Agenda:
- Prayer
- Wrap-up conversation around Need#3 - Counselling mentality.
- Start discussion for need #4.
- Wrap-up
NEED #4 - Need to be empowered by Faith that makes a difference
- Disciple young people. Practices of discipleship:
- They are grounded in concrete actions of turning toward and following Jesus rather than ideas or theories about Him;
- They offer guidance and direction where there was uncertainty and hesitation; and most of all.
- They offer an experience of God rather than facts about God;
- Pray together. Not teach how to pray, actually do it.
- Delegation. Older generation need to offer opportunities to the new generation.
- Ask these questions:
- What tasks can we put in the hands of our younger generation.
- What concrete guidance can we give them them so they can fulfill those tasks or responsibilities?
- What support and encouragement can we give them along the way?
How to foster a spirit of discipleship?
(Nelly)
- Missionary trips. Building poor communities (schools, churches, homes). Help them fell they can make a difference. Helping out in the bigger community.
- Servants need to have the discipleship mentality as well (not only the kids).
- Build relationship by finding out more about your kids. Ask them about their lives in the class.
(Steve)
- Hungry for hope service empowered the feeling of discipleship. Younger youth may have hesitation to perform these services on their own and need a more senior service to help break the ice for them then have them involve in leadership.
- Social activities can be a good start to foster a relationship of comfort between the servants and children which can then lead to discipleship.
- Don't make only about teaching.
- Mandate youth multi-day retreats to help foster the relationships.
- If you remove the administrative planning burden from the servants, you will give more bandwidth to focus on learning more about their kids.
(Nancy)
- Discipleship starts centered around the word of God.
- Curriculum aimed at discipleship. Bible study can be a way of starting his.
- Example program from Halifax.
- Discipleship meeting for grades 11-12 and younger youth. Gave them basis from the bible and church.
- Mandate that class servant have one-on-one communication with kids in their groups (phone calls, face meeting) weekly.
(Hossam)
- The person has to taste something first before they give it.
- How do they stay the course?
- Need to curriculum for the teaching.
- The church needs to be a healthy environment.
- Prayer meetings? Invites the glory of God.
- Servants need to be closer to each other.
- Deeper bible studies.
- Need to consider all services together, not just the SS.
- Grow the missionary mentality and out reach.
- Kids get attracted more to the servant to play with them.
- Elkeraza through sports.
(Marian)
- Sharing experiences with kids about what God did in our lives.
(Holy)
- Building relationship can start by 1 servants with child + a friend to help get closer and remove the awkwardness of the one-on-one.
Action Items:
- Emphasize the relationship building aspects of our ministry to the servants.
- Build relationship by finding out more about your kids. Ask them about their lives in the class.
- Ask class servants to come up with a list of things they can delegate to the kids in their class to help them feel engaged.
- Select champions within the servant community who can do more and then share with the group.
- Build and organize sport activities to help bring the servants and youth together.
- Mandate youth multi-day retreats to help foster the relationships.
- Mandate that class servant have one-on-one communication with kids in their groups (phone calls, face meeting) weekly.
- Bible study groups for those interested.
- Need to have a strong family ministry because the home is the first place children learn. Strong curriculum. Important values. How do we reach out to the families to be part of the program.