By Nic Cass
During our Youth Ministry Sunday on November 15th, I presented a plan comprised of three aspects to accomplish our youth ministry vision, equipping youth for life through the CROSS. The three aspects of our youth ministry plan are study, gathering, and service. Over the next three months, we are going to look at each of these individually, beginning with study.
In order for any Christian to grow and be equipped for a life focused on Jesus, knowledge of God’s word is necessary. 2 Timothy 3:14-15 says “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” We study God’s word so that we can grow in the knowledge of our salvation and our faith in Jesus.
As we grow as people and our knowledge and understanding grows, we should also grow in our knowledge and understanding of Scripture. As children we are mostly just able to understand the stories of the Bible, so that is where we start. However, as kids grow–as they become youth–we work toward a broader understanding of Scripture–how it all fits together and what it means for our lives.
As we study Scripture with our youth, I really look for how God’s word can connect to and impact their lives. Currently we have been able to do this through a few different programs. We have confirmation on Sunday afternoons, which focuses on studying our Lutheran beliefs and how they are borne out of Scripture. We also have regular gatherings with both middle and high school youth, where part of what we do is look at Scripture to see how God’s teaching connects to our lives.
Going forward we look to grow in this aspect of study by creating small groups that cater to more specific areas and ages within our youth. We currently have youth involved from many parts of Lake County, and it makes sense for them to meet and study where they live and work and go to school. A large part of developing small groups lies in finding youth that are willing to be leaders in their communities. This has been an emphasis of my first year at Faith and something that I look forward to building on in the future.
Next month we we will dig into gathering, and the important role it plays in the faith development of youth