Does networking actually work to reach more teenagers? In a word: YES!
This exciting story was shared by Mark Orr (New England regional coordinator) and Jake Kircher (Fairfield County network co-coordinator).
In the newly-published book Better Together: Discovering the Dynamic Results of Cooperation, authored by Paul Fleischmann, are loads of stories from 30-plus years of ministry. Better Together highlights 12 compelling networking principles.
What happened in February in New England illustrates three of those principles.
Twelve churches and organizations in the Fairfield County, Conn. youth network joined together for a weekend youth summit.
Due to an outstanding response, they had to find a retreat center in upstate New York that was big enough to accommodate the 380 youth and leaders who came!
As Mark Orr exclaimed, "Indeed, great things happen when ministries work together and don't care who gets the credit…other than Jesus, of course!"
A brief weekend recap from youth pastor Jake Kircher, who worked incredibly hard to organize and give leadership to the weekend:
- About 40 students made first-time commitments to Christ.
- Another 80-100 students made re-commitments to Christ.
- One of our participating partner ministries ran a prayer room. He quite literally prayed with and for kids and adults for six hours straight on Saturday...and then for a few more hours on Sunday.
- Jake shared, "Numerous students expressed powerful encounters in the prayer room! My favorite was passing a middle school girl who was holding her head and whimpering. I quickly asked her if she was okay, wondering if she had slipped on the ice. She responded through sobs, 'I just came from the prayer room.' I smiled and asked if that was a good thing. And she again responded through sobs, emphatically, 'YEEEEAH, it was sooooo good.'"
Jake wrapped up his report, exclaiming, "The weekend just could not be any more of a success! We are SO grateful to God for His amazing grace and blessing!"
Please pray for Jake and the Fairfield County network, and other networks around the country, striving to do much more together than they can do alone!
What Better Together principles are being lived out by the Fairfield network?
Principle #1: Shared Purpose
When churches and youth organizations in a community come together to meet specific needs, God-sized things can happen. That was the case with the Fairfield youth network. Each church could have done their own retreat, but look how God honored their unified effort!
Principle #2: Humble Leaders
It's amazing what God can do through leaders who don't care who gets the credit. A well-known motto at Network meetings is "Let's check our logos and egos at the door."
Will you pray for humility among youth leaders? Pride is a constant temptation; for leaders to establish themselves, write the best blog, have the biggest youth group, etc. God calls us to die to ourselves and our egos.
Principle #3: Grassroots Impact
The Network was born in meetings of national leaders who had a vision for reaching every young person. But our lifeblood is youth workers in communities across America who participate and thrive in local youth networks.
Jesus' admonition in Matthew 9:36-38 was for us to pray for laborers, because "the field is white unto harvest." A healthy local network involves more harvesters, and strengthens the life and ministry of youth leaders who are part of the group.
If you are interested in reading Better Together, we would love to send you a deeply discounted copy, because you are a coordinator. Follow this link to order.