“Treasuring God Student Ministry”
Of Grace Community Church
Treasuring God Student Ministry Mission:
Grace Community Church’s Student Ministry exists to equip students and their families to delight in God’s glory and declare that glory throughout the world.
Treasuring God Student Ministry Passion:
To “Treasure God” is to ascribe worth to God, to love God, to delight in and value Him above all else. We delight in God’s glory as exemplified in Christ and illuminated through the Holy Spirit by…
· Treasuring God wholeheartedly (Matt. 22:37)
· Treasuring God’s people as He does (Matt. 22:39)
· Treasuring God’s purposes through prayer (Lk. 11:2)
· Treasuring God’s Word through meditating upon it (Ps. 1:2)
· Treasuring God’s sovereign care (Rom. 8:28)
· Treasuring God’s tests & trials as part of our growth (Js. 1:2-4)
· Treasuring God’s sustaining grace (2 Cor. 12:9)
Treasuring God Student Ministry Vision:
To assist parents in developing their young people to become God-centered, spiritually discerning, mature believers, who are characterized by a passionate love for God and a love for others— initiated by the Spirit and demonstrated through living exemplary lives in the areas of speech, life, love, faith, and purity (1 Tim. 4:12).
The fulfillment of this vision results in students who…
· Run passionately after God, and see all of life as worship.
· Recognize and embrace the liberating reality of God’s supremacy in all things.
· Radically surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
· Relish spreading the gospel both locally and globally.
· Realize the importance of feeding daily on the Word of God.
· Rely upon the Word of God for instruction, guidance and correction.
· Resist humanistic philosophies that put man in the place of God.
· Radiate humility in serving and loving others.
· Reserve a deep love for their family, seeking to honor their parents.
· Retain an unshakable faith that will weather the storms of life, persevering to the end.
· Repent genuinely when they fail to honor God and one another.
Our Strategy
Due to our inherited sinful nature and tendency to stray from God’s prescribed will, we realize our vision is humanly impossible. Yet knowing that all things are possible through Christ, we will seek to obtain our God-centered vision in the following three ways:
1. Prayer.
God is the one who works and moves in a person’s life, “turning hearts of stone into hearts of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26), “removing scales from our eyes while shining His light into our hearts”, (2 Corinthians 4:4-6), “drawing us to himself” (John 6:43). We will pray that God will, in fact, do a great work in the hearts and lives of our kids and their families. Even Jesus, while on earth, amidst the pressures and demands of ministry, spent significant time in prayer (Mark 1:35-39). We strive to pray specifically and consistently for the needs of our students, families, community, and world.
Specific ways we will pray:
1. We will spend time praying each time we gather for student/family worship services.
2. We will strive to connect students with partners who will consistently pray for them.
3. We will enlist people to pray for student events.
4. We will start every school year with a prayer walk around the local schools.
5. We will encourage young people and their families to consistently pray together.
2. Partnering with parents.
Can you find just one verse about the church youth group? Would it shock you that the Bible has nothing to say about the church youth group, but has lots to say about parents instructing and training their youths in the Lord with the help and support of God’s people? God has intended for children to receive their spiritual training from their parents, even through and especially during the teen years. Consider the following scriptures:
Deut. 6:6-7 - “These commands that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Eph. 6:4 - “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
Notice who’s doing the training and discipling? It is not the youth leader, but Mom & Dad—specifically Dad.
We recognize that “pastoral parenting” is no easy job and many parents feel ill-equipped to disciple their young person. But the solution is not to replace the parents’ role with a youth leader or volunteer. We believe that the Bible calls the church to equip the parents in this awesome task and come along side them in the discipling of their child but not become a parental substitute. The church youth ministry should not be a “drop off your young person so the youth leader can straighten him/her out” ministry. Rather, the local church provides a context where young people and their parents can come together to learn, have fun and build memories together, experience Biblical fellowship, and apply God’s Word in their daily lives and experience conformity to the imagine of Christ.
Since God gives parents the ultimate responsibility of training their child(ren) in the ways of the Lord, the leadership of
What is the parents’ role in this partnership?
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”—Deuteronomy 6:4-9
In the days of Moses, the people of Israel understood their role as parents. They knew their most important calling was to “impress upon their children” the Word of God. They were to talk about their faith and live it out daily.
Today, many families are lacking the understanding and tools necessary to rear children in the faith. They do not impress upon their children the crucial place of the Word of God. Our student ministry believes that parents are the main disciplers of their children, and that the family is the most powerful institution for promoting faith in our children.
The teen years are vital years, since many life-changing decisions will be made that will affect many more decisions in the years ahead. This season of life is a pivotal time in the growth of faith, during which youth either embrace Jesus or the world! Therefore…
- Parents must teach and train their children, both formally and informally. The home should be viewed as a classroom in which parents take advantage of opportunities to teach their children and help them process the world from God’s perspective. Parents must help their children know, memorize and love the Word of God (Deut. 6:6-7).
- Parents must be counter-cultural and remain actively involved in the lives of their children. While there will be a granting of more independence to a maturing young adult, there should be a strengthening of the parent-child relationship during this potentially volatile time of life. Children and parents should talk, pray, laugh, worship, minister, play, and treasure God together. This should not only happen in the home, but parents should also be involved in the lives of other students in the church as well.
- Parents need to realize that the adolescent years are an age of opportunity to train and equip their child like no other season of life. A powerful way of impacting children is by modeling what we want them to learn and how we want them to live. This is especially true when it comes to knowing and loving God. This can be frightening to parents, because we are sinful, imperfect and make mistakes. But when we make mistakes, we must be men and women of integrity and use those times to model forgiveness, repentance and humility.
- Parents need to help protect their children from the foolishness of the world and other godless influences. We want to have minimal degrees of regret, and avoid looking back at “harvest” time when our kids leave the home and decide we don’t like what we planted, or we didn’t water enough, or we let too many weeds grow alongside our children. Parents must make the most of every opportunity as the days are evil (Eph. 5:16).
- We want to encourage fathers to rise to the special role they have in rearing their children. God, in his wisdom, has placed them as the spiritual leader in the family (Ephesians 6:4). Fathers bear the main responsibility under God for shaping their children’s spiritual life, convictions, worldview, and values. This is not to minimize the role of mothers. They are obviously crucial in the upbringing of their children.
What is GCC’s role in this partnership?
We believe there should be a strong relationship between the church and the family. We, as a student ministry, want to come alongside parents and partner in the raising of their young people to be godly men and women (Deuteronomy 31:12-13, 2 Timothy 3:15).
There are many reasons for a strong Family-Church partnership:
- When our children and infants are dedicated to the Lord, we as a church covenant with parents to be a godly influence in the lives of their children.
- Some kids have non-Christian parents and they need to be discipled by someone else.
- Single parents can use assistance in bringing up children.
- The range of competencies in parents means some need assistance in a variety of areas that are not the same for everyone.
- Some students go through a particularly tough season of life in their adolescent years. They may deal with insecurities or have a rebellious spirit. For these, an outside influence by a godly leader from the church may prove to be a major factor in pointing that child to God and getting him/her back on track spiritually.
- Even the best homes can benefit from a corporate teaching time for young people.
- Church provides some corporate opportunities that are hard to duplicate in the home (e.g., retreats, mission trips, and other ministry-type events).
- There is a major battle for the soul of our young people today, and we must tap the resources of the entire body of believers to pray and battle for the hearts of our kids.
What our partnering with parents looks like.
Sharing the vision with parents
We will provide many opportunities for parents to hear our vision of ministry to families and students, so that they will understand how significant their parenting and our partnership is.
Assisting Parents
Assisting parents is a critical part of our ministry to help families grow in grace. We will:
· Create opportunities for parents and young people to interact.
· Create opportunities for parents to minister with their children.
· Create opportunities for parents interact with other parents of young people.
· Offer classes such as “Age of Opportunity” and “Courtship vs. Dating.”
· Offer resources for parents and young people alike in our bookstore.
· Work to equip parents to be better spiritual leaders of their children.
· Listen to the needs of parents and young people in our church.
· What makes GCC a great place for families is that we desire to assist parents to be better “pastors” of their children through sermons, Sunday School classes, seminars, small groups, and counseling when needed.
Informing Parents
Parents want and need information about what is happening in the ministry and what we are teaching and going through in Sunday School, Sunday nights, or in our small groups. We never assume the young person will tell his/her parents what is happening. Therefore, we want to communicate as much information as possible. Our current avenues of communication include:
Ø A monthly youth calendar to families.
Ø E-mail to parents and youth.
Ø Website.
Ø Parent meetings.
Ø An information center by the fellowship room and in the youth center.
Ø Weekly student ministry announcements in the worship guide.
Ø Phone calls.
Involving Parents
Parents need to be involved in student ministry in one form or another. We will strive to structure our ministry where it is natural for young people and adults to relate together. We want GCC parents to be interested and involved in the lives of young people. We want students that are polite, respectful and friendly, having a desire to gain wisdom from godly adults. Not all parents want to be “student ministry workers,” but many would be excellent leaders and mentors. There are many ways parents can be involved in ministry to young people: prayer partnering, retreat chaperoning, driving, photography, discipleship, fundraising, hospitality, mission trips, ministry events and fellowships. One excellent way to minister to young people is to take a special interest in the friends of your children, praying for them, and taking time to get to know them.
Encouraging Parents
Parents are the most influential shapers of an individual’s life—both positively and negatively. How parents raise their children will impact them for life. Parenting a young person can be a difficult and frustrating task at times. We want to do all we can to encourage parents in teaching their kids. We will create opportunities for kids to encourage their parents, and for parents to encourage one another from life experiences. The student ministry will endeavor to communicate positive qualities to parents about their children, and to children regarding their parents.
3. Planning toward spiritual growth and heart change.
In order to reach and disciple the greatest number of students, we have differing types of ministries designed to reach students at a variety of levels. Each level represents a step of maturity in a student. Our ministries are not designed to merely entertain students or to keep them in the church until they grow up. This means that our ministries are not designed to be “consumed,” but rather seen as opportunities to grow in faith, love and service to God and others. Our goal is to meet kids wherever they are and then, alongside parents, help our young people grow and mature in the faith, so that in all things young people and parents alike will glorify God and find joy in showing others the love of Christ.
We must continue to raise the bar for young people and then help them clear it. We want to see students who love the Word of God, who memorize it, who can pray effectively for others, who honor and respect their parents, who fix their minds on things above and not on things below, who are striving to grow in grace, and who have a heart for the lost. Our ministries are designed not only to help in growth, but also to allow students to minister to others. Therefore, we will plan with these three emphases in mind: nurturing faith, equipping with truth, and reaching out with the gospel.
Nurture
We believe that the years of transition from childhood to adulthood are not to be squandered in immaturity, foolishness and rebellion. Psalm 144:12 says, “Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.” There is a high standard in the Bible— God expects godliness in the years of our youth (1 Timothy 4:12, 2 Timothy 2:22, Philippians 4:8). Young people must be growing in their understanding of God’s Word, able to handle it on their own. The sad reality, however, is that many children who come up in Christian homes do not have a heart for God. They may profess to be Christians, having biblical head knowledge, but they are worldly in their approach to life. They are not philosophical atheists, but there is little evidence in their day-to-day living of a true hunger for God. Other things have replaced his important place in their lives (1 John 2:15). Therefore, nurturing a true love for God in our young people is the first emphasis of GCC’s student ministry. The following are some ways in which we nurture our young people:
1. Sunday School
Sunday School is designed to touch both head and heart. This time is dedicated to in-depth and applied Bible study. Sunday School also provides young people with an opportunity to connect with others in the Body of Christ.
2. Sunday Night “Treasuring God” Student Ministry Services
The second and fourth Sunday nights of every month are for youth and their parents. The aim of this time is to see biblical knowledge move from head to heart, with the resulting evidence being godly fruit and a dynamic, contagious, God- honoring Christian life. This time consists of worship, a short teaching time designed to pull students together and lay out the evening’s focus, and then small group leaders lead student discussion among small groups. Small groups are designed for teaching, accountability, prayer, developing relationships of love, mutual encouragement, care, and assimilation. There is extended fellowship with snacks afterwards. The Youth are encouraged to pray for these times, invite friends, and come ready to meet with God, ready to serve, and ready to have a great time together.
3. Sunday Night “Treasuring God Together” Family Nights
The first and third Sunday nights (and fifth Sunday night if applicable) of every month are for youth, siblings, and their parents to fellowship and grow as a family. There will be no scheduled church activities on the first Sunday night of every month so that families will have a designated night in which to intentionally Treasure God Together. On the first Sunday night of each month, families are encouraged to minister to students who might not have the blessing of a Christian home.
On the third Sunday night of each month, entire families (any family that has at least one youth between 6th & 12th grade) join together at the youth center or other locations for creative times of fellowship and ministry opportunities. The aim of these nights is for families to interactively learn to love others as Christ has loved us. The Treasuring God Together nights will be a variation of devotions, object lessons, outings, games, and service projects.
4. Retreats
Retreats continue to be a priority for developing spiritually mature young people. Taking kids out of their comfort zone and challenging them to go deep with God and others has proven over the years to be an ideal setting for God to move. Various retreats are offered, such as: Student-Life Tour, Student–Life Camp, Answers in Genesis, and camping trips. We strive to bring parents on our retreats to teach, interact, and relate with the students.
5. Bible Memorization
Bible Memorization is another important part of nurturing. Students are encouraged to memorize the weekly Grace Verse as well as Scriptures that coincide with lessons taught on Sunday nights. Missions or ministry trip scholarships are offered as additional incentives to hide God’s word in our hearts.
6. Laying a Basic Foundation of Truth
If we could permanently imprint anything we want upon our youth’s minds, what would that be? What do they need to know? When everyone else is “doing it,” what is going to keep our young people from joining them? We want our students to have a basic foundation of truth that will support them when difficult times come and before they begin “life on their own.”
10 truths we believe are essential for young people to be properly grounded:
1. The supremacy of God in all things Isaiah 46:9-10
Principle: God is supreme in the universe. God is in ultimate control of the world.
2. Ultimate joy in life comes from God Psalm 37: 4
Principle: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
3. The Bible is true 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Principle: God’s Word, the Bible, is our guidebook for life.
4. Ultimate authority Romans 13:1-2
Principle: Maximum freedom is found under God’s authority.
5. Authentic faith Proverbs 3:5-6
Principle: We are to be satisfied with all that God promises to be for us in Jesus.
6. Spiritual disciplines Romans 12:2
Principle: When you see as God sees, you will do as God says.
7. Moral boundaries 1 Thessalonians. 4:3-8
Principle: Purity paves the way to intimacy with God and others.
8. Healthy friendships Proverbs 13:20
Principle: Your friends will determine the direction and quality of your life.
9. Wisdom and making wise choices Ephesians 5:15-17
Principle: We must apply godly wisdom to all the choices we make.
10. A Life of love and humility Philippians 2:3-11
Principle: Consider others before yourself.
Equipping
We seek to equip our students to reach out in love, to minister to, and disciple others. We are seeking to connect students and families in the areas of ministry that God has called them.
1. Ministry & Student Training.
We want our students taking leadership initiatives within own youth ministry, the church and beyond. Christians are called merely to “sit & soak,” but to “serve & sweat.” We do not want to create an atmosphere where adults always do ministry and young people always receive or watch. We encourage many of our students to plan and actively participate in upreach (worship), outreach, inreach, prayer, fellowship, children’s ministry, media ministry, and school ministries - such as FCA and CEF.
2. Mission Trips
Students are encouraged to look beyond their own worldview to see, experience, and declare Christ throughout the world. Opportunities include Hannah House, Habitat for Humanity, Student-Life Mission Camp, Mexico, Asia, Africa, and Thailand.
Evangelism
We want to develop a mindset that evangelism is not a program, but a way of life. We will strive to show Christ and plant seeds of biblical truth among all our relationships, walking in such a way that others will see Christ in us. God teaches us that we should be salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-14), do all we can to bring in lost sheep (Luke 15:4), and to be merciful to those who doubt and snatch people from the fire (Jude 22, 23). We will teach young people how to lead people to the Lord, and help strengthen and refine their apologetical skills. We will pray that they will be filled with compassion and mercy for those not loving Jesus. To help keep evangelism a primary youth group focus we hold regular outreach events such as Child Evangelism Fellowship, wild game feasts, fifth quarters, G.Y.M. nights during the summer, and concerts. At these events, like all events, parents are welcome to attend.
We also provide visitor friendly events known as “sowing” events. These events will be more social in nature. They will provide opportunities for our kids to fellowship and reach their non-Christian peers for Christ. We want to help people see the true joy found only in Christ and the lack of true joy in following the ways of the world. Whatever this event: broomball, bowling, paintball, camping, fishing, basketball, volleyball, or stickball; we will seek to reflect our glorious Savior through word and action. We always want to be planting seeds of truth and showing kids how God is supreme in all areas of life.
Other Guiding Principles
Recruiting Godly Leaders
In order to have an effective student ministry, we need godly, spiritually contagious leaders who love young people. Relationships with leaders are, in part, what helps a student ministry grow and bring kids to various events. We do our best to recruit godly leaders to partner with parents and us in ministering to students. We want to build a team of people who have a passion for God; possessing gifts and abilities that will join together and function as a healthy body, loving and ministering to our students.
1. We want our leaders to encourage strong parent-child relationships. These are relationships that are life-long, unlike student worker-youth relationships, which may last only a few years.
2. These volunteers will be encouraged to build relationships with the families of young people and not just the youth alone. A healthy parent-volunteer relationship will help reinforce what is being taught at home, thus strengthening the partnership we are trying to forge.
3. All volunteers go through security and background checks for the safety of our children.
4. Volunteers will have a strong influence in kids’ lives. Therefore, they are charged to:
¨ Love God with all their heart (Luke 10:27).
¨ Have daily quiet times (1 Peter 2:2).
¨ Point young people to the Lord (Matthew 5:13).
¨ Be a godly example (Philippians 3:17).
¨ Be on guard for themselves (Acts 20:28).
¨ Pray often for the students (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
¨ Humbly serve the young people (Philippians 2:3-4).
¨ Do what they can to build our 10 foundational truths in the lives of kids.
¨ Establish strong relationships with our students.
5. Volunteers are needed to help in every area of the student ministry: worship leading, teaching Sunday School, leading small groups, helping with fellowships and mission trips.
6. It is our desire for parents to play an active part in GCC’s student ministry. The wisdom and maturity parents and other adults bring to the student ministry are essential. Young people are sponges ready to absorb the wisdom and love adults can impart. Relationships built here may have a life-long impact.
When faith is taught at home and then modeled by other adults,
it has a powerful cementing impact.
Conclusion
As we pray, partner and plan to help kids grow in their walk with God, we know that programs are not the end, but a means to strengthening faith. Spiritual growth is a life-long process. It starts in the home, and along the way there are many people and circumstances that melt us and make us pliable in the hands of the Potter. God molds us, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, he fills us with his love and enables us to become men and women who have a heart for him. The Apostle Paul knew about Christian formation when he wrote to the church at Ephesus, “I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.”— Ephesians 3:16-17
Notice words like strengthened, rooted and grounded. Our prayer is that we will see Christ dwelling in the hearts of our young people through faith, so that when these students leave home, they will be rooted and grounded in his love. The result will be that when the storms of life blow their way, they will not be uprooted, but will flourish “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”—Psalm 1:3.
Sunday Nights
1st Sunday Treasuring God Together Family Night (No church-sponsored meetings)
2nd Sunday Treasuring God Student Ministry Service (6:30-8:30 p.m. in Youth Center)
3rd Sunday Treasuring God Together Family Fellowship (6:30-8:30 p.m.)
4th Sunday Treasuring God Student Ministry Service (6:30-8:30 p.m. in Youth Center)
5th Sunday Treasuring God Together Family Fellowship (Time & Location in youth calendar)
Miscellaneous
(See Monthly Youth Calendars)
Broom Ball Camping Fishing Tournament Annual Wild Game Feast
A Meal To Remember G.Y.M Nights Skeet Shoot 5th Quarters
Sports Tournaments Bowling F.C.A. Concerts Mission Trips
Scavenger Hunts Float Trips C.E.F. Paintball