Student Ministry
Why we give teens a break
3:58 PM
One question I get asked more than anything about the way we
do student ministry at oneChurch.tv is “why do we give so many breaks?” now
just for the record I use the words “so many” loosely, but that is generally
how the question is framed. We just finished our last Wednesday for the 2010 at
Relevant Students. We think with exams and Christmas break coming it is the
perfect time to shut it down for the year. Gives our Leaders time to refresh
and it doesn’t compete with families who travel or want that time with their
students.
At oneChurch.tv we partner with another church to do student
ministry. So Relevant Student Ministry has 2 locations learning the same things and familiar
with the same branding. We follow one guideline at both locations. If school is
out we are out! We want kids to enjoy their breaks and relax with friends. Each
week we work hard to put together a great experience and to challenge them to
look at the way they view God, relationships, and themselves! We want to give
them opportunities outside the context of school to put to use what they learn
each week.
Here are 4 reasons we believe in taking a break
We don’t believe
teens have to live at church to be spiritually mature – every time we take
a break we are giving our students an opportunity to intentionally put their faith
into action. We don’t associate showing up with growth. We think growth happens
best in relationships. It is ok to give them a break to study for exams or
build more relationships outside the context of what we do on Wednesday nights!
It builds momentum –
if you use it to your advantage you can turn any stop into a momentum builder.
It is a great tool if used the right way to build anticipation and excitement.
Sometimes a break comes at just the right time for a student who is tired and
overwhelmed with all that is happening in their life. I cannot tell you how
many times we will take a break and when students return they bring friends
with them.
We do not want to
compete with the Family – At relevant we are trying find the most effective
ways possible to partner with parents of students. We do not think one of those
ways is not trying to compete with the family during holiday times and vacation
time. We want to encourage family time and encourage parents to invest in their
students. Doing this gives us a natural and consistent platform to encourage
that every year.
It gives an opportunity
to celebrate and cast vision – If we never stop going and going then we
will never find the time to truly take some time and celebrate the wins we have
seen. We might share them casually, but for us we have found that taking some
time twice a year to invest in our leadership and hear what God has been doing
in their area is huge. It also gives me a natural platform to cast vision and
celebrate not only where we have been but also celebrate where we are going.
These times are so important for us.
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