In 2009, God planted a remarkable church in the vibrant and sought-after community of Arlington, Virginia. Restoration Anglican Church formed when a core of 70 adults and kids rallied together with a desire to connect people to God, to others, and to the needs of the world. Within five years, the church completed a brand new $4.6M building in order to keep up with all the good God kept growing. Rather than run from brokenness, Restoration continually runs toward God's loving arms of grace. It's truly a young, passionate, engaging, liturgical church where anyone can worship, learn and serve as they grow deeper with Jesus together.
Today, Restoration has grown into a flourishing congregation of over 800 people who gather online or in-person (650+) every Sunday to worship Jesus. Like the faith community, services are approachable, smart, and warm. God has brought together an outstanding clergy and staff team, hundreds of volunteers, vibrant small groups for kids, youth, and adults, and an effective and far-reaching immigration legal aid clinic. With historical and global roots in Anglicanism, Restoration adds spiritual depth and perspective in a world-class, densely populated, self-governed county that's hungry for something transformative that lasts. In full view of what the next generation in Arlington is facing, Restoration is searching for a Director of Youth Ministries that will inspire, guide, and challenge students from Arlington, McLean, Falls Church, Alexandria, and beyond toward evangelistic discipleship.
WHO WE ARE & WHERE WE'RE GOING
WHY DO WE EXIST?
To see broken people restored by grace living God’s story.
HOW DO WE BEHAVE?
1.We are approachable. Everything we do has a low barrier of entry. Accessible.
2.We are smart. Eloquent, capable of nuance, frank. No cheese, not trite.
3.We are warm. Connected. Being known by others. Vulnerability is a strength.
WHAT DO WE DO?
We are a church in Arlington that connects people to God, to others, and to the needs of the world.
HOW WILL WE SUCCEED?
We embrace 3 assumptions:
1.We fully submit our lives to the authority of the infallible Scriptures.
2.We fully depend on Jesus through the Holy Spirit in a life of prayer.
3.We fully embrace orthodox Christianity as defined in the Nicene Creed.
Making these assumptions, we will differentiate ourselves by:
Providing small groups that are normal to our life together, easy to join and focused on Scripture.
Creating an excellent environment for worship through our preaching, music, liturgical leadership, Kids’ Small Groups, beautiful facility, and convenient times.
Nurturing a strong leadership culture that has a low barrier of entry and a high expectation for Kingdom living and servant participation.
WHAT DO WE BELIEVE?
We are all broken people. We experience that brokenness in many ways—through what we have done and what others have done to us, through choices we have made and circumstances far beyond our control. The details vary for each of us, but ultimately we have this in common: God created us to be in a relationship with him, and that relationship has been broken beyond our ability to fix it.
The good news is that God hasn’t left us in our brokenness. Jesus—God incarnate in human form—came for us. He lived, died, and rose again to restore our relationship with God, to heal all our brokenness. This was an act of love that was offered as pure gift—as grace. As we accept that grace and experience God’s restoration, we find that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. God is committed to bringing restoration and wholeness to all things, and he invites us to join him in that work. We all have a place in God’s story.
Restoration’s place in that story is to be a church in North Arlington that connects people to God, to others, and to the needs of the world. We do this through vibrant corporate worship, through small groups, and through service in our community and around the world. We are convinced that the gospel—the good news of God’s grace offered in Christ—changes everything. And we’re passionate about seeing that change in our lives and the lives of others.
We are part of the multi-ethnic, multi-national, multi-cultural Anglican Communion that is historically rooted in the English Reformation. We affirm the Jerusalem Declaration (GAFCON 2008) and subscribe to the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed as true proclamations of the Christian faith.
Click here to learn more about Restoration's beliefs, including the significance of its name as a church. Worship services are available on the church's YouTube channel here.
YOUTH MINISTRY APPROACH
Apex is Restoration Anglican Church's youth ministry, and exists to connect youth to God, to others, and to the needs of the world. This vibrant ministry helps students in grades 6-12 grow deeper in their relationship with God, in Christ, through the Holy Spirit. Through evangelistic discipleship, Apex is developing students who are winsome and attractive to their peers outside the church, and preparing them to be active servant-leaders in the church for a lifetime.
APEX SUNDAYS | 6:30-8:30pm
A lot happens in your life when you're in 6-12th grade! Apex is a community where middle schoolers and high schools can relax, be themselves, ask real questions and get honest answers. It's a community that takes students and their faith seriously, wherever they're at as followers of Jesus.
On Sunday evenings, Apex serves middle school students (avg. 50/week) and high school students (avg. 36/week) from public and private schools all over Arlington, McLean, Falls Church, Alexandria, and more. Apex's students and leaders (a team of 30 passionate, trained, young adults) gather for dinner, games, and worship, followed by a separate teaching and small group time for middle school and high school students.
APEX MIDWEEK & MORE
There's a hunger for God's Word and intentional, relational discipleship among Apex students. On Wednesday afternoons, a group of 6-8th graders meet at Restoration for Bible study. On Thursday mornings, groups of 9-12th graders participate in book studies before school at two locations.
During the year, Apex provides special events, retreats, and missions opportunities to help students engage in community, grow in relationship with God, share faith with friends, and serve people in practical ways.
Restoration Anglican Church is in the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic and its clergy are under the authority of Bishop Chris Warner. The church is led by its clergy, staff, and vestry, or board of elders. The vestry oversees facilities and finances, and partners with clergy and staff to discern God's vision for Restoration. The clergy and staff work closely to ensure the church stays on track to see broken people restored by grace living God’s story.
Click here to learn more about the Restoration's leadership model and team members.
David Hanke, Rector
Restoration is led by its Rector, David Hanke. After 10 years of reaching and discipling college students at the University of Texas, he and his family moved to Boston in 2004 to complete his M.Div. at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. In 2006, David became the Assistant Rector at The Falls Church in Arlington, VA, before launching Restoration Anglican Church with a courageous core of friends on January 25, 2009. He leads the church with a healthy balance of inspiration, wisdom, challenge, and intentionality so that the community will live out the Gospel together in the world. David and his wife Laurel have been married since 1997 and have four kids—two young adults and two teenagers.
Kat Downs, Executive Director
The new Director of Youth Ministries will report to Executive Director, Kat Downs. As a native of Virginia who grew up in Hawai'i and went to Calvin College in Michigan, Kat is no stranger to leading in a dynamic, transient, globally connected community. She studied communications and discovered a passion and gifting to help organizations operate at their full potential. Her experience in organizing events, strategizing, setting up and streamlining processes, all while developing leaders and teams, is essential in this ministry chapter at the church. Kat was drawn to Restoration's passionate and energetic community in 2011, joined the church's staff in 2013, and has brought increasing levels of administrative, operational, and executive leadership to the team for 12 years. She and her husband Tommy have two young children and are always up for an adventure.
CHALLENGE & OPPORTUNITY
Winsome Relational Leader
Students in Arlington and beyond are pulled in a lot of directions. They have full schedules, varied interests, and gravitate toward experiences and people leading them that they find influential. Today's teens check-out when a teacher, coach, mentor, or even a social media personality, loses their interest. To be fair, Restoration isn't looking for a celebrity to steer Apex. They're looking to hire a dynamic Director of Youth Ministries that inspires 6-12th graders and draws respect from their parents. They need to be someone that's passionate about the next generation and it shows in the relevant ways they care for students. Whoever steps into this role will be responsible for shaping the ministry and its community of volunteer leaders so that it's magnetic, relational, and spiritually engaging.
Resilient Faith Builder
Faith for Exiles by David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock reports that only 10% of Christian Twentysomethings have resilient faith. Rather than sit back wondering how today's disciple-making turns out, Restoration is committed to raising up the next generation, to engage and equip them as resilient disciples who follow Christ for life. The Director of Youth Ministries will be will be charged with providing practical biblical teaching in a way that captivates and challenges 6-12th grade students, as well as leaders in the ministry, toward a robust biblical worldview and evangelistic discipleship.
Dynamic Team Developer
Apex has a fantastic team of volunteer leaders. Most are young adults who are deeply passionate about the next generation, love being part of Restoration and serving middle school and/or high school students, and are at crossroads due to their season of life. The Director of Youth Ministries has a solid core and team foundation to build upon, but Apex will always need to connect, inspire, grow, and equip more volunteers. It will be essential to build and deepen relationships inside the Restoration community to see who God may be raising up to serve as leaders. The Director of Youth Ministries will also be responsible for identifying new strategies and opportunities for leaders to step up to enhance and expand ways to reach, serve, and disciple middle school and high school students.
Evangelistic Discipleship Catalyst
Restoration's students come from strong families, are academically rigorous and highly involved in extracurricular activities. In many ways, they're being "evangelized and discipled" by all the opportunities outside of a relationship with God that compete for their time. Restoration desires Apex to be an environment where middle school and high school students are eager to grow deeper in relationship with God, share their faith in inviting ways with their friends, and become evangelistic disciples as part of a church wherever they go in life. The next Director of Youth Ministries has a responsibility to develop a clear evangelism/discipleship strategy, a robust and vulnerable approach to wrestling with tough faith and life topics, and an intentional life-on-life discipleship model (i.e. small groups, one-on-one mentoring) that students want to prioritize and participate in.
LOCATION & DEMOGRAPHICS
Arlington is a world-class community and tourist destination located five miles outside Washington D.C. While this self-governing county occupies slightly less than 26 square miles, it's home to just over 237,000 people with exceptional amenities for residents. Arlington is steeped in history and progress, as evidenced by its diverse architecture, stable neighborhoods, highest quality schools, and sustainable approach to land use. It's home to the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, and many other influential organizations and sites. Arlington is a globally influential epicenter for young adults and families looking for a place to call home and a gateway to the world.
Restoration Anglican Church is in the heart of Arlington and draws people from across the county and several areas adjacent to the nation's capital. The population of Arlington is roughly 58.5% caucasian, 15.5% Hispanic, 10% Asian, and 9% Black or African-American, and 24% other ethnicities. Dual-income families have an average income of ~$130k/year. The average housing prices range from $650k-950k, and there are also many, more affordable alternatives to single-family homes available. Arlington offers an abundance of outstanding education and extracurricular opportunities for kids of all ages but it's important to note that, due to the dense population, wait lists for some activities is the norm. Arts, music, culture, sports, shopping, parks and recreation abound in this small but mighty county. It's amazing how much Arlington has to offer, all within a 15 minute radius, presenting an incredible opportunity for Restoration as a church to make a meaningful impact through ministry.
Discover more about living near Restoration Anglican Church in Arlington, VA:
We’re a group of people who worship together, pray together, serve together, and live day-to-day life together. We believe that church is community. It’s more than just a place to show up on a Sunday; it’s the vulnerability of being known in real life. When people are connecting to God and experiencing what it means to be loved, forgiven, healed, and empowered by Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, church is happening. Above all, church is a foretaste of God’s Kingdom—a day when all that is broken will be healed, all that is incomplete will be made whole, all that is old will be made new. A day of Restoration.
We are broken people being restored by grace and living God’s story.
We are a growing church of small groups and “Apex” is Restoration’s youth ministry. Every 6th-12th grader is in a small group led by a team of committed and hand selected leaders from our congregation who have a passion for Christ and a heart for raising up the next generation. We seek to connect every student to God, to others, and to the needs of the world.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Director of Youth Ministries will lead both the Middle School and High School youth programs, called “Apex.” The focus of this ministry is to help students in grades 6-12 grow deeper in their relationship with God, in Christ, through the Holy Spirit in a way that is winsome and attractive to their peers outside the church and that prepares them to be active servant-leaders in the church for a lifetime.
In this full-time position, the Director will lead Apex staff and/or volunteers in creating easily accessible, meaningful opportunities for our 100+ strong group of students to grow as disciples and life-long followers of Jesus.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Planning
Work with parents, volunteers, and key constituents to articulate and execute a vision and plan for Apex.
Create and develop a multi-year curriculum to disciple and equip our students
Manage the annual student ministry budget and demonstrate financial responsibility
Apex Program Leadership
Plan, lead, and execute a high-engagement weekly Sunday evening gathering for Middle School and High School students
Provide oversight for weekly Bible or book studies for Middle school and High School students
Plan, lead, and execute regular social gatherings for students to connect with one another throughout the month
Recruit, develop, and supervise volunteer Apex Small Group leaders
Student Mentorship
Seek opportunities to integrate students into the overall body of Restoration, including as Kids’ Small Group leaders and Sunday Morning Volunteers
Plan and lead retreats, mission trips, and other special events that provide spiritual growth opportunities for students when applicable. Includes organizing logistics and vendors, and recruiting volunteers to ensure successful events.
Initiate and foster mentoring relationships between adult volunteer leaders and students
Create opportunities for one-on-one discipleship with students
Volunteer & Parent Communication
Recruit, lead, and develop the team of adult and student volunteer leaders through activities which may include Bible study, prayer, and leadership training
Cultivate parental support and involvement in the student ministry
Be responsible for regular and effective communication with students and their parents about the Apex calendar of events
Partner with the Director of Kids’ Small Groups to lead Child Safety Training for Apex volunteers
Ensure background checks and all paperwork related to Child Safety Training have been completed
Staff Team & Congregational Leadership
Attend, participate in, and support church-wide events and corporate worship services
Participate in staff team meetings, retreats, and other staff functions
POSITION REQUIREMENTS
A clear, personal, mature, articulate relationship with Jesus Christ expressed in a personal, corporate, vibrant, and infectious life of worship
A passion and calling for student ministry, with a personality that enables a natural connection to middle and high school students
Ability to effectively communicate God’s Word in a way that engages and captivates students
A proven three- to five-year track record of leading youth ministry in a church or similar setting (helpful if Anglican or liturgical), serving on a pastoral team, and working for the flourishing of the church.
Team player who can work effectively with church staff colleagues and coordinate a large number of volunteers
Ability to admit mistakes, learn new tools, embrace and adapt to growth & change, take on new challenges, and demonstrate innovation and creativity
A self-starter, requiring little management or oversight, but humble enough to have accountability to a team
An effective recruiter able to craft a vision that inspires volunteers
A prudent steward able to develop and monitor a budget for ministry
Excellent organizational and written/verbal communication skills
Familiarity with the Microsoft Office Suite of programs and Mac OS
Ability to learn and easily work with internet applications (i.e. Mailchimp, Signup Genius, Gravity Forms, Planning Center Services, Wordpress and social media, etc.)
Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience in related job activity
COMPENSATION
Full-time, salaried position. Restoration’s benefits include medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, a phone stipend, 13 paid holidays, 15 PTO days, and a 401(k) match.
CONTACT
Ready to take the next step?
Visit RestorationArlington.org to find out more about Restoration Anglican Church's identity and the impact of this remarkable ministry.
After prayerfully reviewing this information, if you sense this role and church culture could be a good fit for you, please contact Christine Kreisher by phone or email.
