PDYM ~ Component 2: Discovering the Five Purposes for Your Youth Ministry

Summary:

The MOST IMPORTANT Q: WHY DOES OUR YOUTH MINISTRY EXIST?

~ "Any Youth Ministry is capable of growth when it is built on God's purposes for the Church"

~ "The process of understanding God's purposes and applying them will slow down the get-in-there-and-get-some-programs-going mentality"

The Five [5] Eternal Purposes of a PYDM

 We do not create the five [5] purposes; we DISCOVER them

~ the element of innovation does not rest with us when it comes to God's purposes for His Church

~ " Our programs and style may reflect our personality and creativity, but God's purposes reflect his plan and love for the church"

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT

Matthew 22: 37-40

³⁷ Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’^{[d] 38} This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[e] 40} On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” 

THE GREAT COMMISSION

Matthew 28: 19-20

¹⁹ Go therefore^[c] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.^[d]

The five [5] purposes are found in these two [2] passages:-  

1. Worship ~ "Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart"

2. Ministry ~ "Love your neighbour as yourself"

3. Evangelism ~ "Go and make disciples"

4. Fellowship ~ "Baptising them"

5. Discipleship ~ "Teaching them to obey"

"When the five [5] purposes lay the foundation for why you do what you do, yours will become a PYDM" 

The Purpose of Evangelism

- evangelism: sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who have yet to build a personal relationship with Him

- Acts 1:8 

⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me^[a] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 

- Adult leadership must model the purpose of evangelism in order to show the students the importance of this commission

- Evangelism is not only our responsibility as believers but it is also our privilege

- "This growth won't depend on an evangelistic program but will happen because of evangelistic students"

The Purpose of Worship

- worship: celebrating God's presence and honouring Him with our lifestyle

- Romans 12:1

 ¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

- worship is expressed in several ways:-

(a) praying ~ Psalm 95:6

 ⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
         Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

(b) hearing the Word

John 17:17 ^{-  17} Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Deuteronomy 31:11 - ¹¹ when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

(c) baptising ~ Romans 6: 3-4

³ Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

(d) giving ~ 1 Corinthians 16: 1-2

 ¹ Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: ² On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

(e) meditating ~ Habakkuk 2: 20

²⁰ “ But the LORD is in His holy temple.
      Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

(f) partaking of the Lord's Supper ~ 1 Corinthians 11: 23-36

²³ For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴ and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat;^[b] this is My body which is broken^[c] for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁵ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

The Purpose of Fellowship

- Ephesians 2:19

¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
- "True fellowship happens when students are known, cared for, held accountable, and encouraged in their spiritual journey"

The Purpose of Discipleship
- discipleship: building up or strengthening of believers in their quest to be like Christ

- Hebrews 6:1

¹ Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,  

- "Discipleship is a lifelong process that God uses to bring us to maturity in Christ"

- "Healthy discipleship flourishes under spiritual leaders who are willing to do the possible. They consistently plant seeds and water students' faith. All this is done with faith that God will do the impossible and growth"

- 1 Corinthians 3: 6-7

⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷ So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 

The Purpose of Ministry

- ministry: "meeting needs with love"

- "A healthy youth ministry will constantly encourage students to discover their gifts and put them into practice through ministry and mission opportunities"

Q: How would you grade the purposes in your youth ministry?

Q: Perhaps your youth ministry emphasises a few purposes more strongly than others. Create an action plan that brings balance to your ministry. What steps can we take to strengthen our ministry?

Q: What will it take to ensure that our ministry expresses all five [5] purposes?

WORDS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT ACTIONS ARE MORE IMPORTANT

PDYM ~ Component 1: Healthy Youth Ministries have Spiritually Healthy Leaders

Summary:-

Problem 1 - I Couldn't Create Attractive Programs Like Those of Other Churches

~ "Copying someone else's program always led to failure"

Problem 2 - Perhaps I Wasn't the Right Person for Youth Ministry
~ "My desire for doing ministry had long moved from pleasing God to appeasing people"

Problem 3 - I Could Never Do Enough to Please Everyone

~ "I sensed God saying, "Doug, you'll never be able to do enough to please everyone. Focus on me. Rest in me. Abide in me. When your heart is turned toward me, we can work together and do some good things.""
~ "I was spending all my time doing the work of God without being a person of God"

~ "...if I stayed dependent and focused on God, he would empower me to be his servant and thus accomplish his purposes in my ministry"

Q: How does one become a Youth Worker who depends on God?

Answer 1 - Recognise God's Power Through Personal Humility

~ "God doesn't need a program in order to work"

~ "When lives are changed, when attendance increases, when good things happen, we need to recognise God's power and give praise and credit to him"

~ "It is truly humbling to think about the awesome privilege and responsibility of being used by God"

Answer 2 - Submit Your Abilities to God and Allow His Power to Work Through Who You Are

~ "Allow your abilities to be ignited by the divine power that is revealed in a believer's life. Rejoice that your presence and your words give the power of God another opportunity to be communicated to student whom God loves"

Answer 3 - Focus on Being a Person of God Before Doing the Work of God

~ "You can never do enough"

~ "Don't allow doing the work of God to come at the expense of being God's person"

~ "Strengthen your youth ministry by placing a higher priority on being than doing"

~ "The power of God working in the lives of leaders is the foundation of a healthy youth ministry"

"Olley, Olley Oxen, Free, Free, Free"

~ "God is compassionately calling us back home where we are free to be safe and secure in our relationship with him. It is here that we can put first things first by developing our own spiritual lives and focusing on growing in Christ"

~ the students need a living model - a person of God who is passionate about his or her faith

~ our faith will help us develop a strong foundation for a healthy youth ministry

~ "No youth ministry idea or program can compete with God's power working in and through you as he gives you a passion for students and you give him a pure heart"

~ "By relying on God and trusting in his power, you leave room for him to do his work"

Making It Personal

~ our spiritual walk is a vital part of our ministry's health equation

1. Admit our struggles to ourselves

2. Ask God for the power to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness [1 Timothy 4:7]

3. Ask God for the courage to confess these struggles to a friend who cares deeply about us and who can help us

4. Work with this friend on a spiritual restoration plan

Discussion:

1. Do you have a youth ministry environment where spiritual growth is valued?

2. Do your students sense that the youth ministry leaders are men and women of God?

3. What role does prayer play in your ministry?

4. As a team, are you honestly concerned with students' spiritual health or the exhilaration from the hype of great programs?

5. How can you encourage spirituality among your leadership?

6. What will you do if you see a leader showing signs of a hard heart?

7. Where is God's power evident in your ministry?

The 9 Components of a Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry ~ Doug Fields

Perseverance ~ knowing how to stay focused, remain fresh – and stay alive!

- learning how to survive the overwhelming responsibilities, discipline problems, and the adventure of change

Participating Leaders ~ knowing how to bring others on board to help fulfil the purposes

- finding volunteers and developing them into ministries who fulfil the purposes

Parents ~ teaming up with the family for a stronger youth ministry

- teaming up with the family for a stronger youth ministry and church

Planned Values ~ identifying the beliefs and styles that will help support the purposes

- defining what values will strengthen your ministry and enhance your purposes

Process ~ showing how you intend to move your audience toward spiritual maturity

- displaying your programs so you can help students move toward spiritual maturity

Programs ~ creating programs to fulfil the purposes and reach the potential audiences

- deciding what programs will reach your potential audience and help fulfil God’s purposes

Potential Audience ~ identifying your students and their receptivity to your purposes

- identifying which students are the target for the purposes

Purpose ~ knowing why your ministry exists, writing it out, and putting leadership behind it

- discovering why your ministry exists and following it up with communication and leadership

Power of God ~ helping passionate leaders with pure hearts to rely on God

- working through passionate leaders with pure hearts

The 5 Eternal Purposes:-

1) Evangelism

2) Worship

3) Fellowship

4) Discipleship

5) Ministry