Dear Future Program Director,

I am so grateful for you. We have been praying for you and trust that God has led you to PTM.  God has been so faithful to provide what PTM has needed at ideal times and you trust and recognize God’s leadership.  You are passionate about God and desire deeply to follow God’s will for your life.  God’s will directs every decision you make and your deepest desire is to bring glory to God in all that you do. You are grounded in scripture and in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  You embody the very core beliefs that we want desperately the  youth of PTM to know, feel, and believe. ( https://prestontaylorministries.org/about/core-beliefs/ )

You approach a vocation with the awareness that one of life’s greatest joys is to do what you love, what you are good at, and what makes a true difference in others’ lives. You realize that in this “calling”  your salary will be below average, but you will feel as though you are overpaid.  Here are some of the gifts and skills for which I am especially grateful.

You are versatile.  You can lead a group of middle school PTM Life students in a nutrition class followed by a two-mile run as comfortably as you can draw rainbows with kindergarten children.  You ca n prepare the lesson and lead SaLT mentors in one-on-one Bible study with their high school mentees as well as you can  discuss  reading comprehension strategies with fourth grade students.  You enjoy driving PTM’s 21 passenger bus and see it as a ministry opportunity.  You can competently represent PTM at a meeting of school principals, an association of pastors, at a volunteer recruitment fair, or in front of a group of third grade volunteers. You are cross-trained in every PTM program at every site and can fill in without any program losing its effectiveness.

You value “joy-filled friendships”.  You care deeply about having our youth connected to as many caring adults as possible.  You model these friendships and help ensure every program is providing opportunities for these friendships to mature.  You enjoy the friendships that are built naturally among staff and volunteers because of the common interest we have in serving God.  You (and your family) enjoy com munity suppers, staff retreats, and special events.

You are a “dream manager” (our staff read together The Dream Manager by Michael Kelly.  Much of our thinking about this new position was influenced by thoughts in this book).  You know the names of 150 youth at PTM.  You know their dreams, what gets them excited, and where their giftedness lies.  You persevere in giving every student an opportunity to pursue their specific dream.  You work with staff—both paid and volunteer—to match unique desires of students with the unique gifts of a host of volunteers (and future volunteers).  You give students an opportunity to be and feel successful, instilling in them confidence and courage.

                You are wise.  You know it will take a lot of people pulling in the same direction to make the transformative difference we envision.  You are careful in your supervision of site directors, calling them to their best.  You help hire well so that future staff enhance the ministry of PTM.  You are also wise in the way you direct those under you who may not be good stewards of PTM resources.  You are sensitive to the needs of those staff members under your supervision, but willing at times to recommend and follow through with the dismissal of staff (and volunteers) who are not living out the mission and core beliefs of PTM.

You are driven.  You help foster a culture of growth.  Recognizing the needs of our comm unity and the growing number of PTM supporters, you look for ways to both expand the number of youth served by PTM and deepen the ministry to each student.  As hard-working and determined as you are, you are able to maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle.  You recognize that ministry through PTM is not a sprint, but a marathon.

As demanding as this job will be and as high as the expectations are for an improved program, there will be some benefits that are the perfect fit for you.  The schedule is crazy for most people–early morn ings and evenings and some weekends with late mornings and early afternoons off.  For you, they match your lifestyle smoothly. T he salary will be set at $34,000.  PTM will also provide $2,400 per year for health care—either through enrollment in PTM’s plan or in reimbursement for your own plan.  Additionally, there will be three weeks of paid leave built into the rhythm of the year.  Like for me, the biggest benefits will come in  the satisfaction of serving God and others doing something that is fun, that makes a difference, and that provides many opportunities for relationships with outstanding people.

If interested in this position, please email me a cover letter and resume by May 15, 2013 (cgsheppard@prestontaylorministries.org).  I am very excited about meeting you and serving with you.  You are an answer to many prayers.

Very gratefully yours,

Chan Sheppard

PS: Here is a link to the full job description:  https://prestontaylorministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Job-Description-Program-Director.pdf