Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
By Jeremy Writebol
5/1/06
For each ministry context there must be specific foundations and purposes that govern and di-
rect how we go about ministering within the context God places us. Each sub-ministry of the
church must come under the specific foundations and purposes of the church as a whole or else
it will be a renegade ministry. However each different sub-ministry has unique roles and con-
texts that is specific to just that ministry. Therefore, fully affirming the Foundational Values and
Purpose of Santa Rosa Bible Church the student ministry adopts these articulations of those
values and purposes including our own ministry specific theological values in governing the
methodology of the Jr. High and High School ministries themselves.
Because of this we exist to declare and demonstrate His supremacy and sufficiency in all
areas of life. In our ministry we exist to magnify Christ first and foremost. We do not
exist primarily to meet needs, fellowship, provide a safe place or entertain young people.
We exist to glorify Christ in everything we do. Christ is the start, middle and end of
our ministry and all we do is to display His supremacy and sufficiency in all of life.
To that end we will teach the Bible in our student ministries. No human philosophy or
clever thinking of man is sufficient or authoritative to instruct us how to live. Programs
and events will use the Scriptures alone as the basis for our instruction and teaching.
Because of this we are totally dependent upon Him to work in the lives of students.
Only God’s methods of doing ministry bring about true life change (Romans 10). No
matter how engaging, or exciting our programs, lessons, or events are we are solely de-
pendent upon God alone to work in the lives of teens. This does not mean that we
therefore have no ministry in the lives of young people. Quite the opposite, we labor,
strive, and battle to demonstrate the supremacy of Christ to teens, and pray earnestly
that God would work to open their eyes to His all-surpassing greatness (Colossians
1:28-29).
As a ministry we are held accountable for being faithful to the Word of God and the
ministry to which we are entrusted, and dependent upon God for the results of our la-
bor.
The church, and the youth ministries of the church, are merely supplements. We exist to
support families in their efforts to train and disciple their children, not to replace them
in their God-given responsibility. The student ministry is not to be the primary place
where teens hear the Bible taught, nor is the primary place where they are to be disci-
plined and trained in the Lord. The home is.
Because of that we seek to involve parents in our ministry leadership and development.
It is our desire to be a family ministry, ministering to both parents and teens. Parents are
always welcome at events, encouraged to participate in programs, and encouraged to be
on the leadership team of the student ministry.
We encourage you to spend time daily reading the Bible together as a family, and making
it a discipline for you and your children to have personal and family devotions together
in the Word and prayer. Your students will model your visible daily devotion to Christ.
We recognize that there are differing views regarding educational choices (public school,
Christian school, home-school, etc.) within various families among the church. The stu-
dent ministries aim is to support each of these choices without denigrating or biasing
our ministry towards one philosophy or choice.
What is the purpose of the student ministry at Santa Rosa Bible Church?
We exist to lift up the Lord by living out the Word, loving one another, and lead-
ing others to Christ.
This purpose is reflective of the command Jesus gave to the church to be a disciple making min-
istry (Matthew 28:18-20).
We seek to follow the pattern given to us for disciple making by ordering our ministry events
and activities around these four phases, each building upon the other to develop mature and
equipped disciples of Christ. Each of the stated “Foundational Values” of Santa Rosa Bible
Church can be seen in these four phases of ministry.