Are you asking the right questions about your youth program? Too often we never get around to isolating the crucial factors because of our concerns for immediate pressures.
I'd like to propose four basic questions you might ask yourself about the youth program in your church.
The first is this: "What do we want to accomplish?" Many parents want the church to provide activities to keep their teen-agers "off the streets." Others see the youth fellowship giving hours of instruction-a "training union" emphasizing the denominational distinctives. My own church environment included a steady diet of "what Baptists believe," plus bonus social functions. Our goals, conscious or not, determine how we design our programs.
These goals should reflect and complement the purpose of the church "to build up the body and equip the saints to do the work of ministry" (Ephesians 4:12). Therefore, the purpose of the youth group should be discipleship; building our young people in the faith so they understand the ...
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