Principles of youth ministry
1. Reach Students with Jesus
One of Parkside’s core values is growing through relationships, and the youth ministry is no different. We want our students to have fun, but we are also concerned about their spiritual state, so our objective is to attract students and keep them coming back to hear the gospel. We want to avoid the two ditches: only having fun and losing focus on Christ, and only focus on the Bible and have the non-Christians and students that are on the fence stop coming. Growing through relationships is a huge part of seeing young people mature as believers.
2. Send Students to Reach More Students
Parkside is a church on mission in her community, and the youth ministry has the same focus. We want to see young people come to know Christ as their Savior, and the leaders have limited reach, so we need our students to live their lives on mission to help spread the gospel. This could be by telling their friends about Christ, but it is also by being intentional about inviting their friends to youth group and events.
3. Preach the Gospel
Parkside delights in the Gospel, and the youth ministry is no different. We desire to see students come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. After that, we want them to continue to grow and mature as faithful followers of Jesus, learning about the major story line of the Bible, theology, and how to live as a faithful disciple of Christ.