Melodie Penland
CHMN 301: Foundations of NextGen Ministry
Reading Report: Student Ministry Essentials
Introduction
As a youth ministry leader, they are tasked with reaching unsaved students, helping to disciple
believers, and leading them to be faithful disciples of the Word. The teen years are short but also
formative in a person's 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 people1."
Having someone you can trust and know 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.2" 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.
Summary
Some student ministries may have good programs, but are they actively making true disciples
that tell others? Or are they attending church and memorizing facts? In order to accomplish the
task, you have to have a plan for leaders and students to follow. One of the programs in place at
my church is Sunday School, the primary program or tool used for discipleship. More people
1 Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials: Reaching. Leading.
Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 180.
2 Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials: Reaching. Leading.
Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 181.
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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. However, I value that I look fondly to my
years in the youth group as the time when I grew most in my faith. My youth experience was
vital to my upbringing and has helped mold me into who 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, church, city, and state. My youth pastor encouraged 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
3 Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials: Reaching. Leading.
Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 184.
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attend my church on Sunday mornings than Wednesday evenings. Wednesday nights for children
and youth are more casual, and the messages are hands-on and applicable but not as deep as the
Sunday morning Bible studies. Wednesday nights are easy to invite unsaved friends because the
environment is welcoming and non-threatening, and some activities 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. Effectively teach the Bible for
discipleship and life-changing to happen. If our goal is to raise servant leaders, we must 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 ministry3." If we do not raise this generation to love Jesus and follow Him, we will
continue to see a decline in our churches and our country.
Conclusion
Reaching this generation may look different than in my generation and my parent's generations.
Over 90 percent of this generation is unsaved, so the teaching method may need to change, but
God's word is 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 lives4."
After reading all of the pages for Reaching, Leading, and 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 or event is geared towards reaching students for Jesus, then 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 life5."
Acts 2 is the best example of how churches should operate. It is also the template a youth
ministry can follow. The programs are beneficial and valuable as long as there is rhyme to the
reason. All of the ministry levels are important to reaching students in this generation.
4 Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials: Reaching. Leading.
Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 183.
5 Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials: Reaching. Leading.
Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 173.
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hours away from my hometown did not know Jesus, waking 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 surrendered to the call of ministry in my life. My youth
experience helped give me examples of how to serve and lead in ministry.
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Bibliography
Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials: Reaching. Leading.
Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 173
Rich Brown, “The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials: Reaching. Leading.
Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 180
________.
________.
________.
“The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials: Reaching. Leading.
Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 181
“The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials: Reaching. Leading.
Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 183
“The Essential of Competent Programming,” in Student Ministry Essentials: Reaching. Leading.
Nurturing.(Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 184
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