Back 2 School
Student Ministry leader, you had an amazing summer filled with ministry opportunities, mission trips and camp. You saw your students experience the Lord, grow in their journey in Jesus and make honest decisions about their relationship with Jesus Christ. I am not doubting the sincerity of a student’s decision, yet something does seem to get lost between their summer experiences and the school year!
If you are reading this, you want to see each of your students bring their summer spiritual growth they experienced into their culture when school begins. But what can you do to see your students connect their summer experiences to school? What can you do about this? Let’s focus our THINKING.
The following content is the cliff note outline from a free five-part video series from NGM. You can find these videos on the NGM YouTube channel (FOCUS videos | Episodes 6-10 NGM Click here FOCUS - YouTube)
FOCUS OUR THINKING!
THINKING PRAYERFUL
Praying for Our Overall Ministry
Praying for a heart for God, a commitment to learning truth, loving well and effectively displaying the gospel (John 17:17)
Praying for unity of purpose (Philippians 1:27)
Praying for the integrity and purity of the ministry.
What can you do to create times of prayer within your student ministry?
Praying for Our Individual Students
Praying each one will be a growing disciple.
Praying for their personal ministry to other believers.
Praying for their influence of the gospel.
What can you do to facilitate prayer for your students?
Engaging the Church to Pray
People of prayer (adults, parents, church leaders, etc.)
Times of prayer (specific times of focused prayer)
Strategy of prayer (praying over schools, administrators, etc.)
What can you do to engage the church to pray?
Equipping the Students to Pray | THE Three Open Prayer (Colossians 4:2-4)
*CREDIT TO Ron Hutchcraft
Open the Door
Open their heart (Lydia - Acts 16:14)
Open my mouth
THINKING MISSIONAL
Top Down - It Starts With You
Go alone to the local schools, parks, ballfields, etc. and beg God to break your heart for these students.
Begin to see each teenager (of course others) through the eyes of Jesus as lost and needing Him.
May your students see in you the compassion for their generation that Jesus has for their generation.
Teach Them About Their Mission Field
Have them “do the math” on how many students are in the local vicinity of your church campus.
Share with them the vital statistics of the lostness of their culture.
Have them research with you what is the current culture of their area and generation.
Take Them to Their Mission Field
Take them around their community, schools, etc. and share your vision based on the vision of Jesus has for lost people.
Ask them questions about their generation as you are “on site.”
Pray…have them pray.
Train Them to be Prepared to Share
Equip them by studying various lessons going through passages of Scripture showing how Jesus connected with lost people.
Equip them with the theology of salvation and how to communicate this with others.
Equip them how to craft their own gospel story so they can share it with others.
Equip them to rely on the Spirit’s leading. Evangelism is communication not manipulation.
Equip them to always pray (last week’s episode “Three Open Prayer” by Ron Hutchcraft – Colossians 4:2-4)
Make the following YOUR PRAYER over your students!
“STUDENTS, 96% OF YOUR GENERATION DO NOT KNOW JESUS. THESE ARE NOT JUST NUMBERS. THIS IS YOUR GENERATION. YOUR GENERATION ARE LIVING ETERNAL BEINGS. YOUR GENERATION ARE TEENAGERS THAT ARE FREAKING OUT ABOUT THEIR SOCIAL IMAGE, TRYING TO FIT IN TO YOUR CULTURE, STRUGGLING WITH RELATIONSHIPS, AND JUST FOCUSING ON LIFE IN THE MOMENT.
SO, LET US JOIN THE MISSION OF JESUS AND LIVE OUR LIVES FOR HIS CAUSE – TO RESTORE ALL PEOPLE TO GOD!”
THINKING SPIRITUAL
Let’s Get Our Students Prepared for Battle (Ephesians 6:10-20)
Pressure - Our students need to see this world for what it is – game on!
Prepare – Walk your students through the armor of God, head to feet.
Prayer - Staying alert in prayer for yourself and others.
Proclaim – the reason we get prepared is to proclaim the gospel.
Let’s Get Our Students Connected to Each Other for Mutual Encouragement
Hebrews 3:13 tells us to be helping each other grow each day.
What can you do to create intentional student engagement as your students work together to be strengthening in their relationships with each other?
Let’s Get Our Students Connected to Each Other for Missional Engagement
Philippians 1:27 tells us to be “striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.”
What can you do to create intentional student engagement as your students work together to be missional in their relationships with the lost?
AS WE HAVE FOCUSED ON PRAYING FOR OUR STUDENTS, TAUGHT LIVING ON MISSION, AND EQUIPPED THEM TO BE SPIRITUAL, LET’S NOW FOCUS ON RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR STUDENTS. AS COLOSSIANS 3 SAYS, LOVE BINDS TOGETHER.
THINKING RELATIONAL
How Can We Create a Connecting Ministry?
Focus on your connecting and caring ministries to each of your students
Who Should Be Connecting?
Starts with us
Our leaders
The parents
Students with each other
How Can We Be Connecting?
Reach Out
Respect Boundaries
Real Interest
Refresh Others
THINKING communal
HOW CAN WE CREATE A COMMUNAL MINISTRY WHICH IS FOCUSING ON INTENTIONAL EVANGELISM AND SPIRITUAL FORMATION?
Think Global
Teach our students we are part of the global church.
Getting our students to be aware of what is going on in the world.
Think through how we can take action to partner with others.
THINK NATIONAL
The above can also apply nationally.
Consider being a part of national events.
Think Local (partnering with other ministries)
What can we do to create community in our towns?
Seek to have city/area wide rallies to bring students together.
Worship, prayer, training for ministry.
Think Group (your own ministry)
Keep encouraging your student to see they need to focus on seeking and partnering their peers in their schools.
Help integrate those who attend private and home to see the public schools as a shared mission field.
Strategize how you can get your own students to connect with each other for strength.
Like anything in ministry, following “five steps” is no guarantee of the human heart following Jesus. This is only a Divine miracle and needs the Spirit of God to open one’s eyes and to make us like Jesus (Luke 24:45; Philippians 1:6). However, as leaders we ARE called to create a godly culture and equip God’s people. May these five areas and accompanying videos be a vital resource to see your students best prepare for a school year full of IMPACT for the glory of Jesus!
~ Rich Brown
Colossians 1:28-29
