Vacancies

Youth Mission Enabler

Role Description & Person Specification

Employer: Wigan Deanery Trust

Salary range: £24,000 to £26,000 p.a. (full time) based on experience

Contract:  Two Roles available:

One Maternity Cover from June/July 2024 to Summer 2025

One vacancy August 2024 to August 2025

Hours: Full Time (37.5 hours)

Hours of work: Typically Sunday – Thursday with possible evening work

Location of workplace: Church Wigan – location to be agreed

Holidays: 25 days + bank holidays

Reports to:  WNG (Wigan Next Generation) Portfolio Holder

Application by CV and Cover letter.

If you have experience of helping young people become followers of Jesus and feel called to join in the mission of Church Wigan, we’re offering a unique and exciting opportunity. Our vision is to see young people between the ages of 11-29 become lifelong disciples of Jesus. The Youth Mission Enabler will play a key role in this essential, exciting, and challenging Wigan-wide mission.

The successful applicant will be part of the Next Generation Team, leading pioneering mission to young people aged 11-29. Embedded in local Hubs of Church Wigan, the Youth Mission Enabler will be involved in discipleship and outreach in local schools, the community, and the Church. We need courageous innovators to help Hubs grow in effective outreach to younger generations, build teams of passionate volunteers with a heart for the next generation, and plant new worship communities that help facilitate mission, community, and discipleship.

Context

The Anglican Benefice of Wigan, known as ’Church Wigan,’ is praying and working to see through Jesus: transformed people, transformed places.

It serves over 200,000 people in and around Wigan. Its innovative approach holds a diversity of traditional worshipping communities and new mission and justice activities together in unity and is encouraging the emergence of an exciting culture of discipleship and pioneering.

As part of the Wigan Next Generation team, the Youth Mission Enabler will work with volunteers and young people within an existing or emerging Next Generation focussed worshipping community to pioneer an innovative and thriving youth ministry.  Alongside this, the post holder will cultivate a growing schools ministry, as part of the Wigan Next Generation objective to see ninety new disciples aged 11-29, engaging in worship communities in Wigan.

The Wigan Deanery Trust (https://wigandeanerytrust.org/) is the charity that resources Church Wigan and employs its officers and workers, including Next Generation team members.       

Purpose of role:

The role involves:

• Building teams of volunteers to lead, develop and support local outreach and discipleship through dynamic and creative programmes of youth ministry which support and encourage young people to explore and grow in faith, to live a Spirit-led life, and become active members of a local worshipping community.
• As part of the Wigan Next Generation Team create opportunities for young people to hear about Jesus and engage with Christian discipleship by delivering an effective schools ministry with local schools establishing school-based worship communities.
• Create connected outreach events and discipleship opportunities for young people to engage in community and ultimately leading them into the life of the church.
• Support the planting and growth of Church Wigan next generation focussed worshipping communities.
• Support the wider Next Generations Team and Wigan wide youth initiatives.
• Drive recruitment and coaching of volunteer team.

• Operates within the Church Wigan safeguarding system.

Responsibilities of this role:

Relationships

• Working with the Next Generation portfolio lead and the Next Generation Team to develop and deliver a Wigan wide youth strategy.
• The Youth Mission Enabler is embedded in the worshipping life of Church Wigan, in particular a local Next Generation focused worship community.
• Leads the recruitment, training and coaching and coordination of the local youth volunteer team.
• To work collaboratively with local schools and other youth workers in Wigan.
• Working with the Brighter School of Discipleship (BSD) Coordinator to recruit new BSD students, creating effective mission opportunities for BSD students to gain experience of outreach.
• To assist with building good relationships between those involved in working with young people in school, in church and in community.
• Link with the Liverpool Next Generation team to share learning, best practice and resources.

Safeguarding and compliance

• To ensure all the activities are fully safeguarded and assessed for risk.
• Oversee all child protection, organising training and DBS checks for Youth teams.
• Communicate with diocesan team regarding safeguarding training and protocols and ensure that effective administration and compliant record keeping is maintained for all aspects of the work.

General

• Recruiting, training and supporting volunteers to deliver high quality youth outreach and discipleship opportunities for young people in school, in community and in the local next generation worship community.
• Working in local Primary feeder schools building relationships with Y6 pupils through groups and transition work and subsequently creating safe landing places for them on the transition to High School.
• Implement a coordinated High School mission with the Next Generation team that will allow opportunity for more young people to hear about Jesus and engage with Christian discipleship. This will involve building a ‘missional pathway’ within High School, leading to a growing and thriving worship community in school and providing opportunities to engage in community outreach activities and to become part of wider church life. An example of a missional pathway:

• Working in partnership with the next generation focussed worship community, plan, develop, manage, and deliver the Sunday youth programme and midweek outreach and discipleship activities for young people (10+ and over).
• Develop creative ways for young people to engage with Church Wigan’s community outreach activities.
• Deliver face-to-face ministry with young people.
• Ensure that effective administration and record keeping is maintained for all aspects of the work.

Person Specification

There is a genuine occupational requirement for this role to be filled by someone who is a practicing Christian.

This role is subject to a satisfactory DBS Check.

Closing date: Tuesday 28th May 2024 9am. Interviews: early June

For an informal chat please contact Andy.brown@wigandeanerytrust.org

To apply

Please send your CV and covering letter to christiane.cook@wigandeanerytrust.org

Please include in your cover letter your reasons for applying for this post. You should outline your interest in the post and describe your relevant skills and experience. Please check the job description and person specification before completing this section.