In brief
- Help in providing an amazing Christian holiday experience for members
- Support leaders in all aspects of making Bridgwater work, in particular the running of Tribes, Majors, Minors and Altz
- Support overall leaders and other leaders to fulfil their roles
To do what exactly?
- Pray for your members and leaders, before, during and after Bridgwater
- With the leaders in your tribe, find time to catch up and pray about your tribe and about Bridgwater life
- Give support to members who are having or causing difficulties
- As a tribe hold daily Bible Breaks using the booklets provided
- Be aware of any special needs of members identified in advance or evident whilst on Bridgwater
- Ensure that safety and risk assessment policies are applied at all times
- Ensure the members in your tribe are aware of the timetable, and that they are responsible for being in the right place at the right time (meals, activities, Majors etc)
- Ensure there is a sensible amount of discipline over, eg bedtimes, getting up, tidying dorms etc
- Liaise with and support other tribe leaders about inter-tribe issues
- Support the primary leaders in your tribe, Major, Minor and Altz
Special Responsibilities of Primary Tribe Leaders
- Be responsible for the physical, emotional and spiritual welfare of members and leaders in your tribe
- Be responsible for the practicalities of your tribe, including health forms etc
- Be aware of everyone, leaders and members and their needs
Special Responsibilities of Primary Major, Minor and Altz Leaders
- Plan and prepare for these sessions, ensuring that leaders you are working with are involved in your process
- Liaise with overall leaders as needed regarding appropriateness, resource needs and costs
- Provide leadership to the group, members and leaders, in the running of these sessions
- Be responsible for ensuring that the sessions are used productively and run to time
- Liaise with the worship coordinator during your sessions with regards to output suitable for showcase and/or the evening meeting
And for everyone
- Your relationship with God will be really important as you serve Him and other people at Bridgwater
- Look out for the needs of others and try to care for members and leaders with practical, emotional and prayer support
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10
What’s expected of leaders
The personal qualities we expect from all our leaders are based on what the Bible teaches about the characteristics that Christian leaders should embody and demonstrate. Leaders should:
- Accept Jesus as their personal Saviour and be willing to share their faith
- Accept the authority of the Bible as the Word of God
- Relate well to children and young people
- Be prepared to work hard and practise servant leadership
- Be prepared to work as part of a team and give loyalty to overall leaders
- Regularly attend a Christian place of worship
- Be of good Christian conduct and follow biblical teaching in relation to money, sex etc
Leading at Bridgwater is a fulfilling and rewarding area of Christian service. Come prepared to give lots of yourself – and expect to receive lots from God too as you take part in His work.
Being a leader at Bridgwater will be great fun and an amazing experience! Of course it will be tiring, and you’ll need to sacrifice personal time and space; but it’s a fantastic opportunity to be involved in changing the lives of young people, form life-long friendships, challenge yourself with new activities and be refreshed, renewed and inspired in your own faith.
How can you get the balance right and make sure you survive to the end of the holiday? The key is to remember that you’re in a team – several teams really. Other leaders on site will support you in practical ways and pray for you too. If you’re feeling under pressure do share with others in your area of the holiday – they will be sympathetic and will find ways to help.
Bridgwater 2023 