Abingdon Youth

By Brian Hardesty

Do you think that you’ve reached out to all the youth in your community?.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you."
Matthew 28:19-20

Step 1: Start With Scripture What does God’s Word say about reaching people with the good news?

Read the following Scripture passages. After each passage ask, “How is God calling us to serve?”
• Mark 1:14-18 (Fishing for people)
• John 13:1-17 (Serving others)
• John 17:20-26 (Jesus’ prayer for believers)
• Philippians 2:1-11 (Mind of Christ Jesus)

Continue to hear the Scriptures. Ask, “Who is God calling us to serve?”
• Matthew 28:16-20 (The Great Commission)
• Mark 1:40-42 (Healing a leper)
• Luke 4:16-21 (Good news to the marginalized)
• Acts 10:9-16 (No partiality for God)
• 1 Timothy 2:3-4 (God’s desire for everyone to be saved)
• James 1:22-27 (Being doers of the word)
• Psalms 146 (Giving help to those who need it)

Step 2: Pray Ask God, "How are you calling us to connect with youth? To whom are you calling us?" The ask yourself, Who in our community needs God's love?

Pray individually. Pray as a team. Remember to allow time for prayer. Make prayer an integral part of your ministry, not a step to check off. Try a prayer week or an overnight prayer vigil. Ask the church and leaders to pray.

Step 3: Look and Listen
Look for and listen to the following six groups of youth as you reach out:

1. Active Church Youth
Where are the teenagers in your local congregation? Are they in youth Sunday school classes? Are teens teaching younger youth in Sunday school or helping in the nursery? Could you talk to teens after a church softball game, at a worship arts group meeting, or before choir rehearsal? Active church youth need to be involved in ministries. See them as potential providers of ministry.

2. Inactive Church Youth
Most churches have some inactive youth. Find out who is missing. Find out why they are inactive. Maybe Jana is just too busy. Is Robert inactive because the ministry wasn’t meaningful to him? Perhaps church inactivity is a family habit for some. Look at your current ministries with youth. Ask youth what’s important to them and what they need. Then respond.

3. Youth at School
Virtually everybody goes to school. It’s a building full of potential disciples. In many communities, school is the center of youth interaction. It’s a fabulous spot to reach out.

4. Teens Who Hang
Look around. Where are teenagers hanging? Where do they gather? Youth hang for a reason. It provides a sense of belonging and purpose. They embrace ideas and values. Together they explore life, celebrate joys, and share their pains. Friends are so important for teens. Find out where youth hang and reach out to them.

5. Preteens
Preteens are an important population for youth ministries. Reaching out to younger kids, such as those in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade, could be a whole new experience. They’re probably less busy. They like to join in activities. Soon these preteens will be teenagers. If relationships have already been established, the future looks brighter.

6. Kids Who Are Different
Jesus spent time with a lot of different folks outside of the mainstream—folks who were different. Reach out in God's love to kids who are different. What teens in your town are on the edge? Are they distinguished by ethnicity? by education? by their home addresses? by their clothes? by their goals in life? What youth are "invisible" or considered unimportant? When folks talk about "us" and "them," who is "them"?

So What?
Jesus Christ is the giver of new life. We, as God’s people, are called to make disciples, reaching out in lifegiving ways with the good news of God’s love. The Holy Spirit gives us power to do so (see Acts 1:8). When we study the Scripture, pray, and stop to look for and listen to teens, we will identify potential youth disciples.

Brought to you by your youth ministry colleagues at Cokesbury.