Video Transcript: Lesson 1 Section 8
Now that you are more familiar with the different ministry philosophies, you were better equipped to understand the values that underpin your own youth ministry. Do you focus on the church of today, or the Church of the future? In general, you can identify where you fall by looking at how frequently youth are involved in larger church gatherings. If your youth ministry has weekly programming occurring at the same time as the adult service, then your philosophy of ministry is probably the Church of the future. There might be some exceptions to this. But for the most part, students are participating in an age specific program separate from their parents. If in your church, teenagers are expected to participate in the main service alongside adults, then you are likely practicing a church of today ministry philosophy, this might be new information for you. But don't worry, you're not doing anything wrong by leaning towards one of these over the other. You might find your ministry philosophy and priorities changing over time as God grows you as a leader. This is a good thing to be aware of. And it's not a cause for concern, so long as your church is in agreement with the new things you might want to do. Your youth ministry will only be strengthened that you incorporate biblical guidelines and refine your ministry philosophy to more effectively reach young people and help them grow in their faith. As we conclude this lesson, spend some time reflecting on the foreign ministry philosophies, and which one you most identify with. Return to your original drawing of the line showing evangelism and fellowship. Now draw a vertical line down the middle of your paper to represent the church of today and the Church of the future. Mark where you believe your youth ministry falls in this vertical line? Find where it intersects with the original mark you made on the horizontal line. Which two characteristics describe your philosophy of ministry. prayerfully reflect on this information and the ways this philosophy of ministry were described. You see the truth of the statements in your own experience. Are there changes you would like to make to better align your ministry practices with your philosophy?