Teenagers are in the midst of one of the most important seasons of their life. It's the season where they begin to enter manhood and womanhood and start thinking for themselves and making some of their own decisions. It's the season where many of them beging considering the truths of the gospel for themselves and start taking their faith seriously. Unfortunately, 66% of teenagers who attended church in high school stop attending after graduation (read more).
Why? There are many reasons, but they can be summed up by saying that Jesus and the church are not treasured above all other things.
Parents who love Jesus
We believe that parents are the primary disciplemakers of their children. That doesn't change when our kids turn 13. In fact, it becomes even more important! If we want to raise our teens to become adults who love Jesus above all other things, then they need parents who love Jesus above all other things.
A Church that loves Jesus
As a church, we want to do our best to equip parents to love Christ, his church, and his mission so that you can teach your children and teens to do the same. We also want to create a time and place for our church to come alongside Christian parents to reinforce the gospel truths you are teaching at home. At the same time, we know that not all children and teens have the same opportunity to be raised in a Gospel centered home. We also want to stand in the gap for those who aren't getting any gospel truths at home.
Ministry
Discipleship Relationships
Discipleship relationships are vital in raising students who love Jesus! We don't want our teens singled out and separated from the rest of the church. We hope all our teens are connected with the larger body of Christ so that there are opportunities for one on one discipleship. We want our older men and older women to help teach the Bible and train our teens to love Jesus.
Field Training
Field Training is our age appropriate discipleship classes on Sunday mornings at 8:45am. We currently have a class for 7th-12th grade students in the Breakroom at the Y. This gives our teenagers an opportunity to study the bible together with a couple of older members of our church who love Jesus, love his Word, love teenagers, and love to have fun! However, students are always welcome to participate in one of our adult Field Training classes if they are interested in a specific topic.
Students will be using the Bible Studies For Life curriculum to help apply the gospel to everyday life. As they continue to develop core beliefs and think critically about their worldview, we want to help them connect biblical truths to all of life. As they deal with issues about their identity and God's will for their life, we want to show them the importance of boundaries and regularly practicing spiritual disciplines.
Fellowship Nights, Retreats, and Camps
We have regular fellowship nights where parents and some of our members open up their homes for teens and volunteers to hang out, deepen relationships, play games, invite friends, and enjoy time together. Infrequently, we'll have special retreats, camps, or other events throughout the year to engage our teens with experiences that help them grasp the truths of the gospel as they grow to be young men and young women.