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

March 29, 2017 by Chris Parker 1 Comment

opportunity

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!

Filed Under: Church Planting, Leadership, Student Ministry Tagged With: apply, ldp, leadership development program, training

The Leadership Development Program – a guest posting by Kristen Johnson

May 6, 2016 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

sea-of-fish-leadership-1940x900_34782

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.

Filed Under: Leadership Tagged With: internship, Kristen, ldp

Should I become an intern?

February 4, 2016 by Chris Parker 1 Comment

 

hireme

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.

internship1

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.

strugglebus

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!

Filed Under: Church Planting, Leadership, Uncategorized Tagged With: church staff, intern, ldp, leadership, learning

An answer to prayer – the Gateway Leadership Development Program.

September 10, 2015 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

LDP1

It is my privilege to announce that on the tenth day in September in the two thousand and fifteenth year of our Lord that a leadership development program started at Gateway Church in Austin, TX! I’ve been waiting since I came on staff for this…over the past few months as this program was discussed and approved I quickly began searching for some potential LDPs that may want to spend a year learning in student ministry, as this kind of opportunity greatly shaped who I am today.

They are here now and I couldn’t be happier! Kristen Johnson (a former student of mine and current Moody Bible student) and Kelli Woody (a die hard Kamp Kanakuk counselor) will be joining the student ministry staff and volunteers for a year.

Learning will be had by all the LDPs in the various ministry areas at Gateway along with all of their managers. This will be a first for me…it seems like I’ve always been the intern or in a program but I’m excited to teach what I can and share with them in the learning experience this year.

Here’s the neatest part. One of the things I’ve been trusting God for this year and fervent in prayer was for another full-time staff for student ministry…well in some ways he gave me two. Yes, I’m still praying that we can hire another full-time staff in the near future but for now I’m ecstatic these two ladies will be joining our ministry this year.  Welcome Kelli and Kristen!

If you want to read more about the opportunity here, the door will open back up in Spring for applications for the following school year.

Filed Under: Church Planting, Leadership, Student Ministry Tagged With: intern, ldp, leader, leadership, stumin, youthmin

Hey there, my name is Chris. I wake up every morning thinking youth ministry. If you are in the same boat, then I know you will identify with me, because you also live the life of a youth pastor .

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