WHEN YOUR STUDENTS SHARE THE GOSPEL, THEY GROW DEEPER AS DISCIPLES
Pursue Jesus • Multiply Disciples • Transform Communities
Great Ministry Can Happen
Whether you’re just starting out in youth ministry or you’re a ministry veteran, we’re glad you’re here.
The following content outlines what we believe to be the clearest roadmap to having a ministry that creates passionate, life-long disciples of Christ who can go out and make other disciples. All it takes is desire and a dependence on the leading and power of the Holy Spirit.
When that happens, the kingdom of God will grow with new believers, your teenagers will grow in their faith, and you will become renewed and refreshed in your passion for God and youth ministry!
And this is exactly what Gospel Advancing Ministry is all about.
We invite you to explore this site and we hope you’ll join the movement of youth leaders who want to see dramatic Kingdom impact.
Why Gospel Advancing?
When Jesus commissioned His followers to “Go and make disciples…,” He infused the intentionality of gospel advancement into the church’s DNA. This external focus of making disciples produces the unexpected benefit of accelerating the discipleship process in the lives of those sharing His message. Put another way, teenagers who consistently share their faith are much more likely to grow deeper in their own faith walk with God.
A Ministry Philosophy, Not a Method
A Gospel Advancing Youth Ministry will look different for everyone. That’s because it’s not a method of ministry, but a mindset of ministry that is built on 7 time-tested values that can be applied in any youth ministry context.
7 VALUES OF A GOSPEL ADVANCING MINISTRY
Intercessory prayer fuels it.
Intercessory prayer is the engine of a Gospel Advancing Ministry. When you lead from your knees, you see teenagers transformed spiritually, and they learn to leverage the same unstoppable prayer power on behalf of their campuses, classmates and communities.
Relational evangelism drives it.
Mobilizing teens to lovingly and intentionally reach other teens with the good news of Jesus is core. Teens who engage in relational evangelism get to witness firsthand the transforming power of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of those they lead to faith in Christ!
Leaders fully embrace and model it.
Jesus said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). What’s true of a rabbi is true of a youth leader. If you want your students to prioritize relational evangelism, you and your leaders must consistently set the pace personally.
A disciple multiplication strategy guides it.
Jesus took his disciples on a journey into deeper and deeper levels of discipleship. He took them from
Unbeliever → Believer → Worker → Disciple-maker
The same pattern that Jesus followed should be emulated in your group as you disciple your teenagers.
A bold vision focuses it.
Establishing a bold vision for your ministry that can only be accomplished in God’s strength inspires your entire group. It gives everyone something to push for, pray for and praise God for.
The biggest, boldest, best vision ever articulated is found in Matthew 28:19-20.
Biblical outcomes measure it.
The New Testament is full of examples of how the early church measured outcomes. When you measure Biblical outcomes, it provides you with a gauge by which you can assess your progress, identify weaknesses, spot opportunities for even more growth (best practices) and praise God for the fruit.
Ongoing programs reflect it.
In youth ministry, we program out our priorities. When evangelism and disciple multiplication are real priorities in your ministry, they are consistently built into your weekly youth group program rundown sheet, and become a focus throughout your annual youth ministry calendar.
Download our FREE e-resource on Gospel Advancing Youth Ministry
How to take the diagnostic
To find out how Gospel Advancing your ministry already is, take this diagnostic. It’s easy and painless, with three simple steps:
- Click the “Take the Diagnostic” button and complete the submission form
- Then click “Next Page” and you will be redirected to the diagnostic
- Once you’ve completed the short survey (only 28 questions), click “Submit” and you’re done! Your results will be sent to you at the email address you provided on the submission form
When you’re done, invite your leadership team and pastor to take the diagnostic then compare and discuss the results.
Resources for Your Ministry
What a Gospel Advancing Ministry looks like is as varied as the number of youth groups that exist. Each group – and youth leader – has unique strengths, weaknesses, skills and cultures that make them who they are.
So we have some tools and resources listed out under each value that you can pick and choose from to fit your needs. We’ve broken them out under the following categories for each value:
- Personal
- Programs
- Students
- Resources
To help you grow as a Gospel Advancing Ministry, we’ve included some of the best ideas and practices from youth leaders around the country.
Gospel Advancing Ministry Partners
The organizations and denominations listed below have taken a seat at the Gospel Advancing Ministry Roundtable. Check out their ministry programs and resources to accelerate your ministry’s transformation to become Gospel Advancing.
