What is it?
The Servantship Team is basically our student leadership team. You might ask, "Why not just call it the 'leadership team'?" - which would be a fair question. In response, we want to make a statement about what leadership means in the Kingdom of God. We seek to imitate Jesus, and as Paul says in Philippians, we do this by serving one another. I want the teens to understand that leadership for Christians is not about "being on top" or "getting your way." In fact, its quite the opposite. The goal of the Servantship Team is to serve the other teens in the Youth Ministry and the rest of our congregation. We also seek to be lights in our community; to reach out to others in love and hopefully in the process, bear witness to them about the love they can enjoy from Christ. (I'd love to take credit for this idea, but like many of the great things about our ministry, I inherited this from Mike Eppes)
Who's it for?
The SST is open to 9-12th graders in our ministry. I would love to find a way to incorporate 7-8 grades into it, but logistically, its just not feasible at this point - although we do aim to instill in our 7th and 8th graders and understanding of the responsibility and benefits of service. For 9-12th graders, there are a few basic conditions on joining. Such as, they must be presently involved in our ministry, have committed to Christ through baptism, adhere to basic principles of Christian behavior, be able to be consistent in making SST meetings, etc. More specific guidelines will be developed once we get some input from the teens interested in joining.
What does it do?
As mentioned earlier, it's all about getting teens involved in serving others. Specifically, the students will plan events, develop ongoing programs, and give feedback on how we can improve in our ability to reach students with our message. Since all people are gifted differently, we aim to put each student to work utilizing their specific strengths, but also stretching them to grow in areas where they could improve.
Why's it so important?
There is an epidemic among churches today: we are losing many of our members after they leave high school. There are plenty of theories out there as to why this is so prevalent, but I believe it has to do with the way we tend to appeal to adolescents. We ask them to "buy into" our churches in a consumerist fashion. We try to impress them, entertain them, and relate to them. None of those things are bad, per se. But.... (you knew that was coming, didn't you?) we need to give more than that. We need to discipline them. I don't mean punish them, I mean make them disciples. We need to teach them that the joy of the Lord is found in living a lifestyle that honors him. Church is not supposed to be about showing up and receiving. It's supposed to be about living in a community of believers. A community where each member gives freely when they have something to give, and each member takes when they are in need. It's my opinion that teaching our kids to be ministry-minded will keep them involved with Church for the rest of their lives. From my experience in 6+ years of youth ministry, I have found that students who really lead by service in the youth ministry tend to be very proactive for the Kingdom beyond high school. They go on foreign mission trips, they intern at different churches, they return here to intern, they work in inner-city ministries where they go to school, they volunteer to help chaperon youth events, they become cell group leaders, and the list goes on. This is what I want for every student who truly wishes to be involved in our ministry.
How can parents help?
I'm so glad you asked. (oh wait, I asked for you, but nonetheless...) As with every aspect of your child's life, you will statistically be the top factor in determining the success of your child learning to serve in the kingdom. There are some very specific things that you can do to really help your child make our Servantship Team its most effective.
1 - Encourage your child to join. Notice I said "encourage", not "force." This needs to be a decision he/she makes on his/her own. If it is simply just another "church thing" they have to do, it won't yield much in terms of results for the student of for the ministry. If your child doesn't want to join for some reason, talk to them and try to understand why. If they seem timid or shy, let them know that it is a learning experience, and that God will use anything they are willing to offer. If they are just too swamped with other commitments, it may, or may not be, time to have a conversation about priorities. If they simply seem apathetic, it means that there is work you as a parent and we as a church have to do in teaching them what it means to really be a follower of Christ.As always, if you have any questions about the SST and how you or your child can get involved, then please don't hesitate to contact me.
2 - Help them honor their commitment. If your child joins, take an interest in what he/she is doing. They will have responsibilities each month that others will be depending on them to tend to. Find out what those responsibilities are and help them fulfill them. Don't take over their commitments, but offer them advice, support, and encouragement as they carry them out.
3 - Let them see your service. This might be a toe-stepper here, but parents always need to be asking themselves what kind of examples their kids see in them. Are you involved in a ministry? If not, why not? Get involved in World Bible School, the Food Pantry, the Mom Store, Life Groups, the Prayer Ministry, the Basket Ministry, or any number of other ministries that we have here. If you don't like any of those, I can always use help with the teens. If you don't like me or teenagers, start your own - there's more than enough that can be done for the Kingdom in Summerville. Nothing teaches more powerfully than example.
