Youth and Family Discipleshp

What is Youth Ministry?

The idea of youth ministry in churches today takes many forms. One extreme is the approach that is designed to entertain teenagers. Some churches think that teenagers need to be kept busy and so youth directors plan every activity they can have in order to keep them out of trouble.

Some churches go to the other extreme by not having any youth ministry program including separate Sunday school classes. They think that teenagers need to be involved strictly with their own individual families because the father is the primary teacher of the home and not some other man. Finally, there are some churches who have tried to balance the two extremes by providing some entertainment while ministering to the family as well.

The following sections outline the direction McIlwain seeks to take in the area of ministering to teenagers and their families.

Family-Based Youth Ministry

We find in the family - based model another example of how churches have tried to minister to teenagers. This model can also take a number of different forms, but what is going to be laid out in this brochure is a model which involves teenagers and their immediate families and how these families ultimately fit into the church-wide family of believers.

It can be argued that the typical youth ministry model tends to segregate the teenagers from the rest of the church. However, McIlwain’s philosophy does not seek to follow this typical model. In no way do we want to portray a segregated youth ministry. Parental involvement is highly encouraged along with the involvement of other church members at McIlwain. The youth and family ministry at McIlwain seeks to bring the teenagers to an understanding of what it means to be a part of and love God’s church. We desire that when these teenagers graduate from high school, they will have a good foundation of God’s Word and a true desire to serve and be actively involved in God’s church. We are committed to making mature disciples of Christ who love to learn about and live for God’s glory.

In no way does McIlwain want to assume the position of the parents concerning the training of their children. Rather, we seek to assist the parents during this crucial age of spiritual development.

In summary, when a student graduates from high school, our desire is that he or she will have a passion and desire for God’s Word and His Church.

Goals for Youth Ministry at McIlwain

The ultimate goals for family - based youth ministry at McIlwain are:

• To assist the parents in their training of their children while encouraging parental involvement at various levels.

• To teach biblical truths from Scripture so as to help the teenagers develop a biblical world and life view.

• To provide the teenagers an opportunity to serve in the church so as to take ownership in part of God’s kingdom.

• To encourage and train young men to aspire to the office of elder or deacon in God’s church.

• To provide an atmosphere in which the teenagers can fellowship with one another as well as with other members of the church body.

Ministry Opportunities

There are a number of areas in which we strive to see these goals and desires take place. These include:

• Study of God’s Word as a group (Sunday School)

• Study of God’s Word in smaller group settings (Wednesday small groups)

• Discipleship (encouragement and relational building opportunities)

• Fellowship (monthly activities)

• Service (opportunities to use their gifts and serve the church body)

• Missions (summer trip)

• Participation in worship (instrument, usher, sound)

• Prayer