My gritty family was reached for Jesus by a church in the suburbs that reached into the city and invested in our lives. Because their vision spilled over the boundary lines of where their mostly middle to upper-middle class congregation lived, many of the teenagers who came to our youth ministry came from the tougher parts of town.
And what about global missions? Are you consistently seeking to give your teenagers a vision of taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth? This is more than just doing a service project in a Third World country. This means that whatever we have them do (build a house, install a well, feed the poor), they are doing what no government program could ever do … and that is bring the message of hope to those our teenagers are serving. We need to “gospelize” our missions trips and make sure our vision for the world goes beyond meeting mere temporal needs.
Jesus gave his disciples a bold vision that entailed the local, the gritty and the globe. Our bold vision should encompass the same.
3. Clearly identify your “Jerusalem.”
At Dare 2 Share, we challenge youth leaders to define their own version of Jerusalem (we call it their “Cause Turf“) by identifying the streets to the north, south, east and west of their church (and the schools within this area) that God has helped them see as their primary Cause Turf. This area of geography becomes their piece of the pie, their battle field and their playground. It is within these four streets that most of their local ministry outreach and disciple multiplication efforts will go.
4. Make sure it’s measurable in some way.
My church recently made a goal to add 650 baptized new believers into the congregation over the next five years. I love it because it’s measurable and it focuses on the church growing with disciples being made and multiplied, not just because more believers are moving into the neighborhood or coming from another church.
It’s no different in a youth ministry context. We need some way to track the right kind of progress toward our BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal.)
5. Organize your entire ministry to accomplish your bold vision.
Once you identify your vision, then start organizing to accomplish it. Choose and train adult leaders who are modeling what you want your teenagers to become like when it comes to outreach and disciple multiplication. Choose student leaders who don’t just set up folding chairs for the youth group meeting but fill them with the friends they are seeking to reach for Jesus.
I’d love to hear your Bold Vision for your youth ministry. Put it in the comments section below and share your vision with other youth leaders!
