EBC Philosophy of MInistry to Youth
Intro: As one looks through a Bible Concordance for the words “youth”, “child”, “old”, and ‘young”, it becomes very apparent that God takes into account the difference age makes as a person develops in his abilities and matures in knowledge and behavior. It becomes self evident that the matter of age should affect a philosophy of ministry to youth who are in transition from childhood to adulthood. Ecclesiastes 12:1 and Psalm 71:5 and 17 teach the wisdom of relationship to the Creator being a reality in a young person’s life before life habits, circumstances, and hardships really set in.
A philosophy of ministry to youth should emphasize those matters that particularly influence why and how we minister to youth. Our EBC philosophy of ministry to youth defines the compelling values and driving forces behind our ministry to youth. It informs how we do youth ministry. It explains the rationale for why we do things the way that we do them. As a church, our values and motives are to be informed, indeed they are to be determined, by God’s revelation, the Scriptures. Cultural considerations hold only secondary status as they inform our values and motives; they are not determinate. At Emmanuel, we hold Scripture to be supra-cultural.
AUTHORITY
God has the supreme authority over all His creation and our chief allegiance is to Him. Because we serve under the authority of the Great Shepherd, we acknowledge that parents, not the church, comprise the primary God ordained authority structure over their own children (Exodus 20:12; Deut 6:7-9; Eph 6:1-3; Col 3:20; Prov. 6:20; 23:22). Though all God’s commands to submit to authority apply equally to people of all ages, the commands specific to children for obedience are always linked to their parents, not to others in authority. The command to leave the father and mother comes only in the context of marriage (Genesis 2:24) so at least until marriagable age, parents have some measure of authority in their children’s lives. Therefore we believe that all youth ministry should be vitally supportive and complementry to parental influence toward godly nurturing, and that youth ministry is incomplete apart from the church equipping the parents for godly parenting of youth. Youth ministry as a stand alone ministry is not only incomplete but is antithetic to the Scriptural model. Therefore EBC youth ministry will be a shared ministry between the youth leaders and the parents, who along with the church’s spiritual leadership, will have authority over EBC’s ministries for youth. God’s intention is that EBC ministry to youth would be shaped by His heart’s desire that the hearts of fathers would be turned to their children and that the hearts of the children would be turned to their fathers (Mal 4:6).
TRAINING FOR MATURITY
Because youth are in transition from childhood to adulthood, EBC youth training will be appropriate to youth maturity levels and done in such a way as to enhance the maturing process. With this training, a maturing young person can take responsibility for his individual actions. All training will take into account the cultural and social context in which the youth is living, fitting him to engage the culture without compartmentalizing his life as the Spirit of God gives him wisdom from above (II Cor 10:3; Jn 17:15). I Jn 2:14 speaks of young men who were strong enough to overcome the evil one with Word of God abiding in them. Older Christians, further along in maturity, modeling by life example and teaching how to understand and appropriate the Word of God for one’s self (Psa 119:9 & 11) will be a primary emphasis of EBC youth leaders just as it was for Paul with Timothy and Titus. Their spiritual leaders will guide them into the plans God has for their lives, not only in the future but in their daily walk as young people indwelt by the Spirit, capitalizing on their particular strengths as youth (Proverbs 20:29). The goal will be for the young person to experience and trust the Lord even in his youth (Psalm 71:15 & 17). Youth leaders, understanding the God given dynamics of friendship, will capitalize on fostering Christian friendships among the youth as a primary means of encouragment toward godly living.
CHURCH LIFE
As a young person comes to faith in the Word of Life, he comes into fellowship with the Father and the Son. Walking in the light enables him to fellowship with others in the body of Christ (I Jn 1:1-7). At EBC, we consider it a priority to help youth understand their particular role in the church body and their increased responsibility for body life as they grow in maturity. It is particularly important at their age to understand the mutual responsibility shared by God’s children for each other as they engage the culture in which they find themselves. Daniel and his three friends covenanting together not to defile themselves should be their model. Our young people need to understand that as they are gifted by the Lord, even while they are young they have tremendous responsibility in the body of Christ and great potential for effective service (I Tim 4:12, 13). “It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth” (Lam 3:27). Therefore as EBC youth mature in Christ, we will give increasing opportunity for them to assume responsibility in the body of Christ.