Video Transcript: Lesson 1 Section 7

The other type of ministry philosophy that is future focused places an emphasis on fellowship. This kind of youth ministry focuses on spiritually training teenagers who are already  connected to the church in preparation for future ministry opportunities. A key element of this philosophy of ministry is that it plans a child's spiritual growth to match their stage of life.  This includes specific teaching strategies and rites of passage that prepare teenagers for  greater spiritual maturity as they age. The second element is that this ministry provides  opportunities for the whole family to connect to the church. Age specific programming is  emphasized. With mentors involved at each development stage. Every member of the family  has a place within the church. Children are likely to grow up in this church and stay there  raising their own kids in the congregation. The future health of the church depends on this  kind of stability and gradual growth over time. There are some challenges to the style of  youth ministry. However, students can experience discontinuity as they transition to different  ministry programs as they age, teens may have developed strong relationships with previous  leaders that they are now no longer able to maintain. They might dislike a new classroom  structure and values simply because they are different. Each stage of the church's ministry  has to recreate connections with incoming students and might experience tough transitions.  At worst, students may have trouble growing spiritually when they experience too much  change. Another challenge is that continued emphasis on age specific ministry programming  may lead students to believe the church revolves around their needs and personalities. The  lack of involvement in larger church gatherings will make the ultimate transition to adulthood  more difficult. Young people might even leave the church if they find they are not connecting  with the main body of believers. Youth will express their discomfort in a variety of ways. But  you might hear some of these types of statements. It's just not the same as it was in high  school. This statement reflects that youth have come to recognize a certain tradition that they might not see in the rest of the church. The senior pastor is not as cool as my youth pastor.  personality differences in church leaders should be expected. But it can be surprising to  youth. In middle school, my teacher emphasized. This shows a difference in ideology between what is being taught that young people might have difficulty accepting. I liked hanging out  with so and so. Young people might have trouble transitioning to a new group where they do  not yet have strong affiliations. These are significant concerns that young people might  experience but they do not have to catch you by surprise. address these kinds of reactions by  increasing the interaction of youth with other generations. Make sure they regularly  participate in larger church gatherings, so they do not become isolated. There are two other  things to watch out for this kind of ministry model. First, minimizing the importance of  evangelism and secondly, delaying opportunities for youth to lead and serve. Let's quickly  look at each of these and how to avoid them. This ministry model prioritizes youth and their  families who are already connected to the church, but it does not mean that they should be  isolated from their non Christian peers. Special training and programs may be required to  encourage youth to engage with their larger peer group. We must actively develop an  appreciation for evangelism and make space for it in the lives of young people. This is indirect obedience to Jesus command to go and make disciples. Secondly, as teens are being trained  as future leaders, it is possible they may grow tired of waiting for their turn to lead and serve.  They may think they don't have a role to play until they are much older. It's important to  include youth in various ministry leadership teams that allow them to grow in influence and  experience. Make space to expose them to the challenges of church leadership, and give  them an opportunity to explore their gifts and even make mistakes. This strategy will pay off  in the long term as youth are engaged in the future of the church at every step of their  journey.