THIS is youth ministry


Over the last three weeks I have had the opportunity to spend some time with the youth group at my new church, Baptist Church of the Covenant. We have been participating in what is a yearly event at BCOC called “School for Christian Living” during which time the church restructures its normal Sunday school hour into a three-hour seminar. This time is broken into two sessions with a lunch break in between.

Multiple sessions are offered for the adults in the church ranging from subjects like “Spirituality in Poetry” to “How Faith Speaks to Public Policy.” The youth and children are also provided a session to attend. I had the opportunity to co-lead the youth session entitled “Different Kinds of Dirt.”
The session was based on the movie To Save a Life, an indie film about real life challenges teenagers face. I’ll admit that I was skeptical about the movie from the start. Having grown up watching “church” films that dealt with “difficult issues,” I doubted that using a film like this would be that effective. To be sure, To Save a Life has its cheesy moments, but it really dug deep into some difficult issues in a way that most “church movies” just don’t.
In our last discussion on Sunday, we encouraged the youth to share with us what they wanted to see happen for their group. A lively conversation ensued. They were starting to dream big. After three weeks of breaking down walls and encouraging them to see past stereotypes and cultural norms, they were actually doing it. Together, they crafted a mission statement for their group:
The BCOC Youth Group exists:
-To love and get to know each other
-To be a place of inclusiveness where friends feel welcomed
-To confront stereotypes and celebrate differences
-To be a place of openness where everyone can be who he or she is
-To encounter God through worship and Bible study, and
-To impact our communities and our world through missions.
I could not be more proud of them. This is what youth ministry should look like. Students have voices and ideas. They want to be heard, and they want to take ownership of their time together.
It wasn’t until walking with these students for the last few weeks that I realized how passionate I am about youth ministry. It is such a pivotal time in life. I wish my own youth group had been willing to confront difficult subjects with one another. There is a genuineness that they bring to their group time that allows for their friends to share about who they are. Slowly but surely, they are becoming comfortable with opening up and being vulnerable. I am blessed to be a part of that journey.

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