Good youth ministry doesn't just happen, nor does it happen when only a few adults get involved. Good youth ministry happens when a team of adults dedicate themselves to loving God and loving teens. We have many adults who serve in such ways. They serve because they love God and they love teens. Thanks to their dedication, we are able to offer an adaptive and ever-evolving student ministry to meet the needs of our ever-changing teens.
The student ministry strives to follow the example of Jesus by leading, teaching, and empowering youth to lead and teach others. This is the ministry model that Jesus demonstrated in the gospels. Jesus led the disciples on a journey of faith discovery while teaching them new truths along the way. He later empowered them to lead and teach others. Before Jesus gave the Great Commission, he demonstrated it first with the disciples. This pattern was effective is spiritual discovery, growth, and commitment then and it serves as an inspired example for youth workers today.
Youth ministry at Xenia is for all students under 18 years of age. It is then split between Children's Ministry and Teen Ministry. In each area, we teach using age appropriate material using age appropriate methods. When in comes to youth events, we have many. Although there are certain events that the children and teens do separately, there are some that overlap. Events such as Bible Bowl, Fort Hill, Midwest LTC, and VBS encompass both children and teens.
Youth events are an important part of a successful student ministry. Mission trips, youth rallies, lock-ins, and other trips all play a part in the faith formation of teenagers. Plus, they help in social growth and provide a sense of connection. We strive to maintain a sensible variety of events that cover a wide range. In a typical year, we attend different youth rallies, spend a week at camp, put on our own VBS, perform service projects, stay up all night at our lock-in, compete in Bible Bowl, participate in LTC, and have an occasional purely fun recreational activity or two...or three...or four. Our weekly events consist of Bible classes on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings, the highlight being our Teen Small Groups on Sunday nights. See the list of youth events to the right.
In accordance with our commitment to providing a safe environment for our youth, here are some documents to be familiar with:
