Becoming a Ministry Partner in North America

WICY seeks to train emerging leaders in the context of local church youth ministry. In so doing we hope both to reach as many young people as possible with the gospel while raising up a new generation of emerging leaders through the most visionary, practical and Biblical training possible. ICY is utterly committed to resourcing and empowering local church, and is particularly concerned to support those churches whose resources both financial and practical, are limited, by providing them with an effective but affordable opportunity to reach and disciple young people. This pack explains the basics of how the placement of ICY emerging youth leaders in local churches works, and how existing youth leaders can get involved. It sets out:

• The background to the programme
• The partners involved
• The practicalities of how the programme works
• The costs of the programme
• How to take on a worker

On the other hand if you are interested in more than just taking on a worker for your local church or ministry and are interested in developing a wider town wide network, please click here hyperlink to D13 pioneering a network in America

The Background to the programme

In 1997, Colin Piper founded a youth work movement based in predominantly rural South West England with a specific purpose to empower churches to reach young people for Christ where resources were so limited that without help little could be done. The premise was simple: If we can’t afford to pay workers what they deserve, we need to find another way to honour them.  By networking workers and offering them a credible training programme, it was possible to attract and safely employ emerging leaders who had the gifting and passion and call for youth ministry, but lacked the experience and training. On the other hand where investment had been made into youth ministry, it was possible to build upon what had been put in place by utilising the skills of the worker appointed to supervise a local trainee team. Often this stretches and fulfils the existing worker, ensuring his or her time is well used, while being able to achieve much more through the establishment of a team at a cost the church could afford.

In so doing, it soon became apparent that on the job training as part of a vibrant, visionary team was both the most effective and popular way to train, and the most fruitful and inspiration way to minister. By the time, Colin handed over the leadership in the South West there were over 100 workers learning and working together often based in the most rural or urban areas. Now with his wife, Melissa, Colin has established International Christian Youthworks (ICY) to respond to requests to develop a similar programme across the UK, Europe, America and Australia. In the US we are working closely with our partner Pure For God, who are based in Western New York State. However we are also keen to build new partnerships with others across North America.

ICY is putting together a team of experts in mission and training to provide a package which is attractive to emerging leaders and affordable to most churches. The partners include an Australian Bible College, together with wider accreditation links, and a Mission Training Organisation. We are now looking for churches and ministries with whom to place the emerging leaders.

The Partners Involved

ICY recruits emerging leaders to work and learn either as part of a three year Bachelors course, a 1-3 year postgraduate course or an unaccredited course. These emerging leaders are then offered to local churches, which provide them with the practical context in which to serve. In an average week these workers should spend approximately 25 hours involved in local youth work be it in church, school or community.  Once a week wherever possible the students based locally to one another are gathered together by a local supervisor for training, inspirational input, pray, worship, planning and fellowship. These local supervisors also acts as tutor to the emerging leader, and main point of reference to the church leadership as together we work through the appointment of the emerging leader, drafting of job descriptions, his/her placement/induction, training, review and any troubleshooting. Where it is physically impossible for a trainee to meet with others, we will need to ensure that the trainee is of the maturity to cope with a degree of isolation, that there are support and supervision structures available for him or her on the ground, and that our systems are in place to provide adequate care both pastorally and professionally.

Once every six weeks or so, all the emerging leaders across the country are gathered for a four-day residential conference. It is here where the main course lectures are offered, along with opportunities for further inspirational input, prayer and worship, fellowship, sharing of ideas, and networking with like-minded workers from around the world.

The study is evaluated by assignments submitted by the students, and in an average week around 10 hours should be set aside for reading and assignment writing. Emerging leaders are also encouraged to visit and see other workers at home and over seas in order to broaden their experience and inspire fresh ideas. Opportunities are available for them to visit ICY partners in the UK, Europe, Africa, America, the Middle East and Oceania.

The costs of the programme

The vision of ICY is to make effective youth evangelism and discipleship accessible to local church in every community regardless of the limitations of their resources. Consequently we have put together a basic package which we hope is both attractive and honouring enough to the emerging leader to generate a large number of quality applications but affordable to local church.

We ask the local church to:

• Provide appropriate board and lodging
• A small weekly allowance of approximately $75
• Contribute $3700 per annum towards the training fees.
• Cover work expenses

We ask the emerging leader to:

• Contribute $3000 per annum towards their training fees.
• Cover any travel and insurance costs from home to their placement church.

However these costs are negotiable. For instance:

• Where the emerging leader is travelling to the UK for conferences we will make reductions in the churches contribution to make allowance for this.
• Emerging leaders without the funds to contribute towards their training fees can participate in unaccredited training for free.
• Churches who can’t afford the basic package can advertise a revised package, which for instance asks the emerging leader to cover their own weekly allowance. Obviously this makes the placement less attractive to applicants than others, but the package is still far more attractive than other programmes and as such is worth advertising. Ultimately churches should offer as much as they can, if they are to attract more and better quality applicants.
• Churches who can afford more, such as an increased weekly allowance or the whole training fees, can advertise as much, and should be able to attract a more mature and experienced worker as a consequence.

The training fee of $6700 covers the following approximate costs:

• Course costs $2900
• Conference costs $1000
• ICY admin costs $700
• Supervision costs $2100 
• Where unaccredited training is offered, the course costs are cut from the training fees.
• The supervision costs are split between all those involved in supervision. This may include a regional, area and local supervisor. Where someone in the local church provides any part of this supervision, the church is credited with an agreed portion of the supervision costs. This may for instance apply where existing church based youth leaders provides supervision for teams placed under them.
• Existing church based youth workers can participate in the training, both accredited or unaccredited, by paying the relevant training fees. He/she can also participate in the clusters and conference without training for an associate fee of $1200 all in. 

Summary of Options

Type of worker	Church Contribution	Worker Contrib.	Notes
Undergraduate	$3700 training fee $75+ week allow. (negotiable) Board and lodging	$3000 training fee (can be covered by church) travel and insurance	Typically 18-22 y. o. English speaker. 3 year commitment Supervision rebate possible.
Postgraduate	$3700 training fee $75+ week allow. Board and lodging	$3000 training fee (can be covered by church) travel and insurance	Typically 22+ y.o. Experienced, Engl. Speaker. 1-3 years Supervision rebate possible.
Unaccredited	$3700 training fee $75+ week allow. (negotiable) Board and lodging	travel and insurance	Engl. Speaker, 1-3 yrs. Supervision rebate possible.
Existing youth worker	$3700 training fee	$3000 training fee if accredited	Supervision fee rebate possible
Associate	$1200	Nil

How To Take On A Worker

ICY recruits applicants from across the UK, US and Australia. We advertise, and process applications. We take up references, request DVD/video interviews and then carry out face to face interviews. Details of successful applicants are then posted on the web site database in the partners section. Churches and supervisors are given password access to the database to view applicants. They are also invited to post details of their roles and packages in the positions vacant section. Applicants interested in particular placements and placements interested in particular applicants will be put in touch with one another via the local supervisors and interviews arranged either face to face or by phone or SKYPE, in the case of overseas applicants.

When a church has decided upon an applicant, and the applicant has agreed to take on the role, the supervisor will draft agreements between all parties. These agreements specify that the church employ the worker, with a tri-partite training agreement including ICY. The agreements also incorporate job descriptions, and child protection and other policies.

Generally speaking we prefer to place post graduate students in more challenging roles with more comprehensive packages, and EVS workers in team contexts, whether in individual churches or part of inter-church projects.

If you have any further questions, you may like to visit our Frequently Asked Questions section 

Or email Melissa Piper

If you are ready to express interest in taking on a youth worker, click here to complete and send an application form (coming soon)