Backpacks are ready, textbooks are bought, and a new school year is starting! Some of you have already kicked off your ministry year by the time you read this article, while others may still be a couple weeks out. The start of every ministry year comes with new students, families, volunteers, schedules, and the opportunity for new (or renewed) momentum.
Here are five reminders to ensure that this year is one of the most fruitful ministry years you could ever experience.
Reminder 1: Share the Gospel every week
The simplest but most important question you can ask as a youth leader is this: Did we faithfully and clearly share the Gospel every chance we had?
Students are surrounded by countless messages from friends, the entertainment industry, and social media. In the sea of voices competing for their attention, they need to consistently hear the life-changing message of Jesus.
Whether you’re teaching a message, leading a small group, or hosting an outreach event, make sure the Gospel is spoken out loud, with words, and not assumed. The power of your ministry isn’t found in your creativity, your games, or your programming. The power is in the Gospel itself.
This year, make a commitment to not let a single week pass without students hearing a clear explanation of who Jesus is, what He has done, and how they can respond!
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.
Reminder 2: Invite students to respond
It’s a huge win to share the Gospel every week! But don’t miss the opportunity and responsibility to invite students to put their faith and trust in Jesus.
The Gospel deserves a response. In fact, the Gospel demands a response.
Every week, create a moment where students can respond to what they’ve heard. Sometimes (and hopefully frequently) that response is salvation. But for others it might be the next step of obedience, repenting of a sin they’re wrestling with, or a deeper level of surrender.
Don’t pressure students. We’re not trying to manipulate a moment. But don’t leave them wondering what to do next either. A clear invitation communicates that the Gospel is not merely information to understand; it’s a decision to make.
But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
Preach the Gospel. Invite students to respond. It’s not either/or; it’s both/and.
Reminder 3: Pause for the Cause
Sharing the Gospel and inviting students to respond is exciting. It’s another level of excitement when we put the power of the Gospel in the hands of our students and invite them to lead the way.
Pause for the Cause is a moment you create in your program when you invite students to share stories of how they have prayed for, cared for, and shared the Gospel with their friends. Students will be encouraged by the fact that you are sharing the Gospel every week and inviting them to respond, but how much more will they be encouraged and empowered when they hear stories of their friends leading the way?
You may have only one or two students who share stories. Praise God!
You may have to cut a worship song or trim a few minutes from small group time because a handful of students want to share. Praise God!
Occasionally, you might have so many students who want to share testimonies of how God is using them to reach their friends that you need to scrap what you had planned for the night because the Spirit is moving in your students. Praise God!
No matter what it looks like from one week to the next you are shifting the culture in your ministry, fully relying on the power of the Gospel and the potential of teenagers.
Praise God!
Reminder 4: Take advantage of See You At The Pole.
Every year, See You At The Pole provides students with a simple but powerful opportunity to take a stand around their flagpoles and pray for their friends, teachers, administrators, and campuses. It’s a student-led initiative that has swept the nation and the world, creating a unified moment of prayer and inviting God to move in mighty ways.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
Put September 23 on the calendar now. Talk about it often. Equip student leaders to invite others and take ownership of the event. Many students are willing to take a bold first step if a leader simply helps them see and seize the opportunity.
Reminder 5: Mobilize students on the Day of Global Youth Evangelism.
See You At The Pole mobilizes students to pray. The Day of Global Youth Evangelism mobilizes them to share.
This is one of the best opportunities all year to equip students to have Gospel conversations on their campuses and in your community. Rather than just an event to attend, the Day of Global Youth Evangelism is a movement to participate in.
On November 14, thousands of youth groups from around the world will be mobilized with the Gospel and sent out into their communities to reach their neighbors and the nations. Register your group and activate a passion for the Gospel in your students.
When students take ownership of the mission, the impact extends far beyond a single day. And that’s exactly what we want to see happen!
Final Thought
A fruitful school year doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when leaders consistently focus on the right priorities:
- Share the Gospel every week.
- Invite students to respond.
- Pause for the Cause.
- Take advantage of See You At The Pole.
- Mobilize students on the Day of Global Youth Evangelism.
These five reminders may be what God uses to create the greatest Gospel impact you’ve ever seen in your youth group, on your campus, and in your community.
