Advisory group for community youth work

Goals

• Supervising the children's, youth, teen, and youth ministry staff
• Deepen connection with the community and among leaders of each level

1. Composition of the Counselor

The counselor is a born-again Christian with much understanding of youth ministry. He has a pastoral vein, is spiritually mature, and is willing to help. He has a relationship of trust with the leaders. The counselors are requested and used by the church leadership and the leaders of the group(s). We think of a group of about 4-5 people. For example, a younger couple (with experience in youth work or working in an educational profession), the person in charge of the department from the church leadership, former leaders, parents (with children attending one or more groups) would have favorable qualifications.

2. Main tasks of the advisory board

Spiritual and pastoral care, sharing and discussion opportunities for leaders. The regular meetings are primarily for spiritual direction:

• Encourage and maintain personal contact through phones, conversations, dinners with individual leaders, follow-up, open house, pastoral care, etc.
• Prayer, specifically and regularly for each leader and any problems
• Promoting the gifts of the individual (encouraging training, encouraging creativity
• Develop "Gschpüri" for "buttons" and needs
• Mediate and help with crises in the leadership team
• Aiding and advising in the search for new leaders

1. Advising, encouraging and correcting the leadership teams in practical and spiritual matters:
   
   Many of our yet majority young workers are in desperate need of counseling and encouragement if they are not to break down in their work. The emphasis here is on advice and encouragement, not correction, though this is needed from time to time. The spiritual life of the group should become a personal concern (follow-up work, spiritual growth of the individual and the group, fellowship in the group committed life of the individuals, leader/group relationship and vice versa)
   1. Leaders are to be helped to see the big picture of Jesus' church out of their often too narrow horizon of their own work
   2.  Evaluate recent programs (experiences, mistakes, positives, etc.). Letting the leaders tell
   3. New programs should be discussed together before they are released, for the purpose of coordination with the overall church youth ministry
   4. Future: further planning and long-term goals, coordination with other church ministries, youth development, what "reputation" does the group have in the community and world
   5. Special occasions such as evangelistic outreach, training, promotions, family services, camps, weekends, movies, parent contacts, festivals, etc.
   6. Discuss problems as they arise
   7. New impulses and impulses
      
       
2. Participating and bringing youth concerns to the congregation:
   1. Orientating the church leadership and pastor/preacher
   2. Representing youth ministry concerns (ages 1-25) to church leadership
   3. Orienting in the congregation (if not done by the leader)
   4. Promote congregational concerns in children's, youth and young adult ministry
   5. Clear and monitor finances
   6. Procure materials and space
   7. Promote leader training and continuing education through the church
   8. Leader referral to congregational leadership

3. Advisory Group Meetings

The Advisory Group meets with the leaders of the group(s) at least quarterly if possible. Depending on circumstances, location, and concerns that arise, the meeting may be held with all group leaders together or with the leadership team of each group. It would probably make most sense to have a mixed format, so that the advisory group meets once with everyone together and the other time with each leadership team individually. However, some of the above concerns cannot be sufficiently considered in the quarterly meetings. Appropriate individual contacts are therefore necessary and complementary.

4. concretization

• Personal review and let it go through the heart and head
• Separate working through in church leadership and in the individual leadership teams of the different age levels
• Create joint proposal from leadership teams and forward to church leadership for review
• The church leadership decides on further steps

Source reference:

Content: Annual focus 1993 "Community", Peter Blaser, Siegfried Nüesch, Martin Bihr, Hansruedi Tanner, Ueli Obrist, Johannes Wallmeroth, Peter Schulthess

Copyright: www.besj.ch

Cover: Clipart courtesy of buch+musik ejw-service gmbh, Stuttgart - www.ejw-buch.de