My New Role - Part 3

This is the last of three posts where I am working to outline for you what my new role will look like.  So far, I have described my role as pastor of student ministries and my role as staff and campus leader.  The final “big rock” of my new role falls under the umbrella of intergenerational ministry.  For the past three years we have been thinking, planning, changing, and striving for a more intergenerational approach to ministry in our church.  The driving force behind all of it was our student ministry team and me, but when you are the pastor of student ministry and middle school, you just don’t have the right seat on the bus to really get this kind of whole church ethos changed.  When it was suggested that I could have a seat that allowed me to not only think, but really implement these ideas, my heart leapt.

Over the past year, we participated in a Sticky Faith cohort of churches pulled together by the Fuller Youth Institute lead Kara Powell and Brad Griffen.  This year long conversation and stimulation further pushed our thinking, and our desire for impact.  We could no longer sit on the sideline thinking about this, we needed to get it implemented in big ways.  My new role allows for this to happen.  Here’s what we are doing right now:

1.    Students engaged in corporate worship:  This is planned for at least twelve times each year.  The five weeks of Advent, five weeks for Lent, and sporadic other weeks throughout the year will be used to intentionally “force” students to attend corporate worship.

2.    Intergenerational Service:  This summer we have cancelled all age-specific mission trips and are working toward a church-wide service project in Joplin, MO.

3.    Intergenerational Events:  This April we will have our first ever church wide “man” day.  This day will bring all men and boys from Christ Community together for the purpose of building community and relationship though “man” type fun events like trap shooting and paintball.

4.    Community Groups:  Some of our adult community groups have already begun to incorporate the children of their groups into the life of their group rather than keep them entirely separate.  While there is a solid place for keeping them separate at times, there is also great advantage to utilizing these natural relationships to reinforce the 5:1 factor.

5.    Women’s and Men’s Ministries: These traditionally “adult” ministries have begun to think about opportunities to include students when appropriate.

6.    “Cradle to Grave” discipleship:  The paid staff of the children’s ministries, student ministries, and adult formation, are beginning to work toward thinking how to seamlessly disciple congregants of our body.

7.    College Ministry:  Our high school staff is working with a team of volunteers to not only care for college freshmen as they transition from high school into college (traditionally, a place where Christian students ditch their faith), but also to engage them in the life of Christ Community when they return home for breaks.