Serve Boldly Employment

be part of something bigger than yourself.

Working at Serve Boldly is a unique summer job. Connect with youth, congregations, non-profits, and community leaders in cities across the United States. Serve others by doing God's work with your hands. We know you have gifts to share! Join the amazing summer team at Serve Boldly!

Our 2023 partnering communities are:
Chicago, IL | Milwaukee, WI | Nashville, TN

Staff are assigned to one or more communities over the course of a summer.

apply for serve Boldly staff

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Lindsey Scheid, Associate Director - lscheid@gllm.org
Sara Jonasen, Director of Special Projects - sjonasen@gllm.org

Discipleship Guides and Leaders

We hire summer program ministry staff called Discipleship Guides and Leaders (DGs and DLs for short), who are dedicated servant leaders. DGs and DLs do their very best to ensure a quality service experience is enjoyed by the youth during their week-long mission trip in one of our partnering communities. DGs and DLs also work with the pastors and leaders of the churches participating in the week of service to create an environment that allows youth to do God’s work in the community.

DGs work in teams of 2-3 with the additional support and leadership of a Discipleship Leader (DL). Teams are not expected to do all the work on their own, but rather to serve as facilitators, ensuring that the ministry experiences the youth have are both meaningful to them, and make an impact on the community.

What do Discipleship Guides and Leaders do?

Discipleship Guides and Leaders arrive in the community before the youth and their adult leaders. They are responsible for making connections with community contacts, purchasing supplies that will be used throughout the week, setting up the housing site, driving to all of the locations the group will travel to during their stay, and double-checking all worksites, events, and activities in order to have a sense of how the upcoming week will flow and ensure everything runs smoothly.

During the week, DGs and DLs not only do behind-the-scenes work and tracking details; they are also a significant part of the group. The youth and their leaders will depend on DGs and DLs to keep them on schedule, know directions, and have a sense of what each event will entail – they are responsible for moving groups from place to place throughout the week. DGs will coordinate kp crews, oversee cleaning of the housing site, have a leadership role in morning devotions, and participate in evening worship. DLs will coordinate the overall schedule, lead meetings with adult leaders, and be the direct communication between service organizations and Serve Boldly.

Most importantly, DGs and DLs are expected to be interacting and building relationships with high school youth, as well as their adult leaders. They care for community members, have stellar communication skills, and are willing and able to be flexible when needed.

Discipleship Guide (DG) applicants must be at least one year out of high school at the start of the 2023 summer.

Discipleship Leader (DL) applicants must be college graduate or have at least four years of post-high school experience at the start of the 2023 summer.

2023 Serve boldly staff details

Salary Range is $600-$1000 per week based on position and bonus incentives offered.

Your commitment as a Serve Boldly staff member will be from May 28 - July 30.

May 28-June 9 - Staff Training
July 2-5 - Time Off
July 30 - Last day of Serve Boldly staff commitment

It is expected that you will be able to commit to the entirety of staff training. Weeks off during the remainder of the summer will be granted on an individual basis.

2023 summer staff Incentives

Any NEW staff member who returns their signed contract by February 15th will receive a $300 bonus at the end of the summer.

RETURNING staff members who return their signed contract by January 15 will receive a $500 bonus at the end of the summer.

Additional incentives available for returning staff including returning bonus and referral bonus. Contact Sara Jonasen sjonasen@gllm.org with questions on incentives and bonuses.

Serve Boldly Staff FAQ's

What does a typical week look like?

Each week a group of 40 high school youth and adult leaders participate in service at a specific location. These groups come from across the country and arrive on Sunday afternoons and depart on Friday morning. Staff facilitate all aspects of the groups’ service and mission experience. From breakfast until lights out, staff serve, build community, organize service projects, lead meals, network within the community, facilitate elements and spend time getting to know youth and adult participants.

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL MINISTRY DAY LOOK LIKE?

6:30am           Wake up/kitchen party crew
7:00am           Wake up remaining youth
7:15am           Breakfast & pack lunches
8:00am           Morning devotions
8:40am           Leave for service organization sites
9am-3pm       Serve alongside the youth at their service organization sites
3:00pm           Showers for youth and adult leaders/free time
4:45pm           Adult leader meeting/kitchen party crew & cleaning crew
5:30pm           Dinner
6:30pm           Evening program in community
8:45pm           Worship
9:30pm           DG meeting/small group church group time
10:30pm          Ready for bed
11:00pm          Lights out

What do the accommodations look like?

Most of our housing sites are ELCA churches or schools where staff will be permitted to stay in a specific section of the building (such as a classroom or small meeting room). Staff sleep in quarters separate from youth and adult participants, but will share a sleeping room with other staff. Staff will need to purchase an air mattress or sleeping pad to sleep on during training and throughout the summer in their assigned community. Showers and laundry may be on-site or off-site depending on the housing site.

What are the positions?

Each location has one Discipleship Leader and at least 2-3 Discipleship Guides.

What are the requirements for working with Serve Boldly?

At a minimum, staff must be 18 years of age and one year post-high school or equivalent. Staff must be 20 years or older to drive GLLM vehicles. A background check is required of all staff. Serve Boldly staff will be provided with training in CPR, First Aid, and Safe Food Handler Certification; participation is not optional. Tasks include, but are not limited to, lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds, directing small groups, safe handling of food & chemicals, and safe operation of vehicles.

How does training work?

Serve Boldly staff spend their first week with the entire Serve Boldly Team in Minnesota at Green Lake Lutheran Ministries. The week includes helpful information for working with groups, health and safety information, Bible study, team building opportunities, and a plethora of fun! After training, all teams will travel to Milwaukee and spend time learning how to set up a site for participants. Once complete, participants will embark to their assigned communities to set up their specific site for participants and prepare for an awesome summer of ministry.

Do I need to be CPR or First Aid certified?

Yes! Serve Boldly will provide you with Infant, Child & Adult CPR and First Aid training. This is required.

What are the dates of employment?

May 28 to July 30, 2022. You will have time off July 2 - 5.

How much will I get paid?

Weekly salary range is $600 - $1000 based on position and bonus incentives offered. A typical commitment is 2 weeks of paid staff training followed by 6 weeks of employment.

How do I apply?

Within 48 hours of receiving your application, we will contact you to set up an interview. Depending on your location, we may meet with you in person or we will conduct interviews over Zoom or other preferred video platforms. Be prepared to set aside 30-45 minutes for an interview. And don’t be nervous - we just want to talk with you and get to know how your gifts could be a valuable part of our ministry at Serve Boldly! In the meantime, we encourage you to pray about your calling to serve this summer.

How does time off look on the weekends? How much time do we get off between mission groups?

Serve Boldly is crazy fun and busy! You will have time off on the weekends. Here is what you can expect:
We work Sundays starting about 10:00 AM until Friday at about 12:00 pm (Noon). You are highly encouraged to participate in a Worship service in the congregation on Sundays. This is a lovely opportunity to share the stories of accompaniment and to build the partnership between GLLM and our housing site.

Participants arrive on Sunday afternoon between 3-5 pm and are on-site until Friday at about 9:00 AM. The hours on either side of those times are spent preparing for participants, organizing materials, grocery shopping, and cleaning the site.

Your weekend, therefore, is from Friday around 12:00 PM until Sunday morning. This is your time to renew and rejuvenate! You are invited to stay at the church, relax, do laundry and take time for sabbath. Or, leave for the weekend and visit friends or go home for some relaxation. Churches can be busy both during the week and on weekends with Worship services, day events, meetings, weddings, funerals, Vacation Bible School and more. In rare cases, this may mean staff will be required to stay off-site during a weekend. We will make alternate housing arrangements for you if this is the case.

Are Serve Boldly staff required to be vaccinated for Covid-19?

Serve Boldly staff are highly encouraged to be vaccinated for Covid-19 and up-to-date on all booster recommendations. It is not, however, a requirement of employment to be vaccinated for Covid-19.

WELCOME STATEMENT
God’s diverse creation includes you. NO MATTER WHAT. You are welcome at GLLM and we will work with you to create a safe and welcoming space for you and your loved ones.