Interested in joining FOCUS Staff?
Read on.
What is the time commitment?
FOCUS missionary staff make an initial two-year commitment,
starting in late May with summer training.
Most of our missionaries have stayed on campus several years; others
have gone on to explore religious life, get married, take another job, or enter
graduate school. What are the job requirements? · A hunger to know Jesus Christ more intimately on a persona
basis · A burning desire to see lives transformed by Jesus Christ · A willingess to meet college students on their turf · Faithfulness to the Roman Catholic Church · An undergraduate degree in any field
FOCUS is loyal to Jesus Christ and our Holy Father the
Pope. We are faithful to the teachings
of the Church. We support our priests, bishops and religious. We encourage our students and staff to
explore God’s call in their lives, whether it be to the married, single or
consecrated life. We hope to present the
timeless truths of the faith in a timely way.
Missionary life requires availability. FOCUS missionaries are asked to “dive in” to
college life again – keeping late hours, reaching out in the residence halls,
joining intramural sports teams, eating lunch in the school dining hall. Because
many of the students in our Bible studies are underclassmen (18-21 years old)
we find the more effective staff members are able to identify with and engage
this age group. Our current staff is
between 22-36 years old.
Does FOCUS have a mission statement? “To know Christ Jesus, and to fulfill His Great Commission,
by first living, then communicating the fullness of life within the Family of
God, the Church. Where will I serve?
Our missionaries make a commitment to serve at any campus
where FOCUS has a program. Every year we add new campuses to our growing
movement. Check out the Campuses section
of the website for a current list of campuses.
What will I do? First, you’ll attend our summer training, which is best
described as one part graduate school, one part boot camp, and one part
retreat. We take courses in Scripture,
Apologetics, Discipleship, Church Teaching and Fundraising. We have time to plan for the upcoming year on
campus and to build relationships with our campus teams. Other components of summer training include:
prayer, daily Mass, opportunities for the sacrament of Reconciliation,
practical workshops and plenty of fun times.
You’ll be on campus a few weeks before school begins, with
your team (typically two men and two women).
Focus teams pray regularly together each week (and, in most cases, every
day), attend daily Mass as often as possible, reach out on campuses, lead Bible
studies, and engage students on their level to build their leadership skills
and eventually challenge them to reach out.
Our staff members are also often found eating in the
cafeterias on campus, playing intramural sports, staying up late in coffee
shops, and throwing spontaneous BBQs, just to name a few activities.
Be ready to watch lives transform!
Is this a paid position? Like other missionary organizations, FOCUS missionary staff
members raise 100% of their living expenses while serving with FOCUS. Each missionary staff member cultivates a
support team of families and individuals who become partners in our work. In addition to providing financial support, a
support team also becomes a wellspring of prayer and moral support.
Our summer training includes excellent instruction in
fundraising, as well as coaching and personal attention from other FOCUS staff.
FOCUS missionaries are on a health insurance plan, and are
provided with a campus ministry expense account to help facilitate outreach on
campus.
Do I have what it takes? Let God decide that!
We are not looking so much for ABILITY, as for AVAILABILITY. Our staff members have a wide variety of
backgrounds and undergraduate degrees, from marketing to philosophy, from
history to psychology. They come from
state schools and Catholic schools; they are cradle Catholics and converts. What characterizes them all is a love for
Jesus Christ and the Church He founded.
We also ask that during the first year on campus, FOCUS
staff embrace a fast from romantic involvement using that first year to pour
oneself into service and prayer. In
addition, FOCUS provides staff development in the areas of dating, courtship
and discernment, so that when we do embrace our vocations, we do so with a rock
solid foundation on Jesus Christ.
Above all, the question every potential staff member should
ask him/herself is…
“Do I have the heart for this mission?”
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