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?