Schools are the central gathering place for teenagers across the nation. Our ministry networks can be more effective when we have a God-driven school ministry strategy. Transformation happens only when God partners with us and unleashes His power on a campus. His church becomes the conduit for His overflowing love.
We can implement "ACTS" in our student ministry:
- Assess
- Connect
- Transform
- Send
Assess
Help the network coordinator to assess needs and desires in the local schools through prayer and information gathering. It may be good to have them focus on one school at a time or assign a point person for each campus.
Have them ask God what His vision is for the schools in their area. And enlist others to pray for the campus. Then encourage them to determine the needs and resources by listening to key stakeholders of the school. Students, school, staff and parents can all help to discern the needs and assets of each school.
Connect
In order for transformation to happen on campus, God's followers need to be unified. A Network coach helps the network coordinator connect the dots for each campus in their community. A good question to ask the network coordinator would be, "Who are like-minded people that would love to reach and equip teenagers on a specific campus?
Help them think about all the people who are already connected to youth at the school. Who could they meet with who would want to help create a student movement on campus for the cause of Christ?
In Mira Mesa, California the network gets together with the Moms in Prayer leader, the local Chick-fil-A owners, a senior pastor, youth pastors, para-church youth leaders and volunteer youth workers to focus on how to engage students at their schools with the gospel.
Transform
Fruitfulness as a measure of success is the key to making disciples who reproduce disciples. The fruit is maturity of character in the lives of youth and those who work with them. Help the network coordinator to dream with their team about how God could transform their schools. Help the network coordinator to focus on how to transform teenagers so that they become agents of change. Ask the question, "What does it look like to create life change in the lives of those connected to the school?"
In the community next to mine, I was talking to a newly-formed network of youth leaders and students who were planning See You at the Pole. They were thinking about what to do afterwards through the school's FCA huddle. David, a high school senior and ASB president, talked about the idea of "What if?" At the meeting, they asked the question "What would God do in our school if we trusted Him?"
Next, help them create a plan to act on the vision God is sharing. Daryl Nuss, former NNYM Executive Director, wrote a three-part article, Discover, Design and Do that can help you develop a community action plan.
Send
The network exists to empower youth to be catalysts at their schools. This idea is not only practical; it is biblical. Jesus told His followers to go and make disciples. Some of those disciples were teenagers. Today we are to encourage youth to be transformed so that they can partner with the Holy Spirit to transform others.
There are great resources for developing student lead adult mentored ministry. Check out the links in the first article above, in this issue of nc connect.
Dare to Share Ministries also has incredible resources to equip youth to share their faith.
ACTS
As you equip network coordinators for ACTS on their campuses, always remember that strategy flows from relationship.
This is more than interpersonal; as we connect deeper within our own relationship with God, we will have the wisdom to help network coordinators reach the campuses in their communities.