It was great to sit down this week with George Stull, the director of student ministries at Cross Point church in Nashville. It is always refreshing to take time out of my week just to connect with another leader, hear their story, and dream about what youth ministry can be today. The one place we both landed on with both ministries we lead was that we need to have the courage to view student ministry from a wider perspective. We usually measure our impact around a program that we run. Student leaders must step back and evaluate what we do from the church / community level and not just through our meetings or programs. We have to be asking...
How many students are plugged into the life of the church we serve? (are we a part of the local church we serve or just leading a teen church within an adult church)
How are we helping students to see the adventure of living for and through Jesus?
How are students connecting with and experiencing community at all levels, young life, fca, the environment we lead, home groups, etc.? (teens need community and there are multiple ways to connect with teens, our program is not the final answer)
How many students are serving?
How are we supporting an encouraging parents to be influencers in their teens spiritual journey?
Are we willing to stop supporting programs, environments that we are having to manufacture energy for? (many of us try to DO so much we have no time to BE with anybody in healthy relationships)
Student ministry is always changing because the teens we are reaching live in a changing world. I pray we will be willing to adapt our STUFF to reach teens for Christ and help them to live in and through Christ. What questions are you asking when it come to serving teenagers today?
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