Philosophy of the Youth Ministry

Purpose of the Youth Ministry

The goal of the youth ministry is to assist parents in producing mature, godly teens with a passion for God and a burden for the lost. So that we may do this effectively, we must follow the commands and general guidelines we find in scripture.

First, It is the responsibility of the parents to raise their children. Deuteronomy 6:7 speaks of the ongoing influence the parents ought to have in the lives of their children. The church as well as the youth pastor are tools that the parents use to raise their children. While it is the responsibility of the parents to train their children, it is also the responsibility of the parents to use the tools of the church to raise their children. The church has been established for the growth of all believers, including both parents and teens. It is vital that church be a part of their growing process. While it is the ideal that all parents are guiding their children according to the principles of God's Word, that is not reality. For those teens who are not being guided to spiritual maturity by their parents, the church, and more specifically the youth pastor and youth group, are the only spiritual influence in their lives. It is then a necessary evil that the church step in as the sole spiritual leadership in that teens life.

Secondly, The youth group is not another church. It is part of the local assembly, and its growth is accomplished through and with the rest of the body. Understanding that the body as a whole is led by the Senior Pastor, the youth are also under his direction. As the Senior Pastor delegates the ministry of youth to his assistant, the assistant may then become the primary shepherd of those teens, while all the time following the leadership of the Senior Pastor. The Senior Pastor and the Youth Pastor, along with the rest of the body, then desire to invest in the lives of their teens so that those teens may move towards maturity.

As a body, the church then strives to meet the purpose of that youth ministry. That purpose is accomplished by following a four-fold plan . . .

Plan of the Youth Ministry

Evangelism - Both Matthew 28 and Mark 16, along with other various passages, give us the command to go and make disciples of all nations. The intial steps of evangelism must take place for anyone to ever mature in their relationship with Christ.

There are two aspects to this principle of evangelism. First, the leadership desires to evangelize teens, whether it be those teens who come to us or the teens we take the gospel to. Secondly, we desire to have teens who evangelize. Once a teen has been brought to Christ, it is then expected that he will then desire to bring others to Christ.

Education - The Great Commission does command evangelism, but it as well, in verse 20, commands the teaching of those who have just come to Christ. Once the individual has come to Christ there is an education process that must go on. Much of scripture is unfamiliar to the new believer, and many of its truths will need to be taught. Bible stories, Bible doctrine, Biblical practices, etc. would be areas of such needed learning.

Edification - I Corinthians 14:26, Ephesians 4:29, and a number of other passages command believers to edify one another. Edification can be understood to be a strengthening of fellow believers. The teens, as well as all believers, need to be continually growing. In this process of growth, often they need to be prodded to continue. This prodding is the process of edification.

Encouragement - I Thessalonians 5:11, 14 and Romans 12:1 are verses which teach us the principle of encouragement. Encouragement will be done by coming along side of the teens and patting them on the back. Encouragement will come in the form of comforting or cheering up. The focus of edification is on their future potential, whereas the focus of encouragement is on their present position.

The Programs of the Youth Ministry

The four-fold plan must work itself out practically in the programs that the church offers. Each aspect of the plan must be accomplished in the programs as well as balanced throughout the programs.

The following are the present programs as well as a couple potential future programs:

Evangelistic

    Teens being Evangelized

        • Teens in Grace – Activity Night (once a month)
        • Monthly Activity focused on Evangelism (4-5 a year)

    Teens Evangelizing

        • Mission Trip
        • High School Bible Study (yet to be started)

Education

    • Sunday School
    • Sunday Evening Service
    • Teens In Grace – Teaching Night

Edification

    Teens being Edified

        • Sunday Morning Worship Service
        • Mission Trip
        • Monthly Activity focused on Edification (3-4 a year)

    Teens Edifying

        • T-N-T
        • Teen Worship Service (every other month)

Encouragement

    Teens being Encouraged

        • Monthly Activity focused on Encouragement (3-4 a year)
        • Summer Camp
        • Fall / Winter Retreat

    Teens Encouraging

        • Lawn Care
        • Adopt-a-Highway program
        • Nursing Home Ministry (yet to be started)

While there are times when these 4 plans may overlap, each activity will have one as its focus. The desire is to have a balanced youth program, and for that to happen, each of the four-fold plans must fit into specific programs. Even though on paper there is a nice division of plans and programs, that does not mean that each program will always meet the goal that was set for it; but each program will at least have a specific goal.

Programs will change over time, but the purpose and the plan to meet that purpose ought not change. Both the purpose (producing mature, godly teens with a passion for God and a burden for the lost) and the plan (evangelism, education, edification, and encouragement) are biblically based, but the programs are not. The programs may then be changed and rearranged so that they best fit the purpose and plan of the ministry.