Wayne Griswold, Minister to Students
A Philosophy of Youth Ministry
The adolescent years are filled with change that affects every area of life --- physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual. Bodies are growing. Thought processes are developing. Feelings are being expressed. Cultural interaction is taking on new dimensions. Questions of God and purpose in life are becoming more personal. Adolescence is a season of transition, a time when the teenager is leaving the ways of childhood behind and moving toward the responsibilities of adulthood.
Youth activity does not always translate into youth ministry. We could fill our calendars with activities for our teens and yet never truly minister to them. Our youth workers and volunteer leaders could serve faithfully week after week yet have very little long-lasting impact. We could implement flashy programs, hold weekly meetings, and schedule monthly events or summer mission trips. Yet these things in and of themselves do not guarantee that true ministry is taking place. Why? Because effective youth ministry is not only ministry to the present. It is ministry that looks toward the future as well.
For this reason, it is our conviction that effective youth ministry must not be an end in itself. Rather, it must become a means to a more desired end. Just as the adolescent is leaving childish ways behind and moving toward adulthood (at least we hope so!), effective youth ministry must have Christian maturity at it's ultimate goal. Or, to put it more simply, in order for our youth ministry to be truly effective, we must not become content with raising Christian teenagers, but must strive toward the greater goal of raising mature Christian adults.
The Purpose
All things are done in loving worship of God. The greatest commandment is to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mk. 12:30). This is first and foremost, not only in ministry, but in all of life as well.
From the Great Commandment we go to the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). If our youth ministry is to be sincere and obedient to the call of God, then we must develop genuine concern for those who, in their fallen and depraved condition, are lost and separated from Him. We must be passionate and relentless in our concern, and reach out to a lost and dying world with the person of Jesus Christ.
Yet we are not out to merely make converts, but to make disciples. The ultimate goal of authentic evangelism is not to increase our numbers, but rather to produce (to ÒmakeÓ) disciples. It is the production of healthy, God-centered Christians who impact their world for Jesus Christ. It is the laying down of a life-long foundation of learning how to walk with God. The primary concern is quality, not quantity.
Therefore, our purpose:
Our youth ministry is committed to the worship of God. It is our passion to reach students with the person of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and to lovingly nurture them into deep, personal, life-long communion with Him.
We are committed to leading students to a place where they will meet God. Not a place of programs, or activities, or even Bible studies, but a place where they encounter God Himself. For we are convinced that, after having met with God, life -- their lives -- will never be the same.
