Vision and Purpose of Youth Ministry
We desire to love God and others through making and maturing disciples of Christ for the glory of God within the youth ministry. We will encourage and train parents in regards to their role of primary discipler of their children. We will give opportunities for teens to interact with God’s Word and grow in their faith. We will actively disciple the youth leaders and the teens.
Responsibility of Parents and Church Body in Discipling the Next Generation
We believe God has designed both the family and church body to invest in and steward the next generation’s spiritual growth. We believe that God has given the primary responsibility for discipling children to their parents (Deut 6:4-9). As the spiritual leaders of the home, every Christian parent, and especially Christian fathers (Eph 6:4), has the responsibility to lead their family in devotion to God. Parents should model faithfulness and provide biblical instruction at home, which is supplemented with biblical instruction from the church. We believe God calls the church body to come alongside parents in encouragement and support and to help disciple their children (Titus 2). GPBC will support and train parents in their role by offering parent-centered classes and opportunities for parents to disciple their teens. GPBC will also offer discipleship and biblical counseling for parents and teens that request it or show signs of desiring or needing it. Teens that do not have believing parents but still desire discipleship will be “spiritually adopted” into a church member’s family who will purpose to teach and model faithful living to that teen.
Raising the Next Generation in God’s Word and with an Active Faith
We believe people come to faith as they interact with God’s Word (Rom 10:17). We believe people mature in their faith through interacting with God’s Word, both personally and corporately, by witnessing mature Christians act out their faith, and by living out their faith, both personally and corporately (1 Tim 4:7). GPBC will consistently lead and model the youth toward salvation and maturity through the faithful, expository teaching of Scripture, discipleship and counseling, and offering opportunities to serve others, both inside and outside of the Church. Distinct opportunities and activities will be created with a specific focus on making disciples and distinct opportunities and activities will be created with a specific focus on maturing disciples. However, it is also recognized that many times the goal of making and maturing disciples of Christ can be accomplished at the same event or activity. Furthermore, as the gospel is proclaimed, we humbly anticipate teens to come to faith in Christ and mature in their faithfulness and obedience to His righteous ways through the ministry of His Word.
Relationship between Leader, Teen, and Parents
We believe older generations of believers in the church body have a necessary role of discipling the younger generations (Titus 2). GPBC will train willing youth leaders to interact with God’s Word, grow in leadership qualities, and actively disciple the youth. In turn, we expect youth leaders to partner with teens and their parents to encourage and support the teen’s initial repentance and faith and then encourage and support their growth in Christian maturity. Youth leaders will foster this discipleship relationship by teaching and modeling such topics as evangelism, service, leadership, fellowship, and a biblical-worldview.
Role of the Teen Believer as a Part of the Church
We believe that all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ are members of His body, the Church, and one another (Eph 4:1-16). Part of being an active part of the church body means being an active witness for Christ in the world. Therefore, each teen believer will be encouraged to participate in GPBC in the same manner that a member would (Eph 4:17-32) and will be encouraged to join the church as soon as they are 18 years old. Furthermore, this means the entire church should be involved in youth ministry, as youth are members of the body of Christ and the same member care that applies to adults applies to the teens as well.
