I found this message to be so inspiring. I pray that it leads you to something new to reach our precious young people. Oh Lord, help us all to do better. Let us all put others before ourselves. Think about it. Is your Church full of young people?
NASHVILLE (BP) — The new year brings new beginnings, but a lot needs to be said for consistency. Ministry needs to be face-to-face as much as possible and Gospel-centric, not activity based, veteran youth leaders say.
Due to scheduling conflicts where the church often loses out to sports and other activities, it’s important to maintain contact with students as much as possible, said Jonathan Meyer, a veteran student ministry leader who started in 1994 and is currently senior high pastor at Grace Church in Des Moines.
In 2012, Grace Church switched to a more Gospel-based model that has less emphasis on large-scale activities. Discipling relationships took shape with mostly one-on-one groupings but extending to one-to-three. Currently, the church has 88 people connected in the program, with parents as well as students discipling others.
“We’ve seen the model go crazy for us,” Meyer said.
Chris Trent, whose 30-plus years of student ministry led to his current role as Next Gen catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, cited a 2020 study by Springtide Research Institute that addressed young people’s desire to have a mentor.
“They need to feel cared for before they can be receptive to others in their life,” Trent said. “Only 50 percent of young people who report having no mentors say their life has meaning. That number rises to 70 percent when there is at least one mentor and 86 percent with two to four.”
When there are five or more mentors involved, he added, 91 percent of young people say they feel their life has meaning and purpose. More Here
