Connecting People to Jesus, One Conversation at a Time.

MEET BRAD PARADIS & HIS FAMILYWe are pleased to prayerfully announce our Youth Pastor candidate, Brad Paradis.

Dear Madison Avenue,

It is with joy and gratitude that I sit down to write this letter to you. Over the past few months, Danielle and I have been praying about and considering my call to serve as your next Youth Pastor. As we have prayed, pondered, spoke to the wise spiritual counsel in our lives and met with the Madison Avenue Search Team, we have seen the Lord at work all along. We believe He has confirmed to us that He is indeed leading us to join the Madison Avenue family.

We are very excited about this possibility! We look forward to being with you all next week in person. We look forward to meeting you all, beginning to get to know you and imagining the possibilities that lie ahead. But before we arrive, I wanted to share a bit of our vision for student ministry. We have had the privilege to minister to students for some time and over this time, the Lord has developed in us some core principles that guide us. The first is that what students need most is the gospel!

We believe that the good news of Jesus Christ is what saves and sustains people and we wantevery student to have the opportunity to know and grow in this truth. The second is that students can and should learn spiritual habits while they are still young. Whether it’s reading the Bible, praying or being a committed part of the church family; these are the means that the Lord uses over a lifetime to grow students into mature believers. The third is that partnership between parents, church and students is essential for healthy and sustainable student ministry. We will work hard to develop and maintain these critical relationships. The fourth is that students are capable of much in the Kingdom of God! We have seen God do amazing things though students and so now we expect nothing less. The fifth is that student ministry should be joyful! Following Christ should be a life of joy. Although following Jesus is not easy, we have been invited into God’s story and given God’s free grace and that frees us to live lives of joy. We plan to have fun and work hard for the glory of God! Last but certainly not least, students are excellent Great Commission Christians! God has, is and will use students to reach other students with the gospel. Student ministry can and should be a Great Commission ministry.

If the Lord wills and you all confirm our call to Madison Avenue, we look forward to working out these principles in real life and seeing all that the Lord will do in the coming years! We are praying for the Lord to direct both our paths and yours during this process and we are looking forward to these paths crossing very soon!

Blessings,Brad Paradis

YOUTH PASTOR CANDIDATE

A MESSAGE TO MADISON AVENUE

Principal Function:

The Youth Pastor is responsible to the Pastor for the development, promotion, implementation, and oversight of all educational, evangelistic, and discipleship-based ministry for students in grades seven through twelve at Madison Avenue Baptist Church.

Primary Functions:

Develop, promote, and implement a vision for student ministry that is coherent with the Pastor’s overall vision for the church.Encourage a ministry mindset at Madison Avenue Baptist Church that leads volunteers, parents, and students to commit their lives to Christ and become more like Him in their affections, attitudes, and actions.Develop, implement, and lead age-appropriate ministries and classes that are safe, creative, exciting, and relevant to the students and families of Madison Avenue Baptist Church.Coordinate the enlisting, discipling, training and motivating of adults to serve in student ministry.Provide leadership for student ministry activities that occur throughout the week, such as Wednesday night youth group, weekday discipleship opportunities, and connecting with students outside of regular service times.Support students in extracurricular activities to develop relationships with students and families outside of normal church meeting times. The youth pastor is strongly encouraged to use his home to build relationships with students.Oversee the planning and implementation of student ministry retreats, camp, and missions opportunities.Create, administer, and evaluate a student safety policy that student ministry volunteers can readily utilize and that parents can easily understand.Ensure that all volunteers who work with students have passed an appropriate background check.Lead Madison Avenue Baptist Church to connect with and minister to the local school systems.Equip parents to be aware of social/sinful pressures facing students and provide families with strategies they can implement at home which will encourage commitment to and growth in Christ.Meet regularly with student ministry leaders to provide vision, encouragement, and motivation.Provide Christian counseling to students, parents, and whole families as needed.Attend conferences and/or virtual training to stay current in ministry trends, cultural changes, and youth development methodology.Coordinate church-wide outreach to families in the community in collaboration with other pastoral staff.Participate in hospital and home visits as needed.Preach during the Sunday morning or Sunday evening service as requested by the Pastor.Actively participate in regular staff meetings and retreats by reviewing student ministry progress, discussing student ministry needs, calendaring student ministry events, and providing input into a strategically comprehensive plan for ministry through Madison Avenue Baptist Church.Provide leadership in preparing the annual student ministry budget.Other duties as assigned by the Pastor.

YOUTH PASTOR CANDIDATE

JOB DESCRIPTION

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“I was brought up in a wonderful family. Both of my parents have been believers for all the years I have been alive. My mom comes from a long line of committed believers; however, my dad was the first believer in his family. They both have been heroes of my faith. I have two younger brothers, Matt and Greg, with whom I still have great relationships. They are both strong believers and leading their families to follow Jesus as well. Both of them and their families are in the Knoxville area now. In general, my family growing up was a warm, fun, godly family. This has been a blessing and shapes me and my ministry in countless ways.

While attending Boyce College in Louisville, KY, I met my wife Danielle at a video store I was working in. Danielle had just become a Christian a few months earlier. As we got to know each other it became evident to me that the Lord had done an amazing work in her heart and she was passionate about following Jesus. This, above all else, was very attractive. I had the privilege of being there during her baptism and during some of the early years of her discipleship. She started her Christian life strong and continues to be an amazing person of faith in Christ who is passionate about people knowing and loving God. After struggling to have children for several years, we were blessed to have twins. Our children are named Abigail (girl) and Avery (boy). They are now thirteen years old. Abigail is a funny, witty, curious young lady who is a great friend to those around her. She has an eye for those who are left out and hurting. Abigail became a Christian when she was nine years old. It is remarkable as a dad to see the Lord work in and through her life. Avery is a strong, funny, and very friendly young man. Avery has an unnamed genetic disorder that, in many ways, has shaped our family’s life significantly; some challenging but so many joyful. Avery has opened doors to God’s grace and work in our lives in more ways than we can list. My family, both growing up and now, have been used by the Lord to shape me and show me how to follow Jesus. I am profoundly grateful for the family God has given me.”

TELL US ABOUT THE FAMILY YOU GREW UP IN AND THE FAMILY YOU HAVE NOW.

TELL US HOW YOU BECAME A CHRISTIAN.

“I became a Christian when I was seven years old through the ongoing ministry of my parents and my church. I cannot remember a ton of the details surrounding the event but remember clearly that both my parents and my church (especially a devoted Sunday School teacher) were sharing the gospel with me regularly and said that if I truly believed in Jesus, I should stand up during the “testimony” time to tell everyone else in my church. My mom prayed with me to ask the Lord to save me and, soon after, I stood to testify that I had become a Christian. As a seven-year-old, not much noticeable changed about my life but I believe the Lord received my child-like faith and saved me. The Lord has faithfully continued to work in me since then. I was baptized two years later as a nine-year-old in the backyard pool of a church member.”

YOUTH PASTOR CANDIDATE

QUESTIONNAIRE

“I believe both my current and previous pastors would describe me as a good partner in gospel ministry. They would say that I am passionate about people coming to know the Lord and following Him wholeheartedly. I believe they would say that I work hard at the role God gives me and think hard about how to fulfill that role to the best of my abilities. They would describe me as somebody willing to ask questions to understand the church and the vision of the church better. I believe they would describe me as someone willing to offer input but also someone who is willing to receive input and follow leadership. They would say that I take the role of a minister very seriously but try to have fun while fulfilling that role. I believe they would say I do my best to build and maintain strong relationships with all the people I work alongside and minister to.”

YOUTH PASTOR CANDIDATE

QUESTIONNAIRE

HOW WOULD YOUR CURRENT OR PREVIOUS PASTOR DESCRIBE YOU?

“Talking about your own strengths is a tricky business but I will try to share what others have shared with me. I think I have a strength in personally making disciples. Over the course of my time in ministry, the most evident area of fruitfulness has been the people who are more committed to Christ and His church whom I have, in some way, been involved in their discipleship. I believe, and others have affirmed, that I have a strength in teaching the Bible. I find great joy in teaching God’s Word so that helps me to continue developing in this area.“

WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST STRENGTHS?

“I have recently read “Following Jesus” by N.T. Wright, “Them” by Ben Sasse, “Hannah Coulter” by Wendell Berry, “Life Together” by Deitrich Bonhoeffer, “At Home” by Bill Bryson, and “The Road to Character” by David Brooks. For a new youth pastor, I would recommend “Family Based Youth Ministry” by Mark DeVries.”

WHAT ARE THE LAST FEW BOOKS YOU’VE READ? WHAT BOOK WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO A BRAND NEW YOUTH PASTOR STARTING HIS FIRST YOUTH MINISTRY?

ARE THERE ANY BELIEFS LISTED IN THE BAPTIST FAITH AND MESSAGE 2000 THAT YOU HAVE A DISAGREEMENT OR CONCERN WITH?

“No. I believe the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is a good and faithful description of my beliefs.”

“I would begin by praying personally and with other parents and youth leaders for the Lord to grow our group. I believe prayer is the means God uses to work in and through His people. I also believe prayer focuses our attention and affections on the things that matter most to God. With prayer as the constant, I would do the following things (in no particular order) to work toward growth and maturity in the group…

• Build great relationships. Great relationships draw students in and sustain them inpowerful ways.

• Plan events that are done with excellence. Not necessarily fancy, but always excellent. Iparticularly think service/mission-oriented events are powerful tools for growing a group.

• Involve students in the overall mission and vision of the church. This means talk about thechurch’s vision and then give them opportunities to be involved with others in the church.

• Make sure the regular programming is done well (Small groups, Wednesday nights, etc.)• Show up where the students are as often as possible and build relationships with their

friends.• Ask students to invite their friends. I have found students will often take me up on this if

I just ask.”

HOW WOULD YOU GROW OUR YOUTH MINISTRY?

“Partnering with parents is one of my core beliefs about student ministry, so I make it a priority to keep parents informed and involved in the ministry. I have done this in different ways at different times. In the 17 years I have been in vocational ministry, some ways of informing and involving parents have changed dramatically (particularly technologically) but other ways have stayed the same. For example, we can now text every parent with an important announcement or reminder very easily or post that same announcement to a variety of social media platforms. These ways are fast and offer easy ways to reach lots of parents quickly. However, I believe the most effective means of informing and involving parents in the vision of the ministry is through personal relationships and in-person meetings. This may be a regular dinner at my home for parents or regularly speaking with each students’ parents to discuss the ministry and the student. It may involve an occasional “all parents” meeting at the church building. It would most certainly involve an open-door policy for parents of students to drop in and talk. In addition to planned means of informing and involving parents, the informal means of simply building good relationships and pursuing ongoing communication is vital. Making sure parents know the ministry objectives and are given regular progress reports and an open door to offer feedback is vital to a healthy partnership between parents and the student ministry.”

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO ENGAGE AND INFORM PARENTS ABOUT YOUTH MINISTRY?

YOUTH PASTOR CANDIDATE

QUESTIONNAIRE