A YF Roadmap

Every Friday night Kirsten and I head down to the church to lead Youth Fellowship (YF) meetings. The meetings are a mix of praise & worship, teaching, and games. We have met and gotten to know many great people through YF. When we arrived, Pastor Allen placed YF under our direct care, which is our primary responsibility. Out of respect for the group and by way of becoming acclimated, we observed more than controlled YF for the first six months. I did take on the main teaching role each week, but we allowed the member leaders to plan and execute their game plan. This 6-month period allowed Kirsten and me to get a pretty good grasp on the strengths, weaknesses, and focus of YF. This observation period has given us a great snap shot of our role in the mix.

With this said, we believe that Saturday may be a watershed moment in the YF ministry. Over the last couple months Kirsten and I have been thinking, praying, and talking about a long-term vision for the YF. It was this past weekend that we had a meeting with the member leaders in the group to discuss this vision. We knew that it could possibly be met with some resistance and even animosity, but anything worth doing is worth doing despite the possible opposition.

We proposed a three-fold vision statement for the YF:
- Bring young people into the body of Christ - Our desire is not simply to increase attendance numbers on Friday night, but to increase those who are a part of Christ's everlasting Kingdom!

- Nurture their growth in Christ - Our passion is develop and guide believers into a solid and applicable faith grounded on the finished work of Jesus.

- Equip them to serve Christ and His Kingdom - Our conviction is that we are called to make disciples; therefore training young men and women to serve Christ and His church is essential to the ministry of YF.

These things we can only do by God's grace, which we strive to do to the glory of God alone!

Saturday's meeting went very well, and the young people attached themselves to this vision. In order to meet this vision, it does mean rearranging the infrastructure to facilitate each prong of the vision. Therefore, pray with us for this ministry. Please pray for:
- the transition, as it will take time to work through.
- our leadership, as we take more direct control over the schedule, activities, and training.
- guidance from the Holy Spirit that we will be sensitive to the needs and feelings of the group.

Grace and peace.