Sojourner #021: Biblical Student Ministry

"We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us." (1 Thessalonians 2:8, CSB)

Over the last few years, it has become rather popular in some theologians' talking points to describe youth or student ministry as an unbiblical model for discipleship. So, if theologians label it as an unbiblical model for discipleship, then what is the biblical model? How do we reach the next generation for the sake of the Gospel? How do we strive to offer Biblical discipleship to an unreached generation? How do we lead students closer to Christ?

When I first started working in the student ministry at Harvestfield Church, I would often hear my predecessor encourage parents that they hold the primary discipleship responsibility in their student and child's life. He was spot on in this statement. It echoes the calls for fathers to train their children up in the way of the Lord that we see throughout Scripture. "Fathers, don't stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." (Eph. 6:4, CSB). We are reminded of the importance of bringing children up in the ways of the Lord because of the formation indicated in Timothy's life by Paul. "I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also." (2 Tim. 1:5, CSB). Student ministry should never replace the role of parents in spiritual development but should instead partner with them.

The Church must embrace students, ensuring they are integrated into the larger body rather than isolated in their own bubble. I genuinely understand the rebukes of the modern-day student ministry. Still, I would argue that a student ministry that partners with parents and the Church as a whole and focuses on the inerrancy of Scripture and the Holy Spirit is precisely what the Church needs to reach the most unreached people group in our local mission market. 

One of the knocks that student ministries get is that they focus more on fun or entertainment than discipleship. At Harvestfield, we strive for discipleship. It is perfectly okay to have fun. But, as student pastors, our call is not to entertain and plan events but to connect students with the God of the universe by inviting them to hear God's Word. This can be said of the modern Church, not just student ministry.

To focus on discipleship at Harvestfield, we strive to act out and live out the discipleship model seen in Titus Chapter 2 for the students and their parents. "Older men are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, and in submission to their husbands, so that God's word will not be slandered. In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching. Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn't have anything bad to say about us." (Tit. 2:2-8, CSB). This helps us stay focused on the task at hand while echoing to the students that one day, they are expected to fulfill the same role for the generation behind them. 

At Harvestfield Church we believe that God's Word does not go out void and that God is always working His will to save His people. The student ministry focuses this belief with its students, so every Wednesday, during Midweek service or Sunday Home Group, God's Word is present and taught in an expositional way so that the students can better connect with what God is saying in the original context of the passage. Instead of relying on catchy themes and the latest trends to teach the students what society is already teaching them, we focus on God's Word, which is the only truth that truly matters in the believer's walk with Christ. A strong student ministry must be rooted in the Word of God. In comparison, the culture changes, but God's Word remains the foundation for life. 

Finally, over the seven years I can spend with any student, we hope to introduce Christ and watch them grow in their knowledge and love for Him. We want to see these students grow from a basic and cultural knowledge or relationship with Jesus to leaders who want to make Jesus known to the lost community around them. In the context of our local community, students are truly a forgotten mission group. While almost every Church has a student group, very few are training their students to be mission-minded in the lost world that they live in. These students go into a war-zone daily. We must prepare, love, and disciple them to understand that while the world is a scary place, Christ always prevails.

As student leaders, we must show the students that Christ is the only way to survive in this world. "We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us." (1 Thess. 2:8, CSB). We must show the next generation that Christ and the Gospel will help us persevere to the end, so that they can do the same for the generation behind them.

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About the Author: Luke Jenkins serves as the Student / College Minister at Harvestfield Church in Rainbow City, AL. He is a proud husband and father. Luke is a graduate of Liberty University, and considers Scott Reed his closest friend - a sentiment that Scott does not necessarily reciprocate. 

Learn more about Harvestfield Church here.

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