Girls Ministry

Helping you point girls to Christ

  • Home
  • About
  • Downloads
  • Shop
  • Girls Wknd
Resources
August 17, 2017

From Our Shelf | Student Ministry that Matters

By Lifeway Girls

One of the greatest challenges facing the Church today is reaching and leveraging the next generation of believers with the gospel. In a society driven less by morals and more by emotion, gospel-centered student ministries certainly can be hard to find. Instead of relying on Scripture alone, many student ministries water down God’s Word or altogether avoid truths that rub against popular thought in an effort to be “relevant.” However, statistics seem to show that something isn’t clicking. Student baptisms are plunging and, more than ever, students are walking across the graduation stage and simultaneously — out the doors of the Church. This is the problem that Ben Trueblood aims to address in his book, Student Ministry that Matters.

Student Ministry that Matters isn’t a quick formula for success, but rather a book that student pastors, small group leaders, and other youth volunteers can use as a resource for diagnosis. It ultimately begs the question, “Is our student ministry healthy?”  by breaking down three essential elements: Kingdom expanding, character transforming, and culture shaping. Each of these elements is litmus tests for student ministry health. In essence, these elements can be detected by our answers to these questions:

  • Are we reaching lost students or enjoying the comfort of our holy huddles?
  • Is there an evident sense of gospel-centrality within every movement of our ministry?
  • Are we arming students with an ability to understand, believe, and articulate the gospel with a heart for the nations?

However, the aim of the book isn’t to simply help student teams identify where they are, but to help them catch a vision of what could be. When success is defined by our commitment to the Word of God and making disciples, salvations and baptisms will come, and our churches, schools, and communities will be impacted as a result. This is the motivator of the book — that we would not just look across the landscape of churches in America and see dodgeball tournaments and dance parties, but disciple-making hubs dedicated to influencing the next generation.
—-

Matt Stout is a daddy to Lottie Grace, husband to Tiphanie, and a student pastor at LifePoint Church. He has a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, and when he’s not sermon prepping, he loves to watch Tennessee Vols football.

You may also like -

  • Redeeming Prayer Request TimeRedeeming Prayer Request Time
  • Leading Out of Hope & Joy In Trials & TragediesLeading Out of Hope & Joy In Trials & Tragedies
  • One Last Lesson from Steph Williford — How Ministering to Teen Girls Is DifferentOne Last Lesson from Steph Williford — How Ministering to Teen Girls Is Different

Filed Under: Resources

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We’re so glad you’re here! If you’re leading teenage girls, you’re in good company. You’ll find articles, online Bible studies, and lots of fun stuff. More importantly, you’ll connect with other women who love God and love ministering to girls.

Categories

Lifeway Girls Newsletter

Sign up to get a monthly newsletter from us including information about the latest resources and events!
Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: No posts found.

Subscribe to the Blog

If you’d like to receive a notification every time we post something new on this blog, enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email.

All Ministry Sites

Leadership
Kids Ministry
Student Ministry
Groups Ministry
Women’s Ministry
Worship Ministry

Digital Resources

Ministry Grid
Lifeway Worship
Digital Church
KidEvent Pro
MyCurriculum Manager
Simulcast Manager
Lifeway Reader eBooks
twenty:28
WORDsearch

Lifeway Network

Lifeway Research
B&H

Copyright © 2023 · Lifeway Christian Resources · All Rights Reserved

Cleantalk Pixel