Core Vision – The goal of our Youth Ministry is to nurture our young people so that they become life-long disciples of Jesus Christ. The following three convictions guide the ministry:
- Centered on Family Because parents are primarily responsible for the spiritual development of their children, the Youth Ministry seeks to equip and encourage parents to nurture spiritual growth in all of our teens.
- Integrated with the Body As much as possible the youth program will seek to integrate young people into the life of our congregation. Consequently, youth activities will be planned to compliment other important congregational activities.
- Purposefully Inter–generational Our congregational is a family of God where Christian discipleship is learned and shared from generation to generation. Our youth ministry purposefully encourages the development of inter-generational friendships between our teens and other members of the congregation.
Implementation Plan
- Youth Steering Ministry. Planning and implementation of activities and programs for grades 6-12 will be directed by the Youth Steering Ministry, which is composed of at least one parent from each Teen Family and other interested church members. The YSM is specifically responsible for…
- Monthly teen events
- Teen Education & Bible classes
- Wednesday night devotionals
- Summer Teen Mission Trips
- Communication with all concerned parties
- Regular YSM Meetings. The YSM meets regularly (at least once a quarter) to accomplish the tasks listed above, discuss other needs and or problems, and develop better working relationships with one another.
Core Components of the Youth Ministry
- Monthly Activity – One activity per month for middle-school and high-school students will be scheduled, promoted, and administered by the YSM. This activity is mainly a “fun” or “service” experience designed to build positive relationships between Christian teens. Each monthly activity will also include some deliberate spiritual content (devotional, prayer time, Bible study).
- Bible Classes – Bible Classes for Middle School and High School will be organized and coordinated by the Youth Steering Ministry. Emphasis will be given to substantial biblical content, parental involvement and cooperation with the larger congregational education program.
- Weekly Devotional – Wednesday evenings our teens meet for an informal time of devotion. These devotionals may include all of our teens, or only the high school students, from quarter to quarter, depending on the make-up of our group. Devotionals consist of singing, prayer, and open discussion of the Bible and its direct application to the life of young people. Each fall in this context our teens also select a Memory Verse for the group for the year.
- Youth Spiritual Development Plan (YSDP) In the fall quarter during the Wednesday PM devotional our teens will work together with one another, and our Teen Mentoring Couple, to define group goals for spiritual growth. These will be recorded in the Youth Spiritual Development Plan and referred to regularly throughout the year.
- Summer Teen Mission Trip –The YSM organizes a mission trip each summer focused on service or evangelism. These trips occur in a three year rotation of Local, Regional and International. See the supplemental document “STMT Summary and Guidelines” for more details.
- “Summer Nights” – During the summer months our teens join other youth from Churches of Christ in the Willamette Valley for an evening of worship and fellowship, hosted at different churches. Our congregation usually hosts once each summer.
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