Governing Values

Personal

I will spend time alone with God daily…

Because I believe that is essential for a close relationship with God. Beyond my personal need for a close relationship with Him, as a leader in the church, much of what people learn from me will come from watching the example by which I live my life.

I will form accountability relationships…

Because I know that I am not immune from the temptations that come and have ruined so many people, especially those in ministry. The more I submit myself to God, the more Satan is going to do to try to fight back. Having an accountability group is one of the best ways to protect ourselves from the temptation that comes against us.

I will make sure the our vision is constantly communicated to others…

Because I believe people must always know why we are doing what we are doing. If people are not constantly reminded of the big picture ministries can turn into programs focused only on activities and programs alone are not what lead people to Christ.

I will make it a priority to continually become a better communicator…

Because it is hard for a ministry to develop beyond the public communications skills of the primary leader. I never want our ministry to be limited by my ability to communicate our ideas or our vision. I will look for new ways to communicate with the different, changing learning styles of the students and adults in and around our ministry.

I will NOT be the super pastor. Developing adult leaders will be a high priority…

Because no ministry can grow if there is only one person leading. If the students don’t get opportunities to lead they will never take ownership. Also, with only one adult leader the ministry cannot really grow because after the group gets larger than 15 or 20, the students cannot be given the attention that they need to grow or even to feel welcome.

Ministry

We will be a family friendly ministry…

Because in a study by Barna Research, 78% of all teens surveyed said that their parents have a lot of influence on their thinking and behavior while only 27% say that pastors have a lot of influence. 24% of teens accept Christ because of a conversation with a family member and 14% do so because of the way they are raised. Only 5% of teens accept Jesus as a direct result of a relationship with a minister. Families are essential. The job of our ministry will be to help equip the families and supplement the things already going on at home.

We will make it a priority to get students involved… (We will be a ministry of students not just to students)

Because we are not just preparing them for the future, we are equipping them to minister today. They have gifts and talents that the Lord has blessed them with and to deny them the chance to use those will hurt both their development and the development of the kingdom.

Our ministry will grow smaller as we get larger…

Because I believe that small groups are of great value in almost any ministry context, but with or without small groups, as we grow, we will find ways to connect students with each other and with a few adults so they never feel they are just a number in the attendance or a person filling a seat. Every person in our ministry will be loved, accepted and needed.

Our ministry will be committed to communicating (and living out) biblical principles…

Because God has given us everything we need to thrive in our relationship with him. To deprive our students of God’s glorious message to them is something no truly God-seeking ministry could do. We must provide the tools they need and encourage their desire to study the Bible and apply it to their lives.

Everything we do will be immersed in prayer…

Because prayer is communication with God and God is the center of all we do and is more powerful than anything we can do. Prayer must be the center of everything we do so that we never stray from the purpose God has for every part of our ministry and so that we have the authority and power of the one true God supporting everything we do. We are fallen beings but our God is a God who takes delight in using our weaknesses for His glory and honor. Our ministry will always be completely dependent on God and we will express that through our commitment to prayer.