Springbrook Youth Parents Meeting - 8/28 & 9/4
If you don’t know me already, I am Justin Searles the youth pastor here at Springbrook. I have made it my life’s mission to make disciples out of Junior and Senior high students. I have spent 15 years of my life studying and practicing student discipleship with constant burning passion. I would like to sum up that experience in 15 minutes.
Point 1 – IN AMERICA, TEEN DISCIPLESHIP IS FAILING. This has been called “the greatest crisis facing the American Church today.” Statistics say we lose 70% of our students to the world after high school. Of the students that leave... less than half return. However, this is not a failure of the church... Biblically, this is a catastrophic parenting failure.
The bible places the responsibility for the discipleship of teenagers primarily on parents, especially fathers. So, why did the church go to the expense of hiring the best youth pastor they could find, if it is the parent’s responsibility. Because the challenge is daunting and we need trained, studied, and practiced leaders to help parents accomplish this task.
Point 2 – The vast majority of parents severely underestimate the amount of effort and attention it takes to pass on an enduring faith their teenager. To understand what it takes to make disciples, I have studied Jesus strategy for doing this.
Here are the conclusions that I and thousands of youth professionals around the world have come to.
ESSENTIALS FOR PASSING ON FAITH TO TEENS AND PRE-TEENS
1. A supportive example of Christian character - A parent or parental figure that lovingly exerts all their influence and authority to develop Christ-likness in a student, especially between the ages of 12 and 18.
2. Constant biblical truth– Regular meaningful bible teachings (methodical, relevant, applicable)
3. Pervasive biblical community - A constant Christian peer group! Intimacy, authenticity, accountability with believing peers and mentors. If your children’s closest friends are not committed Christians, then the chances of living a godly lifestyle, making wise decisions, and continuing in their faith goes down drastically.
4. Regular transformational events 40 hours or more of intentional, intensive events to designed to pursue God on a seasonal basis.
5. Progressive kingdom transfer. Training and practice in actively ministering to peers and people in their circle of influence. They must be pushed and they must develop perseverance.
How are you doing these things in your children’s lives? These are the essentials. They require study, training, and preparation! They are time consuming, expensive, exhausting, and emotionally draining. This is an extraordinarily heavy responsibility. But I have good news for you. This youth ministry is here to help you carry this load.
· SUNDAY SCHOOL is our methodical, relevant, applicable presentation of biblical truth.
· JAM and THRIVE small groups are our times of intimate, authentic, accountable biblical community.
· SPECIAL EVENTS are our seasonal, intentional, intensive transformational events.
· NEXT GENERATION LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, MISSIONS TRIPS, CHURCH SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES AND TRAINGING DAYS, are used to help students prepare for, practice and become persistent in advancing God’s kingdom.
PLEASE DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE AND URGENT NECESSITY OF THE LOVING MENTORS, GROUPS, PROGRAMS, AND EVENTS WE PROVIDE.
So what am I asking from parents...
1) Prioritize this ministry
a) Budget and set aside the funds that are needed to help fulfill your biblical responsibilities to your children.
b) Refrain from committing to activities that will conflict with church involvement.
c) Reason with and challenge coaches and program directors who insist on punishing your student for his/her spiritual priorities.
2) Require your student to participate in as many youth activities as possible. ESPECIALLY SPECIAL EVENTS.
a) Insist on and support consistent participation. It should not be a choice, this is their spiritual responsibility.
b) Do not allow them to stay comfortable at home.
c) Do not allow them to go to “fruitless” friend stuff instead.
d) Reward consistent participation
e) Punish skipping with increasing severity
3) STAY INFORMED AS TO WHAT THE YOUTH GROUP IS DOING.
a) www.springbrookyouth.org – Register, get event details and register for events, find out what we are studying and ask your students questions about it. THIS HAS EVERYTHING WE DO ON IT.
b) Springbrook Youth E-Update – GET ON THE LIST! Then read and respond to everything we send you. It isn’t spam, and it’s not mass marketing, they are life transformation opportunities. We inform you in timely ways using this email. – Signing in with your email will automatically get you on the list.
4) Volunteer
a) We need more small group leaders, registration aids, administrators, hosts, event planners, curriculum presenters, chaperones, promoters, recruiters, and youth mentors. When you sign up, know that you will need some initiative... we are very busy changing the world! Training is provided and we encourage most people to ease into it.
b) Youth ministry is like coffee addiction... Your first sip won’t change your life but after a while of drinking it in, you don’t want to think of what life would be like without it.
SPECIAL EVENTS COMING UP...
- SNOW DAZE Winter retreat for junior higher’s at Lake Geneva Christian Camp in Wisconsin - January 27-29, 2012. Cost approximately $140 - Theme: Armored with Pete Sutton
- SNOWBLAST Winter retreat for high schoolers at Expeditions Unlimited Camp in Baraboo, Wisconsin - February 17-20, 2012. Cost is approximately $170 - Theme: Relentless
- Watch for Hero Up and Girls PINC Night in the spring.
- Watch for local missions and distant mission information coming before Thanksgiving. June 13-16 is being looked at as a possible date for a local mission camp experience.
Springbrook Youth Parents Meeting - 8/28 & 9/4
If you don’t know me already, I am Justin Searles the youth pastor here at Springbrook. I have made it my life’s mission to make disciples out of Junior and Senior high students. I have spent 15 years of my life studying and practicing student discipleship with constant burning passion. I would like to sum up that experience in 15 minutes.
Point 1 – IN AMERICA, TEEN DISCIPLESHIP IS FAILING. This has been called “the greatest crisis facing the American Church today.” Statistics say we lose 70% of our students to the world after high school. Of the students that leave... less than half return. However, this is not a failure of the church... Biblically, this is a catastrophic parenting failure.
The bible places the responsibility for the discipleship of teenagers primarily on parents, especially fathers. So, why did the church go to the expense of hiring the best youth pastor they could find, if it is the parent’s responsibility. Because the challenge is daunting and we need trained, studied, and practiced leaders to help parents accomplish this task.
Point 2 – The vast majority of parents severely underestimate the amount of effort and attention it takes to pass on an enduring faith their teenager. To understand what it takes to make disciples, I have studied Jesus strategy for doing this.
Here are the conclusions that I and thousands of youth professionals around the world have come to.
ESSENTIALS FOR PASSING ON FAITH TO TEENS AND PRE-TEENS
1. A supportive example of Christian character - A parent or parental figure that lovingly exerts all their influence and authority to develop Christ-likness in a student, especially between the ages of 12 and 18.
2. Constant biblical truth– Regular meaningful bible teachings (methodical, relevant, applicable)
3. Pervasive biblical community - A constant Christian peer group! Intimacy, authenticity, accountability with believing peers and mentors. If your children’s closest friends are not committed Christians, then the chances of living a godly lifestyle, making wise decisions, and continuing in their faith goes down drastically.
4. Regular transformational events 40 hours or more of intentional, intensive events to designed to pursue God on a seasonal basis.
5. Progressive kingdom transfer. Training and practice in actively ministering to peers and people in their circle of influence. They must be pushed and they must develop perseverance.
How are you doing these things in your children’s lives? These are the essentials. They require study, training, and preparation! They are time consuming, expensive, exhausting, and emotionally draining. This is an extraordinarily heavy responsibility. But I have good news for you. This youth ministry is here to help you carry this load.
· SUNDAY SCHOOL is our methodical, relevant, applicable presentation of biblical truth.
· JAM and THRIVE small groups are our times of intimate, authentic, accountable biblical community.
· SPECIAL EVENTS are our seasonal, intentional, intensive transformational events.
· NEXT GENERATION LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, MISSIONS TRIPS, CHURCH SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES AND TRAINGING DAYS, are used to help students prepare for, practice and become persistent in advancing God’s kingdom.
PLEASE DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE AND URGENT NECESSITY OF THE LOVING MENTORS, GROUPS, PROGRAMS, AND EVENTS WE PROVIDE.
So what am I asking from parents...
1) Prioritize this ministry
a) Budget and set aside the funds that are needed to help fulfill your biblical responsibilities to your children.
b) Refrain from committing to activities that will conflict with church involvement.
c) Reason with and challenge coaches and program directors who insist on punishing your student for his/her spiritual priorities.
2) Require your student to participate in as many youth activities as possible. ESPECIALLY SPECIAL EVENTS.
a) Insist on and support consistent participation. It should not be a choice, this is their spiritual responsibility.
b) Do not allow them to stay comfortable at home.
c) Do not allow them to go to “fruitless” friend stuff instead.
d) Reward consistent participation
e) Punish skipping with increasing severity
3) STAY INFORMED AS TO WHAT THE YOUTH GROUP IS DOING.
a) www.springbrookyouth.org – Register, get event details and register for events, find out what we are studying and ask your students questions about it. THIS HAS EVERYTHING WE DO ON IT.
b) Springbrook Youth E-Update – GET ON THE LIST! Then read and respond to everything we send you. It isn’t spam, and it’s not mass marketing, they are life transformation opportunities. We inform you in timely ways using this email. – Signing in with your email will automatically get you on the list.
4) Volunteer
a) We need more small group leaders, registration aids, administrators, hosts, event planners, curriculum presenters, chaperones, promoters, recruiters, and youth mentors. When you sign up, know that you will need some initiative... we are very busy changing the world! Training is provided and we encourage most people to ease into it.
b) Youth ministry is like coffee addiction... Your first sip won’t change your life but after a while of drinking it in, you don’t want to think of what life would be like without it.
SPECIAL EVENTS COMING UP...
- SNOW DAZE Winter retreat for junior higher’s at Lake Geneva Christian Camp in Wisconsin - January 27-29, 2012. Cost approximately $140 - Theme: Armored with Pete Sutton
- SNOWBLAST Winter retreat for high schoolers at Expeditions Unlimited Camp in Baraboo, Wisconsin - February 17-20, 2012. Cost is approximately $170 - Theme: Relentless
- Watch for Hero Up and Girls PINC Night in the spring.
- Watch for local missions and distant mission information coming before Thanksgiving. June 13-16 is being looked at as a possible date for a local mission camp experience.