Reading Report Student Ministry Essentials NOTES
INTRO
As a youth ministry leader, you are tasked with reaching unsaved students, helping to disciple
believers and lead them to be true disciples of the Word. The teen years are short but also
formative in a persons life. Teens need to feel loved, accepted and led to be more like Christ.
How can ministry leaders be sure this happens? This book gives practical examples of how to
lead a student ministry while providing Biblical support. If our mandate is to go and make
disciples how do we accomplish that? The best way to reach students is to pursue a personal
relationship with them. “Much of Christ’s ministry was based on spending time with people.”
Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials:
Reaching. Leading. Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 180.
Having someone that you can trust and know they care for you, will help foster gospel
conversations. It will also help the unsaved person feel connected and safe. This is the first step
in reaching an unsaved student. “Jesus knew the door to evangelism was going to where the lost
were and connecting with them.”
Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials:
Reaching. Leading. Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 181.
Starting with a casual, fun event geared towards teens will allow the unsaved teen to feel
comfortable and help bridge them to the student ministry. A connection will be made and they
will feel at ease and more likely to attend a regular service or discipleship group.
Some student ministries may have good programs but are they actively make true disciples that
go and tell others? Or are they attending and memorizing facts? In order to accomplish the task
you have to have a plan in place for leaders and students to follow. One of the programs in place
at my church is Sunday School which is the primary program or tool that is used for discipleship.
More people attend my church on Sunday mornings than Wednesday evenings. Wednesday
nights for children and youth are more casual and the messages are hands on, applicable but not
as deep as the Sunday morning Bible studies. Wednesday nights are easy to invite unsaved
friends too because the environment is welcoming, non threatening and there are activities that
are used to build relationships while also pointing to the Gospel. Children and youth want to
bring their friends and they are essential to bringing Jesus to their friends.
SUMMARY
Clearly teach the Bible for discipleship and life changing to happen. If our goal is to raise servant
leaders, then we need to provide opportunities to serve and lead. It will not just magically happen
so as ministry leaders, we need to help steer students in the right direction. “Now as your
students are growing in their knowledge and relationship with Christ, we must move them along
in their growth by equipping them to do ministry.”
Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials:
Reaching. Leading. Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 184.
If we do not raise up this generation to love Jesus and follow Him, we will continue to see a
decline, not only in our churches but in our country.
PERSONAL RESPONSE
My dad is a worship pastor so I grew up in church my entire life. My parents played an active
role in discipling me at home which I am thankful for. Although I value that I look fondly to my
years in the youth group as the time where I grew most in my faith. My youth experience was
vital to my upbringing and has helped mold me into the person I am today. My youth pastor
taught us to actively study the word, serve others, how to pray. As a teen I was actively involved
in serving my youth ministry, my church, my city and my state. My youth pastor encouraged us
and held us accountable like any other church member. After attending a mission trip to an inner
city in Texas, I was drawn to help those who were lost and living far from God. Some people a
few hours away from my hometown did not know Jesus and that woke me up from my Christian
bubble. My student ministry experience helped me to see the seriousness of everyone needing
salvation and I was in high school when I surrounded to the call to ministry. My youth
experience helped give me examples of how to serve and lead in ministry.
CONCLUSION
Reaching this generation may look a little different than in my generation and definitely my
parents generations. Over 90 percent of this generation is unsaved so the method of teaching may
need to change, but God’s word stands as the guide. “No matter what variety of teaching styles
one will use, the Word of God must be the ultimate tool to change people’s lives.”
After reading all of the pages for Reaching, Leading, Nurturing I have realized there are reasons
for all of the programs I attended as a teen. Most of them are still utilized today for my own
teenage son. If the program, event is geared towards reaching students for Jesus than the mission
is being followed. “Events or programs by themselves do not save anyone. They are simply a
tool. There is nothing spiritual or “anointed” about a ministry tool. Programs or events are
nothing but a tool. Yet just like a surgeon’s tool can be used to save a life, so a ministry tool (an
event) can be used to save a life.”
Acts 2 is the best example of how churches should operate. It is also the template a youth
ministry can follow. As long as there is rhyme to reason the programs are benefical and useful.
All of the ministry levels are important to reaching students in this generation.
I am glad you are thinking and, don’t be shocked, I would somewhat agree with you. God does
not need anything we do nor even need us to bring salvation and He certainly does not need
pizza, loud bands, inflatables, or amusement parks. Events or programs by themselves do not
save anyone. They are simply a tool. There is nothing spiritual or “anointed” about a ministry
tool. Programs or events are nothing but a tool. Yet just like a surgeon’s tool can be used to save
a life, so a ministry tool (an event) can be used to save a life.
Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials:
Reaching. Leading. Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 173.
God is organized, creative, and structured. If He is this way, then do we think it out of character
for us to be organized, creative, and structured?
Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials:
Reaching. Leading. Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 176.
Here are two key reasons to use programs in ministry: (1) to keep us focused on our mission and
(2) to help us fulfill our mission.
Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials:
Reaching. Leading. Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 176.
No matter what variety of teaching styles one will use, the Word of God must be the ultimate tool
to change people’s lives.
Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials:
Reaching. Leading. Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 183.
Programs can clear us toward fulfilling our stated purposes of youth ministry. • Programs will
commit us to see these purposes are met. • Programs will contribute to us developing a means to
accomplish these purposes. • Programs will communicate to others the seriousness of our
commitment.
Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials:
Reaching. Leading. Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 177.
As you know, one of your ministry purposes must be the spiritual growth of your students. And
this must take place with one’s commitment to the clear, correct, and life-changing teaching of
God’s Word.
Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials:
Reaching. Leading. Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 177.
Whatever you do, have a purpose and know your purpose.
Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials:
Reaching. Leading. Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 179.
https://www.coursehero.com/file/204329010/Reading-Report-Student-Ministry-Essentials-NOTESdocx/
This study source was downloaded by 100000881416466 from CourseHero.com on 02-25-2024 04:29:11 GMT -06:00
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
