Forming Faith that Lasts
Written by Caroline Clark, our Student Ministry Coordinator.
A few years ago, Fuller Youth Institute conducted research on teens’ faith post high school. What they found was that the investment of at least five non-parental adults in high schoolers’ lives significantly decreased their likelihood of drifting from their faith when leaving for college. Why does this stat matter?
While it may not be obvious from the outside, student ministry is SO much more than games, pizza, and themed events. On Sunday evenings in The Space, student ministry staff and volunteers are spending intentional time relating to and speaking into the lives of our students. Through gospel-centered teaching, time in small groups, and relational ministry outside of Sunday evenings, student ministry seeks to form discipleship relationships that last —even after students leave and go off to college.
Middle and High School are arguably the most formative and impactful years of a persons’ life. Students experience many firsts—first cars, first relationships, first time on sports teams, first times at camp, first loss of a loved one, first times experiencing mental health, first times experiencing self-consciousness—the list goes on. They also experience many lasts—the last day in middle school, the last time mom or dad drives them to school, the last time they pack their school lunch, the last time they are in high school, or the last game of their sports career. These moments are marked with emotions, and the question we often hear is: “What should I do?”
Orangewood Student Ministry is committed to “inviting every student into the lifechanging story of Jesus.” We are committed to walking through every first and every last with your student as a support and mentor who aims to point them back to the One who can heal every hurt, calm every anxious heart, dance for joy at every celebration, and wipe away every tear.
Our hope is that when our students walk across the stage at graduation, they can name their five non-parental adults who have led them in their faith and will continue to be lifelong discipleship relationships. Because before every other pursuit of success in this life, a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing a student can have.