Youth

Little Log Church has partnered with Younglife and Wyldlife to reach the youth in our community.
See the Younglife website for meeting times http://sites.younglife.org/sites/Tri-Lakes/default.aspx

 

Philosophy of Youth Ministry

  1. Discipleship
  2. Worship
  3. Character
  4. Serving
  5. Connections
  6. Fellowship
  7. Evangelism

Discipleship
Christian Discipleship can be defined as becoming a student of Jesus Christ by learning and adhering to His teachings, submitting to His ways, and sharing His Love for others.  Too often in the church Christians look too much like the world in the way that they behave and live their lives. Christian discipleship seeks change that disturbing trend. Jesus said He would make His followers fishers of men. The number one goal of our Youth ministry is to help the younger generation become Biblically literate and to develop a Christian worldview that changes their lives and the lives of others. Bible training needs to be at the heart of our youth ministry. The world does not need another YMCA, it needs people that are passionate about learning, applying, living, and sharing the Word of God.

  1. The Gospel must be clearly communicated. 1 Cor. 1:23, John 3:3, Gal 1:8-9, John 14:6, 1 Cor. 15:1-4, Deut. 6:6-7, Matt. 4:19
  2. Teaching needs to be done in a way that is relevant to the students while not compromising the message.
  3. Group settings reach most of the students to some degree.
  4. Smaller groups reach people who desire to go deeper in their walk.
  5. Adult and teen leaders need to be developed and utilized to reach as many youth as possible. Eph. 4:11-16

 

Worship
Worship is the open expression of one’s love for God and the work of Jesus Christ. William Temple describes the act of worship in this manner:
“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”
Youth will relate best to God when they are allowed to worship in a way that feels relevant to them and helps to draw their hearts closer to God.

  1. Worship needs to be done in Spirit and in Truth. John 4:23-24
  2. Worship should be meaningful, well thought out, and played skillfully.
  3. Student led worship allows for students to participate in ministry and relate to the rest of the youth group. When student led worship is not an option DVD worship albums are an adequate substitute.
  4. Worship style is not as important as worship substance.

 

Character
One dictionary defines Character as:
“The combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another.”
The U.S. Marines teach that “Character is who you are when nobody is looking.” We seek to teach strong Christian Character in youth so that when “Life happens” they know how to respond in a manner that is pleasing to God. Character building is another essential area of youth ministry. One person said:
“Circumstances do not make a man; they reveal him.”
Another writes
“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him or to him.”
Students need to know what makes a person of high character and how they can apply these lessons to real life.

  1. Youth leaders need to be shining examples of high character so that the students can see Christian character modeled before them.
  2. Students will develop their adult character during their teenage years.
  3. Putting students in a positive environment allows for positive peer pressure to take place, in which students encourage other students to live godly lives.

 

Service
Service is an opportunity for Little Log Church to help a person or organization by meeting needs through volunteer labor in order to share the love of Christ with those being served. Youth need to be given opportunities to participate in ministry by serving in the church, community, and wherever God may take them. J. Hudson Taylor wrote “I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended up asking Him to do His work through me.” LLC is committed to reaching the community, as needs arise the youth group will be involved in serving our community. Acts 1:8, Eph 2:10

  1. Christians need an outlet for applying their ministry gifts in worship, evangelism, teaching, service, hospitality, etc. Romans 12:4-8
  2. The Church is called to make a difference in the world by going out and serving those around them both inside the local church and out.

 

Connections
Youth are part of the local church and need to be included in the activities and worship services of the main church congregation. Youth are not the church of tomorrow they are the church of today and as such they need to feel like they belong to the main church, and not a separate “youth only” church. The youth and parents/ adults both have responsibilities in making sure that youth have the opportunity to be connected to Little Log Church.
Responsibility of Youth

  1. Youth need to be a contributing part of the local church.
  2. Students should be given opportunities to serve or otherwise participate in the ministry of the church. In addition youth should look for opportunities to serve the body of Christ.
  3. Teens are part of Little Log Church and should attend regular Sunday morning services.

Responsibility of Parents and Adults

  1. Youth should be allowed to come as they are and, clothing, piercings, tattoos, hair color, etc., should not be looked down on. Instead of judgment based on external appearance the Congregation as a whole needs to display love and concern for the eternal soul of every young person that walks into the building
  2. Youth need to be treated as a contributing part of the local church.

Fellowship
Fellowship can be simply defined as togetherness with other Christians. Opportunities to come together in fellowship with peers will build lasting bonds and can create an environment of positive peer pressure. Fellowship can happen in a variety of settings but small groups, accountability partners, activities, games, and other such things are proven to create fellowship opportunities. The hope for our youth ministry is that lifelong Christian friendships can be formed that will continue wherever life may take you. Acts 2:42

Evangelism
Evangelism or witnessing is sharing our faith with nonbelievers in order to give them the opportunity to make a decision to respond to the saving message of Jesus Christ. We are commanded in the Great Commission to share our faith with others. Matt. 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Rom. 10:14-15. Paul Harvey once said
“We’ve drifted away from being fishers of men to being keepers of the aquarium.”
Teens have an incredible opportunity to witness in schools, at home, and around the community. One on One evangelism should be modeled and taught, but Youth evangelism often takes place by peers inviting each other to church activities. This process can be easily described in four simple phrases:

Come and see
Come and be
Come and tell
Go and share

1.   Come and see – This allows teens to come and see what we are doing, what we believe, and Who we believe in.

2.   Come and be –This is where teens realize they are lost and in need of a Savior. The Holy Spirit draws people to Himself and calls them to repentance.

3.   Come and tell – This is the opportunity teens have after being saved to share their testimony with their peers either formally or informally.

4.   Go and share – During this stage teens develop a burden for other lost souls and start to evangelize either through direct means (one on one) or indirect means (invitation to youth group meetings). Acts 1:8

 

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