Sunday, November 8, 2009
Young People for Christ
We serve an wesome god, jesus christ. I want to share a few illustrations that deal with christian youth. Please understand that our youth is a very important part of the church. The youth is the future of the church and it is or responsibility to lead our youth in the ways of the lord. Let our young people be shining examples of what jesus christ can do for other young people.
Young People on Fire for Jesus Christ
The best thing we can do as youth ministers is pray for our youth and work with our youth on a constant basis. The youth is the future of the church and we as youth leaders are responsible for our youth. We as youth leaders should want to dive in whole heartedly with our youth groups and be n a mission from god to help lead every youth to god through jesus christ. It all starts with the youth. The same youth that is sitting in our churches today will most likely be our future deacons, teachers and ministers and it is our job and responsibility to mold our youth in the ways of the lord.
1 Timothy 4:12 "Don’t let anyone look down on
you because you are young,but set an example for the
believers in speech, in life,in love, in faith, and in purity."
Let our youths be a fiery example of what the lord jesu christ can do for other young people. The lord wants our youth. The lord wants our youth to shine for him.
Jer 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,
" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Proverbs 20:11 "Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.
Many of us adults have the belief that children should be seen and not heard. But watch out world, there is a new group of children and teens in town! This new generation challenges the church to give it a voice and a place of value in the community. The pivotal step in achieving this is embodied in the acronym LISTEN, which can be defined as:
L- The L in the word listen stands for learning. Learning refers to gaining an understanding of the teenage culture when planning ministry programs. This new generation of teenagers and young people often does not hold traditions and values because of the lack of effective role models. Youth leaders face greater challenges in their work as they seek to reach these postmodern young people because our young people have so many more demons to feace today. So, we need to get a solid grasp on un derstanding todays teen culture so we can help our youth in the fight against the dark ones.
I- The letter I stands for Identifying our youths potential. Each and every teen has a unique level of potential inside of them. We as a church has to assist our teenagers and young people on their journeys to discovering their potential and using it. A self-actualized teenager is able to cope with and adjust to changes and assist their friends in their development. Youth leadership is strategically positioned to facilitate the teenager's growth within a safe and nurturing environment and to guard and mold our teens and young people during their journey
S- The letter S stands for Solid and sincere interaction. Our generation of teens and young people, which is more isolated than ever before, seeks interaction with adults who are true warriors for christ and want to have a long-term relationship with them. Youth leaders will need to move away from measuring success in terms of numbers and toward depth of relationships. It will require the extra mile whether that means sending instant messages, lock ins or attending sporting events in order to connect with young people. If you are dedicated to helping and changing the course of our teenagers spiritual journey, then you will do whatever it takes.
T- Thed letter T stands for Training our teenagers and young people. Churches that train teenagers in the true ways of the lord give them the most effective life skills that allow them to gain a healthy selfesteem and develop effective decision-making skills. This results in teens becoming active and integrated members in society. This generation is audio-visually oriented; so make use of pictures, storytelling, experiential learning or analogies that will get the message across. Also train them in peer ministry using groups or teams. This can enhance the teenager's sense of responsibility, as well as teach him or her to deal with diverse ideas and cultures. Churches need to provide a safe environment in which young leaders can develop their skills through successes and failures and be utilized by the church body. Teen training is one of the most important aspects in guiding our young people to total spiritual progress.
E- The letter E stands for Encouragement. Our current generation of young people and teens does not fear failure, an advantage over past generations. They know computer games in which heroes, if they fail, get another chance. On the other hand, adolescence brings with it a great deal of change and confusion, making teens vulnerable. They need constant encouragement and reassurance, especially when learning new skills and becoming involved in service opportunities. To encourage a young person is to give that young person the strength need for the moment. We need to constantly encourage our young people.
N- The letter N stands for New opportunities. Once teenagers and young people have been trained, it is important for them to become involved in the church because doing so allows them to impact other people's lives, provides opportunities to share their faith and gives them a sense of belonging, which allows teens to take ownership. The most effective way in which teens can accomplish this is by integrating into the wider faith community. There is nothing like seeing a young person stand up and share their faith or stand up with their hands stretched forward praising god. We have to get our trained young people more invloved with our churches.
Follow this blog for weekly updates on everything to do with christian youth and youth ministries.
1 Timothy 4:12 "Don’t let anyone look down on
you because you are young,but set an example for the
believers in speech, in life,in love, in faith, and in purity."
Let our youths be a fiery example of what the lord jesu christ can do for other young people. The lord wants our youth. The lord wants our youth to shine for him.
Jer 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,
" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Proverbs 20:11 "Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.
Many of us adults have the belief that children should be seen and not heard. But watch out world, there is a new group of children and teens in town! This new generation challenges the church to give it a voice and a place of value in the community. The pivotal step in achieving this is embodied in the acronym LISTEN, which can be defined as:
L- The L in the word listen stands for learning. Learning refers to gaining an understanding of the teenage culture when planning ministry programs. This new generation of teenagers and young people often does not hold traditions and values because of the lack of effective role models. Youth leaders face greater challenges in their work as they seek to reach these postmodern young people because our young people have so many more demons to feace today. So, we need to get a solid grasp on un derstanding todays teen culture so we can help our youth in the fight against the dark ones.
I- The letter I stands for Identifying our youths potential. Each and every teen has a unique level of potential inside of them. We as a church has to assist our teenagers and young people on their journeys to discovering their potential and using it. A self-actualized teenager is able to cope with and adjust to changes and assist their friends in their development. Youth leadership is strategically positioned to facilitate the teenager's growth within a safe and nurturing environment and to guard and mold our teens and young people during their journey
S- The letter S stands for Solid and sincere interaction. Our generation of teens and young people, which is more isolated than ever before, seeks interaction with adults who are true warriors for christ and want to have a long-term relationship with them. Youth leaders will need to move away from measuring success in terms of numbers and toward depth of relationships. It will require the extra mile whether that means sending instant messages, lock ins or attending sporting events in order to connect with young people. If you are dedicated to helping and changing the course of our teenagers spiritual journey, then you will do whatever it takes.
T- Thed letter T stands for Training our teenagers and young people. Churches that train teenagers in the true ways of the lord give them the most effective life skills that allow them to gain a healthy selfesteem and develop effective decision-making skills. This results in teens becoming active and integrated members in society. This generation is audio-visually oriented; so make use of pictures, storytelling, experiential learning or analogies that will get the message across. Also train them in peer ministry using groups or teams. This can enhance the teenager's sense of responsibility, as well as teach him or her to deal with diverse ideas and cultures. Churches need to provide a safe environment in which young leaders can develop their skills through successes and failures and be utilized by the church body. Teen training is one of the most important aspects in guiding our young people to total spiritual progress.
E- The letter E stands for Encouragement. Our current generation of young people and teens does not fear failure, an advantage over past generations. They know computer games in which heroes, if they fail, get another chance. On the other hand, adolescence brings with it a great deal of change and confusion, making teens vulnerable. They need constant encouragement and reassurance, especially when learning new skills and becoming involved in service opportunities. To encourage a young person is to give that young person the strength need for the moment. We need to constantly encourage our young people.
N- The letter N stands for New opportunities. Once teenagers and young people have been trained, it is important for them to become involved in the church because doing so allows them to impact other people's lives, provides opportunities to share their faith and gives them a sense of belonging, which allows teens to take ownership. The most effective way in which teens can accomplish this is by integrating into the wider faith community. There is nothing like seeing a young person stand up and share their faith or stand up with their hands stretched forward praising god. We have to get our trained young people more invloved with our churches.
Follow this blog for weekly updates on everything to do with christian youth and youth ministries.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
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