Manchaca UMC

Our Youth Ministry Mission Statment

The youth ministry of Manchaca UMC exists to serve, grow, and relate to our youth community in order to develop relationships, make disciples, and cultivate leaders.

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About a month ago, our Youth Council met with the Texas Regional Director of Center for Youth Ministry Training (CMYT is the program I am currently recieving my masters degree through). We discussed the goals, values, and purpose of our Youth Ministry, and as a result came up with the mission statment that you see above. 

How we arrived at this Mission Statment.

There were a few things that we all agreed were very important to our Youth Group: 

• we want to serve the students, to be a place where they can come and receive help, advice, or just be able to have fun and relax. (Matthew 23:11)
• But, we don't want to just be a place of "fun." If students are not growing as a result of our efforts, then we are not accomplishing anything.  (Ephesians 4:14-16)
• Finally, for any of this to work, we felt that this ministry needs to relate to the students we are reaching. If they cannot relate to the leaders, games, teaching topics, etc., then it is not going to impact them. (Colossians 4:3-4)

 As a result of these three priorities, it made sense to us that:

• If they are going to relate to us, our aim should be to form relationships with students, while also helping them develop their relationship with Jesus Christ. Everything else can be awesome, but if they are not connected then our efforts will always fall short. (John 15:5)
• Just as a gardener doesn't plant carrots and then expect to produce cabbage, we want to make sure that we are intentional about what we are trying to grow. We are not just trying to make "well-adjusted adults" out of them; we are trying to make disciples of Jesus Christ. (Matt 28:19-20)
• And through our serving, we have an opportunity to cultivate leaders that are focused on serving others and serving God. (Mark 10:43)

So, that is how we arrived at the Mission Statment we now have. It is not set in stone and may be fine-tuned or revised in the future. However, for now, it feels good to have a sense of direction for where our Ministry is headed.

I look forward to seeing where Jesus takes us along this path.

In Christ,

Mike Niswander                                                                                                              Youth Director