet, and to the point…with the ~~occasional~~ jokes of course. Jon has a great way of weaving authentic truth into his entertaining messages. I walked away with two nuggets of truth I’d like to share with you.

Strategy forces you to acknowledge the limits.

Many times we believe that the sky is the limit. And guess what? As leaders we are guilty for aiming at the sky. When we don’t hit the sky we’ve been chasing after, we feel as if we have failed. It’s time we consider our strategy and understand it has limits. A strategy encompasses a unique DNA that “should” help us better focus on what we are saying NO to. The word NO can be interpreted as a bad word, an uncomfortable word or even discouraging about what you can’t do. However, when we learn to say NO to good things we will begin to understand what it looks like to acknowledge our limits. This will help us remain faithful to our strategy and execute the desired outcome.

Bigger isn’t better, better is better.

I’ve had the privilege of touring many churches over the past few years. Some with bigger buildings, bigger youth groups, others with bigger budgets and bigger staff. What have I learned? Bigger isn’t better, better is better. The high school ministry I lead is actually historically smaller than back in the hay-day when it was huge. Nonetheless, I’m told often by past leaders, previous students and current staff that our ministry is healthier than it ever was before. Our team has worked hard to put a Christ following adult if not two in the life of every teenager. When you do that, things get better. We also shifted the mentality of not just getting students plugged into a program, we wanted them to be part of something greater. 50% of our students volunteer in the church on Sunday mornings, this helps make our church a better place and gives the student a place to belong in the church beyond high school program. If you are considering simply program attendance you will miss it. Bigger isn’t better, better is better.

Watch Orange Conference LIVE here!

April 27, 2016 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

This week is going to be awesome! What am I looking forward to the most? Glad you asked. The people. There are over 8,000 ministry leaders here who give much of their life to the next generation. The amount of influence in this place is awesome. I look forward to exchanging learnings, failures and successes with other ministry leaders. Want to learn with us this week but couldn’t make it? No worries, check out the LIVE feed here or come back for updates.

If you’re at #OC16 and want to stay connect this week hit me up on Twitter.

Should I become an intern?

February 4, 2016 by Chris Parker 1 Comment

I have friends that have been in school for 25 years non-stop, graduating from high school, attending college, then on to get their masters and even a doctorate! Attending ivey-league schools and graduating top in their class you think they would be ready to conquer the world. Unfortunately, the classroom and textbooks will only cater so much knowledge to the developing brain of someone ready to dive into their calling. Going to school for something is a great foundation to build upon and I believe its necessary but much of school is a repetitive cycle of learning how to learn. When graduating from most schools the diploma basically reads, “We recognize this person has the self discipline to obtain information and practice that information.”

Now, before you get upset about me dismissing your nephew that worked three part-time jobs to get himself through college, I applaud him, I know it’s hard work…I lived it and I believe he will be better because of it. I’m not minimizing the information learned in the classroom, like I said, it’s necessary. What happens after graduation though? Should we be given a job of our choice just because we graduated top in our class? I believe that method has come and gone. Long ago in the 90’s my generation was promised by parents and teachers alike, “Go to college and get your degree so you can have the job of your dreams.”

It happens every single year. I hear a story about a student that is $100k in debt for going to college to study their “dream job” and after graduation they are working at the local grocery store. What?! It never gets old and always surprises me, and I always ask the question…”So what are they going to do?” Many times people shrug and say, “I don’t know.”

Enter the internship model. Interning, shadowing, residency, apprentice work – this mindset has been around since the beginning of time. Sit under the expert you want to learn from and keep learning until they believe you are ready to be on your own. My college offered “internship” programs that were really self selected. You want to be a youth pastor? Pick a church and youth pastor you want to learn from, have them agree to the timeline and get them to sign off on your hours, but it is so much more than that.

An internship is not simply a stepping stone into your job of choice, it’s an opportunity for learning that you will not get in the classroom. Too many students I talk to look at an internship as the final hoop to jump through, the icing on the cake or even a guaranteed position at the company where they are interning. Remember, nothing is guaranteed and the internship is a learning opportunity. So learn, learn, learn! Take notes, ask questions, be available, execute tasks given to you.

I was an intern in my field both prior going to college and post college…oh and during college.

PRE-COLLEGE I was offered an internship my senior year of high school into my freshmen year of college, I took it to see if I really wanted to do what I was feeling called to do. A pre-college internship is a wonderful opportunity to confirm your desires to be a __________. I would highly encourage this option if you can find it before spending loads of your parents money or the money you don’t have on a college education in a field you may eventually despise. I went to the local community college and took care of my basics during my internship.

DURING COLLEGE These are not simply the education years but the networking years. Get to know people that do what you want to do. Begin chasing down leads, take them out to coffee and pick their brain on the vocation they are living out daily. You will begin to see another side to this role you are studying in the classroom. Do they have an opening for custodial work during the week or need someone to greet clients at the front desk? Seize the opportunity. It’s amazing what you can learn about a profession by simply living in that world a few hours out of the week. You never know who you might meet, it could be your future boss.

POST-COLLEGE Perhaps one of the most critical times to intern yet short lived by many. Young professionals want the paycheck and the title. Both will come with time but perhaps the best next step is to find the person you want to learn from. Perhaps you are following in someone’s footsteps, just ask them, “What do you think about me shadowing you for a year?” If they say no, ask them who they might suggest. When you intern for someone or a company you will quickly see that you are taking on a specific DNA of how something is accomplished. Remember, it’s not the only way to do things. Just as much as an internship is learning how to do things it’s also a place to make promises to yourself such as, “I will never do it that way.”

In closing, I hope you find the job of your dreams. I believe if you chase after what you believe you were created to do it will eventually happen with time but time best spent could be learning from someone that is currently living it.

I’m really excited about the opportunity we have for those that are interested in entering into vocational ministry. If you want to be a youth pastor, worship leader, program director, church planter we have a pretty neat program for you. Its a front row seat to the daily life of those on staff at a church, the good bad and ugly.

This is not an internship. It’s so much more. The Leadership Development Program is an immersive ministry experience with mentoring and leadership training. You will do hands-on ministry and work along-side our staff teams and our goal is that after this experience, you will be ready to find a full time staff position at a church or para-church ministry. Come get prepared! To learn more, download the description of the Leadership-Development-Program and then click here to apply!

I am thrilled to be one of those on our staff team that speaks into the future leaders of the church and love sharing my success and failures with those that want to learn. If you are interested in a learning opportunity in Austin, TX this is a great one! I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the leadership development program. Don’t hesitate to reach out!

Finding rest in your role.

January 27, 2016 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

So you are a youth pastor too? Here’s your week. Going from a meeting with a parent to a meeting with a student back into a meeting with a small group leader after that you are discussing trip locations for mission trips, not to mention that message you need to work on for this weekend, oh and don’t forget about that birthday party you were invited to! Am I accurate in describing this? This is just a standard week in the life of a youth pastor.

Last weekend we had our winter camp. This camp was bucket loads of fun jam packed with long days of worship, camp activities and typical camp shenanigans like random yeti sightings. Although most of the weekend went along without any surprises I was exhausted the days following camp.

Thankfully we agreed as a team that the following day would be an off day, making no appearance in the office and do what you need to do to get rested up. I took the last couple of days to refresh physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Be a couch potato. Most of the time this is frowned upon and anyone that knows me would know I spend very little time watching TV. I’m usually busy with my hands in the garage or doing yard work. The day after camp I literally sat in the same chair almost all day playing a video game and watching some documentaries on Netflix. This allowed for some serious introvert time that was needed post camp.
Go on a walk. Just a quick 20 minute walk through the park by my house allowed me to clear my mind and give space to think about what the next few days needed to look like for a full recovery.
Devotional & Prayer. Currently I’ve been reading and re-reading the Circle Maker prayer devotional, it’s great! Reading this along with scripture and just sitting in silence listening to God is a great exercise anytime, but especially after a loud weekend.
Date my wife. Whether it be to our favorite Tex-Mex spot for nachos, a train ride downtown for sushi or a night in at home, I just love spending time with Calla. We share so many experiences together, including many winter camps. She’s my partner in crime and I can’t imagine doing life without her.
Organize. I do find rest in organizing my garage. I do a lot of projects in our home and for friends, most of those projects are spent using tools and time in the garage. The more organized my garage is the more apt I am to begin and finish a project within a realistic time frame. I become easily frustrated when I begin asking myself the question, “Where is the….”
Into the wild. My backyard is the Texas Hill Country. Within 30 minutes I can get off the beaten path and into the woods, hike alongside a river, explore a canyon, try my best to catch a fish or identify a plant species I’m unfamiliar with. I feel most in touch with my creator when I get away from it all and observe the natural beauty of the wilderness that He has created.
Mix it up. Doing something completely out of the context of your norm is healthy and can bring a refreshing perspective, it’s a vacation from the daily routine. If you do life in the suburbs, go downtown. Haven’t been to a museum since you were in elementary, visit one. Grab a coffee with an old friend you haven’t talked with in a long time.

How do you rest? Share your best rest practices in the comment section!

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Make a list and check it twice. Event planning in ministry.

December 23, 2015 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

We have 325 kids/students and 100 adult leaders registered for 2016 Winter Camp. Each year we are growing in attendance by 20%…it’s really fun to watch this thing take off!

Four months ago we launched registration for our winter camp. On August 23, we offered up a family BBQ and open house where parents could hear the vision from our NextGen team and meet their child’s small group leader. As a bonus, incentive, bribe…we promised a promo code to all that attended. This promo code would be good for $25 off of the camp price.

It worked. Really well.

Parents and students showed up in droves, we had almost 1,000 people show up. We had a short program that was jam packed with high energy music and a compelling vision moment from our NextGen pastor, Kenny Conley.

Our team made a decision this year to be finished with “camp stuff” before Christmas. Well, with a few changes on our staff team and one being out with a baby for a few months we slowed down a little bit but we almost did it. In reviewing our project plan we are 85-90% there. We will come back from our week off of work ready to knock it out, but most of the heavy lifting is finished!

When you decide to aim for a due date on any project take this into consideration:

Pick a reasonable due date. If it’s something as big as a camp start planning 5-6 months out.
Work as a team. Assign tasks and sub-tasks to each person on your staff or volunteer team.
Each task or sub-task has it’s own due date to keep things moving along.
Check-in weekly. Pick a time each week to review the checklist, where are you stuck?
Keep this updated in google docs where others can see progress or lack thereof.
Assign one person to be the project manager. This naturally can be the boss/supervisor but someone else on your team may be a better fit because of how they are wired.

My next post will be a step by step checklist with tasks and subtasks that should be helpful for any camp/retreat.

Crunching Numbers. How do you (or your boss) rate attendance?

November 11, 2015 by Chris Parker 2 Comments

It happens at every church. The moment your senior pastor or supervisor asks you one of these questions:

“How many students do we have coming to program?”
“How many students attend on a weekly basis?”
“How many students regularly attend?”
“How many students are fully engaged?”
“What are our numbers for high school?”
“What are our current numbers for middle school?”

While many of these questions have a similar feel to them, they indeed are DIFFERENT questions. If your boss or senior pastor ask one of the above questions you might feel stuck or unfairly represented by answering that one question. Help them clarify their question by answering more questions that should be asked.

My high school ministry is most misrepresented by simply observing a weekly attendance report. If I were to answer the question, “How many high school students attended this week?” I would be forced to answer, [Read more…]

Checking for leaks in your ministry.

October 21, 2015 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

I’m in the trenches of dumping money into my truck for maintenance issues. At this point I’m ready to wipe my hands clean and start again with another vehicle, which will come with it’s own problems I’m sure…sadly that’s how cars are unless you can buy a new one every year. So, how did I know my truck needed maintenance?

The leak.

I spotted it one evening after an oil change. Thinking it was residual oil I kept an eye on the leak…it got bigger overnight. A day or two after watching it and looking for the source I found it was something bigger, which lead to another repair needing to be made. I think you might see where I’m going with this so I’ll jump out of the analogy and speak straightforward as a pastor and leader overseeing many.

I’m in the people business. Just as a mechanic knows cars because they have been around their fair share of vehicles, I know people. In student ministry I deal with teenagers, college aged leaders, adult leaders and parents…pretty much the entire gamut. When you work daily with various age groups you are constantly troubleshooting problems, re-arranging leaders, consoling a depressed student, or listening to an irate parent. What do all of these people have in common? Maintenance and maintenance indicators. Just as a warning light would display low fuel, or low tire pressure, people do the same thing.

Observing a leak or warning light is one thing, identifying the source of the problem and fixing it is entirely different. That takes work and experience. We need to roll up our sleeves and get under the hood constantly to identify the leaks in our ministry. If a leader [Read more…]

Life of a youth pastor .

Subscribe