A Cover Letter That (I Think) Doesn't Suck

I wanted to share with you the cover letter I wrote for my current position. I made some minor edits mostly to not give too much biographical detail, but the content is all the same. I like cover letters which put my work philosophy front and center: what would be the point of getting a job which I ended up leaving in a few short years because my pastor and I could never get on the same page?

Dear Father,

“It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.” I think St. John Paul II here gives the prophetic charge to Youth Ministries everywhere: help young people to know that it is Christ Himself who is the impetus and end of all their desires, and engage them in the family of the Church which helps them discern and live out these excellent longings.

A parish which takes seriously this call becomes a powerful engine for the transmission of the Gospel and the handing on of the Faith. Youth Ministry becomes a training grounds for prayer, asking tough questions, and “trying on” the role of living as a Christian in the world today. The attitude of the leaders becomes one of collaborative learning and active teaching, raising up teens not as the future of the parish but as integral parts of it in the present. The orientation of the program seeks to empower teens to be the agents of evangelization right now in their schools, their homes, and among their friends. Youth Ministry is about calling teens to participation, helping form them as disciples, and sending them out as missionaries and evangelists.

I have a great love for Christ and His Church, and consequently, a great passion for Youth Ministry. I believe it is through the slow, steady work of meeting people where they are at, getting to know them, walking with them, and ultimately leading them to Christ that the Church grows and is strengthened. Having previously been a Religious Education Director, I’ve seen the difference that can be made in young people’s lives by caring adults who desire to share “not only the gospel of God, but our very lives” (1 Thes 2:8). As a Youth Minister, I have seen how important building a culture of openness and trust is to helping young people in their faith journeys. This process of discipleship – fueled by relational ministry and apprenticeship and allowed to mature in time – builds up teens, ministries, and the Body of Christ.

I am passionate about sharing Christ with Young People and of giving them a spiritual home where they know that God is present. I am excited about the possibility of stewarding the youth of your parish through the next season of Ministry.

Peace,

Zak Jester