Why I love our Student Ministry

This past Wednesday night, we had an incredible service to celebrate Camp Whatever, our student camp for 6th-12th grade students. Since Chris and I led our first camp at FBCSmyrna until this year’s fourth Camp Whatever, camp has grown in student attendance by 400% (from 100 student to 400 students). There is more than just numbers to celebrate: students trusting Christ at camp, even more students shouting to the world that they are Christ-followers through baptism, and teenagers who are willing to commit their life to serve him vocationally has been incredible. The stories of life-change are simply awesome.

I was thinking today about what I love about our student ministry at FBCSmyrna as I was reflecting on all the "wins" from this year’s camp. I love our student ministry and think it is one of the best ones going because:

• We have engaging environments for middle school and high school students to attend and invite their friends.
• Our student ministry staff (Chris, David, and Melanie) are fabulous. They are great at 2 things which are essential for a strong student ministry: creating environments where students hear and engage the truth of Christ and develop small group leaders who shepherd students and point them to Christ.
• We don’t want kids just to be good moral kids who stay out of trouble. Our student ministry calls students to be bold, crazy, passionate for Christ and raises the bar for them to be influencers, world-changers! (I have seen too many churches who have "youth groups" where they are just happy that kids show up and they don’t drink, smoke, chaw, chew and don’t date those who do.)
• Our student pastors are not building the ministry around them.
• We have high school students serving every Sunday morning along side adults in many of our ministry areas: Preschool, Children’s, Middle School, First Impressions, Production. They do a great job and it has been incredible to see several students who not only serve but take ownership in the ministry and have been elevated to roles of leadership in those areas. My wife who has taught middle school students this past year has had a high school student help her and the student has stepped up time and time again to not only help her but teach the class and has done it with excellence. Also, I was talking to a mom of a high schooler the other day and she said, "I am so glad our high school student serve." Me, too!
• I have always said that "student ministry truly happens outside of programs." The explanation:  a lot of adults think showing up to weekly programs is enough but I propose that it is not. Students expect you to do that. It is when small group leaders, youthworkers, etc. hangout and invest in their students during times that are not church organized activities, deeper relationships are built, students know the adults care, and ministry really begins to flourish between the worker and student. I love our student ministry because we have dozens of small group leaders who have caught the vision and are consistently engaging students outside of programs and on their turf.
• We are going to baptize more students this year than in any year in the history of our church.
• We had over 800 students on campus on one night just a few months ago.
• Small Groups are a priority where students have a place to be known, cared for, held accoutable, and encouraged.
• High school students are giving their lives to ministry, missions, and to use their life to live for Him.
• Our student ministry staff and small group leaders aren’t satisfied.
• and there are so many more…

What do you love about our student ministry?