Volunteer Application Process November 1, 2006

Before applying:

1) Contact the ministry or respond to an invitation to apply

2) Set-up a time to observe the ministry and observe the ministry

If interested after observing:

3) Meet with the youth pastor and discuss the following: mission and vision, values, policies, expectations, job descriptions, and the application

4) Complete the application and send out three reference forms

5) Complete the criminal background check

6) Once the application and reference forms are received and the background check is completed you will be contacted set up an interview

7) Interview with the youth pastor, Maria Drews, and a member of the Youth Advisory Board

8 ) Spend a week in prayer while considering the ministry

If accepted:

9) Go over job descriptions at the second meeting and follow-up on any questions from the application

10) Sign the commitment form

11) Begin one month shadowing period and leadership training

We believe this application process should be like an open and honest conversation so please voice your questions, thoughts, and concerns along the way. If there is important information you remember that wasn’t shared in the application or the interview, please contact us and let us know. We know this may seem like a long process but stick in there! We greatly appreciate your time and diligence throughout this process.

 

Interview Questions October 24, 2006

Want to join the team at the Journey Coffeehouse? Here is a list of possible interview questions:

How did your observation go? Do you have any questions about the ministry or what you saw during your time with the Journey Ministries? This question will clear up any of the applicants questions before we get started and my help the interviewer gage their comfort level with the ministry.

What made you interested in working with this ministry? To learn what motivated them to help with the ministry and understand where they might best serve within the ministry.

Can you tell me about your church background? To know how long they have been involved in the church, what their church background was like growing up (and their opinion of it), and what their denominational background is.

How are you involved in the church? To find out how committed they are to the church and how they are being supported it in.

I would love to get to know you a little more. Tell me your faith story. This question will give me a deeper understanding of the applicant and see how prepared they are to minister to youth.

Follow up questions (if the story seems incomplete): When did you become a Christian? How did you become a Christian? How did you change when you became a Christian?

How has your faith changed over the past two years? This question will show if the applicant is growing, if they are struggling, and if their current faith is a recent turn or has been relatively stable for years.

What are you currently doing to keep your faith strong and growing? What people and activities do you have in your life to assist you? This question will show what the applicants current faith is like, if they are committed to growing, and show if they will have spiritual support while ministering.

Have you ever been mentored or in a small group? If so, how was the experience? This question will reveal if they would be a good small group leader and if they have had the benefits of a positive small group experience.

Can you tell me more about your previous ministry experiences? What did you do at each? What did you like/dislike at each one? This question will reveal any experience that may help them while working with the youth ministry. It will also put up a red flag if they have moved around a lot between ministries.

If they have been involved in a lot of ministries: Why did you move on from those ministries? Will show if they had issues with ministries in the past.

Outside of the church, do you have any experience working with teens? Will show if they have relevant experience with youth they will be useful in the youth ministry.

Do you have experience in or enjoy event planning, organizing logistics or technical support? This question will show if they may fit into the ministry in supportive positions.

Have you ever worked at a coffeeshop before? Since much of the ministry will take place at the Journey Coffeehouse, this question will show if they could work as a barista or volunteer barista.

What do you think will be the easiest or most enjoyable part of volunteering with the Journey? This question will reveal some of their gifts and where they see themselves fitting into the ministry.

What do you think will be the most challenging part of volunteering with the Journey? This question may bring out some of their weaknesses or throw up red flags about issues they may have.

What are some of the major time commitments in your life, such as work, school, kids, volunteering, etc? This question will reveal more about the applicant’s life, how they spend their time, and how much time they can give to the ministry.

Students tend to learn not only from what you say but also from what you do. What positive things could they pick up from you? What things would you rather they not learn from you? This question will reveal some of the applicant’s good and bad habits and their realization that students will learn from their actions.

When working with students some of our past or current life experiences negatively affect our ministry to youth. Is there anything that may affect your ministry such as alcohol, drug use, abuse, depression or other issues for you or in your family? This question will show any unresolved issues in their life that may affect their ministry.

-Finally, I’m going to give you some scenarios and you can tell me what you would do in each of them.- These questions would show their views on different topics, their sensitivity in handling tough situations, and their readiness for youth ministry.
What would you do if a student revealed to you that they were homosexual or were exploring homosexuality?

What would you do if you found out another leader in the ministry was having extramarital/premarital sex?

What would you do if another leader in the ministry was using alcohol or tobacco around students or talking to them about their alcohol/tobacco use?

What would you do if a student shared with you that they were being or had been physically or sexually abused?

What would you do if a student asked you about your experience with drugs, intoxication, sex, or any illegal activity and you have had experience with it in the past?

Volunteer Application Forms October 24, 2006

Please print and fill out the following application forms:

Introduction Letter
The Application Process
Ministry Overview
Leader Expectations
Reducing the Risk of Abuse
The Application
Reference Form- print 3

Volunteer Job Descriptions October 24, 2006

After Class Volunteer:

Your Mission: To build long-term relationships with students who attend After School that will serve and encourage them, help them understand and grow in the Christian faith, and connect them to the Journey community and discipleship opportunities (such as mentoring or bible studies).

We need volunteers to minister during our After School Ministry. (For a quick description click here.) Volunteers will work with 6th-12th grade students and are primarily focused on building long-term relationships with the students who come to the Journey Coffeehouse during that time. Volunteers will spend this time building relationships with students through playing games, talking, and assisting with homework. Volunteers are also responsible for nurturing community at the Journey Coffeehouse by introducing students to one another, leading inclusive activities were students can get to know each other, helping students reconcile when conflict develops, and initiating provoking conversation with groups of students. Because we are committed to building a strong community, we also ask that you mentor two or three students and spend time with them outside of After School at least twice a month. Mentoring students means encouraging them, spending time with them, walking through life and faith together, and spending time with their friends and family. Mentoring can also include bible study, coaching and helping them minister to their peers.

Volunteer Qualifications and Commitments:

• volunteers must be post-high school age
• go through the volunteer application process
• available to consistently volunteer at After School two days a week (and will contact Maria Drews at least three days in advance if unable to come to regular After School day)
• willingness to take initiative in building relationships with students
• building mentoring relationships with two or three students (this includes meeting outside of the After Class time at least twice a month)
• committed to relational evangelism (see Philosophy of Evangelism here)
• attends all volunteer training sessions (see schedule here)

Volunteer Barista:

Your Mission: To create a safe and welcoming place at the Journey Coffeehouse by building relationships with students and parents who come in, being available to students who need someone to talk to, and inviting students to the programs and events of the Journey Ministries.

Help two ministries at once! As a volunteer barista you will be trained as a barista at the Journey Coffeehouse and will serve customers during regularly scheduled shifts each week. Although you will be serving customers, your primary responsibility is being available to students and parents who come in to the Journey Coffeehouse throughout your shift. You will always work with a paid barista during your shifts allowing you to step away from the counter and spend time with students and parents. When it is slow volunteer baristas can step away from the counter and work on homework, read, and relax at the coffeehouse. Volunteer baristas will never be asked to open, close, or do major cleaning/stocking tasks around the coffeehouse. And an added bonus: you get free drinks during your volunteer shift! Because we are committed to building a strong community, we also ask that you mentor two or three students and spend time with them outside of After School at least twice a month. Mentoring students means encouraging them, spending time with them, walking through life and faith together, and spending time with their friends and family. Mentoring can also include bible study, coaching and helping them minister to their peers.

Qualifications and Commitments:

• volunteers must be post-high school age
• go through the volunteer application process
• available to consistently volunteer during weekly scheduled shift(s) (and will contact Maria Drews at least three days in advance if unable to cover a scheduled shift)
• willingness to take initiative in building relationships with students and parents who come into the coffeehouse
• know all of the programs and events going on at the Journey Coffeehouse and boldly invite students to attend the programs and events that may fit them
• be available to answer questions about the Journey Ministries, programs, and upcoming events and know who to refer people to for more information
• sees building relationships as their primary focus, not serving drinks
• committed to relational evangelism (see Philosophy of Evangelism here)
• willing to complete first aid and CPR training
• building mentoring relationships with two or three students (this includes meeting outside of the After Class time at least twice a month)
• attends all volunteer training sessions (see schedule here)

Our Commitment to Our Volunteers:

You serve our students and families and in return we are committed to serving you! We realize that you need the right training and care to be able to minister to our students, so we are committed to doing the following:

• providing once-a-month training sessions that will give you tools and information to help you minister
• receive further training one-on-one as requested
• offer opportunities to attend a leadership retreat twice a year and CORE training once a year
• paying for most ministry events and offering scholarships for larger events (such as retreats and mission trips) that may not be completely subsidized
• meet on-one-on monthly to check in on you and your ministry to students
• be available to meet beyond that whenever you need to talk about issues that come up while ministering or have questions
• provide healthy options in times of personal need when you feel you may need a break from ministering (and a commitment to walk with you during that time so you can return to the ministry when ready)
• provide resources such as access to the church’s youth ministry and leadership library and other materials as requested
• help you find spiritual care through First Church such as bible studies, pastoral counseling, and prayer
• pray for you and be available for specific prayer requests (both personal and for your ministry)

All volunteers will be overseen by Maria Drews, the youth pastor at First Church, and further overseen by the Youth Advisory Committee and the senior pastor of First Church.

Recruitment Plan October 24, 2006

In youth ministry it is all too easy to become desperate for volunteer leaders and begin taking anyone who is willing to help at the last minute. Desperately searching for volunteers can create dangerous situations for students and poor team chemistry between the leaders. We believe that God has already called and gifted members of the church community to lead youth and our recruitment process tries to find them and match them with the right ministering positions. We trust that God will provide us with volunteer leaders and has called us to empower and train those leaders so they can use their gifts within the Journey Ministries.

We take the following steps to recruit volunteer leaders:

1. Gather a recruitment team of 2-4 seasoned leaders. These leaders should have served with the ministry for at least a year and display leadership of other leaders within the ministry. The team can also consist of high school students involved in Revolution. The team should be committed to prayer and building a healthy leadership team. The purpose of the team is to prevent the “urgency” a youth minister may feel and to reach more potential volunteers through relationships. The youth minister will still oversee and support the recruitment team.
2. spend time in prayer. The team needs to pray for the ministry, asking God to lead them to the volunteers he has prepared, and pray for themselves, that they may be trusting and discerning in the recruitment process.
3. spend time talking to the community. the team should talk to their friends at church and as many people in the church as possible. in informal conversations they should ask “Do you or someone you know enjoy adolescents and may make a good volunteer leader in the youth ministry?” Anyone may be a great volunteer leader, so the team shouldn’t target just college students or young adults but should be willing to talk to even the most unlikely members of the community. Even parents and grandparents can make great leaders! The team should collect a list of names and be careful not to exclude any suggestions.
4. ask students in the ministry if they have any suggestions for volunteer leaders. The adolescents may have the best suggestions; they know which adults in the community enjoy spending time with them or caring for them. Over a week or two ask the bible study leaders to spend a little time asking students for suggestions of possible leaders and give the suggestions to the recruitment team.
5. communicate the call for volunteers to the entire church community. There may be possible or eager volunteers that don’t get suggested through relationships within the community, especially in a large church such as First Church. It is important to let the entire church know the youth ministry is looking for volunteers. Several announcements and fliers can communicate the same question the recruitment team asked, “Do you or anyone you know enjoy adolescents and may make a good volunteer leader in the youth ministry?” The recruitment team’s contact information should be given to the church so they may suggest volunteers.
6. spend time talking to church leaders. the team should go to different leaders within the church, both paid staff and volunteer leaders, and ask them if they know any potential youth leaders. The church leaders should also look over the list of suggested volunteers and share any concerns they may have about the possible volunteers. If church leaders share a lot of concerns about a potential volunteer, consider removing them from the list.
7. meet with potential volunteers. The recruitment team should set-up informal meetings with the suggested volunteers. These meetings can be a few minutes before or after church, going out for a cup of coffee, or even a phone meeting. One or two members of the recruitment team should meet with each potential volunteer. The meeting should let the potential volunteers know (1) they have been identified for their potential and gifts for working with youth, (2) a little about the Journey Ministries, (3) that there are a large variety of ways they can volunteer, and (4) how they could really make a difference in an adolescent’s life by volunteering.
8. Invite interested potential volunteers to begin the application process. If, during the meeting, the potential volunteer becomes interested in volunteering or learning more about the ministry, the recruitment team should invite them to set up a time to come observe the ministry with the youth minister. They should get a brochure that gives more information about the ministry and the contact information of the youth minister. Encourage them to spend time in prayer and talking to their family about the possibility of volunteering before setting up an observation time. Also, let them know that there is no obligation to apply if they observe the ministry and find out it is not a good fit for them.
9. potential volunteers have now entered the application process. After contacting the youth minister to set up an observation time they now become the responsibility of the youth minister and the youth advisory board. The recruitment team can now move on to other potential volunteers.

The recruitment team is active year-round. They have a recruitment season in August and early September where they take a bigger initiative to find potential volunteers by talking to more people and sending the call out to the whole church. The bigger recruitment initiative happens at the beginning of the new ministry year to find replacement volunteers for those who may have left at the end of the past ministry year or summer. But the recruitment team is active year-round, talking to members of the church community and meeting new people, trying to find who may make a good volunteer leader. Potential volunteers can start the application any time during the year, not only the early Fall.

(some ideas for the recruitment process were taken from “Purpose Driven Youth Minstry” by Doug Fields and “Contemplative Youth Ministry” by Mark Yaconelli)