Our youth ministry exists to REACH students being sought by God, and CONNECT them with others to help

teach them to HONOR Christ. We will then CHALLENGE them to grow in faith and give them opportunities to BUILD the Lords Kingdom.
REACH
disciples (Fellowship) (Evangelism) (Worship)

CONNECT

HONOR
Love the Lord

CHALLENGE
Teach them to do (Discipleship)

BUILD
Love your neighbor (Ministry)

Go and make Baptize them

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-39) Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself

Potential Youth Ministry Plan Curtis M. Williams

Who fits the part?

Each of our teenagers is at a different walk with The Lord. Not every teenager that a youth leader comes into contact with is ready for a serious and in depth conversation about The Bible. At the same time, kids shouldnt be expected to be ok with simply socializing if they are ready for more. Labels are unattractive and there are no solid walls to keep a teen within a group, in fact we hope that our ministry moves them closer to the center. There is also no specific criteria for what it takes to make it to the next level. These groups are nothing more than a way to set a target as a youth leader. The groups are created as very general and lose labels to set a goal.

CommunityThese teens are the unknown. Until leaders see their faces and until a leader knows otherwise, every teen within our local area is a member of the Community. CrowdThe moment that a teen is seen at a youth group event, lesson, or even at church, they become a part of the Crowd. The relationship these teens have with God is unknown but, seeing that they are present shows they are possibly interested. CommittedCommitted teenagers have declared that they have a relationship with God. These students have been to events, are coming to youth group lessons when possible yet, are still new in their faith. ChallengersOnce a teenager has gotten to a point of taking their faith very seriously they become a part of the Challengers. These students are seeking a lot of in depth answers about their faith and are regulars to events and as many Bible studies as offered to them. CoreThese teenagers are the young leaders in a sense. They have committed their life to God and to the youth group, they are prepared to have their faith tested, and they want to use their spiritual gifts to work for God and others.

What are they seeking?

The fact that there are five purposes and five groups within this plan is not a coincidence. A person who has just committed their life to Christ is most likely not seeking ministry opportunities and if they are, they may not be ready for them. Watering down the Gospel is not the intention but, overwhelming a teen with too much at once can be negative. Each of the five groups are generally seeking one of the purposes, this is the purpose that will most likely be the most beneficial for them, although every teenager is different. Each group will also benefit from the groups outside of their own; obviously a person within the core group would benefit from each of the purposes. Community
Potential Youth Ministry Plan Curtis M. Williams

Benefit most from Fellowship. They just want a friendship. Getting them a friend within the youth group will help bring them in. CrowdBenefits most from Evangelism. The Holy Spirit is working in them to show Gods love, if this wasnt the case we would have never seen them. Showing them what being a Christian is all about is pivotal. CommittedBenefit most from Worship. These young believers are possibly on fire for Christ. This is great and we want to give them as many opportunities to feed that fire and worship God. ChallengersBenefit most from Discipleship. After they have begun a relationship with God, teens thirst to understand more of what that means. Discipleship is all about the tough stuff dealing with faith. CoreBenefit most from Ministry. The core group has grown enough in their faith where they are ready to be put to work. Students of strong faith dont want to be observers but rather participators. What this plan allows the youth ministry team to do is know what group and purpose is being targeted. If a youth leader shoots to hit all five parts of ministry at once they will miss nearly every time but, if a youth leader shoots to hit one or two purposes they have a much better chance of success. If the leaders was to throw an event that was mostly fulfilling the purpose of Challenge, or discipleship, they would know that they should be looking to invite students from mainly the two group Challengers and Core since these are the two groups that seek being disciples most. An event, on the other hand, that was driven to fulfill the purpose of Reach, or fellowship, would be targeted to every teenager that could be reached. This plan is also a loose model for youth groups and teenagers as a whole. Every youth group and every teenager is different. This plan will likely need to be altered based on the area and churchs needs. Allowing the volunteers, parents, and church staff to help in tailoring this plan to fit the church and youth group is absolutely essential to a successful and effective ministry.

Potential Youth Ministry Plan Curtis M. Williams