VENICE BIBLE CHURCH YOUTH MINISTRY:

MOTIVATION:

This ministry is motivated by one thing…the Glory of God.  Our drive and desire to invest in the lives of students and strive alongside them as they develop a relationship with God which springs from the words of God through Paul in I Thessalonians 2:3-12.

Three Biblical imperatives spring from this text which provide the backbone of VBC’s Youth Ministry:

  • To please, honor, and glorify God through ministry to students (vs. 4).
  • To share the Gospel of God and our lives with students (vs. 8).
  • To challenge and develop students to be committed, competent, and focused Christians (vs. 11-12)

Out motivation comes neither from human wisdom nor from the goodness of our heart, but flows from the glory that we bring to God through the privilege and responsibility that we as Christians have to spend time in the service of The King!

HOW DO WE DO IT?

One thing is certain, the success or failure of this ministry rides on one thing…GOD.  He is the driving force behind what we do and goes before us in everything to pave the way so He can use us to reach the hearts of these students.  Realizing that all we do is a product of His power, this is a ministry dedicated to prayer.  Prayer is the means by which we relinquish our rights to success and are relieved of the responsibility of failure.  Through prayer, we submit ourselves and our ministry to the goal of the glorification of God; we allow Him to decide if His glory will be furthered more by the success or failure of this ministry itself.  To this end, we will enlist the prayer support of the parents whose students are involved in the ministry. We will commit ourselves as leaders of his ministry to constant prayer for this ministry as a whole, these students as individuals, and each other as co-laborers for the Kingdom of Christ.

Col 3:23-24, James 5:16, Phil 4:13,

THE VISION:

The vision for VBC Youth Ministry is this:

  • We strive for a student ministry where a passion for the Glory of God is evident within the hearts of students and leaders as the character of God is revealed; where prayer is considered to be an indispensable and vital part of daily life; and where the study, teaching and learning of God’s Word is held in high regard and executed with excellence.  Luke 2:36-38, Phil 4:6-7, Mark 1:35, 2 Pet 3:18, Rom 12:1-2
  • We strive for a ministry where students are eager to serve each other, their family and those they come into contact with in their daily lives.  Acts 2:42, Rom 12:11, John 15:12
  • We strive for a student ministry where people take precedence over programs; where relationships and discipleship are considered more important than events and activities; where students and leaders challenge, exhort, encourage, and admonish each other for the Glory of God!  1 Thess 5:14, Matt 28:18-20

THE MISSION:

VENICE BIBLE CHURCH YOUTH MINISTRY EXISTS TO TEACH KIDS TO LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE, AND MAKE DISCIPLES, AND TO DO SO ULTIMATELY WITHOUT THE NEED OF THIS MINISTRY.

RELATIONAL MINISTRY:

The most important relationship in a “relational ministry” is the leader’s relationship with Christ.  All relationships in ministry must result as an overflow of your crawl, walk, or run with Him.  We need not be only leaders, but leaders committed to giving the time and energy to get into these students’ lives.  The rewards of investing into these students are great, but so is the price.  The currency used to purchase respect from the students is time.  Relational student ministry is more than Bible Study.  As students spend time with you they observe, learn from and mimic you. They really do!

1 Thess 5:17, JOHN 8:31-32, Eph 1:17, 2 Cor 2:14