Youth Pastor

Status: Full-Time
Reports To: Pastor of Discipleship & Senior Pastor

Position Summary

The Youth Pastor at Valley Christian Fellowship exists to help students know Christ, make Him known, and do what Jesus did.

As an Acts 2 church, VCF is committed to fostering a culture of Scripture, prayer, fellowship, hospitality, generosity, and mission. The Youth Pastor will lead the spiritual formation of middle school and high school students by creating environments where they can encounter Jesus, grow in authentic community, be rooted in God’s Word, and live empowered by the Holy Spirit.

This role provides leadership and oversight to Velocity (Middle School), Paradigm (High School), while equipping students, parents, and volunteer leaders to participate in the mission of making disciples in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Key Responsibilities

Spiritual Formation & Discipleship

The primary responsibility of the Youth Pastor is to lead students into deeper apprenticeship to Jesus through Scripture, prayer, worship, community, and mission.

• Cultivate a ministry culture centered on spiritual formation and discipleship.
• Develop students into lifelong followers of Jesus.
• Personally invest in students through relational discipleship and mentoring.
• Build clear pathways for students to grow in faith and spiritual maturity.
• Develop and empower student leaders.

Velocity, Paradigm, Rooted & Alpha

The Youth Pastor will provide vision, leadership, and oversight for the primary discipleship environments of student ministry.

• Lead and oversee Velocity (middle school) and Paradigm (high school) gatherings.
• Champion and develop Rooted Students as a core discipleship pathway for student leaders.
• Champion and develop Alpha Students as a welcoming environment for students exploring faith.
• Create alignment between student ministry and the broader discipleship vision of VCF.
• Foster environments where both churched and unchurched students can encounter Jesus.

Teaching & Biblical Formation

The Youth Pastor will help students become deeply rooted in God’s Word and equipped to live out their faith.

• Teach regularly in student gatherings.
• Develop engaging, biblically faithful teaching series and discussions.
• Equip students to understand, apply, and share Scripture.
• Cultivate a ministry culture shaped by biblical truth and dependence upon God.

Leadership Development

The Youth Pastor will recruit, equip, and shepherd leaders who help disciple students.

• Recruit and develop volunteer leaders.
• Provide coaching, encouragement, and spiritual support for ministry teams.
• Build healthy leadership structures that foster discipleship and care.
• Raise up future leaders within the student ministry.

Parent Partnership

The Youth Pastor will partner with parents in the spiritual formation of their students.

• Communicate regularly with parents.
• Provide encouragement and resources for discipleship at home.
• Support parents as the primary spiritual influencers in their students’ lives.

Vision, Outreach & Ministry Leadership

The Youth Pastor will provide leadership for the overall health and direction of student ministry.

• Develop ministry goals, calendars, events, retreats, and camps.
• Steward ministry resources and budgets responsibly.
• Build relationships with students throughout the Santa Ynez Valley.
• Create opportunities for outreach and evangelism.
• Collaborate with church staff and ministry leaders to advance the mission of VCF.