CORE Member Responsibilities

Position Title:
Life Teen CORE Member
Position Summary:
Becoming a CORE Team Member is making a response to our baptismal call to serve. CORE
Members, adults ages 19-99, play an important role in the Life Teen youth program and the lives
of the teenagers the program serves. The CORE Members approach to ministry should be rooted
in service, commitment, and dedication to the Church and the youth of the parish. CORE
Members are one of the most vital parts of Life Teens ministry. First and foremost, CORE
Members are role models to the teens, and therefore must live and act in a manner worthy of
the call you have received (Eph. 4:1).
CORE Members work under the supervision of the Youth Minister for the purpose of assisting in
the fulfillment of Life Teens mission, leading teens closer to Christ.
Foundational CORE Team Leader Behaviors:
1) Always develop your spiritual relationship with God.
CORE Members cannot lead teens to a level of spirituality that they have not yet
personally experienced. As a CORE Member, your relationship with God should be your
#1 priority.
2) Be present to the teens.
This ministry is not just about teaching, but about relating. Be present and willing to
relate to teens, meeting them where they are and from there leading them to Christ.
3) Be a defender & protector of teens holiness.
You will learn specific ways to detect whether the relationships you are building are
healthy. Life Teen must be a safe environment for everyone involved, and its up to you to
protect the holiness of the teens. This responsibility is not trivial, and many people
(parents, priests, teens, youth minister) are entrusting you with this duty.
CORE Team Leader Qualifications:
1) Love of Jesus Christ
2) Love of the Church and defender of her teachings
3) Readiness to be challenged and to grow spiritually
4) A heart for youth
5) Trustworthy
6) Positive Attitude

CORE Team Job Responsibilities:

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Personal Prayer
Life Nights
Outreach ministry
CORE Team meetings
Retreat

Personal Prayer
As a CORE Member, you cannot give what you have not received. To lead teens closer to Christ
and teach them the fundamental Christian practices of prayer and the sacraments, CORE
Members must themselves be drawing closer to Christ and his Church through daily prayer and
regularly receiving the sacraments. The youth minister will check in with CORE members,
asking about their prayer and holding them accountable to the commitments made when joining
the CORE Team. Generally, CORE Members are expected to attend Mass every Sunday and
spend at least 20 mins/day in prayer.
Life Nights
The function of Life Nights is to provide a safe environment for teens to explore their faith, grow
in community, and fall more deeply in love with Christ. It is vital that we as CORE give these
nights the time and energy the teens deserve. The following is expected of CORE Members for
each Life Night:

Be prepared for each Life Night by reading the relevant Catechism and Scripture
references related to the specific topic. This will help you in understanding what the topic
is for that night.
Attend Life Nights every Wednesday. If for any reason you cant attend, be sure to notify
the Youth Minister in advance.
Welcome teens to the Life Nights. Mingle with the new teens instead of staying within
the comfort zone of established relationships. This transition time may be your only
chance to reach certain teens.
Create a Catholic environment where openness and depth are embraced. This is done
through the attitude you bring to the night, the way you prepare, and the way you interact
with people.
Work as a team to clean up at the end of a night, in an efficient, joyful manner.
Participate regularly on a Life Night planning team as needed by your fellow CORE
Members.

Outreach
When participating in community events with the intent of doing outreach go in pairs. Jesus sent
out His disciples by two and we ask you to do the same. We do this for the sake of safety,
hospitality, and relational ministry. This means you and a partner (another CORE Member or
Youth Minister) plan, schedule, and attend your outreach activities together. Through effective
outreach, teens recognize they are valuable and worthy of Gods love and of your own, not only
at Church, but also out in the community.

CORE Team Meetings/ Training/ Socials

Arrive on time to all scheduled meetings and trainings, which include:

Mandatory CORE training in August and November

Occasional socials
Weekly CORE meetings (let youth minister know if you cannot make a meeting for any
reason)

At each meeting, be prepared to give and accept feedback. If you are unaware of a Church
teaching, ask questions at CORE meetings. Chances are if you are unaware of a teaching, the
teens are as well and will probably have the same question.
Retreats
Retreats will be held throughout the year to help foster teens relationships with Christ.
Currently, there is a Life Teen Fall Retreat scheduled for the 2016-2017 year. This time away
from reality gives teens an opportunity to reflect on their lives, the path they have chosen, and
their relationship with Christ. Retreats will demand your full presence. As a CORE Member it is
often the free time you share, or time in small groups, that help develop your relationship with
teens. Teens will likely be spiritually refreshed as they head back to reality and the time you
had together will not be forgotten. Attend all necessary planning meetings for each retreat. Arrive
at the retreat prepared for any presentations you might be doing. If you prepare during the retreat,
time spent doing so will take away from any relational ministry. Responsibilities for retreats are
the same as Life Nights. Be aware of teens current needs and personal spiritual challenges so the
topic of the retreat effectively reaches and relates to them. During retreats the teens are more
vulnerable. Be aware and avoid any conversation that might take away from the spiritual
responsibility you might have. Always when speaking with teens alone, stay in sight of another
CORE Member or Youth Minister.
Time Commitment
Between Life Nights, Core Meetings, Prayer, and Outreach, CORE Members should expect to
volunteer 5-6 hours/ week to the youth program. The breakdown of hours includes:

1 hours to meet, plan, and do outreach for upcoming Life Nights

2 hours before a Life Night to pray and set up
1 for the Life Night itself
30- 45 mins after a Life Night to clean up and evaluate the night

This break down does not include mandatory CORE training or retreat weekends.

Life Teen CORE Covenant

I, ___________________________, am honored to respond to my baptismal call to serve
in with Life Teen, a Eucharist-centered, relational teen ministry striving to lead teens
closer to Christ. As a CORE Member, I will serve teens by building Christian
friendships with them and leading them, by example, into a deeper relationship with
Jesus Christ. I understand that much is asked of me, including:
COMMITMENT TO MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
I will develop my personal relationship with God through Prayer and the
Sacraments. I understand this is very challenging and I will succeed only by the
grace of God through prayer.
I will abide by the teachings of the Catholic Church. Because I am a
representative of the Church, I will actively study to understand the teachings of the
Church, especially if I have an issue with a certain Catholic teaching. I will pray for
wisdom and obedience in seeking the truth. If a teen shares a Catholic teaching
concern with me, I will invite them to explore the true Catholic teaching with me.
I will actively seek opportunities to pray with friends, teens, and other Core
members.
I will frequent the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation.
I will strive for an active relationship with God through daily prayer, Scripture,
etc.
As a CORE Member, I understand that I am called to live a Christ-like life above and
beyond my peer group. There are sacrifices that we make because of our love for
God and our desire to serve teens:
I will not use drugs.
I will not get drunk. I will never drink enough to where I cannot drive.
I will not smoke at any Life Teen functions and will never smoke with teens.
In light of my position as a role model for teens, I will be careful of the influences I
put into my mind and body including the movies and TV that I watch, the music that
I listen to, the language that I use and the way I talk to and about others (gossip,
sarcasm, etc.).
COMMITMENT TO CORE
I will develop Christian relationships with all the members of our CORE Team,
knowing that the teens will model the relationships they see and experience with
the CORE. I am committed to living relationships of compassion, patience,
forgiveness, reconciliation, service and charity.
I will seek opportunities to do teen contact ministry with other CORE members.

 I will go out of my way to be welcoming to people who are checking out CORE. I
will introduce myself to new people and invite them to participate with me in
ministering to teens.
I understand the importance of our CORE team functioning as a unified team. If I
have a conflict with another CORE member, either personally or in ministry, I will
lovingly confront that CORE member individually. If I cannot resolve the conflict oneon-one, then I will bring my concern to the Youth Minister.
If I am unable to attend a meeting or I am going to be late, I will call the Youth
Minister as early as possible.
I will make every effort to attend spiritual and social gatherings for the CORE
team including CORE retreats.
COMMITMENT TO TEENS
I will develop Christian relationships with high school teenagers. All my
relationships with teens will be Christ-centered and above question.
I will make outreach to new teens a priority in my ministry. At all times I will be
developing new relationships with teens and fostering old ones.
In the area of crisis intervention, if a teen shares something with me where the
teen or someone else may be in danger of being hurt, then I will let the teen know
of my obligation to tell the Youth Minister and go straight to the Youth Minister. If I
am not sure, then I will tell the Youth Minister.
I will be modest in how I dress and act.
LIFE NIGHTS
As part of my commitment to the teens, I will attend every Life Night and plan the
nights assigned to my Life Night planning team. I will do my best to be a team
player.
I will help teens understand that they are expected to come on time and stay
through the closing prayer of the night.
After the Life Night, I will mingle with teens and introduce myself to those I dont
know. I will seek out the teens who look disconnected or alone.
I will help clean up after each Life Night.
DISCIPLINING TEENS
If these conditions cannot be met, I will do my best as a representative of the
Church to lovingly redirect the energies of the teen(s) without being parental or
authoritarian.
RETREATS

 I will help lead the Life Teen Fall Retreat, which may involve taking time off of
work, and will attend all retreat planning meetings. I will attend CORE Retreats. I will
also attend other retreats and overnight events as my schedule allows.
In response to my baptismal call, I commit to serving the teens as a CORE
Member for the 2016-2017 academic year. If my commitment changes before the
end of the year, I will meet with the Youth Minister to discuss my position.

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