Church Profile (DOWNLoad PDF)

 

Our history and Mission

Central Christian Church was founded by William Jessup in 1939 and has been a consistent Christian presence in Silicon Valley since then. The church is non-denominational, with roots in the Restoration Movement, and aligns itself with a group of churches called "The Christian Church" whose distinctives include the weekly celebration of communion, and a belief in the importance of believer's baptism. We are also a part of a network called the Relational Discipleship Network, based out of Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, ID.

The vision of the church is to reach the world for Jesus, one person at a time, and the way we do this (our mission) is through creating disciples in relational environments, primarily Life Groups. 

 

Defining a Disciple

In Matthew 28 Jesus gave this command: therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them...and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19-20

In Matthew 4:19 Jesus said: Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

We see three parts to discipleship:

Come follow me: We must follow Jesus, acknowledge his leadership and try our best to live life in a way that pleases him. A disciple is following Jesus. 

And I will make you: Jesus is in the transformation business. He loves us too much to leave us the way we are. A disciple is being changed by Jesus. 

Fishers of men: The good news of the Gospel is too good to keep to ourselves. We are commanded to share it with others. A disciple is committed to the mission of Jesus. 

To sum up: A disciple is following Jesus, is being changed by Jesus, and is committed to the mission of Jesus.  

We believe discipleship is best accomplished in relational environments so you'll often find us gathering together in smaller groups (we call them Life Groups) to do life together, sharing the joys and pains in authentic, transparent, transforming relationships. 

To hear a sermon series on this check out DISCIPLESHIFT

You could also read the book Discipleshift by Jim Putman and Bobby Harrington, which would give you a good idea on the direction we are going.

 

What's Important to Us

  • A strong belief in the redeeming grace of the Lord Jesus.
  • An adherence to a biblical worldview, and focus on biblical preaching. 
  • A welcoming and accepting environment. Visitors often comment how warm and welcoming people are at this church. It's part of our DNA, we're proud of it, and we want to keep it that way.
  • A belief in the importance of small groups for growing as a disciple of Jesus.
  • Authenticity in relationships. We're not perfect and we don't pretend to be. Jesus isn't finished with any of us yet, so we try to cheer each other on, and encourage one another on the journey.

The church is growing steadily, and has around 300 adults and around 100 kids who attend on a Sunday morning. We have two services, both with contemporary music, at 9 and 11am. We currently have six full time and two part-time staff. The church is financially healthy with no building debt, and sufficient reserves in the bank.

 

Location

The church is located centrally in San Jose, known as the capital of Silicon Valley, and a city with multiple cultural and recreational opportunities. San Francisco and the beaches are 45 minutes away. San Jose is the 10th largest city in the US with a culturally diverse population of just over 1 million, and notable for its mild climate, low crime rate compared to other large cities, and high cost of living. More info from Wikipedia here.


Youth pastor job Description (download pdf)

 

Status: full-time, salaried

Hours: 40/week plus

Benefits: health insurance, pension, continuing education funds as agreed with elders

 

mission statement

The goal of the Youth Ministry (Middle and High School) is to build disciples of Christ, equipping them to share their faith with others. The mission of discipleship in relational environments should be a key component of the youth ministry.

 

Supervision

The Youth Pastor reports to the Lead Pastor for spiritual and ministry guidance. The Lead Pastor provides an annual evaluation of the Youth Pastor's performance, based on an agreed Ministry Action Plan (MAP).

 

The Primary Task

Develop and implement a comprehensive approach to youth ministry. This comprehensive approach is based on the understanding of the primary task of youth ministry to:

  • Disciple the youth and young adults into a personal relationship with God in both large group and smaller relational environments.
  • Grow the youth ministry by creating attractive and compelling environments to which our youth can invite their non-Christian friends.
  • Build a team of passionate adult youth coaches to help mentor and disciple the youth.
  • Teach the youth and young adults the Gospel and what that requires from them.
  • Provide them with opportunities for nurture and growth.
  • Show Jesus' love through modeling.
  • Challenge the youth and young adults to respond to God's call to serve in their communities and world. 
  • Support and assist the parents in the process of discipling their youth.
  • Equip the current youth to share the Gospel with their friends.
  • Build a ministry that engages with local Middle and High schools in the area, though an on-campus ministry such as First Priority

 

Responsibilities

  1. Be an advocate for youth and young adults and educate the congregation about the hopes, concerns and needs of youth in the local church and community.
  2. Help plan, develop, and implement all aspects of a balances youth ministry.
  3. Mentor youth and young adults in developing their leadership skills.
  4. Stay abreast of new resources and change in youth ministry and youth culture and adjust our programming as needed to maintain a current effective program.
  5. Share these changes with the parents to assist them in better understanding their youth and the culture they live in.
  6. Participate in continuing education events and training opportunities.
  7. Provide parents with continuing education and training in the are of raising their youth.
  8. Recruit and train volunteers to serve in various aspects of youth, and young adult ministry and ensure adequate adult to youth ratios.
  9. Be a liaison between the church and other community organizations, people, and resources that relate to youth ministries.
  10. Coordinate Sunday curriculum for youth (grades 6-12) and recruit youth coaches to assist with the weekly teaching and mentoring the youth.
  11. Select the curriculum, teach or coordinate others teaching, for all mid-week classes.
  12. Provide leadership for youth coaches, mentors, and parents beyond the classroom.
  13. Work in partnership with schools in the are to effectively reach youth in the community and develop a strategic ministry outreach plan.
  14. Keep records of youth participation and manage the youth ministry budget.
  15. Communicate with the youth and parents in a timely manner and as effectively as possible using all available resources (email, website, bulletin, newsletter, texting, etc.). This includes a quarterly parent's newsletter, regular parent emails regarding upcoming events, weekly youth check in texts and periodic articles in the weekly walk.
  16. Be available to encourage, challenge, and counsel the youth, young adults, and parents towards effective lives as followers of Jesus (i.e. lunch at school, after school visits, attendance at extracurricular activities, home visitations, and support during times of crisis, etc.).
  17. Work in concert with the gifts and talents of other staff members and maintain a strong teamwork mentality.
  18. Attend all weekly Staff Meetings as well as any other regular scheduled meetings. 
  19. Ensure that the Child Protection Policy is observed in all youth ministry settings. 

 

Qualifications and Aptitudes

  1. Adhere to theology and values in harmony with Central's mission and values as well as statements of belief.
  2. Clear, observable commitment to Jesus Christ.
  3. A relational and pastoral heart.
  4. A Professional Certification in Youth Ministry of 3 years of experience in the area of youth ministry is preferred.
  5. Must have vision and a demonstrated ability to plan, develop, coordinate, manage and implement a youth ministry within the parameters of the church.
  6. Must have good written and verbal communication skills, conflict management skills, and computer skills. 
  7. Must have a proven ability to work effectively with youth, young adults, parents, diverse individuals, and teams of volunteers.

 

To Apply

Please send an email to the Lead Pastor, Glyn Norman with the subject line "Youth Pastor Application" with the following attachments:

  1. Your resumé
  2. A recent photo of you (and your family if you wish)
  3. A statement, no longer than one page, on your philosophy of youth ministry.
  4. A link to your preaching (preferably video, but audio is acceptable if no video is available)