Discipleship Staff

‍The Dale House Project seeks Discipleship Staff to join in a one-year program of relational ministry among at-risk youth, intentional community, and spiritual formation located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Each year, the Dale House Project welcomes up to eight individuals (4 males, 4 females) ages 22+ from across the country.  Participants are expected to live in DHP-provided housing, with a move-in date in August 2024.  This program has three goals:

• Experience deep relational ministry with youth with challenging life experiences;
• Live in intentional community with other committed Christians;
• Become a closer follower of Jesus, intentionally practicing spiritual disciplines to make sense of your year and draw closer as a disciple and your calling as a Christian leader.

Relational Ministry

We help young people who have experienced trauma, neglect receive supports so they can transition to independence and adulthood.  We offer several programs:

• An employment program, which builds basic work readiness skills and prepares youth for jobs out in the community,
• Housing, where youth live on the block and develop greater confidence in managing their own homes and living situation, 
• A variety of other services, including groups, activities, trips, and case management. 

Working on a team of other discipleship staff, you will rotate through the housing and employment programs throughout the year as you care for youth.

You will also be matched with one youth to be their primary support person as they work towards becoming an independent adult. And, more importantly, you seek to show the love of Jesus Christ to them by showing up in all of the details and commitments of everyday life.

Your job is to love youth as well as you can. That means you spend a lot of time together strengthening your relationship with them.  Knowing the need to “earn the right to be heard,” you’ll plan activities, have deep conversations, and simply waste time together. 

Living in intentional community

We are located in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, a city of over 500,000 people. The Dale House is 20 minutes away from mountain hikes and less than two hours away from the skiing, hiking, camping in the Rocky Mountains.

When you live at the Dale House, you join with other discipleship staff as your roommates and partners in ministry. Your apartment is across the street from where youth live, and you share housing with other staff in the program with you.

We are a place where you will - inevitably - enter into conflict with youth and fellow staff. We commit to working through those challenges, discovering how relationships can become stronger through effective reconciliation.

Form disciples

This form of ministry is stretching and tiring.  Youth carry great burdens, and they often struggle to overcome past obstacles and experiences.  It is vital for participants to seek Jesus intentionally throughout this year.

Over your year, you will create a Rule of Life, which is an intentional plan to practice spiritual disciplines as a way of staying attuned to the presence of God throughout very challenging work.  The discipleship program schedule has two days of every week devoted to the formation of our discipleship staff, where you encourage one another, hold each other accountable, and seek Jesus more faithfully in community.  

Who are we looking for?

Each year, staff join us from all over the United States to experience an intentional, in-depth exploration of Christian ministry among hurting youth. To do that best, the main criteria is someone with a mature Christian faith who is seeking to grow closer to Jesus by growing deeper in relationships with others.

Some criteria are most important for success in this role:

• Young at heart.  Although most participants are young (ages 22 and up), anyone who is actively asking major questions of identity and purpose, including:some text
  • Who am I? 
  • What do I want to do in my life? 
  • What is most important to me?  
  • Who does God want me to become?
  • Where does God want me to serve?
  • How can I learn to trust God more fully for the rest of my life?
• Faith is an essential motivator in your life.  You seek, often sacrificially, to get closer to Jesus and learn how to follow Him more closely.
• You have a sense of adventure beyond your home or what you grew up in. and an Openness to the perspectives of others.  You must hae a willingness to move, to try new things as you learn to step out in faith.
• Want to reflect deeply, with others, on the events of your life and what God may be doing in your life. 

Compensation

• Salary - $30,000 per year
• Housing is provided by Dale House Project on our campus.  Housing costs $350 per month, including utilities.  It is a requirement for discipleship staff to live in DHP-provided housing.
• Benefits: Dale House covers the cost for health coverage (monthly premiums) at no expense to you.  Other Young Life benefits include: dental, vision, basic life insurance, and a match on 401(k) contributions up to 4%.

About the Dale House Project

The Dale House Project has been training Christian leaders since 1971. Originally founded via Young Life, the Dale House became a separate entity about 20 years ago. But, we still maintain ties to Young Life, including receiving benefits from our parent organization. When you work at the Dale House, you receive full medical, dental, vision benefits. We also provide housing in expensive Colorado Springs, with convenient access to all of the activities of the Rocky Mountains!

We have fifty years’ experience in forming Christian leaders and supporting youth. When we have polled former staff about their experience, here are some of the lessons they say they learned from their time at the Dale House.

Click here to find the application for this one-year program.

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