We all want to see spiritual fruit come from our ministries – deeper discipleship, more new believers, excitement among our teens, ownership of their faith, actions following beliefs…but how do we get there?
I want to encourage you to check out my FREE 9 Evangelism Insights That Will Transform Your Ministry. This short, easy read will give you practical ideas on how to use evangelism as a catalyst for building a youth ministry that yields fruit with eternal impact!
Missional Youth Ministry
For youth groups who have grabbed a hold of THE Cause of Christ – to make disciples who make disciples – a deeper level of discipleship and an increase in new believers are standard fare. In fact, youth groups we’ve surveyed who are intentional about training their students to share their faith with their friends see an average 18% increase in new conversion growth and their teens are leading the way for the church in being missional.
The question isn’t if evangelism can produce results, but how best to take advantage of the call of Christ to transform your youth ministry into an exciting and dynamic place where “the book of Acts-like” scenarios aren’t just read about, but where they’re experienced weekly. In 9 Evangelism Insights That Will Transform Your Ministry, I’ll explain:
- How a simple switch in your role will fundamentally change your youth ministry, setting it up for radical transformation.
- What trigger ignites passion within your students and gets them excited about their faith.
- How to plug into the one activity that can empower your ministry like nothing else (it may not be what you think…).
- Why a missional lifestyle will free your teens to live their faith without adding more to their plates.
- How to give your students a Cause that is worthy of their time, energy and lives… and see them grab a hold of it.
What Does this Actually Look Like?
But what does this really look like in a youth group? Julie Rietema, a youth leader at Grace Church in metro Denver, gives you a glimpse into what happened in her group after her students had shifted to a more missional mindset and been equipped and mobilized to share their faith:
Youth group last night was one of the most powerful and impactful nights I have ever been a part of…I asked students to come up and share what God was doing…Dane described how he had shared with a friend and she trusted in Christ. Then she shared with Dane how her dad might be dying of cancer and Dane told her to share with her dad about Jesus. She did and he trusted in Christ too. Then on Monday, Dane went to school and gave the Life in 6 Words outreach book to his friend to read during lunch. The boy only got through 5 pages, put the book down and said, “Tell me what this means.” Dane explained and he trusted in Christ right there in the lunchroom at school…
Another student, Jackson, shared how his friend came to know Christ. Maxine shared about how her friend trusted in Christ, and that friend told her mom and she trusted in Christ. Tianah shared about how she was explaining the gospel to Blake and as he was trusting in Christ, a friend who was listening to the conversation behind her, tapped her on the shoulder and said, “Hey, I heard about that free gift, I want it too.” So she put her faith and trust in Christ…
At the end of the night I asked if anyone wanted to share the gospel right now. Bailee jumped up and headed to the front and told all the youth and watched as seven kids trusted in Christ.
Wouldn’t it be great to experience the same level of spiritual and numeric growth that Julie’s group did? It can happen in your youth ministry as well. It’s not through the latest curriculum or gimmick. It’s by unleashing your teens with a mission and the tools to carry it out.
Shake It Up for the School Year
This is the stuff of Acts, and here at Dare 2 Share we are seeing it happen among groups of all sizes and across many denominations. Christ wants to use your teens to impact their world, and it all starts with being intentional about sharing the good news.
So spend some time this summer pushing back from the table and looking at the big picture of how to build a youth ministry for maximum impact for the kingdom. Why not explore this fresh evangelism-focused approach to ministry (that dates back to the book of Acts!) and launch it in your group when you head into the school year?
