As Christ Redeemer Church seeks to advance the kingdom of God, we want ministry to youth (12-14) and young adults (15-19) to cultivate their Christian maturity. We want to think of them not as “adolescents” drifting into adulthood, but, rather, as “apprentices” learning and pursuing the trade of Christian adulthood from those who have gone before them in the home and in the church. As we begin to shape the CRC ministry to youth and young adults and their families, we’ll be guided by several vision pillars. Our aim will be to let the ministry that takes shape flow out of these various pillars. Now, nothing is set in stone here, but, we think it’s a good trajectory along which to begin the journey.

We want to see youth and young adults and their parents...

loving Jesus,

enjoying fellowship,

thriving in the church,

growing in the church-home partnership,

delighting in Scripture,

praying in the Spirit,

spreading the Gospel,

rejoicing in God’s design for masculinity and femininity,

and pursuing maturity and its challenges.

I’ll use the next few posts to touch on these pillars in more detail.

In the meantime, let me heartily, strongly, and highly recommend the following resources:

ApParent Privilege by Steve Wright - This is a great book on the privilege and responsibilities of parenting in general.

Age of Opportunity by Paul Tripp - This book is fantastic for parenting in general, living in general, and parenting young adults (or getting ready to parent young adults) in particular.

ReThink by Steve Wright - Another one by Wright. This is a provocative look at the way “youth ministry” has typically been done in the U.S. over the past 60 years or so. It suggests that the typical method needs to be reconsidered. He loves the church and he loves the home, and he has a strong vision for partnership between the two for the growth of our young people.