Vision Night 2011

Last year we started a tradition in our High School Ministry.  We only have a few traditions here that we have done in the last six years since I started leading the ministry.  This one came from reading a friends blog, Josh Griffin, and what they do in their High School Ministry every year. 

The basic premise is that the first Wednesday of the year we are going to do some sort of "Vision Night" and share/remind students, and leaders, why we do what we do.  This year we called the night "Where are we going?"  Which I think is a question that churches need to be prepared to answer.  I want to be very clear with our High School students about what we are going to be about.  I want to make sure they know what they can expect from us and what we are going to expect from them.

The answer to this question is something we say around our church.  The goal of our high school ministry is to Make Jesus Famous.  Now I know for me that can be somewhat abstract and I want to make sure that we are clearly communicating.  With that said I broke it down to three concrete things that we will work on this as a high school ministry:

1) Relevant mid-week program
This means that we will teach the Bible weekly on Wednesday night in a way that a high school student can understand.  I am committed to having messages that are applicable to the life of a high school student.  The message will be clear, relevant and understand but challenging.  We are going to challenge students to grow in their faith!

2) Intentional Small Group Gatherings
This year we are calling our small groups Life Groups.  For a season we moved them onto campus but decided that we are going to move them back into homes.  I think that something happens when you sit on the couch and talk about Jesus and hear what Jesus is doing in others lives.  This will be a place where accountability and honesty can happen.  Where leaders will connect with students and ask them how they are doing.

3) Living out your faith on your camps
This is the part where students apply what they are learning from the first two.  The goal is that when life change happens that others notice it and want to be a part of that.  Our high school ministry has grown because of students lives being changed and them telling their friends.  We want students to learn to live their faith out on a daily basis.

So that is what we are going to be about this year in Explode!
(You can hear the message on Podcast if you like)