Student Director/Pastor
Local Church Dawson

Status: Full-Time | Reports to: Lead Pastor
Direct Reports: Volunteer Leaders
Partners With: Next-Gen Team, Location Staff, Other Local Church Student Pastors

Purpose:
To execute the vision and direction of Local Church Dawson while building and leading a healthy & thriving student ministry that leads 6th-12th grade students Follow Jesus, Find Their People, and Live on Mission. The Student Director/Pastor leads with passion, disciples with intention, and creates weekly and seasonal experiences that shape the next generation of Christ-centered leaders.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide spiritual and directional leadership for Local Students Dawson (Grades 6–12).

• Create weekly student gatherings that are fun, welcoming, rooted in biblical teaching and have space for discipleship.

• Build a strong & healthy volunteer culture: recruit, train/equip, develop, care for, and celebrate volunteer leaders.

• Lead the small group strategy that fosters authentic relationships and intentional discipleship.

• Shepherd students through key moments: salvation, baptism, leadership steps, hard seasons, questions, doubts, hurts, decisions and more.

• Communicate consistently and effectively with parents to build trust, alignment, and partnership in their student’s spiritual journey.

• Champion a safe (physically and socially) and high-energy environment where every student feels seen, known, and loved.

• Steward the student ministry budget with integrity and intentionality.

• Plan and execute impactful events and trips, such as: Camps, Retreats, Serve Days, Outreach events, and student involvement on Sundays.

• Collaborate with:

  • Local Kids Team for smooth transitions from 5th to 6th grade.

  • Other Location Student Pastors to stay aligned in vision, culture and best practices.

  • The Next Gen team for shared strategy and support.

• Create opportunities for students to serve and lead (on Sundays, in small groups, and within their schools and communities).

• Stay engaged in student culture and ministry trends to remain effective.

• Be planted in the heart of the community to build relationships and influence within the community, schools and other organizations.

Ideal Candidate:

• Has a genuine love for Jesus and a heart to see students follow Him for a lifetime.

• Naturally connects with teenagers and enjoys being in their world (yes, even the awkward, loud, or quiet ones).

• Leads with both confidence and humility across generations: comfortable on a stage and impactful in a one-on-one.

• Energized by building and developing high-capacity volunteer teams to better care for and equip students.

• Emotionally intelligent and steady. Able to navigate student dynamics, partner with parents, while leading and supporting volunteers…all with wisdom and a shepherd’s heart.

• Organized with attention to detail (naturally organized, learned to be organized or has systems in place to be organized).

• Able to execute engaging services and events with intentional planning, anticipatory preparation, team involvement and meaningful follow-up.

• Thrives in a team culture and desires to add value to other teams and the overall church.

• Excited to learn! Not just teachable and coachable but seeks out feedback and is eager to learn and own their personal development.

• A self-starter who sees problems and owns the solution through collaboration, creativity and resilience.

• Enough experience to have a plan but humble enough to learn the culture, context and community to adjust.

• Effective communicator: onstage and in-person, conversations and sermons, emails and social media, encouragements and vision-casting.

Ideal Mindset:

• Longevity: Student ministry is not just about big moments but it's consistently building faith that lasts well beyond graduation.

• Relationally Driven: Discipleship flows from real connections, consistency and proximity: prioritize knowing students and empowering leaders who do the same.

• Theologically Grounded and Culturally Aware: Stay curious and engaged with student culture while staying grounded in biblical truth in order to lead students in and to truth.

• Team-Oriented: Ministry is better together: link arms with the staff team, volunteer leaders, and parents.

• Developing Leaders: Ministry is not what we do but what we give away and what we invite others into. Student ministry requires inviting volunteers into the ministry to do the work of the ministry and lead students to fully follow Jesus.

• A shepherd’s heart: We do what we do because we care for students and desire to pastor them. This isn’t about platforms and popularity but shepherding with compassion.