There is no easy way to define the wonderful complexities of a modern teenager, so it is practically impossible to find a statistic that simplifies their habits. Maybe that's part of their charm. One clarifying statistic, however, is the driving force behind The Well Student Ministries:
The number one indicator that a teenager will continue to follow Jesus into adulthood is having five intentional relationships with godly adults.
Breathe that in.
Even still, there is no mathematical equation-like solution when raising teens. Children can go through their entire childhood without a single Sunday School lesson, find Christ later in life, and grow into life-long Christians. Conversely, you can apply every biblical principle in raising a child, and they still choose to go their own way. Parenting is both rewarding and heartbreaking.
But it shouldn't stop us from trying. Let me tell you about a ministry that hasn't.
Under the umbrella of Living Water’s Family Ministries, The Well Student Ministries serves students from 6th through 12th grade. Armed with a foundational constitution built by Pastor James Stargel and other godly leaders, Tyler Brezinski, part of the “Gen Z” demographic, has used his freshly accrued, in-the-trenches wisdom to lead this dynamic age group since January 2022. Along with Seth Enterline and a team of dedicated adult volunteers, our teenagers are in very capable hands.
What’s Important to Them:
“They are not the future of The Church, they are The Church now”, is a direct quote, and oozes with intentionality. The goal of The Well leadership is to encourage and train our Living Water teens to become students of The Word and build relationships with God, the church community, and the world.
How they do it, is impressively forward-thinking. And biblical.
A Mission, a Mindset, and a Look Towards the Future:
The Well is built around creating an environment that fosters relationships and community-mindedness, which starts in the home. Every program is designed to involve parents in their teen’s walk with Christ. To that end, you can contact Pastor James, Tyler, or your student's small group leader for resources to supplement that process. I encourage you to check out this link for other resources for your teen who may or may not be involved in our student ministry. The May devotional, for example, is in this link:
Next, all activities, including teaching, worship, discussion, and even community outreach events are primarily scheduled around Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, when parents are likely to already be there. So, no schlepping your kid to one more activity that disturbs family dinner time. Sunday mornings are combined gender and grade, formatted much like the adult worship time upstairs. First and second services differ slightly (think contemporary versus formal) and once a month, our students get to practice their musical gifts by performing with a live worship band. While Tyler and Seth are the primary teachers, the students are often treated to messages from our pastoral staff, elder board members, and trained student ministry leaders.
Wednesday evenings host small groups and, for middle schoolers, are broken down by grade and gender. High School students receive three options for their small groups, each with a different level of challenge and outside work. Every small group has a dedicated group leader, trained to foster growth in their relationship with Christ and their peers. Wednesdays are also the time that they plan community service projects and the occasional social event.
Intentional Integration:
Tyler and his team are always thinking about how to prepare our teenagers for those nervous steps into adulthood. Roughly twice a semester, students attend adult Sunday services with their peers. So if you see the last few rows roped off in the back of the worship room, you know you've got some special guests. They also encourage students to sit in worship service with their family, in place of worshipping with their friends downstairs. Further, students are encouraged to volunteer in assistant roles at events like VBS, Summer Serve, and community festivals.
Life Beyond High School:
Scary, right? Church leaders, specifically within The Well, check in on their students after graduation. But even more tangible is an exciting new ministry, called The Bridge. This is where the relatively underserved age group of 18-22 year olds meet twice a month at a church member's home. Please pray that this ministry would grow, and reach this transitional age group. Pray that more godly people will step in and serve.
What Can I Do?
I am glad you asked! While prayer is an important part of our kid’s success, there is currently a need for short-term volunteers to help out with the summer session when the adult leaders are given a break. Can you dedicate a Sunday morning or two, perhaps to test the waters? You can find this link to Summer Serve here:
But if this blog has you thinking more about serving this dynamic group of kids for the long haul, please reach out to Tyler who can tell you more about the onboarding process. Those interested in wanting to serve in a more permanent position of small-group leader go through a training process to not only educate but also to ensure that you’ll be a good fit.
Maybe you can be one of The Five.
Other links:
Tyler Brezinski: tyler@livingwatercc.com
Pastor James Stargel: james@livingwatercc.com
The Well Student Ministries: https://www.livingwatercc.com/students
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