What Does Your Sunday Look Like?
© Photographer Jeffrey Banke | Agency: Dreamstime.com When you walk into your church on Sunday you: Create Recruiting Opportunities: People who are...
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Where there is no vision, the people will perish
– Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
This is a verse we embrace as a church. We believe that everything we do needs to have a vision or else it will fail. That means looking at why we do what we do and constantly revisiting it to make sure it has a purpose.
For many of us starting out in youth ministry our initial feeling is to just survive. You want teenagers to come to your programs. You want them to be engaged. You want them to grow in their faith; however, to what purpose?
Just doing ministry isn’t good enough, you need to have a vision or else teenagers will eventually become disengaged and leave. So, what should that vision look like? In the end it’s between you and God. However, here are a few questions to get started:
What Would Your Community Look Like If You Didn’t Exist?
If your ministry doesn’t have an impact on the community then you are running a club. There is nothing wrong with clubs, they can be fun; however, they aren’t going to fuel the church. To answer this question you need to take a look at your target audience. Who are the teenagers you are trying to reach? What problems and situations are they facing? How can you best connect them to Christ?
What Has God Uniquely Blessed Your Ministry With?
We are ONE church and then we are all MANY parts. God has blessed you with specific resources, people and even put you in a certain location for a purpose. A youth ministry with vision is one that understands what it can possibly do with all the blessings God has poured down on them. How are you using them wisely?
What Does Someone Who Has Gone Through Your Ministry Look Like?
If I send my child to you in 6th or 9th grade, what will he or she look like after high school? If it’s a disciple of Christ, what does that disciple do, say and even look like? So many times we make our vision vague; therefore, leaving a lot to interpretation. As youth ministers we need to have an idea of who we would like to send out into the world.
Crafting a vision isn’t as simple as sitting down at a table and writing it out. It takes prayer, reflection and tweaking. But, with no vision teens will leave your ministry. With no vision teens will leave the church. With no vision teens will never connect to Christ.
So, what is your vision?