Summer Staff

As a member of our Summer Staff, you will serve as part of a team executing the mission programs of our Youth Summer Ministry (YSM). You will lead communities of volunteers from all over the country in their mission work (either Day Camp or Service Project) and spiritual practices, such as worships and devotionals.

Advantages

We are committed to your long-term development here at Mountain T.O.P. Though you will only be with us for about 10 weeks in the summer, we want to give you opportunities to learn skills that will last a lifetime. We focus on spiritual and professional development in our summer staff. Here are some ways we challenge our staff to grow spiritually and professionally.

WHo can be on summer staff?

Summer staff is for the passionate and compassionate. The intentional investors and the Kingdom advancers. The beautifully broken and the community builders. The legacy leavers and Mountain lovers. Summer staff is all about living out the Gospel by serving others. Does this sound like something for you? We’re looking for individuals who are:

• Faithful followers of Jesus, willing to bring their ministry and leadership experience to the Mountain.

• Eager to manifest the Gospel in word and action across the seven counties of our service area.

• Committed to growing spiritually and professionally.

• Confident and comfortable in being spiritual leaders.

Being on Mountain T.O.P. Summer staff may not be for you if…

• You have an issue giving your all.

• You have trouble seeing the big picture.

• You don’t receive or give feedback and correction with a humble attitude.

• You are not willing to dive deep into the spiritual side of why it’s important to serve others.

• If you aren’t willing to sacrifice to be a part of the team.

• You don’t like driving sometimes long distances and meeting new people daily.

We believe all these things can be learned by people who’s hearts belong to God and we believe all these things can be improved upon. We ask a lot of our summer staff – our Summer Staff program stretches people as leaders in the faith, professionals in the workspace, and as followers of Jesus.

Meet our 2024 Staff!

Scroll down below to meet our unstoppable leaders who have given their summers to be the hands and feet of the Lord! Consider partnering with them today to invest in the future of the Cumberland Plateau.

The Directors

the day camp managers

The Program managers

The service project managers

the service project ministry coordinators

the day camp ministry coordinators

JOb Descriptions

Please note these are fairly broad job descriptions, but generally communicate the positions we will offer during the summer of 2024. As we move closer to the summer and are better able to assess the needs of our community and Mountain T.O.P.’s capacity to facilitate those needs, these job descriptions will come into a sharper focus. Every summer at Mountain T.O.P. is different, but especially due to the echoes of COVID-19, we appreciate your acknowledgement of the flexibility required to plan a summer at Mountain T.O.P.

If you have any questions, feel free to connect with Analiese by email at analiese@mountain-top.org, or call our main office at 931-692-3999.

a note on Partnerships:

In each Job Description, you will see the salary and required partnerships for each position. We require our summer staff to raise an amount of money which is equal to half of their salary plus the cost of living ($1,000). This helps cover the cost of employment at Mountain T.O.P. We believe our Summer Staff deserve to be paid for the work they do here. Mountain T.O.P. cannot cover the cost of this on our own, so we require our Summer Staff to raise a portion of this cost. Mountain T.O.P. will pay you the remaining half of your salary. Raising salary and living costs are a standard practice in mission ministries. Partnerships serve a threefold purpose:

1. Partnerships requires our Summer Staff to ask for help and creates a community for them to receive support and be held accountable. 

2. Partnerships get people involved in Mountain T.O.P. who may not be able to serve in the same capacity as our Summer Staff and participants. We should know what the other parts of our body are doing (see Romans 12). Mountain T.O.P. believes partnerships are a way for Christian community to come together and provide for the ministry of the Gospel.

3. Partnerships help us hire more Summer Staff so we can work with more families and serve more people in the community.

If the partnership goal looks overwhelming, take heart; people have been raising summer staff partnerships for almost 47 years with all kinds of variations in fundraising experience (mostly none). Mountain T.O.P. has lots of resources and advice for raising your partnership goal that we’re happy to share should you be hired to work at Mountain T.O.P. - but the most important thing to do is ask.

SALARY: $3,400 | PARTNERSHIPS: $2,700 ($1,700 + $1,000 Living Expenses)

WEEKLY RESPONSIBILITIES

Directors manage the staff leadership team and the staff as a whole. Directors oversee and are ultimately responsible for all camp operations and staff effectiveness to ensure the quality of both camper and staff experience. This role acts as the point of contact for all camper groups and is accountable for establishing standards and successful execution of each camp week. Direct job responsibilities include: the leadership development of the staff both professionally and spiritually, the coordination and cooperation with Support Staff and fellow camp directors regarding staff life and camp operations, and the management of financial and administrative tasks of their respective camp weeks. The director is responsible for the development of all staff members in the areas of spiritual growth, group leadership, personal development, and job performance.

REQUIREMENTS:

– A high school graduate and at least 18 years old by May 21, 2023

– Able to provide your own personal vehicle and auto insurance

– Available for Staff Training starting on May 21, 2023

– Available to serve from May 21, 2023 to July 28, 2023

– Certified in First Aid and CPR by May 21, 2023

– Committed to preparing yourself spiritually, financially, and administratively by reading all prep materials, raising partnerships, and completed all necessary paperwork

CHARACTERISTICS:

– Commitment to following Christ and living out the Gospel through words, thoughts, and actions

– Confidence in being a spiritual leader to others

– Teachable and open heart

– Understanding of and readiness to practice sacrificial service

– Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with proven leadership skills

– Desire to grow in professionalism and acquire real-world skills

– Readiness to invest in a grace-driven community and build Christ-centered relationships

– Willingness to work hard and get the job done

SALARY: $3,000 | PARTNERSHIPS: $2,500 ($1,500 + $1,000 Living Expenses)

WEEKLY RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Managers serve on the staff leadership team with the Director and other managers. Program Managers oversee and manage all in-camp programming operations for their respective weeks. Direct job responsibilities include: the organization and management of the staff office, the coordination of camper group registration and division, the facilitation and direction of all programming planning (activities, games, daybreaks, worships), and the assurance of quality execution of the aforementioned programming events. Additionally, the Program Manager, in conjunction with the rest of the management team, assists in the development of the Ministry Coordinators in the areas of spiritual growth, group leadership, personal development, and job performance.

REQUIREMENTS:

– A high school graduate and at least 18 years old by May 21, 2023

– Able to provide your own personal vehicle and auto insurance

– Available for Staff Training starting on May 21, 2023

– Available to serve from May 21, 2023 to July 28, 2023

– Certified in First Aid and CPR by May 21, 2023

– Committed to preparing yourself spiritually, financially, and administratively by reading all prep materials, raising partnerships, and completed all necessary paperwork

CHARACTERISTICS:

– Commitment to following Christ and living out the Gospel through words, thoughts, and actions

– Confidence in being a spiritual leader to others

– Teachable and open heart

– Understanding of and readiness to practice sacrificial service

– Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with proven leadership skills

– Desire to grow in professionalism and acquire real-world skills

– Readiness to invest in a grace-driven community and build Christ-centered relationships

– Willingness to work hard and get the job done

SALARY: $3,000 | PARTNERSHIPS: $2,500 ($1,500 + $1,000 Living Expenses)

WEEKLY RESPONSIBILITIES

Service Project Managers serve on the staff leadership team with the Director and other managers. Service Project Managers oversee and lead all of the service project operations for their respective camp weeks. Direct job responsibilities include: the procurement and delivery of materials, the assurance of project quality, and the overall management of each project assigned to their Ministry Coordinators. Additionally, the Service Project Manager, in conjunction with the rest of the management team, assists in the development of the Ministry and job performance.

REQUIREMENTS:

– A high school graduate and at least 18 years old by May 21, 2023

– Able to provide your own personal vehicle and auto insurance

– Available for Staff Training starting on May 21, 2023

– Available to serve from May 21, 2023 to July 28, 2023

– Certified in First Aid and CPR by May 21, 2023

– Committed to preparing yourself spiritually, financially, and administratively by reading all prep materials, raising partnerships, and completed all necessary paperwork

CHARACTERISTICS:

– Commitment to following Christ and living out the Gospel through words, thoughts, and actions

– Confidence in being a spiritual leader to others

– Teachable and open heart

– Understanding of and readiness to practice sacrificial service

– Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with proven leadership skills

– Desire to grow in professionalism and acquire real-world skills

– Readiness to invest in a grace-driven community and build Christ-centered relationships

– Willingness to work hard and get the job done

SALARY: $3,000 | PARTNERSHIPS: $2,500 ($1,500 + $1,000 Living Expenses)

WEEKLY RESPONSIBILITIES

Day Camp Managers serve on the staff leadership team with the Director and other managers. Day Camp Managers oversee and coordinate total Day Camp operations for their respective camp weeks. Direct job responsibilities include developing the complete programming for Day Camp weeks with accordance to established Day Camp curriculum, ensuring the effective integration of daily Day Camp and Mountain T.O.P. themes, coordinating with applicable sites and contacts, and confirming accuracy and completion of daily van routes. Additionally, the Day Camp Manager, in conjunction with the rest of the management team, assists in the development of the Ministry Coordinators in the areas of spiritual growth, group leadership, personal development, and job performance.

REQUIREMENTS:

– A high school graduate and at least 18 years old by May 21, 2023

– Able to provide your own personal vehicle and auto insurance

– Available for Staff Training starting on May 21, 2023

– Available to serve from May 21, 2023 to July 28, 2023

– Certified in First Aid and CPR by May 21, 2023

– Committed to preparing yourself spiritually, financially, and administratively by reading all prep materials, raising partnerships, and completed all necessary paperwork

CHARACTERISTICS:

– Commitment to following Christ and living out the Gospel through words, thoughts, and actions

– Confidence in being a spiritual leader to others

– Teachable and open heart

– Understanding of and readiness to practice sacrificial service

– Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with proven leadership skills

– Desire to grow in professionalism and acquire real-world skills

– Readiness to invest in a grace-driven community and build Christ-centered relationships

– Willingness to work hard and get the job done

SALARY: $2,800 | PARTNERSHIPS: $2,400 ($1,400 + $1,000 Living Expenses)

WEEKLY RESPONSIBILITIES

Service Project Ministry Coordinators (SPMCs) prepare for and lead teams of youth and adults in their daily activities during the week of mission work. All Ministry Coordinators inherently participate in the planning and execution of programming activities, in addition to those responsibilities of their respective field operations. Programming responsibilities include: ensuring community building, planning and facilitating nightly games, preparing and delivering daily daybreaks (or devotionals) to their respective teams, and planning and leading worships. Planning and leading worships utilizes an established scriptural theme to develop original, meaningful worship experiences. Service Project field responsibilities include but are not limited to: acquiring projects through visiting families, estimating tools, materials, and durations of projects, and managing work teams at work sites. There may be a need for SPMCs to facilitate Major Home Repair projects during the summer rather than traditional Minor Home Repair work.

REQUIREMENTS:

– A high school graduate and at least 18 years old by May 23, 2023. We require parent’s consent for 17 year-olds.

– Able to provide your own personal vehicle and auto insurance

– Available for Staff Training starting on May 23, 2023

– Available to serve from May 23, 2023 to July 28, 2023

– Certified in First Aid and CPR by May 23, 2023

– Committed to preparing yourself spiritually, financially, and administratively by reading all prep materials, raising partnerships, and completed all necessary paperwork

CHARACTERISTICS:

– Commitment to following Christ and living out the Gospel through words, thoughts, and actions

– Confidence in being a spiritual leader to others

– Teachable and open heart

– Understanding of and readiness to practice sacrificial service

– Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with proven leadership skills

– Desire to grow in professionalism and acquire real-world skills

– Readiness to invest in a grace-driven community and build Christ-centered relationships

– Willingness to work hard and get the job done

SALARY: $2,800 | PARTNERSHIPS: $2,400 ($1,400 + $1,000 Living Expenses)

WEEKLY RESPONSIBILITIES

Day Camp Ministry Coordinators (DCMCs) prepare for and lead teams of youth and adults in their daily activities during the week of mission work. All Ministry Coordinators inherently participate in the planning and execution of programming activities, in addition to those responsibilities of their respective field operations. Programming responsibilities include: ensuring community building, planning and facilitating nightly games, preparing and delivering daily daybreaks (or devotionals) to their respective teams, and planning and leading worships. Planning and leading worships utilizes an established scriptural theme to develop original, meaningful worship experiences. Day Camp field operations include: visiting and registering children for participation in day camp programs, working with the Day Camp Manager to prepare for activities prior to camper arrival, leading and executing planned curriculum at various sites during the camp week, and managing teams at said sites. Day Camp responsibilities may also include personal execution of drive by day camp programs if needed rather than facilitation of Youth Renewal groups.

REQUIREMENTS:

– A high school graduate and at least 18 years old by May 23, 2023. We require parent’s consent for 17 year-olds.

– Able to provide your own personal vehicle and auto insurance

– Available for Staff Training starting on May 23, 2023

– Available to serve from May 23, 2023 to July 28, 2023

– Certified in First Aid and CPR by May 23, 2023

– Committed to preparing yourself spiritually, financially, and administratively by reading all prep materials, raising partnerships, and completed all necessary paperwork

CHARACTERISTICS:

– Commitment to following Christ and living out the Gospel through words, thoughts, and actions

– Confidence in being a spiritual leader to others

– Teachable and open heart

– Understanding of and readiness to practice sacrificial service

– Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with proven leadership skills

– Desire to grow in professionalism and acquire real-world skills

– Readiness to invest in a grace-driven community and build Christ-centered relationships

– Willingness to work hard and get the job done

Time Commitment

Traditionally, each summer Mountain T.O.P.  opens two camp locations, Camp Baker Mountain and Camp Cumberland Pines, with two staffs per camp. Camp staffs work in week-long shifts, rotating from a work week to a break/preparation week. See the chart below for a visual representation. All staff members are required to serve for approximately 10 weeks – from the start of training to the end of closing (May 21 - July 28, 2023).

Training is a time when we train our staff for specific job responsibilities and general leadership and spiritual life skills that are needed to be successful during the summer. This is where staff learn construction knowledge and plan day camp programs, learn how to write messages and more.

Typically staffs have a 3-day break before they start preparing for their week of campers. This preparation time is called pre-camp. It is the time when staff are scheduling projects, recruiting Day Camp Children and planning programing for the next week when we have campers.

After their pre-camp, staffs have a week of service where they are facilitating projects leading devotions, and in-camp programming. After the camp week, the staff go on break again and repeat the Break/Pre-Camp/Camp Week cycle 3 or 4 times. After the last cycle of the summer, we devote a half week of closing. Read more about the camp week cycle and work schedule in our FAQ section.

Closing is when all our summer staff reunite to debrief and review the summer and to look ahead to what is next for staff after their time on the Mountain.

Application Process

Thank you for your interest in joining the 2024 Summer Staff! Applications are accepted and job offers are made on a rolling basis. We will not wait until the December 31 application deadline to make offers and hire Summer Staff. Please review the following sections for more information. If you have any questions, please feel free to connect with Analiese via email, analiese@mountain-top.org or by phone, 931-692-3999.

FAQ

Here is a list of frequently asked questions, If you have any questions that aren’t included here or in another section of the page please feel free to reach out to Analiese by email at analiese@mountain-top.org or call our main office at 931-692-3999.

We have two camps we operate from in the summer. Camp Baker Mountain in Spencer, Tennessee and Camp Cumberland Pines in Coalmont, Tennessee. Directors and Managers will find out their camp locations during Leadership Team weekend in February. Ministry Coordinators will find out their camp locations during Staff Training in May.

We require our summer staff to raise an amount of which is equal to half of their salary plus the cost of living ($1,000). This helps cover the cost of employment at Mountain T.O.P. We believe our summer staff deserve to be paid for the work they do here. Mountain T.O.P. can’t cover the cost of this on our own so we require our summer staff to raise a portion of this cost. Mountain T.O.P. will pay you the remaining half of your salary. Raising salary and living costs are a standard practice in mission ministries. You can read more about the purpose of partnerships on the Job Descriptions page.

We require a commitment from May 23 - July 28 for Ministry Coordinators and a commitment from May 21 - July 28 for our managers and directors. Management Teams will attend a Leadership Team Weekend in January.

We hope to schedule interviews with summer staff within two weeks of receiving applications, pending availability with our volunteer schedule. Applications are accepted and job offers are made on a rolling basis.

We hope to make hiring decisions shortly after interviews after an appropriate time of discernment as a staff (ideally within a week or two of the interview). Be mindful our office is closed during the last week of November and the last two weeks of December to celebrate the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. but we are still accepting applications during these weeks.

Yes. You must provide a copy of your vaccination card. Unless you are able to provide a notice from your medical provider saying that you aren’t able to receive a vaccination. The physician must fax a notice to the Mountain T.O.P. main office at 931-692-3807 If you have questions regarding our vaccination policy please call our office at 931-692-3999.

We don’t have a preference. If you are close by and able to make the journey to our office for an in-person interview, we would be happy to welcome you. However, being in-person for an interview will not affect hiring decisions. We are able to do interviews through Facetime, Skype, and Google Hangouts.

Mountain T.O.P. tries to be flexible with our staff - but we really need them present throughout the whole summer. If you need to be away for more than a weekend, it’s hard to make that happen while still respecting our schedule and other staff persons that remaining responsibilities would fall on. Let us know of any possible conflicts with the dates of employment ASAP.

Mountain T.O.P. has a unique schedule. Because of this, we encourage people to get as much rest as they can and to take breaks during the day when they are able to.

We start with training, which is an intense 8-10 day period before the start of the summer where we try to prepare you for your job this summer. After training, everyone goes on a 2 day break. After that break, we enter into the pre-camp/Camp week cycle.

Pre-camp starts at 9:00am on Wednesdays and runs until Saturday Afternoon. Pre-Camp is when you prepare everything you need for your campers. This includes but is not limited to Program roles, Service projects, Day Camp activities and curriculum and facilities. You then have a Staff R and R (Rest and Relaxation) Saturday night which you do as a whole staff.

Sunday is when your campers arrive. This is the beginning of your camp week. You orient them to Mountain T.O.P., lead worship and games, and prepare them for their week of service. Monday - Friday you are up from Breakfast (7:15am) - your evening staff meetings roughly (11:00 -11:30pm). Saturdays you tie up loose ends from the week and help turn it over to your sister staff (The other staff that shares your camp facilities). While you have campers, your sister staff is preparing for their camp week. After all staff people are back on Saturday and you have your loose ends tied up, you go on R and R as a staff again. Sunday Morning, your staff goes to church together and then you are off for a break until Wednesday morning at 9:00am for your next pre-camp.

You are working 11 days in a row with 3 day breaks.

Unless you have no where to go or feel unwell, we ask that our staff people stay outside of camp during their breaks. We have friends of the ministry who have graciously offered their homes to host Mountain T.O.P. Summer Staffers. We ask that Staff don’t drive father than 6 hours away for a break.