Part-Time Youth Worker Required
Wester Hailes Baptist Church was established in the 1970’s to meet the spiritual needs of the growing council housing scheme in the west of Edinburgh. It was originally a church plant from Charlotte Baptist Chapel under the leadership of Rev. Alex Hardie and became totally independent in the 1980s. Membership grew substantially, at one point to over 200 people, but as is common in many churches this has substantially reduced in recent years and currently has around 50 active members. The church has been a member of the FIEC since 2019. The congregation consists of a mix of older people and a number of families with young children. The church has a strong tradition of children’s and youth work, and is currently seeking to appoint a youth worker, with the aid of a grant from the FIEC. We are also currently seeking a new pastor, after our previous pastor moved on in March 2023 to a new ministry, after over 12 years at Wester Hailes. We currently employ a female pastoral care worker with the aim of serving and reaching older people. There is a team of 3 elders and 4 deacons who are responsible, normally along with the pastor, for the spiritual and practical care of the church.
Youth activities in the church currently only consists of a Bible class (called CREW) running on Sunday mornings alongside Sunday School for younger children. Formerly we also ran a very successful outreach group for older primary school children (P4-P7) on Tuesday evenings and also a Thursday evening group for young people of secondary school age. The Thursday evening group ceased when our previous youth worker left, and the Tuesday group had to stop due to the Covid lockdown and has so far been unable to restart. We have good relations with the local primary school and our previous youth worker developed relationships in the secondary school. The opportunity to develop these relationships will be an important part of the role.
Required Skills
It is an essential requirement that the Youth Worker be a committed Christian, with their own day to day walk with Christ. The person will have a strong desire to see young people become committed and growing disciples of Jesus Christ, and has the skills, commitment and personality to achieve this. We are looking for someone who can fulfil the role initially on a part time basis, with hours to suit the candidate. As well as taking care of the current youth activities in the church each Sunday, the successful candidate will oversee the restarting of midweek activities for children and young people. He or she will work with the church’s exceptionally devoted team of volunteers to run various groups ministering to young people in the church and beyond. The appointee will be encouraged to continue their personal development, including formal study where appropriate.
The person appointed must:
• Have a love for God, for his Word and for young people
• Be in agreement with the Doctrinal Basis and Ethos Statements of the FIEC
• Show Christian character in their own life, in their relationships and in their dealings with other people
Full job description: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZPBYCjiVNioxhxwQ_WyVY9_5NufnA-bT/view?usp=share_link
To apply please send CV to mailwhbc@gmail.com, or email for an application form. Closing date 30th June, 2023.