What are we?

     The Youth Ministry Support Team is a group of four adults committed to assisting with the youth program, offering support & guidance for both the youth and the program itself.  They are gifted individuals each skilled with working with youth and passionate about their calling to journey with these students.

   These four individuals do not participate merely as chaperones, but instead engage and participate alongside the youth during each activity.  Young people do not need another set of parents, they have great ones as it is, what they need in the youth group context is a friend, a mentor, a partner on their journey, someone that will not only join in their laughter, but also hold them accountable for behavior and choices.

     These four, let's call them, “Youth Advisors”, would function, essentially as advisor, offering guidance, help, conversation, on matters pertaining to life, faith, matters of the church, youth group, friends, family, school, etc. in the context of the youth group setting.   As Advisor, they share their life experience, knowledge, and hopes in the planning and execution of youth group programming adding to the richness, diversity, and depth of the youth group program.

     The additional blessing of these four individuals is the “safety net” concept.   Recent developments in youth ministry risk management and truly any youth work has called for a concept called “two-deep” leadership in which, at minimum, there are two “leaders” present.   With any small amount of common sense, we can agree and recognize the importance and value of this concept.   What if something serious came up in youth group that required immediate attention?   The youth group with the blessing of these Advisors would have the opportunity to continue the meeting smoothly while the Coordinator took care of the situation.

     These four members of the Youth Ministry Support Team and the Coordinator of Youth and Family Ministries meets regularly to prepare the programs, go over details, and discuss any issues pertaining to the youth and their welfare.

Just a little theological reflection...

When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people?  Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand round you from morning till evening?"  Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will.  Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws."   Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone."   
                                                                                    Ex. 18:14-18

     It is at times a hard thing to remember, but God intended us all for relationships.   Everything from the Creation to the Trinity points to God and His/Her relational design, man/woman, mother/father, parent/child, brother/sister, friends, not a single thing in Creation can stand alone without finding itself soon ill, dead or extinct.   In the above scripture Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, saw how hard Moses worked.   Jethro basically asked him why he was the only one to solve the disagreements.   He told Moses that this was the wrong way to go, to lead.   For Moses' leadership style to return to a God-filled pattern Jethro suggested the team approach, a way to reach more people, more effectively.   Moses wasn't being “called on” his inability to minister or lead, instead Jethro in his ever practical way merely suggested that

     This ministry and leadership would grow and become enriched if he could try this new path, and choose qualified people to “equip and enable” (as we are called to do in Ephesians 4:12).   No matter how much Moses loved God and felt his call, Jethro could see that more could be accomplished and in a better, more personal, God-directed way if Moses were to call together a team.   What better reason can scripture give us for a support team ministry?

Yeah, but who are these people?