You can join the European network immediately, a North American network from September and hopefully an Australian one in 2008. We are in discussion about an East African network. Click on a link to find out more:
The way it works is very simple:
You will be placed by the ICY partner work in a church, which suits you, your theology, disposition and background, unless of course you are planning to minister and study in your home church! You will also be given a role which is aimed to challenge and stretch you just beyond your comfort zone. For those less experienced this will mean being part of a team or else under a full time youth pastor. The more experienced may be offered the opportunity to lead a team or else work more independently.
You will serve your church in youth ministry and they will
ser
ve you by supporting you. They will provide you with board and lodging, which may be with a church family, a shared house or independent accommodation depending upon your requirements and their resources. They will also provide you with pastoral support and line management. The church will pay you a weekly allowance, and where relevant, cover at least part of your tuition fees. In return you will minister according to an agreed job description and contract, which is regularly reviewed by the ICY partner and your line manager.
You should be engaged in youth ministry for at least 25 hours a week. This will include local church ministry but should also include wider opportunities in the community, including in the UK: schools work. Together with other students locally and nationally you will also have the opportunity to participate in planning camps, mission trips and other activities. Your contract allows you to participate in agreed activities outside of your local church and we encourage you to make the most of this time by joining in mission trips to other ICY partners around the world including Africa. These are low cost, and life changing.
Once a week you will meet together with the other students based locally to you’re your supervisor. These are vital times of support not only for your ministry and study but for you personally. The bonds built in these “clusters” are normally really strong and sometimes become life long! Your supervisor will lead you in sharing news, praying for one another, worship, Bible study and general fellowship. There will also be mentoring and tutor time for those studying accredited courses, and in Nashville lectures offered by a range of local teachers and pastors.
Those studying for accredited courses will also have 15 hours a week to study under the guidance of their local supervisor. Your grade will be assessed by assignments submitted, although these need not all be written, but offered through a range of media.
We try to place those with particular gifting or interests such as evangelism, music, drama, sports, skateboarding, preaching, media, or children’s ministry in churches or contexts with specific opportunities to develop those ministries and we aim to provide space to develop them accordingly.
If you’re Europe based, every two months you will join a weeklong residential conference. These draw students from across the whole of Europe and at least once a year from across the whole world. They are hugely inspirational times which put your local ministry into a global context. You will be able to work through your Biblical study not only in the practical context of your own placement but also in
the light of others in very different cultural placements. This is a very unique and rewarding opportunity. Just ask some of those who are a part of it! The conferences provide the context for formal study including lectures and intensive tutorials. However time is still set aside for inspirational input, prayer and worship as part of a large dynamic group, as well as opportunities to share news, plan and relax together. The Nashville network have weekly day conferences but once a year they fly to Europe as a team to join in the global conference!
Our hope for you all is very simple:
You will learn as you serve, and consequently you will not only be equipped but reap fruit.
You will emerge from your time with our partners, equipped, educated and experienced.
You should also have been able to serve the church and demonstrate the love of Christ to young people who otherwise would never have heard.
For more practical details about how it all works, continue here
Why
not apply here to
join ICY
