Christian Education
The strengths and the future foundations of a church are vested in the youths. The youth’s ministry as a department plays pivotal roles in the overall development of a church. A church which seeks to establish itself for decades must thus have a strong youth ministry guided by role models for the church, preferably, the elder members of the clergy. Some youth ministries have faced various challenges pertaining to non-adherence to personal responsibilities, and gross misconducts. These incidences have elicited arguments about the importance, and the functionality of youth ministries in such theological setups. Nevertheless, youth ministries require leadership of sound mind, and guided by the powers of the Holy Spirit. The church must thus be led according to the requirements of Jesus Christ and his teachings. Most of these teachings are enshrined in the foundations of the church as the Christian education and teachings require. Research has it that most youth ministries do not last because there is a lack of direction for the youths as far as the spiritual growth is concerned. Besides, most youth ministries lack the desired levels of creativity, fun programs, and events, which attract youths. Comprehensive youth programs using appropriate models in the church are key to developing a strong youth ministry, which lasts for decades.
The implementation of the commitment level model works wonders in managing a youth ministry. Most youth ministries including my church, apply the use of the commitment model unknowingly. This is because such churches do not exhaust the requirements in the commitment model. Just like implementing changes in a society requires acceptance, and ownership of the proposed change, the youth ministries in various churches also require the effective processes, which depend on the amount of ownership and acceptance of the proposed changes (Anthony, 15). Commitment is crucial to developing, and effecting changes in the youth ministry setups. The commitment model has various aspects of its implementations. These aspects are enshrined in the youth group, youth ministry, and the stages of the implementation. Concerning the implementations in a youth group, the model requires the leadership of the teams to discover who attends the group. This is the first step in developing the commitment model at the level of the youth ministry. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
The second phase of implementation in a youth group is the identification of the youth commitment level. In this phase, the spiritual location of young people is of great significance. The model gives every commitment level where every youth can fit. These levels include the minister, worker, believer, new convert, seeker, and pre-Christian levels (Hendricks, 37). All these levels will act as a guideline to determine where the concentration of youth lies, and possibly reveal the areas of weakness. The process is a complicated one because some youths may fall in between the levels, thus the developers of this model should think in terms of a sliding scale or continuum.
Figure 1 Commitment Level Pyramid
Evaluation of the ministries at each level of the pyramid informs the basis for understanding the roles each youth can play in the ministry. In this evaluation, the funnel diagram will help the youth ministries in developing, and evaluating the youth pastor programs at various committeemen levels. The step will identify the levels being omitted, and identify if the group is presenting so many programs simultaneously.
Figure 2 The Funnel Model approach
The group should then adjust the programs as required and eliminate unnecessary programs. The new programs at the commitment levels should be bold realistic, and exhibits strategies for the future development of the youth ministry. The slow implementation process for the programs ensures the achievement of realistic goals.
Contact with prisoners and orphans using the commitment level model
One of the youth ministry programs that I would wish to be implemented in my church is the orphan outreach programs as well as the prisoners. Using the implementation of the commitment level model, these programs will be realistic under the youth ministry at my church. Many prisoners out there perhaps were wrongfully convicted and jailed. Many orphans out there need charitable programs. Visiting these orphanages, and prisons will link the orphans and the captives to Jesus. More specifically, the prisoners need to get the gospel so that they may be changed people when they leave captivity. As some were wrongfully convicted, others were jailed for the unjust acts they committed. But as mentioned Howard, teachings which change the lives of people is highly recommended for the prisoners. As Christians, we need to have a changed society (Hendricks, 25). The youths in my church must thus step up to encroach prisons and orphanages with the gospel. As we think of visiting the orphanages, the ministry must encompass itself with individuals who believe in the teachings of Jesus concerning giving. A blessing it is for the hands that give than the hand that receives. The foundations of Christian education focus on sharing not only spiritual nourishment but also material goods (Anthony, 21).
The outreach programs for the orphans and the prisoners will ensure the youths spread the gospel in a more elaborate way and to capture more souls and surrender them to Jesus. Both the outreach programs require the implementation of the commitment level model. The model assists the youths in a coordinated approach to doing the programs (Anthony, 19). The facilitators of these outreach programs must follow the standard process for implementing the commitment level model of youth ministry. The model requires the coordination to gather all the necessary tools while visiting the prisons and the orphanages. For instance, visiting these places requires the team to carry with them personal effects, which will be donated for the affected persons. Orphans in children’s home may particularly lack basic needs such as clothing (Hendricks, 25). It’s thus important to have charitable works centered on gathering such personal effects, and finally delivering them to the orphanages.
The life of impressment is never easy, and requires personal intervention with God. While we accept most prisons recognize the fact that there is the need to have churches within such environments, some prisoners admire the need to break such monotony. Taking the gospel to the prisons using the youths, and especially in the juvenile prisons will work wonders. A commitment model is still a tool of great use in this case. The model requires representatives across all departments to engage the age-specific groups. This approach will ensure a strong youth council, which foster a great agenda for the youth ministry. The ministries must work in a coordinated approach to realize the overall goal of the youth council.
Figure 3 Structure of the Youth Council
New churches may need to add the ministries at each age group as they follow the ministry by using one age group. In this manner, churches grow, and an example is the Windsor Fellowship church. They started a children’s ministry, and when these children were graduating into high school, a teenage ministry was started. When they started graduating from high school, a young adult ministry commenced setting the pace for the starting of the Sunday worship services. The commitment level model works for any department in the church. Voluntary visits to the orphans and prisoners, and especially the juvenile prisoners are things I wish to see happening in the youth’s ministry in my church. A more coordinated approach to implement these goals using the commitment level model is key to enhancing youth programs.