Whether it is a midweek program or a weekend service, youth group meetings are typically one of the biggest and most essential parts of your ministry, so defining the purpose is incredibly important. After all, it is the purpose that shapes and inspires every aspect of your program. So when you are defining it, you have to ask yourself, what do I value?

When putting together our youth group program, we focus on 4 main values: connection, growth, celebration, and fun! Here is why:

FUN
When a student walks into our youth group we want them to enjoy themselves, to smile, to have a good time, and to feel comfortable. We try to accomplish that through crazy games, hilarious videos, and some awesome after service events like Extreme Bingo or a simple Christmas movie night watching Elf. We want students to relax, be with friends, make memories, and have a good time. So while we start with fun and games, other values quick rise to the top.

CONNECTION
We want each student that walks through our doors to feel known and valued. We want them to know that they have people that care about them and notice when they don’t come. To achieve this, we use adult volunteers and student leaders. Every week, before, after, and even during service, there are opportunities to meet new people and help know that they belong here. So while we work hard to make our youth group fun and entertaining, we make sure to provide a loving Christian community.

GROWTH
We have awesome speakers that give messages geared specifically for the lives of a student. Our youth group aims to help students learn how to study their Bible, to apply the Bible to their everyday life, and to have a personal relationship with the Lord. We do fun topics teenagers love to talk about – sex, friendships, parents, stress – and tackle the tough topics that people often avoid and show students what God has to say about them, too.

CELEBRATION
We use singing through worship to help students really understand God’s love for them and the power of the Bible in a way that’s different than someone simply speaking. If you come to one of our services, you’ll see a vibrate and passionate community of students expressing their love for Jesus and dedication to Him through songs, communion, and prayer.

We hope that the environment we create in our ministry clearly communicates to students that no matter where they are on their walk with God, they feel welcomed and loved when they walk into youth group.

JG

                           

       
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