Finding and Training a Youth Minister for your Church

Youth Minister Search Package

Ephesians 4:12 "To prepare God's people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up..." 

One of the most challenging and time-consuming tasks a church may face is the hiring of staff. And, the choice of a leader is one of the key shaping influences in the health, depth, and continuity of a ministry.

Does this sound familiar? "Recently we hired a Director of Youth Ministry.  He lasted a week, had no concept of appropriate behavior, did not take direction, and was focused on himself rather than God.  We are ready to start another search but are leery, because a two-year search brought us a dud that has fractured the youth ministry.  It is so hard to do a 'nation-wide search' and really know anything about the person you will trust your kids to.  Can you help??"
    
Tentmakers has acquired 30 years of experience in assisting churches to successfully hire youth ministry staff. In fact, four hundred and eleven churches have successfully hired staff through Tentmakers in the past 10 years alone!  And by utilizing our training and support network, the retention rates have surpassed the national average two-fold.  Let Tentmakers’ expertise in planning, recruitment, training, and follow-up assist your church as you seek to strengthen your youth ministry program.

Here’s How It Works:

We will do a national search on your church’s behalf to successfully find, screen, and hire a youth ministry staff member who meets your satisfaction. There is no meter running on our partnership. We will stay with you for as long as it takes for you to have a successful hire.

One year guarantee: If the person leaves within the first twelve months—regardless of the reason—Tentmakers will conduct a search for a new person.
  

The Details:

A representative from Tentmakers will be assigned to your church and will maintain communication with you throughout the entire process.

Tentmakers will:

• Develop your church profile that will clarify what you’re really looking for in a youth minister candidate. We will search for either full-time OR part-time positions.
• Save you time by providing a resource book containing tools to assist you in the hiring process, including sample applications, reference forms, interviewing guide, and employment contract.
• Help you to advertise your position and expand your network in order to generate as many prospects as possible. This includes listing your position on high visibility internet sites.
• Pre-screen all inquiries for your job opening in order to identify those candidates who most closely match your needs, ensuring that you focus your search committee’s time and energy where it counts.
• Keep working with your church for as long as it takes for you to have a successful hire.
• Conduct a criminal background check and sexual misconduct check on your final candidate.
• Equip you to conduct an effective three-month performance review for your new youth minister.
• If within 12 months of service your youth minister leaves—regardless of the reason—Tentmakers will conduct a search for a new person.

"Tentmakers went to work for us to help us find the right person...Even though the odds were against us, the consultants prayerfully selected a person who appeared to them to be the ‘best match’ for us...we agreed unanimously to invite her to come as our youth director. When we first began to get to know [her], I was moved to awe and stunned gratitude that God had been so incredibly kind to us in sending someone so gifted, so committed to Christ, and so right for our congregation."
    -Pastor Greg Creech, Findlay, OH

Qualities We Look For:
Tentmakers recruiters search year-round for potential youth minister candidates who meet the following criteria:

• at least 21 years of age
• four-year college degree preferred
• experience and aptitude in leadership and ministry
• a desire to serve the local church
• a calling to draw young people closer to Christ Jesus
• a solid Christ-centered faith and identity
• a love for Christ Jesus and for people

 A representative from Tentmakers will be assigned to your church and will maintain communication with you throughout the entire process.

Plus, at no additional cost:

• Joshua Leadership Institute for Youth Ministry —for your youth minister
• Youth Ministry Management Plan —a strategic process for congregationally-owned, intentional, team-led ministry. (There is an additional cost for travel expenses for facilitating this process at your church.)

You have one full year from the time your youth minister is hired to utilize your training options. In fact, you may begin using these benefits immediately, even though the 12-month period doesn’t officially start until you have successfully hired a youth minister. As an example, our strong recommendation is to develop your Youth Ministry Management Plan before you hire. We would be happy to discuss the benefits with you.

Your church provides:

A search committee (or youth board/team) who will coordinate the search, arrange interviews, and conduct the final hiring. A contact person from the committee or board should be designated to maintain communication with your Tentmakers representative. Keep in mind you will have expenses relating to interviewing candidates.