Central Student Director

The Summit Church • Durham, NC

9d • Onsite

About The Position

The Central Student Director provides strategic leadership, vision, and direction for student ministry across all campuses of The Summit Church. As a central ministry leader and key member of the Central NextGen team, this role owns the philosophy and standards of Summit Students, builds the structures and systems that make excellent student ministry possible, and provides strong leadership to the Student Directors at every campus. This person champions the mission of partnering with families to raise the next generation for Christ by building student ministries where students know Jesus, grow as disciples, live sent, invite their friends, and are equipped to be healthy disciple makers. They ensure that every campus has what it needs to grow in health, depth, and reach.

Requirements

• Passionate about reaching students with the gospel and connecting them to the global mission of God
• Passionate about partnering with families to raise the next generation for Christ
• Proven leader with strong ability to cast vision, set direction, develop ministry leaders, and has strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• Demonstrated experience building structures and systems for student ministry in a multi-site or multi-team context
• Ability to provide strong, clear, and consistent leadership to campus student ministry staff

Nice To Haves

• 5+ years of experience in student ministry, including direct leadership of others
• Ability to teach to both middle and high school audiences
• A member of The Summit Church or willing and able to become a member

Responsibilities

• Strategic vision and leadership: Galvanize the vision for Summit Students — reaching, discipling, equipping, and sending the next generation for Christ. Define and champion the ingredients of a premiere student ministry: the theology, culture, practices, and relational ethos that make Summit Students excellent at every campus. Set the common strategy for student ministry and help campus Student Directors translate it into concrete, campus-specific plans. Establish ministry standards and define "the win" for Summit Students. Create and implement clear structures, systems, and processes that give campus Student Directors a strong foundation to build on. Work with campus staff to set God-sized goals and coach them in setting campus-specific benchmarks. Maintain alignment with other Central NextGen ministries (Kids, Family, Worship) to prevent silos and ensure a unified NextGen strategy.
• Staff leadership and development: Provide strong, consistent leadership to campus Student Directors — meeting at least monthly, communicating at least weekly, and being a reliable presence in their ministry development. Coach campus Student Directors to execute student ministry with excellence; proactively train the knowledge and skills needed for high-level student ministry leadership. Cultivate strong relationships with campus Student Directors and Campus Pastors to promote unity and cross-campus collaboration. Include and engage campus Student Directors in decisions that affect their ministry; foster a team-oriented, collaborative culture across the network. Oversee hiring, onboarding, and ongoing development of Student Directors across all campuses. Be a resource to Campus Pastors as they hire for and evaluate student staff. Visit campuses regularly, participate in weekend student ministry, and give direct feedback; hold campus ministries accountable to defined standards while recognizing site-specific variables. Assess the health and effectiveness of campus Student Director roles; proactively address gaps in leadership, execution, or ministry culture.
• Programming and Curriculum: Develop and maintain documented resources, curriculum, operational processes, and best practices for Summit Students. Oversee curriculum direction and implementation for Summit Student weekend ministry and special programming. Plan and execute all-campus student ministry events (Camps, Retreats, ect.). Ensure student programs at every campus — including middle school and high school ministries — are healthy, consistent, and aligned with Summit's vision.
• Evaluation and Accountability: Initiate annual evaluation of Summit Students' strategy, systems, curriculum, and benchmarks; develop plans to fill identified gaps. Partner with the NextGen Pastor and Campus Pastors to ensure student ministry staffing reflects the standards and vision of the role.
• Churchwide Events: The hours for this position are expected to be 40 hours per week. As one church that meets in many locations, there are several times throughout the year that Summit holds church-wide events in an effort to do whatever it takes to reach all people. All staff members are expected to serve at these church-wide events regardless of the positions they hold. Such events include, but are not limited to: Easter services, church-wide prayer meetings, Good Friday service, and Christmas services. Serving expectations will be communicated in advance of each event.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed