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What is the goal of student ministries?
Why do we use small groups in High School
Ministries? What are affinity groups?
Why are the small groups coordinated by affinity
groups What are the benefits? What about
small group discussion and confidentiality within the group? Is this
appropriate? What about potentially harmful
situations or feelings expressed in the small group setting?
Why are parents not more involved at the level of
personal contact with the students (i.e., small group leaders,
etc.)? How are you addressing the spiritual
growth differences in the lives of the students?
How are you communicating with parents and
students about upcoming events/activities?
How are you addressing the issues surrounding
the size increase of the senior high group, both present and future
implications? How can parents further the
effectiveness of the ministry? What if I
have questions or concerns?
What is the goal of student ministries?
At Naperville Presbyterian Church, we seek to create a safe
place for middle school and high school students to develop healthy
new relationships with other Christians and to also build their own
relationship with Christ. Our goals are:
- To provide a number of opportunities for students to find
their spiritual gifts and use them in the body of Christ.
- To encourage a reordering of priorities so the kingdom of
God is at the center of a student's life. He or she will base
actions, opportunities and decisions on this centrality of
Christ.
- Our hope is that students will learn from adults, and each
other, how to apply God's truth to everyday life, including
school, family, jobs, athletics, performances, and in their
personal lives by:
- Sharing the load with one another; life is difficult, we
often need extra hands.
- Learning together how to learn from Christ and live life
fully.
- Thanking by expressing gratitude and praise to God for
what He has done.
- Hanging out with and encouraging others in their
relationship with Christ.
- Helping - giving our time and efforts to God by helping
others.
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Why do we use small groups in
High School Ministries?
Small groups (8-12 students) allow for dynamics
unavailable to a larger group setting. The small group
setting offers the students a way of expressing themselves
in a less intimidating environment. They may share thoughts
and answers which otherwise would have been stifled. This
format also allows those students to lead who might
otherwise follow. Small groups are also for the benefit of
new students. A group of 80+ students can be very
intimidating and maybe even cold and unfriendly. In smaller
groups, the newcomers have a chance to get to know other
members of the group in a more intimate setting. Our
curriculum is taught in a large group, then discussed and
applied in the small groups we use.
What are affinity groups?
Affinity groups are natural collections of people in any
given environment. People will naturally cling to others who
are like them. Affinity groups can be created by hobbies,
talents, interests, spirituality, etc.
Why are the small groups
coordinated by "affinity groups"? What are the benefits?
Individuals have friends in the small group. They are
more willing to open up to their friends, and friends are
often better at keeping each other accountable and willing
to be held accountable by each other. Newcomers are placed
in a group with their friend and have a natural connection
with the person who invited them. There is a natural desire
to be with one another and to want to participate in
activities with their friends.
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What about small group
discussion and confidentiality within the group? Is this
appropriate?
We believe that confidentiality is kept within the small
groups. All thoughts, emotions, and material expressed in
the small group setting should be kept in that setting.
Material shared in the confidence of the small group is not
to be shared outside the group meeting. We keep this policy
to prevent gossip among teenagers and staff. In addition,
this keeps the hurtful or difficult situations within a
smaller environment where it can be dealt with better. There
is no reason for everyone to know about everyone's problems.
If a student is comfortable and wants to share concerns or
prayer requests within the group, they are encouraged to do
so. This format is used to give support, both prayer and
emotional, for each of the students involved in the small
group. Small groups also develop a unity that many students
need and want. Students can share their frustrations and
concerns with students and staff without being criticized
for those thoughts.
What about potentially harmful
situations or feelings expressed in the small group setting?
Students are encouraged to share, not required. If a
student should share, within a group setting or to a staff
person, something which could be life-threatening or
damaging to themselves or another party (i.e.,
anorexia/bulimia, suicide, murder, drunkenness, any form of
abuse, etc.) the staff person will tell the appropriate
people, regardless of the confidentiality of the group. This
notification is due to church policy, legal requirements,
and for the benefit and safety of the student(s). The
parents will be notified and encouraged to seek support and
counseling through the church and/or any of its recommended
agencies. We, as staff, genuinely care about these students.
We concede that we can never care for them as their parents
and families, but we do see ourselves as major care-givers
to the students. We commit to care for your children in a
manner pleasing to God and to this church. We seek to create
an environment of love and support that will nurture these
young students into Spirit-filled adults.
Why are parents not more
involved at the level of personal contact with the students
(i.e., small group leaders, etc.)?
We feel the parents have an obvious and genuinely
critical role in the raising and biblical instruction of
their children. However, as students develop, maturing in
their social setting as well as their physical and spiritual
makeup, we feel contact with other believers in the church
is also highly beneficial. Why do we feel this way? As
students develop, they seek more and more to find their own
identity, their own personality, and their own expression of
those character traits. By being involved with other
believers, the students are not held by the restraints of
parental involvement. In contrast, they can explore
themselves and their tendencies (to be loud, shy,
thoughtful, expressive, etc.) within the confines of the
youth group and other believers. It is important for
students to learn their own ways of expression. When out
from under the wings of their parents, they are forced to
trust and rely on other people, Christian and not. These
relationships are a positive trait in the development of
social skills and expression. They will one day befriend
others in their workplace. How will they speak, respond to
conflict, express joy and frustration? In this setting, they
will learn to express and restrain themselves among friends
and Christian mentors, as appropriate. Parents must be
intimately involved in the lives of their children. We
believe that we are secondary to the spiritual development
that should be taking place in a Christian home.
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How are you addressing the
spiritual growth differences in the lives of the students?
It is evident that with the large group we have, there
are many variances in the levels of spiritual maturity. Some
of the students are at a spiritual level with other adults
in the church, some are barely babies. We have tried to
construct small groups around these differences. Young or
frail believers have been matched with the stronger mentors
as well as stronger peer believers. There is no replacement
in the Christian walk for personal time spent with God. We
want to encourage you as parents to encourage your own
children in this respect. Youth meetings are not enough to
nourish the students. They need to do their part in
personally seeking God on their own. They should spend time
growing intimate with their Savior. That will happen to some
extent in youth group and in church, but, to be real, it
needs to reach beyond the walls of Naperville Presbyterian
Church (NPC). Encourage your children in the following:
- Personal prayer and quiet time.
- Sunday morning corporate worship with their
parents/family.
- Ministry involvement in Children's Ministry Sunday
School, choir, etc.
- Small groups of their own, studying and applying
scripture outside NPC youth meetings.
How are you communicating
with parents and students about upcoming
events/activities?
We send mailings, announce activities in the NPC
Weekly, call the students, and announce upcoming
activities in class. Calendars for each month are handed
out to students. Announcements, activities, and
calendars are also made available online at
www.npchurch.org
under the Student
Ministries section.
Mailings will also be sent and announcements made via
email, online and postcards about any upcoming
parent-student activities and parent meetings. Keep your
eyes open for more information and meetings that pertain
to you! Also visit our parents section under the
High School and
Middle School
sections on the web.
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How are you addressing the
issues surrounding the size increase of the senior high
group, both present and future implications?
The increase in size is a wonderful problem to have.
We want the students to be challenged spiritually and to
continually re-evaluate their walks with Christ, living
in an active knowledge of the grace they have received.
We also want the new students to receive a simple, clear
message of the Gospel. With the great increase in size,
this can become somewhat difficult. We are working
toward finding a solution that will be the most
effective. With the influx of students, namely freshmen,
and to a lesser degree friends of students, we face the
challenge of making the material palatable to newcomers,
yet stimulating and provocative to the "veterans". We
expect midweek studies, small groups, large group
meetings, and special events will meet these needs.
Another method we are using is an increase in volunteer
staff. Currently we have 15 volunteer staff which will
help on Sunday mornings and evenings. By the end of the
year, our hope is to have at least 20 volunteers. We
also want to include volunteer student leaders who are
trained and developed for ongoing ministry. These
efforts will help in welcoming new students and in the
discipleship of regular attendees.
How can parents further the
effectiveness of the ministry?
- Encourage, if not require, your students to
attend high school and middle school events. Make
church and Student Ministries a priority for your
family.
- Ask your children about Student Ministry
activities, talk about what went on, ask what they
learned, etc.
- Get your children involved in serving the Lord
at church through ministry capacities such as
children's ministry, nursery, sound, etc.
- Model Christian attitudes and behaviors around
the house.
- Keep your expectations high for integrity,
obedience, church involvement, etc.
- Be involved in your child's spiritual
development and guidance throughout middle school
and high school years, and beyond.
What if I have
questions or concerns?
If you have any questions, suggestions or other
comments, please call Nate Conrad, Director of
Student Ministries, at 630-961-0579 or email
NateConrad@npchurch.org.
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