Guidelines for Shepherding Students
1. Each youth coach is expected to handle personal issues (with other youth coaches, their own family, and members of congregation/youth group) with extreme confidentiality and prayer. If it involves something that will affect the youth group, something the person or youth is not working to improve, or in any situation where there is a possibility of danger caused by the individual or to the individual, it should be told to youth minister immediately.
2. In areas of conflict, a youth coach member should seek to resolve the issue directly with the person involved first. If that proves unsuccessful you should then seek the assistance of the youth minister in helping resolve the matter.
3. Each youth coach should speak positively of other youth coaches. Any reason for hesitancy in doing so should be addressed quickly with the appropriate person(s), and resolved in private. Remember, we are all on the same team here and we must strive to achieve this and be an example to the youth we lead.
4. Gossip is a sin. Do your best to not participate in any form of gossip!
5. Each youth coach should be an example of a healthy work ethic (promptness and thoroughness in planning lessons, games, or anything else led by the individual).
6. Youth coaches should be an example of prayer and Bible study. (doesn't mean you have to be perfect in this)
7. The nature of the relationship between a youth coach and a youth is one of leader to student, and not peer to peer; in light of that, friendships between a leader and students should be above reproach, and significantly different than relationships between youth. In cases where it is even perceived that those boundaries may be getting compromised, which is the coach’s job to prevent, the coach will be asked to take a break from coaching youth in order to realign himself/herself and receive some professional Christian counseling, which the church may assist in providing. The coach may be restored to youth leadership only when church leadership and youth leadership are satisfied that there has been an adequate passage of time, there has been submission to the help offered, and a spiritual realignment has happened that will allow the youth coach to re-enter ministry with the right spirit and conditions that will benefit the youth group and its members. Examples of behaviors that may cause this mandated sabbatical are: flirtatiousness, breach of confidentiality, inappropriate levels of confiding or friendship with a member of the youth group, inappropriate use of the Internet or social media with youth, or any perceived violation of boundaries that reasonably makes parents, leaders and/or youth feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
8. Leaders must abstain from all forms and degrees of extramarital sex, homosexual activity, pornography, and any kind of sexual impurity (I Corinthians 6:18-20). Each leader must conduct themselves appropriately with members of both sexes. (this is explained in greater detail in the below section "Practice Boundaries with Students")
9. While we don’t require adult Small Group Leaders to abstain from alcohol entirely, we do expect them to exercise wisdom and restraint (Titus 1:7, Romans 14, I Timothy 3:3). No volunteer may consume alcohol on our church campus, at any ministry event, or in the presence of a student. Drug and underage alcohol use, of course, is never acceptable.
10. When online, Leaders must separate themselves from all questionable photos, language, or content (Ephesians 4:29, 5:3-4), maintaining an online presence that is above reproach. Here’s a tip: if the parent of a 5th grader wouldn’t want their child to see something that you’ve posted, it’s inappropriate.