Why do we have a youth ministry?

In today’s society, Satan has so much out there to act as stumbling blocks for our young people.  He targets our young people especially because he knows that they are the future of our churches.  As a result, it is vitally important that we have parents who raise their children according to the principles found in God’s Word.

At CRBC, we believe it is one of our duties as a local church to be a help to parents as they raise their young people in this manner.  This is why we believe it is important to have a strong, Biblically sound youth ministry. 

Purpose of our youth ministry

I.   Salvation
     A.     It is our goal for all of the teenagers who come through our youth ministry to       
             accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior.  This is the most important decision they 
             will ever make.

II.   Sanctification
       A.     It is our goal to see all of our Christian teenagers begin growing and maturing in Christ.

III.   Service
        A.     It is our goal for our Christian teenagers to see the importance of serving the 
                Lord out of love for Him.

I Timothy 4:12 says, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”  Let’s take a look at each of these areas:

·        “word”- this has to do with the things that you say, both public and private
·        “conversation”- this has to do with behavior, both public and private
·        “charity”- this deals with kindness and benevolence
·        “spirit”- this talks about your thoughts, or mental disposition
·        “faith”- this speaks of totally relying on the Lord for everything
·        “purity”- this speaks of pure motives as well as physical purity

You’ll find that these are all areas that we as Christians are to be working on in daily lives.  Just as this is important for adults, it is also important for young people.  Through teaching the Bible in Sunday School, Wednesday night youth meetings, and messages from our pastor, we will help make sure that they are aware of what God wants them to know and how they can apply it to their lives.  They will learn how to build up these important areas in their Christian lives.  Through youth activities, we will help provide a way to practice these things in the company of other Christian teenagers who can encourage them while also being an outward example to the world of what a Christian teenager should be.  Fellowship with other Christian teenagers is important.  Finally, through various outreach and service activites, we will emphasize the importance of bringing others to Christ, helping others, etc.  Youth activities can also be used for this purpose, as can bus visitation, service projects, mission trips, etc. 

Through all of this, we want the end result to be teenagers who move into their adult lives with a strong foundation in God’s Word, a strong faith in Him, and a strong testimony to the world.  We don’t want to see any of them tripped up by Satan’s stumbling blocks.