Youth Pastor in Cheltenham

We are looking for a Youth Pastor to help establish and grow the ministry to our young people in school years 6 to 13 (ages 11-18). Building on, and collaborating with, the existing work of our Children and Families Pastor, our aim is to see young people come to a living faith in Jesus Christ and be equipped to serve in the power of the Holy Spirit, growing as lifelong disciples within the church and wider community. This is an exciting new role with considerable latitude to break new ground.

You will be building on existing school connections, developing new outreach spaces, and discipling young members of the church as they take steps of faith.

Location: Holy Apostles Church, London Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 6HT

Aim: To see young people come to a living faith in Jesus Christ and be equipped to serve in the power of the Holy Spirit, growing as lifelong disciples within the church and wider community.

Hours of Work: 30 hours per week, including regular Sunday mornings with flexibility for mid-week/weekend social activities, events, and occasional residential.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership: Provide leadership for Holy Apostles’ youth ministry, developing a clear vision with the church leadership, and implementing a multi-year plan in line with Holy Apostles mission and values. Strengthen existing links with schools, other relevant groups, and with church youth pastors across the Cheltenham churches.
• Discipleship & Pastoral Care: Effectively disciple every young person through Sunday services, gatherings throughout the week, one-to-one support, and social activities. Encourage the young people to play an active role in the wider church, helping them discover opportunities to lead, serve, and contribute. Foster community and belonging through social events, shared meals, and intergenerational connections. Investigate future opportunities for camps, residentials, mission opportunities, and special events that deepen discipleship and strengthen community. Provide pastoral care to young people with wisdom and sensitivity, and sign-post them and their parents to appropriate professional or specialist support when needed. Develop and deliver engaging teaching, discipleship pathways, and resources that help young people grow in faith and character. Work closely with the Children & Families Pastor to support families and young people at key transition points, working together to build positive relationships with local schools (both primary and secondary) to develop opportunities to grow faith, and to explore how to effectively engage in community activities.
• Volunteer leadership & organisation: Recruit, build, train, and support a strong team of volunteer leaders and helpers. Identify and develop emerging young leaders, helping them grow in confidence and gifting. Ensure rotas, databases, safeguarding requirements, and team communication are well managed, maintaining attendance records, and use the Church Management System to guarantee GDPR compliance. Ensure all events are well-organised, risk-assessed, and appropriately staffed. Ensure all safeguarding protocols are followed, including safer recruitment, DBS checks, and risk assessments for every activity. Manage communication with young people, parents, volunteers, and staff through email, phone, and digital platforms, providing clear engaging print & digital communications across the website and social media channels. Work with the line manager and PCC Treasurer to plan and manage the youth budget.
• Participation in Church Life: Model a Christ-centred lifestyle, praying regularly for young people. We encourage all staff to maintain their own personal discipleship through active participation in public worship and membership of a midweek small group. Be a visible presence at the 10:00am service, maintain the profile of Youth Work, and contribute to seasonal initiatives around Christmas and Easter.
• Staff Team & Personal Development: Serve as a dedicated member of the church staff team, participating in staff meetings, prayer, and planning. Commit to continuous professional development, staying up to date with best practice in youth ministry, safeguarding, mental health awareness, and emerging cultural issues affecting young people. Maintain accountability to the church leadership team, commitment to the church’s mission, vision, and values, and keep appropriate confidentiality at all times.

A note from the vicar about Inclusion: One of our core values is to be Open and Inclusive, which we know is a loaded phrase, but for us it means offering a generous, grace-filled welcome, that values difference, encourages questioning, and enables honesty, integrity and transparency. We absolutely affirm the truths of the Christian faith contained in the historic creeds, but on “secondary” issues we seek to be honest, open and respectful of each other in our different understandings. In recent years the pinch point for this has been around the area of sexual orientation, so to be clear: we seek to see those who hold different views from us as people of integrity who hold their views from a place of integrity and careful consideration. Our church members openly hold a range of views and that’s OK. Sexual orientation is not a barrier to full participation at Holy Apostles including in leadership, which means you won’t have to sign up to a particular view, but, whatever your view, you will have to love and respect church members who have a different opinion.

Salary & Benefits:

Salary: £23,197 for 30 hours per week, equivalent F/T £29K (reviewed annually by the PCC). Approved expenses reimbursed in full with receipts. Access to appropriate training and development opportunities. Holiday entitlement: 28 days (including Bank/Public Holidays) for full-time staff, pro-rated according to contract and in line with the Church Holidays and Annual Leave Policy. No more than 6 Sundays may be taken as annual leave per year, recognising the centrality of Sundays in church life.

Other Requirements:

• Full UK Driving Licence.
• Completion of Advanced Safeguarding Training in Week One prior to any contact with young people.
• Enhanced DBS check required prior to starting.
• Permission to work in the UK.

Person Specification:

• A committed, mature, and passionate Christian who is aligned to Holy Apostles ethos and vision.
• Secure, open, and honest, committed to personal growth and willing to develop their gifts in a youth ministry context.
• Able to demonstrate strong biblical grounding, a love for worship, and openness to the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
• Someone who enjoys being with young people, building relationships, and supporting them pastorally, including one-to-one.
• Able to communicate clearly and relate well to young people both inside and outside the church.
• A visionary leader who can inspire, encourage, and organise volunteers.
• A team player who understands their role within the wider staff team and demonstrates integrity, and confidentiality.
• Able to plan, implement change sensitively, and guide young people and volunteers through transitions.
• Aware of social issues such as injustice, global conflict, suffering, and poverty, and able to help young people engage with these issues in a Christian way.
• Experienced in leading youth ministry and passionate about outreach and mission.
• Able to recognise when young people or families need additional support and confidently sign-post them to appropriate professional services or agencies.
• Committed to ongoing training and development, keeping up to date with best practice in youth work, safeguarding, mental health, and cultural trends affecting young people.
• Knowledge of, or willingness to learn, best practice around content creation and design in digital, video, and print media.

Holy Apostles is a vibrant and growing Anglican Church in Cheltenham. Informal, unashamedly family friendly, and open to all. The church family encompasses people of all ages from both within the parish and the wider surrounding area, and we are a mix of people, from those who have been Christians for decades, to others who are just testing the waters of faith.