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YOUTH PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY

TREASURING THE MEANS OF GRACE 

What It Is:

  • It is the means by which the Lord builds up the Christian’s faith. That is why we…

    • want our students to enjoy a personal relationship with their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ

    • will place a high emphasis on the Word of God. We want our students to launch into their adult years with a fervent love for the Word of God.  We want them to hold fast to the inerrant and inspired Word of God as it speaks to the totality of one’s life

    • want our students to love the local church as they launch into their adult years.   We want them to look forward to gathering with fellow saints Lord’s Day after Lord’s Day

    •  want the Holy Spirit to cultivate a life of regular prayer as our students grow up in grace

    • want our students to participate and observe the sacraments the Lord has given to his people (communion and baptism)

What It Looks Like:

  • We encourage our students to be a part of Sunday morning worship more than any other event or activity going on with student ministry.

  • We want our students to participate in worship with their families.

  • We will use the Sunday School hour to open the Word of God with our students, spend time praying together and build community.

Resource:

  • Click here for a Great Description on the Ordinary Means of Grace from Ligonier.

CONSISTENT COVENANT COMMUNITY

What It Is:

  • Our primary aim is the covenant students of Cahaba Park

  • We want to see the students of Cahaba Park truly embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We want to see them truly growing in grace

  • We want to see them go from borrowed faith to saving faith

What It Looks Like:

  • We believe as we love the students that God has given us that it will open the door for them to invite their friends to experience the love of God like they have within the covenant community of Cahaba Park

  • We actively pursue our covenant kids by...

    • engaging with them on Sunday mornings and other church events

    • meeting with them throughout the course of the week

    • being a presence at key moments in their lives (plays, recitals, ball games, funerals, weddings, hospitals, etc.)

    • by participating in retreats, RYM and other events together

  • We believe that a consistent covenant community is highly attractive to middle school and high school students.  We believe it is the type of community that leads to a maturing faith.  And a maturing faith that wants others to experience this kind of consistent and authentic community

  • The middle school and high school students of today live in a world that is continually changing around them and moves quickly.  They are longing for a community with consistency and continuity.

  • As our students experience a consistent and authentic community we hope it encourages them to be open, honest and authentic as they share their joys and struggles as they journey through life in a fallen and broken world

  • As our students experience a Continuous and consistent covenant community it will reinforce the importance of church as they age through this life

  • And one day they will experience the perfect, continuous and consistent community in Heaven

INTENTIONALLY RELATIONAL

What It Is:

  • We want our students to know that we love them because we love them

  • We want our love for them to point them to the one who will love them even greater than us, Jesus Christ

  • The depth of the relational relationship leads to a greater love for the ordinary means of grace and is the path to discipleship

What It Looks Like:

  • The relational component flows from the covenantal approach to student ministry.  We will look to engage with our students at as many avenues as we possibly can

    • This would include retreats, summer camps, trips, local events, etc.

    • This is sitting down over a meal, coffee, ice cream, etc.

    • This is sending notes or encouraging texts to the students

PURPOSEFULLY PARENTAL

What It Is:

  • The Youth Ministry of Cahaba Park wants to come alongside the parents to assist, encourage, support, supplement and complement their student’s growth in grace.

  • We want to step into this unique 8-year window to equip, encourage and strengthen the parents as they minister to their students, their friends and their families

  • The middle school and high school years are pivotal years for students to go from borrowed faith to saving faith.

What It Looks Like:

  • The teenage years can easily be viewed by some as years to be endured, but we want to encourage the parents to embrace these years as numerous Gospel opportunities will be presented to them

    • We want them to know we are continually praying for them and we will always have a listening ear

    • We want to encourage them to open their home to their student’s friends as a Gospel opportunity

    • We want them to encourage their kids to invite their friends

DISCIPLESHIP DRIVEN

What It Is:

  • We want to see our students mature in their faith. We want them to be rooted and grounded in grace as they launch into their adult years

  • We want to see our students’ hearts transformed and not just launch into the adult years with a head full of knowledge and a heart devoid of a love for Christ

  • We want our students to treasure knowing Jesus as they launch into their adult years as they live out the chief end of man, knowing God and enjoying him forever

What It Looks Like:

  • This is regular involvement in the life of the church

    • Sunday Worship

    • Sunday School

    • Youth Group Large Group

    • Youth Bible Studies 

    • Discipleship Relationship with the Youth Staff/Youth Shepherd

    • Local Missions

    • U.S./Global Missions

      • Joining other church members in being a blessing to another part of the country or world

    • RYM

    • Retreats

    • Other events in the life of the church

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