Introduction
The Next Gen Ministry currently has separate children's and middle school ministries, which are
structured by birth- fifth grade in the children's ministry and sixth- twelfth grade in youth,
emphasizing sixth through eighth for this project. The ministries are entirely separate, and there
is no unified discipleship plan. The children's ministry has strong leadership and a curriculum
covering the entire Bible in a year. The youth ministry currently has challenges due to a lack of
teachers and volunteers, and their curriculum is more about practical application than complete
Bible study. The transition between children and youth ministry is relatively smooth due to joint
events between the ministries, family events, and serving opportunities for both. The plan for
discipleship is not as clear, so the spiritual growth goals are not precise. Some of the most
significant issues are a lack of small groups, limited training for volunteers, and minimal parent
involvement, which all hurt the children's and youth ministries. Creating a clear discipleship plan
is vital to ensure spiritual growth from kindergarten through eighth grade (Geiger & Borton,
2018).
Major Problems
The transition from children's to youth ministry is fairly smooth, but the lack of a clear
discipleship plan has created a gap across grade levels. Recruiting, training, and keeping faithful
volunteers is a struggle, primarily in the youth ministry. The volunteers receive very little
training that is done online. There is additional training in the summer for everyone who serves
at VBS, but more training is needed. There are a few parents that are actively discipling their
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children, but most parents look to the church for their children's spiritual growth1. The parents
need to be more connected and engaged.
Background checks and online training are required for everyone who serves in the children's
and youth ministries, but the safety guidelines are unclear to everyone except the safety team
(Joiner & Shefchunas, 2021).
There are no small groups, and Sunday School is the primary time for discipleship and
fellowship. The lack of small groups hurts the idea of community and deeper learning.
Volunteer Leader Process and Training Strategy
There is little structure to the recruitment process and a basic level of training for volunteers. The
only support or mentorship happens organically instead of having a plan to develop the volunteer
base.
Structures Training Plan:
1. Develop a training process.
2. Hold a training orientation for volunteers, including the vision for ministry, expectations,
rules, church policies, and schedules.
3. Host quarterly training and leadership workshops on discipleship, tools for teaching, and
classroom management.
4. Connecting new leaders with veteran leaders to help build relationships and give support
in ministry.;(Joiner & Ivy, 2018).
1 Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy,;It’s Just a Phase So Don’t Miss It: Why Every Life Stage of a Kid Matters and at
Least 13 Things Your Church Should Do About It, First Edition (WORDsearch, 2015), 134.
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Safety and Security Procedures
Current Challenges: The church has a safety and security team, but the specific guidelines are not
well-communicated to ministry leaders or the church body.
Needed Improvements: Clarify the procedures and accurately document the information.
Require in-person training for leaders.
Ensure all leaders know the procedures and plans for emergencies. (Geiger & Borton, 2018).
The current check-in/check-out process is mostly effective, except that most parents do not drop
off their children. There are areas for improvement.
Parent Engagement Strategy
Current Engagement Level: Only a few parents actively disciple their children; most parents look
to the church to take the lead in discipleship.
New Plan: Host parent discipleship training classes to equip parents to lead their children at
home in spiritual development. 2
Provide take-home devotionals for families to go over each week.
Establish connection groups to encourage families to converse about their discipleship journey.
(Joiner & Ivy, 2018)
Grade Transition Plan
2 Crosby, Robert G, Erin I Smith, Robert G LaChausse, Leon Blanchette, Robert G Crosby, Erin I Smith, Robert G
LaChausse, and Gregory J Palardy. “Practices of Supportive Church Children’s Ministries: An Exploratory
Multilevel Investigation of Church of the Nazarene Congregations in the United States.”;Review of Religious
Research.63, no. 3 (2021): 381–409. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13644-021-00446-1.
iv
Challenges: The transition from children's to youth ministry is pretty smooth, but there is no
conventional strategy. The church currently has Move Up Day, but no information is given. The
kids just move upstairs to their new class.
Ways to Improve: Develop a more formal transition plan that includes kids meeting their new
teachers and visiting their new class.
Implement: The incoming sixth graders attend a special event to honor their time in children's
ministry, but the event could better connect the youth to the new youth coming in.
Create a mentor program in which an older student is paired with an incoming sixth grader to
help smooth their transition and give them someone to look up to.
Guide parents about the faith formation goals for each grade level. Make posters in the children
and youth areas with this information. (Joiner & Shefchunas, 2021).
Small Group Strategy
Currently, the church does not have small groups, which limits growth in discipleship and
fellowship. By starting small groups, they can provide a sense of community, open
conversations, and accountability, giving people more time to dig deep into the Bible. (Geiger &
Borton, 2018).
The structure for small groups could consist of six to eight students and two leaders who meet
weekly, every other week, or even once a month.
The curriculum will follow Sunday School teaching but focus more on practically applying
Biblical truths and building strong relationships.3
3 Geiger, Eric, and Borton, Jeff. 2009.;Simple Student Ministry : A Clear Process for Strategic Youth Discipleship.
Nashville: B&H Publishing Group. Accessed February 11, 2025. ProQuest Ebook Central.
v
Teaching Values
Discipleship at Home and Church- Deuteronomy 6 (Joiner & Ivy, 2018).
Fellowship of Believers- Acts 2:42-47
Spiritual growth is a lifelong journey- Colossians 2:6-7
Gospel-Centered approach to discipleship- 2 Timothy 3:164
In order to instill these values, ensure that the children's and youth ministries' curriculum upholds
them. Train all volunteers to teach these truths. Provide parents with resources to encourage and
repeat these values at home.
By applying these strategies, the NextGen Ministry will be linked in providing effective
discipleship from kindergarten through the completion of middle school. By addressing these
concerns, a strong foundation for spiritual growth and discipleship can be built5.
4 Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy,;It’s Just a Phase So Don’t Miss It: Why Every Life Stage of a Kid Matters and at
Least 13 Things Your Church Should Do About It, First Edition (WORDsearch, 2015), 134.
5 Cronshaw, Darren. “‘Sticky Faith’ in Australian Baptist Churches: Surveying Generational Participation and
Ministry Priorities.”;Exchange.;48, no. 1 (2019): 3–25. https://doi.org/10.1163/1572543X-12341507.
vi
Bibliography
Cronshaw, Darren. “‘Sticky Faith’ in Australian Baptist Churches: Surveying Generational Participation and
Ministry Priorities.”;Exchange.;48, no. 1 (2019): 3–25. https://doi.org/10.1163/1572543X-12341507.
Crosby, Robert G, Erin I Smith, Robert G LaChausse, Leon Blanchette, Robert G Crosby, Erin I Smith, Robert G
LaChausse, and Gregory J Palardy. “Practices of Supportive Church Children’s Ministries: An Exploratory
Multilevel Investigation of Church of the Nazarene Congregations in the United States.”;Review of Religious
Research.63, no. 3 (2021): 381–409. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13644-021-00446-1.
Geiger, Eric, and Borton, Jeff. 2009.;Simple Student Ministry : A Clear Process for Strategic Youth Discipleship.
Nashville: B&H Publishing Group. Accessed February 11, 2025. ProQuest Ebook Central.
Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy,;It’s Just a Phase So Don’t Miss It: Why Every Life Stage of a Kid Matters and at
Least 13 Things Your Church Should Do About It, First Edition (WORDsearch, 2015)
Reggie Joiner and Tom Shefchunas,;Lead Small: Five Big Ideas Every Small Group Leader Needs to Know, Second
Edition (Orange Books, 2012).
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