Our Ministry
In our ministry to students it is our desire to follow our church’s purpose statement:
“Equipping the church to reach the world for Christ.” (2 Timothy 1:6-14; 2:1-13; 4:17-18;Titus 2:10-14).
To that end, we are about equipping students with "everything good for doing His will," not entertaining them. We use this time in their lives as an opportunity to cultivate in them a desire to follow Christ and to become a true child of God.
We have been given the privilege of helping students mature in their faith. We seek to prepare them as future men and women growing from children to adults to lead the next generation of God’s people. Therefore, we measure success based on where they will be five years from now, not on where they are today.
Philosophy of Ministry
Our philosophy of ministry is God-centered rather than student-centered because if you’re building your ministry on what students perceive their needs to be, then your philosophy of ministry is based on psychology. If you’re building your ministry on how groups of people interact and what motivates them, then your philosophy of ministry is based on sociology. If, however, you’re building your ministry on what God knows student’s needs are, how He interacts with them, and what motivates Him, then your ministry is based on theology.
As a result our ministry consists of these four elements:
1. God centered teaching
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing bone and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12
God has promised that through His Word and the work of the Holy Spirit He will bless His church. Therefore, we use these means that God has ordained as the only hope for our students. Since we are using Scripture as the primary basis for our teaching, it is always more about God than about the students. The truths about God that we teach should cause students to question their lifestyles and to change them, but ultimately, our focus is not on the worshipper but on the object of worship.
2. Biblical Mentoring Relationships
"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us." I Thessalonians 2:8.
The incarnation of Jesus gives us a model for relational ministry in the church. Just as Christ was relentlessly and unhesitatingly committed to people, we must have this same radical commitment to our students. This calls us to do more than merely show up. We must be willing to invest our time and energy so that students “are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” that they not only know the truth but also experience it through a rich and intimate fellowship with those who lovingly lead them.
3. Servant Evangelism
"For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Ephesians 2:10
We seek to help students find ways in which they can sacrificially serve others. In this way they can discover their unique giftedness to be used both within the church and in their community. This gives them an opportunity to show their faith in word and deed and also serves as a visible expression of the love of Christ in their lives.
4. Integration and Unity
"All the believers were together and had everything in common." Acts 2:44
We believe that our students should be trained to be eager and active participants in the life of the church at large and not just the youth group. Students are an integral part of the church with gifts, talents, and abilities necessary to others. In addition, a healthy ministry to youth cannot be isolated from the other ministries of the church. Therefore, it is our desire to break down any artificial barriers between generations and to promote genuine fellowship regardless of age.
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