Interested in becoming a leader?

Check out the following links:

Overview of Program
Roles and Expectations
Commitment
Youth Worker Volunteer application form
Self Evaluation (youth workers are encouraged to fill this out each quarter)

Overview of Program

How 'The "L" Train' fits into the church body

The "L" Train is run by the youth director (Toby Lockhart), and refers primarily to the middle and high school weekly fellowships and their related events. While there is some overlap with the Sunday School program, the two remain somewhat distinct. Associate Pastor Tracee Hackel provides the direct oversight for our Sunday School Program. Both Sunday School and The "L" Train operate under the Christian Discipleship Team which oversees all of the education at the church. The expectations that follow are specifically for those interested in becoming a part of the middle and high school fellowship leadership teams.

A word about leadership

I view both my job as a paid youth director, and your role as a volunteer youth worker to be positions of leadership. As such, I believe we will be "judged more strictly" (James 3:1) and should not take the responsibility lightly. Throughout the scriptures God comes down hard on leaders who have misguided his children. So I challenge you to first count the cost, acknowledging that we are called to "set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12).That said I am not looking for perfect people. I am looking for humble, honest and real people; people who have submitted their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and who persistently seek to know Him better.

What do we do?

School Year: Throughout the course of the year we do all sorts of things such as retreats at Echo Ranch, lunch studies, fun nights, abstinence rallies, and various service projects. As a rule we try and do one special event (retreats, etc.) a quarter. But at the core of the program is the weekly fellowship meeting (High School on Tuesday, Middle School on Thursday. Both from 6:30-8:30pm). At this meeting each of the following components are usually present:

Fellowship - We allow time at the beginning to hang out and greet students.
Game/Mixer - Get 'em moving and interacting.
Small Group - We'll break into groups of 6-8 to check-in and discuss a lesson/topic.
Sing - We spend time in song corporately. (And sneak in a little prayer time too.)
Message - We'll typically have a 20 minute lesson grounded in God's Word.

Summer:

We generally take the month of June off from weekly fellowship and try to take a mission trip. We went to the Dominican Republic several years ago, and have focused on our partnership with the Angoon church the last couple years.
Summer session on Auke Lake : The last two years we have taken 5-6 weeks in July and August to simply enjoy water sports and fellowship.
We've also started the tradition of an annual road trip for the high school group in late July to the Yukon Territory.

Roles & Expectations

Roles: Youth Director

I believe my job is to model what it looks like to invest in the youth, while focusing on administrative duties such as volunteer mobilization, leadership development, planning and promoting events, organizing weekly fellowship, and tracking finances. And lastly, above everything else the job entails, I view the responsible teaching of God's Word to be the most important thing I do.

Roles: Volunteer Youth Ministers

With the time I spend on administrative duties, and teaching preparation, there is no way I can meet the relational needs of all the youth. This is where I need your help! I need volunteers to focus on developing meaningful relationships with the youth both in and outside of our weekly meetings. You will also be asked to help lead weekly small group discussions. It is my goal (not always realized!) to have two leaders in every small group. Depending on how comfortable you are with this role, you may be asked to take the lead, or perhaps run a little crowd control, and add some color or personal examples to the discussion. You will also be encouraged to employ any other gifts God has given you by helping out with music, games, food, etc.

Expectations:

My list of expectations has grown shorter over the years; not because I've lowered my standards or God has changed His, but because I've found that a long list borders on legalism and is difficult to enforce. In short, I'm looking for people who's hearts are right with God, and soft toward youth.

So the big picture is pretty simple. I expect that you are:

Consistently growing in your walk with Christ
Consistently investing in the lives of the youth

That said I have learned that it's better to flesh out some of my specific expectations up front:

I also expect that you:

Spend time regularly with God in his Word and in prayer both corporately and individually
Regularly participate in Sunday morning worship at Chapel by the Lake
Honor your family above youth group
Seek some form of accountability
Are present and on time (6:00pm) for weekly fellowship (Tuesday or Thursday) and monthly leadership meetings (set by the leadership teams each year) for their allotted duration. I ask that you notify someone when you must be absent, late, or leave early
Make Toby aware of things you disagree with and problems needing attention
Help Toby to not take himself too seriously

Commitment

(Please print and fill this last page out and submit it along with your application)

Duration:

I ask that leaders commit to the entire school year, mid-September through the end of May. We typically take a two week break around Christmas. And while there are a number of events planned from June-August, I leave the summer events as optional, understanding the importance of seasons in youth ministry, and believing that rest and re-creation are important as well!

Conflicts:

Please list any foreseen reasons why you may have trouble meeting the above expectations for the following school year:

Commitment statement:

With the exception of the potential conflicts mentioned above, I agree to these expectations and ask that I be held accountable to them. I understand my role as a volunteer youth worker, and would like to be a part of Chapel by the Lake 's youth ministry for the upcoming year.

Signature

(print your own commitment sheet and submit with your application)