TEEN MINISTRY COMPONENTS
These links lead to pages for some of the specific components of our teen ministry programs. If you are interested in a description of how we do teen minsttry at Saint Matthew, please scroll down until you see “A NEW DESIGN FOR TEEN MINISTRY.”
A NEW DESIGN FOR TEEN MINISTRY
We need a new way of thinking about teen ministry. We need to be ready to let go of our dead ideas about what teens are, what teen ministry is, and what makes teen ministry successful. Only in letting go of our dead ideas will we be able to move to a new era of discipleship on the part of the teens and soon to be adults that we love.
As you explore this portion of the web site, you will see the components of new way of thinking about teen ministry and new ways of “doing” teen ministry.
This new way of thinking about teen ministry will involve evaluating our success differently, seeing our teens differently, changing our expectations of our teens, and changing our common view and language about the church.
This new way of thinking about teen ministry will mean we evaluate our success based not on how many teens attend events and activities. That simply measures busyness. We would instead measure our success based on how are teens are growing to be more faithful and active disciples.
This new way of thinking about teen ministry will mean viewing each teen as an individual – with their own God given gifts, interests, talents, personalities, learning styles, and more. The term “youth group” becomes obsolete in this new way of thinking.
This new way of thinking about teen ministry will mean changing our expectations of teens. No longer will we expect or push them act in ways that meet our goals for them. Instead, we guide them into setting their own discipleship goals and coaching them in using the opportunities available to them to reach those goals.
A new way of thinking about teen ministry would mean not only seeing the Church differently, but changing our language about the church. In a new way of thinking, Church is no longer a building; it is no longer a specific congregation. We stop talking about “going to church” and rather talk about “being church.” In a new way of thinking, Church is made up of all Christians everywhere – it is the very body of Christ incarnate though our teens – and though us.
A new way of thinking about teen ministry would mean we can say that we are involved in a successful teen ministry if we are “[equipping teens] to walk through Abercrombie and Fitch talking with a friend about a relationship with Jesus Christ as the key to their personal identity.” Consider that.
