BAPTIST GENERAL CONVENTION
OF VIRGINIA YOUTH AND
YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY
UNITED FOR A GREATER MINISTRY”
“
WHO WE ARE
• In 1899, the Baptist General Convention of Virginia was born to support education
through Virginia Union University and its School of Theology.
BGCVA financially supports various ministries and missions, such as the Children's
Home of Virginia Baptists, Inc., the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention,
the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. and the Progressive National Baptist
Convention, Inc.
With a membership of over 900 African American churches and 29 Associations,
BGCVA is operated out of its state headquarters located on the campus of Virginia
Union University.
MISSION
• To unite and equip churches, ministries, associations, and constituents to do
holistic ministry that propagate the Gospel, advances the Kingdom of God,
and supports education and missions in Virginia and beyond.
Our mission is to encourage ministry support and participation through
partnerships state and national bodies and other likeminded agencies that
are ever expanding.
WHAT WE PROVIDE
• Support for local churches in the area of Youth and Young
Adult Ministry
• Faith Formation Resources
• Focused Training Initiatives that undergird the specific
needs of the local church
• Conferences and Retreats that address the relevant
concerns of our stakeholders.
WHAT DOES YOUR IDEAL YOUTH MINISTRY LOOK
LIKE?
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT KEEP YOU FROM
EXPERIENCING THIS?
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR YOUTH
MINISTRY?
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING
YOUR YOUTH MINISTRY?
CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:
• In order for any church of the Lord Jesus to obtain relevance in 2014 and
beyond, it must be willing to intentionally and holistically embrace youth
ministry.
• The church must be passionate about the things that Jesus was passionate
about.
• A church without youth is a church without a future. A church that is not
YOUTH-MINDED is not KINGDOM-MINDED. (Mat. 18:1-14)
• The church must knowledgeably assess the needs of today, and not zealously
exhaust today’s time and resources combating the challenges of yesterday.
(Rom. 10:1)
ALSO CONSIDER:
• Every second we spend not focusing on the “MAIN THING” is a lost
opportunity to operate in Kingdom effectiveness. (Luke 10:38-41)
• The Church must MOVE when God MOVES. (Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:8)
• Any body of believers that is not open to fresh thought, ideas, strategies,
or initiatives, is spiritually desensitized and numb to the things of God.
(Isaiah 43:19)
WE MUST RETHINK THE WAY WE DO MINISTRY!!!
• Relevant
• Energized
• Thorough
• Holistic
• Intentional
• Necessary
• Kinetic
CARY SCHMIDT’S 8 KEYS TO EFFECTIVE YOUTH
MINISTRY
CARY SCHMIDT
Cary Schmidt serves as the Senior Pastor of
Emmanuel Baptist Church in Newington, Connecticut.
He and his wife, Dana, have been blessed with
three children and have enjoyed twenty-three
years of marriage and ministry together. Cary's
passion is to love God, love his family, and point
people to Jesus Christ through teaching, preaching,
and writing. He has written eleven books, including
Hook, Line and Sinker: How the Enemy is Destroying
the Christian Family; Off Script: What to Do When
God Rewrites Your Life; and Discover Your Destiny:
Making Right Choices in A World Full of Wrong.
1. A STRONG LOCAL CHURCH
• Jesus died for the church. It is His divine authorized
institution for His work on earth.
• A youth group should not be a stand alone entity, but an
integral part of a larger body—a local church.
• The youth group should support and mirror the church
program, and the youth should have a good relationship
with their pastor.
2. SOLID BIBLICAL TEACHING
• We are to teach the Bible and persuade young people to
live biblically for the rest of their lives.
• This is essential—social events are not.
• Give quality time to preparing and teaching practical,
Bible lessons—the kind that help them understand truth
and embrace it.
3. ONE-ON-ONE TIME AND PERSONAL MINISTRY
• Relationships are vital, and authentic ministry happens up
close.
• You cannot persuade or influence someone that you don’t
have favor or are not in “good standing” with.
• Youth ministry happens as much one-on-one as with a
group.
4. MINISTRY AND OUTREACH
• It’s vital to allow and compel youth to serve the Lord and others.
• Involving them in a soul-winning program, service opportunities,
music opportunities, etc. is huge.
• “The strongest, most mature, and joyful Christian teens I know are
those that sing, serve, soul-win, and give. They are living their faith,
and their commitment to Christ is real! The more you can encourage
young people to live and express their faith through service, the
stronger their faith will become.” -Schmidt
5. LONGEVITY AND PATIENCE
• “A lot of people just don’t stay at youth ministry very long—
especially not in one place. It takes a few years to figure things
out and another few for people to begin trusting you. That’s not to
say you don’t accomplish anything in those years, just that the
longer you stay with it, the more effective you will be and the
greater the fruit. The best fruit in youth ministry happens as you
literally watch families grow up—serving them year after year”
-Schmidt
6. FAMILY/ PARENTAL FOCUS
• Effective youth ministry doesn’t merely focus on youth.
• Regular youth-parent meetings are essential.
• Focus on reaching and ministering to the whole family.
Help develop the parents as well as the youth.
• Anything we can do to help youth have a better
relationship with parents, and to help the parents to live
authentic Christian lives is going to bear greater fruit.
7. GOD’S WISDOM AND POWER
• Ultimately, anything good that comes from our efforts is due to the
Lord using us in spite of ourselves.
• He blesses the principles of His Word and He delights in those who
submit to His authority and His truth.
• We don’t need to reinvent anything—we just need to teach,
preach, and practice God’s Word, anticipating that His power will
do the real work.
•
The mystery of changed lives is not in trendy new methods—it’s in
the moving of God’s Holy Spirit.
8. LOTS AND LOTS OF PATIENCE AND HOPE
• “A big part of youth ministry is just refusing to lose hope! There are
far more blessings than disappointments, more victories than
defeats, more winning than losing, and more ups than downs—but
the devil is relentless in trying to make you feel like you’re a
failure. Never stop hoping and praying for those you love to
become who Christ desires them to be!” -Schmidt