student ministries resource manual student ministries resource manual

Student Ministries Resource Manual

Published by Word of Life Local Church Ministries A division of Word of Life Fellowship, Inc. Web Address: www.wol.org

credits USA P.O. Box 600 Schroon Lake, NY 12870 1-888-932-5827 [email protected]

Canada RR#8 Owen Sound, ON N4K 5W4 1-800-461-3503 [email protected]

Publisher’s Acknowledgements Writers and Contributors: Jodi Brown, Mike Ellis, Jeff Farris, Dale Flynn, Ric Garland, Bill Hough, Dori Phillips Editors: Doug Armbrecht, Bill Hough Curriculum Manager: Don Reichard Cover Design: Alan Furst, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Word of Life Fellowship, Inc. All rights reserved.

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table of contents

Welcome ...... v

How to Use the Student Ministries Resource Manual ...... vi

Looking Back Before We Look Ahead (A Brief History of Word of Life) ...... vii

Section 1 How’s My Vision? ...... 1-1 Building Upon Biblical Principles

Section 2 What Should I Expect Now? ...... 2-1 Becoming Principle Based in a Program Driven World contents

Section 3 Three Keys to Success ...... 3-1 Leadership Discipleship Evangelism

Section 4 Let’s Get Organized! ...... 4-1 An Organizational Chart for Your Student Ministry

Section 5 What’s My Responsibility? ...... 5-1 Administrative Coordinator Bible Study Coordinator Discipleship Coordinator Evangelism Coordinator Teens Involved Coordinator Activities Coordinator Discipleship Group Leader

Section 6 What Do We Do at the Weekly Word of Life Meeting? .....6-1 The Weekly Word of Life Meeting from Start to Finish

Section 7 The Reality and Rewards of Creative Discipleship ...... 7-1 Biblical Principles of Discipleship Implementing Creative Discipleship

Section 8 Glad to Meet With You! ...... 8-1 Orientation (HD3) and Reorientation (HDX) Meetings Transfer Meetings Leadership Conferences Planning Meetings

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Section 9 Leadership Team Planning, Evaluation, and Accountability ...... 9-1 Program Planner Meeting Evaluation Leadership Team Progress Report

Section 10 Essential Materials: Manuals, Notebooks, CDs, and More ...... 10-1 Teacher’s Lifelines Pressure Points The Book of Stuff Christian Service Manual Where Do I Go From Here? Discipleship Series

contents Section 11 Here’s a Book for You ...... 11-1

Section 12 Getting Students Involved in Ministry ...... 12-1 Teens Involved Evangelistic Events

Section 13 I’d Like to Place an Order ...... 13-1 Ordering Material

Section 14 Let’s Go to Camp! ...... 14-1

Section 15 Word of Life Bible Institute is for Me! ...... 15-1

Section 16 Can You Lend Me a Hand? ...... 16-1 Seven Ways Seven People Can Help You

Section 17 The Word of Life Team Serving You ...... 17-1

Section 18 Technical Stuff About Registration and Finances .... 18-1 Registration Requirements and Qualifications Financial Involvement of the Local Church

Section 19 Two Can Be Better Than One ...... 19-1 The Benefits of a Second Student Ministry

Appendix Word of Life Fellowship, Inc. Around the World ..... A-1 Ministry Timeline

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I am thrilled to welcome you to this exciting ministry! Word of Life Student Ministries is seeing unprecedented growth and expansion for which we thank the Lord. We are thankful that you are part of the growing number of leaders impacting this generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

This Student Ministries Resource Manual is designed to help you disciple and evangelize students through your church and in your community. Whether you are a new or veteran leader, this resource will equip and encourage you in your ministry of “reaching youth whose needs constantly change with biblical truth that never changes.”

I believe together we can make a difference in the lives of students. Such belief leads us to make the following commitments to you.

On your behalf we are committed to:  Biblical Principles The principles of God’s Word provides the rock solid foundation for all we do. In a changing world we stand with confidence on the unchanging Word.

 Excellence Your students deserve excellence in ministry. Producing curriculum, welcome programming, and activities to captivate your young people is more than our goal – it is our commitment to you!

 Strategy Through Word of Life Student Ministries, you will establish a game plan for ministry that will remain consistent throughout the teen years. Stability and success grow out of such a well-planned strategy.

 Accountability We in student ministry leadership cannot afford to be an island to ourselves. Interaction and personal accountability is one of the secrets to successful ministry. Be assured that it is our desire to help you excel through our commitment to accountability.

I am confident that you also share in these commitments. Combining these commitments along with the ideas, insights, and strategies in this manual will help you to effectively disciple and evangelize young people.

Our staff is praying for you. Never hesitate to contact your Area Missionary for advice, assistance, or just to talk things over. It is our honor and calling to serve you.

In Christ,

Ric Garland Vice President Local Church Ministries v © WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC. | REVISED 2012 student ministries resource manual

how to use the student ministries resource manual

The Student Ministries Resource Manual is designed to be a valuable resource for those who minister to teens using the Word of Life Student Ministries program. It is our recommendation that you read this manual once a year. We believe you will pick up new ideas and resources each time you read it. But don’t just read it and set it aside. Keep it handy, we have designed it to be an ongoing source of help and direction for you.

Most every aspect of your student ministry can be found in the table of contents. While you will benefit the most from reading the Student Ministries Resource Manual from cover to cover, we also know there are times when you will want to brush up on a particular aspect of your ministry. Just look up the area you are interested in and read about it. In fact, if you want to read Section 6 before

how to use Section 3, that’s fine by us! It is our main desire that you read and benefit from the years of ministry wisdom and experience reflected in these pages.

You will want to read this manual if…  You are a Word of Life Student Ministry leader  You are interested in becoming a Word of Life Student Ministry leader  You want to know more about Word of Life Student Ministries  You have a desire to be the best leader of students you can be  You have a heartbeat for discipleship and evangelism  You have insomnia and can’t go to sleep (No, wait…Don’t do that! If you read this manual late at night you will become so excited about the prospects of ministry that you will not be able to fall asleep!)

Enjoy your reading!

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looking back before we look ahead (A brief history of Word of Life)

Just as a mighty oak tree starts with a tiny acorn, so Word of Life Fellowship had a very humble beginning. In 1932, Jack Wyrtzen was saved while a member of the 101st Cavalry Band. A year later, he and his wife, Marge, dedicated their lives to the Lord while attending Pinebrook, a Christian camp in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. It was then that he gave up his dance band in order

history to follow the Lord.

For the next several years (1933-1939) Jack attended the Hawthorne Evening Bible School while maintaining his regular job of selling insurance. It was during this time that he started conducting street meetings and manifested a real desire to see people come to the Lord.

After completing Bible School, Jack stepped out by faith and started Word of Life Fellowship, Inc., in 1940. One of his first endeavors was to conduct a weekly radio broadcast utilizing two stations in the greater New York City area – WBBC and WHN. One year later was the beginning of the live Radio Rallies meeting at the Gospel Tabernacle in Manhattan, NY. It was also at this time that Harry Bollback joined the staff of Word of Life.

As a result of great music, fantastic testimonies of people finding the Lord, and a clear presentation of the Gospel, the rallies outgrew the facilities at Gospel Tabernacle. They moved to the Mecca Temple that seated 3,000 and eventually to Carnegie Hall with 3,000 inside and 3,000 outside. It was only a matter of time before they outgrew those facilities as well and had to move to Madison Square Garden, where they had 20,000 inside and 10,000 outside. They packed the place to overflowing seven different times!

In 1945 and 1946, a new vision for the lost was launched. Word of Life took their first missionary trip to Mexico and Great Britain. It was also the year that Word of Life Island was purchased for $25,000 making it the beginning of our camping ministry. The Word of Life Inn was added in 1953 with the Word of Life Ranch being acquired in 1955, thus providing Christian camping for the entire family. During this time Jack continued with the rallies, even hosting one at Yankee Stadium with 40,000 attending.

The first overseas Word of Life Camp began in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1958. This was the beginning of what would eventually become known as the Word of Life International Ministries.

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In 1957, a local pastor in Northfield, Massachusetts by the name of Paul Bubar invited Jack Wyrtzen to conduct a series of weekly meetings. At the close of the meetings, Paul shared with Jack his burden to have a youth program that was part of the local church, led by laymen who would be trained by Word of Life. Initially the idea was negatively received because Jack felt that he already had “too many irons in the fire,” but the seed had been planted. The more Jack thought about it, the more he became convinced of the need for a grassroots program for teenagers – not just one-night or weekend crusades, but a solid, lasting work that could help young people in the local church. The time was right and in 1959 Jack called up Paul Bubar to see if he was interested in coming to Schroon Lake to head up the operation. He said yes, and so what is now Word of Life Local Church Ministries was born.

Since 1959, Word of Life Local Church Ministries has developed its programs and outreach all across the United States and Canada. Word of Life is also reaching into 60 countries around the world. Later it expanded its program to include Children’s Ministries for those in grades one through six and Early Learners’ Ministries for children ages four through six.

In 1987 Paul Bubar was asked to assume the position of Director of International Ministries. Mike Calhoun, who had served for two years under Paul as the National Field Director, was appointed as the new Director of Word of Life Local Church Ministries. Mike has also served as a Student Ministry leader, Area Missionary, and Regional Director.

Currently there are nearly 60 Area Missionaries and a large number of Associates. These men and women are working with over 1,300 ministries in local churches across North America. Weekly, over 25,000 young people are being discipled through the Word of God. These young people are being challenged to reach their world for Jesus Christ!

Today, we are thrilled to serve you as you begin to disciple and evangelize your students. We thank God for the godly heritage He has given us and look forward to the great work you are going to accomplish for the glory of God!

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how’s my vision?

Vision is defined as the sense of sight; ability to see; ability to visualize; foresight. As you begin your Word of Life Student Ministry, you need to check your vision. Now you could schedule an appointment with your ophthalmologist but that’s not the kind of vision we are talking about.

What do you see when you look at the students in your church and in your community? Potential? Problems? More than likely you see a little of both.

vision Let’s think of the vision we are discussing here as…

the ability to understand God’s principles, to perceive God’s power, to focus on God’s purpose and to overcome the obstacles to do God’s program.

Vision is what separates the leader from the average man or woman. Let’s take our definition and break it down and examine it for a minute. A dynamic vision for the students of your church and community begins with…

the ability to understand God’s principles, BIBLICAL FOUNDATION Your vision for students must be based upon God’s principles, not on the desires, wishes, or wants of youth, parents, or leaders. That’s why Biblical Principles serve as the foundation of the triangle. No ministry will be any better than the foundation upon which it is built.

In this day and age, it is easy for our vision to become clouded. There seem to be a number of foundations upon which we can choose to build our ministry.

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1. Experience – Whatever worked when you were a youth, you will try to repeat. You remember all the good memories and tend to forget the others. What worked then should work now. After all you did not turn out too bad. 2. Example – You may think, “If it works for others, it might work for me!” We tend to imitate others, whether it is the fellow youth leader across town or the leaders we grew up with. 3. Emotions – Whatever feels right. We tend to be concerned about what the students want. Take a vote or survey the group and build the ministry around their wants and feelings. The only problem is what they want today they will not want next month. Trying to avoid what they dislike and build upon what they enjoy is building upon a constantly changing foundation.

Experience, example, and emotions may be important elements to vision, but they cannot be the basis for it. A clear vision for ministry must begin with the principles of God’s Word.

Make a decision right now to base your student ministry on God’s principles, not man’s programs.

Basing your vision for ministry to students upon the principles of God’s Word is exciting until you realize that you can’t accomplish this by yourself. That’s when you need…

to perceive God’s power,

To do the work of God you need supernatural power. You can only build a Biblical Philosophy of ministry when you start with God’s principles and perceive God’s power. HOW TO DEVELOP A BIBLICAL PHILOSOPHY So how do you develop a Biblical Philosophy of student ministry? Simple, just group Biblical Principles with the knowledge of a particular subject (in our case it is the knowledge and understanding of teenagers). Would you like to know the philosophy of ministry for Word of Life Student Ministries?

It is:

Reaching youth whose needs constantly change with Biblical truth that never changes!

Do you see how we combined our knowledge of teenagers (“youth whose needs constantly change”) with the Biblical Principle (“truth that never changes”) to arrive at this philosophy?

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We can accomplish this philosophy with God’s principles and through God’s power!

We are making great progress! Our next step is…

to focus on God’s purpose KNOWING GOD’S PURPOSE Maybe you have asked yourself, “Can I really know God’s purpose for our student ministry?” We believe you can! In fact, it’s really not that difficult. You begin with Biblical Principles applied to your understanding of teenagers to develop your philosophy. Out of your Biblical Philosophy grows your Biblical Purpose for ministry.

When you put it all together you can say, “Our purpose is to evangelize and disciple young people to a dynamic Christian life through mature leadership in the local church.” That is a good statement as to how you are going to accomplish “Reaching youth whose needs constantly change with biblical truth that never changes!” Now we come to the Biblical Program. Knowing your Biblical Principles, clarifying your Biblical Philosophy, and identifying your Biblical Purpose all lead to doing the program. Understanding and applying the first three levels enables you…

to overcome the obstacles to do God’s program. YOUR GAMEPLAN What is a program? Simply put, it is tools and procedures used to accomplish your purpose. It is your game plan. We are glad that you have chosen to use the Word of Life program to help you accomplish your purpose in ministry. The balance of this Student Ministries Resource Manual is designed to help you get the most out of all the Word of Life program has to offer you.

We trust you are as excited as we are to have a Biblical Program to accomplish your Biblical Purpose, which flows from your Biblical Philosophy that is firmly founded upon the Biblical Principles of God’s Word!

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what should i expect now?

So now that you have this handy-dandy, nifty Word of Life program, your entire student ministry will be fantastic, your students will love you and their parents will think you are great! Why, this program dices, it slices, it even French fries! Um, excuse me – too many infomercials!

If this were an infomercial it would be a very unique one. Our uniqueness lies in the fact we are going to tell you all about the Word of Life program while at the same time cautioning you not to be program driven. You may wonder, “What

expect do you mean, program driven?”

Let’s answer your question with a two-question quiz: 1. When you get a headache, do you use aspirin, Tylenol, or the like to counter it? 2. Have you ever used mints, candies, or breath sprays to make your breath smell nice?

A “yes” answer to either or both reveals program driven thinking. How? Think about it. Do painkillers really get rid of the headache? No, they typically mask the pain. Do candies and the like get rid of the bad breath? No, they counter with a stronger pleasant taste. Masking the pain or sweetening the halitosis is only dealing with the program, not the principles. When you deal with the cause of the headache or bad breath then you are dealing with underlying principles. IMPORTANT AREAS OF YOUR MINISTRY “So,” you ask, “what does all this have to do with the Word of Life program?” Well, let’s look at a few important areas of your ministry in light of program and principles to see the connection.

Attendance When your attendance goes down, it is the fault of the program, right? Not necessarily! If you are changing from a program driven ministry to a principle- based one your attendance might go down.

Before we can put on the roof and paint the trim, we need to establish a solid foundation. Sometimes we need to tear down what we have built in order to establish a better foundation. Then we can build a bigger and better house.

This illustration applies to student ministry. Initially, your attendance may go down. But don’t fret, if you are establishing your ministry on biblical principles you will turn this around (this manual will help you in the process).

Participation “We tried to get everyone to purchase a Book of Stuff and a Quiet Time but they didn’t. Those who did are not doing their quiet time every day. Therefore, this Word of Life program is not as good as they said it would be.” Such a statement reflects a program driven mentality. 2-1 © WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC. | REVISED 2012 student ministries resource manual

THE PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHES THE PURPOSE Remember our program is how we accomplish our purpose. Our purpose is “to evangelize and disciple young people to a dynamic Christian life through mature leadership in the local church.” Are all the young people you seek to disciple at the same level of spiritual growth and development? If they are like every teenager we have encountered, they are not. Since they are not the same in regards to their spiritual growth and development, they will not be the same in their levels of involvement. While every Christian student should read their Bible daily, every one will not. They could each memorize Scripture, but they will not all make the same progress. The point is that their degree of participation will vary because their abilities and desires are different.

A program mind-set would conclude that since everyone is not involved to the same degree the program must not work. A principle centered mind-set says, “I will meet each student where he or she is and will seek to lead each student closer to Christ.” That is true discipleship!

IDEA: Participation should be evaluated in light of the individuals you are working with. We believe it is best to hold the standard high. By this, we mean you should publicly encourage every student to read their Bible seven days a week. On an individual basis you may praise one student who read only three days, while exhorting another who read five days to do better. Why? Because the one who read three days read more than he ever has in one week. He met his potential at this point in his spiritual growth. The other student that read for five days, while more than three, he was below his ability and level of spiritual growth. Remember you are not working the Word of Life program, you are working to help individuals grow spiritually, using the tools that Word of Life provides for you. Evaluate participation on an individual basis.

Whether you are a new leader or a veteran leader it is easy to slip back into a program mind-set. Just remember, we are not saying a “program” is bad. We only want to make sure that the program is ultimately founded upon Biblical Principles.

Discipleship Your Area Missionary may have already told you (if he did not, he will soon) about Creative Discipleship. This is the Word of Life discipleship program designed to promote spiritual growth in the life of every student. It allows you to develop, together with the student, a plan for spiritual growth in the life of each student. As they progress spiritually you can encourage them with frequent Creative Discipleship rewards from your local church.

So now you think success or failure is determined by how many students earn the rewards, right? Wrong! That is program thinking! Principle based thinking says if a student makes progress in reaching his or her spiritual potential, ministry is taking place.

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SCHOLARSHIPS Word of Life Student Ministries also wants to encourage progress in the spiritual growth of your Creative Discipleship students. Each student has the potential of receiving each year 25% off a week of summer camp and a scholarship to the Word of Life Bible Institute or another Christian College. (For more information on Creative Discipleship see Section 7.)

THE KEY TO Accountability DISCIPLESHIP Accountability is the key to discipleship, but after a few years one can slack off in the area of accountability. After all, the students know what we expect of them.

You need to remember that we all get what we inspect, not what we expect. I may expect my son to clean his room but it is the thought and reality of my inspection that motivates him to clean it up. The same holds true with the students you desire to disciple.

Therefore, expect your Area Missionary to inspect your life and ministry. He does this because he wants to help you be biblically successful. Then you need to hold your other leaders accountable. In turn, all leaders need to hold the students accountable. You can hold them accountable by phone calls, e-mails, letters, and personal times together talking about their quiet time, Scripture memory, and overall spiritual growth. Such accountability is vital!

So if you are wondering… WHAT TO EXPECT What can I expect from the Word of Life Program?

We are happy to tell you that you can expect…

 A program based upon biblical principles.  The consistent application of the biblical principles will change lives.  It might not all be fun and games at the beginning because some would rather look at programs instead of the principles (this can create a degree of tension).  A program that’s designed to encourage spiritual progress, rather than to just build a program.  Your Word of Life Area Missionary will encourage you to be a godly individual who will influence students with your life and lips.

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three keys to success

There are two rules for success in life: Rule 1: Don’t tell people everything you know. Rule 2: See Rule 1

We don’t know who came up with the preceding anecdote dote, but we do know we are going to violate their number one rule. We really want to tell you all we can to help you succeed in your ministry to students!

In this section of the Student Ministries Resource Manual you will discover the three keys to the success of your student ministry. They are:

success 1. The Leadership Team 2. Discipleship 3. Evangelism

The Leadership Team Have you ever heard, “Everything rises and falls on leadership!”? Well, it’s true. The most important feature of a successful ministry to students is the leadership team.

Why a leadership team? Remember why you are doing what you are doing. You want to see lasting results. When a ministry is built around the leadership of only one or two people, there is a great danger of it all falling apart when they are no longer available. With a leadership team there may be occasional adjustments to the people who make up the team, but there is always an experienced core to keep things consistent. And, by the way, who wants to do everything anyway? With a leadership team there is shared responsibility and no one individual needs to get burned out. BUILDING THE TEAM “How many leaders do we need?” This is usually one of the first questions you will face as you put together your leadership team. Remember your goal is discipleship, and true discipleship doesn’t happen in a crowd. A good rule of thumb is one leader for every six young people, but no less than four leaders on the team. The job is just too big for any less. What this means is a large youth group will need a proportionately greater number of leaders on the leadership team, while a smaller youth group should have no less than four leaders.

When it comes to recruiting a leadership team we hear two basic problems. First, “No one will volunteer.” Second, “We can get leaders, but we just can’t seem to keep them.” Both problems can be frustrating but they can also be overcome.

It is difficult to get people to volunteer for unknown responsibilities. Read the Help Wanted ads in your local paper. You won’t find any that read:

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Help Wanted: We are not real sure what we will need you to do or when we will need you to do it. Just show up and if we can find a job for you, or one we don’t want to do, we will be sure to put you to work!

The response to such an ad would be less than desirable. To help you avoid the same problem in your student ministry, we provide you with a detailed list of leadership responsibilities so everyone will know what is expected of them. By the way, a clear set of leadership responsibilities will also help you keep leaders. If someone offers to help, but all they do is sit in a chair during the meeting, it won’t be long before they are gone. “Use me, or lose me” is an important phrase in ministry.

A top notch leadership team should be PAID for:

Pray for the leaders God wants on your team. (Luke 10:2) Approach those you have prayed for and ask them to pray about joining the team. Invite them to sit in on your meetings and observe the ministry first hand. Discuss with them specific areas of involvement and the commitment required of them.

Now that your team is together, what are you going to do? It almost goes without saying that the heartbeat of a biblical ministry is the Word of God. The study of the Bible from a doctrinal or a topical approach is the primary focus of Word of Life Student Ministries. The outgrowth of effective Bible study is (1) Discipleship and (2) Evangelism. DISCIPLESHIP DEFINED Discipleship Discipleship: what is it, and how is it done? Discipleship, in a nutshell, is training someone to be what you already are. We’re going back to the importance of the leader again (another reason to pray for the right leaders on your team). The desire of Word of Life Student Ministries is to help your young people develop godly life patterns through personal discipleship.

Word of Life will help you disciple your young people in five key areas: 1. Quiet Time (Daily prayer and Bible reading) 2. Scripture Memory 3. Christian Service (Sharing the Gospel with others) 4. Reading of Christian books 5. Faithfulness to local church

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As we have already said, discipleship does not take place in a crowd. True discipleship is carried out in the context of a relationship. Godly, growing leaders will produce godly, growing students. It is a principle of Scripture that we reproduce after our kind. The kind of leaders you have will determine the kind of students you will have.

Remember: discipleship is not a Word of Life idea; it is a Biblical Principle (Matthew 28:19-20). EXERCISE YOUR CLUB Evangelism A healthy student ministry is a growing ministry. The exercise of sharing the Gospel is part of being healthy and growing. A ministry that only feeds on the Word but does not exercise will become flabby. No, we don’t mean they will gain a bunch of weight, but flabby in the sense that their attention is only on themselves, which is not healthy.

You will find Evangelism emphasized in three ways:

1. In your weekly Word of Life meeting: Many of your lessons have an evangelistic thrust. 2. In your church: Involvement in Christian Service opportunities get your students involved in sharing the Gospel with others. 3. In your community: Word of Life sponsors area wide evangelistic events that attract hundreds and often thousands of young people to a clear presentation of the Gospel (Call your Area Missionary for the dates of the Evangelistic Events in your area; also ask him about a S.T.O.R.M.). (For more information on Evangelistic Events see Section 12.) OUR GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY Jack Wyrtzen, the founder of Word of Life often said, “It is the responsibility of each generation to reach their generation with the Gospel.” If you do not reach the students in your community with the Gospel, who will?

So there you have it. Three keys to the success of your student ministry. Now that you have read over them, you know they are worth remembering. Take a moment now to write them down in the space provided:

1.

2.

3.

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3-4 © WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC. | REVISED 2012 © WORD OFLIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC.|REVISED 2012 5 ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLES organized growth. or evengreater. You shouldalwaysberecruiting leaders and planning for Principle 5 help orresources. coaching, and being a resource person for you.Never hesitate to call him for chart, willbeanimportant part ofyour ministrythroughteaching, encouraging, Principle 4 student ministry, fouristheminimum. With thevariousresponsibilitiesthat need tobecoveredrunasuccessful your Word of LifeStudentMinistryevenifyouhavefewerthan24students. Principle 3 people in yourstudentministry. experience has shownthatyouneedonemature leader for everysixyoung purpose, youneed to have enough mature leaders for discipleship. Our Principle 2 people to fixaproblem or sharealittle praise. one, theprogramwillgetlostincracks. This willdirect us totheright Principle 1 wouldn’t you? that wordprincipleagain. You’d thinkwewouldgettiredoftalkingaboutit, will lookdifferent, there are someprinciples that will bethesame. There is with 24,andstillothers300ormore. While yourorganizational structure Some weekly Word ofLifemeetingsmayhaveasfewsixstudents,others it isnecessary, willappreciate what Ihavetosay. keep this section easy so those of youwhodonot like organization, but know some of youIam. Then there are the rest of you.Howdoyoulive? Well, I will graphs, andanythingelsethat I canorganize. Am Italking yourlanguage? For Organizational structure is important. I like structure in mylife. I love charts, and Evangelism you arenowreadytosay, not theprogram.Understandingimportance of Leadership, Discipleship, built uponbiblical principles. Your expectations are nowbaseduponprinciples, By nowyour let’sorganized! get – Your Area Missionary, whiletechnically not inyourorganizational –Expect to grow! Your ministry has the potential to double, triple, – An organizational chartisnecessaryforaccountability. Without –Forallchurchesaminimum of fourleaders isneededtobegin – Since discipleship through mature leadership is part of your vision student ministries shouldbeclear with the understanding that your program is “Let’s GetOrganized!” resource manual 4-1 student ministries resource manual

SMALL Organizational Charts CLUBS 6 – 20 Students

Pastor Area Missionary Administrative Coordinator

Leader Leader Leader

MEDIUM CLUBS 20 – 40 Students

Pastor Area Missionary Youth Pastor / Administrative Coordinator

Leader Leader Leader Leader Leader Leader

LARGE CLUBS 40 – 100 Students

Pastor Area Missionary Youth Pastor Sr. High / Jr. High Admin. Coordinator

L L L L L L L L L L L L

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SUPER SIZE CLUBS 100 – 1000 Students

Pastor Area Missionary Sr. High / Jr. High Youth Pastor

UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL

6L 6L 6L 6L 6L 6L 6L 6L 6L 6L 6L 6L

36T 36T 36T 36T 36T 36T 36T 36T 36T 36T 36T 36T

KEY: UL – Unit Leader L – Leader S – Student

Now, some of you are thinking, “Yeah, right. Us with over 100 students? Dream on!” Well, you are right! Dream! Enlarge your vision! Perceive God’s power and focus on God’s purpose. Even if you are starting out with six students, prepare for what God can do.

Finally, notice that the key is breaking down your numbers, no matter how big, to a size where everyone is being individually discipled. CUSTOMIZE YOUR CHART Your chart will probably need to be customized for your student ministry. Your Area Missionary is trained in this area and can help you develop an organizational chart for your ministry, especially for those of you who are "organizationally challenged."

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what’s my responsibility?

By reading this far you have a better idea of what to expect in your Word of Life Student Ministry. You also know that leadership is a key to your ministry’s success. Perhaps you have thought through the organizational structure of your group. Now we need to look at six specific leadership responsibilities to be shared among your team.

In this section you will learn more about…  Administrative Coordinator  Bible Study Coordinator  Discipleship Coordinator  Evangelism Coordinator  Teens Involved Coordinator  Activities Coordinator

There is also one responsibility every leader on your team will have and that is:  Discipleship Group Leader

Administrative Coordinator Have you ever been in a group where no one is in charge? That is frustrating

responsibility to say the least. To effectively lead your ministry, someone will have to be in charge. This does not mean their vote is the only one that matters, or that they are the one who does everything. It simply means that they will be responsible to organize your team.

So what does an Administrative Coordinator do? This individual is responsible for the (1) general operation of the student ministry, (2) planning, (3) communication, and (4) the Leadership Team contest. Let’s look at the key elements of this individual’s responsibility.

General Operation of the Student Ministry Two important general operation tasks are hospitality and finances.

 Hospitality As your ministry reaches out, hospitality will be an important issue. Helping all students feel accepted and welcome in your ministry is important. A well lit room that’s organized, has some music playing, and a few adults and students around to welcome others goes a long way in this “High Tech – Low Touch” world.

Appoint three to four students or adults to welcome visitors and guests to your meeting. Have “Let’s Get Acquainted” cards for guests to fill out.

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 Finances Money is a necessary part of any student ministry, and must be planned for. We suggest that you plan a budget for the year, and communicate with the leadership of your church the needs you have. Parents will also want to know well in advance the expenses they can expect due to the activities their teens are involved with. Your Word of Life Area Missionary has lots of experience at planning budgets. Feel free to call him if you would like some assistance in this area.

PLANNING Planning The Administrative Coordinator will guide the leadership team in both calendar and detail planning through the monthly planning meetings. The following tasks should be accomplished at a Monthly Planning meeting:  Make assignments for the weekly meeting – Who is doing what? Your Program Planner will help you make sure all the bases are covered. (For more information on the Program Planner see Section 9.)  Discuss problems – One of the best ways to avoid problems on your leadership team is to keep open and ongoing communication among team members. During the monthly planning meeting problems should be discussed and solutions found. If you cannot find a solution, call your Area Missionary. Your Area Missionary is a great resource and would be happy to offer his advice.  Plan for the future – The monthly planning meeting should set the course for what will be happening in the next several weeks. During the planning meeting you should discuss the following:

 Preview upcoming lessons – The Bible teacher should brief the entire leadership team on the lessons that will be taught in the next four to six weeks, and any special dynamics that will take place during the teaching time.

 Plan upcoming events and activities – The leadership team should take this time to discuss and plan any activities, Christian Service opportunities, and events that are planned for the next month. This is the time to make assignments to be sure all of the details are taken care of for transportation, funds, and equipment that will be needed.

 Review the progress of the discipleship groups – Each leader will have students they are specifically working with during the discipleship group time of your weekly meeting. The monthly planning meeting is a great time for the leadership team to review the progress of those they are working with so that each leader can be an encouragement to your students.

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Communication The Administrative Coordinator will keep open lines of communication with:  The Pastor and Church Staff – Keep the church staff up to date on the calendar of events and the blessings of the student ministry.  The Leadership Team – Planning meetings are a key time of communication with the Leadership Team. You should also plan times to be together for fun and fellowship.  The Parents of the Students – Parent Insight lessons in your Teacher’s Lifelines Bible study, provide you with a good vehicle for communicating with the parents of your students.  The Word of Life Area Missionary – Use the Program Planner as well as the phone to communicate with your Area Missionary. Give him a call; he loves to hear from you!

Leadership Team Contest The Leadership Team Contest (LTC) is a means of motivating you and your leadership team to excellence. The Administrative Coordinator will see to it that the Leadership Team Progress Report is completed and sent to your Area Missionary on a weekly basis. (For more information on the Leadership Team Contest see Section 9.)

The Youth Pastor will typically fulfill the responsibilities of the Administrative Coordinator.

Bible Study Coordinator This individual is responsible for determining the teaching schedule and the Bible teacher(s) needed to lead the weekly Word of Life meeting.

Some Word of Life student ministries have one Bible study teacher while others like to rotate the teaching among the leaders. Whether you have one or multiple teachers it is the responsibility of the Bible Study Coordinator to establish the order in which the lessons are to be taught and to secure the teacher(s) for the lessons. This is important because solid Bible teaching is a non-negotiable of a weekly Word of Life meeting. So what do we mean by non-negotiable? Simply this, if your meeting does not contain effective teaching of the Word of God, then it simply does not qualify as a Word of Life Student Ministry. Wow! Now that is a bold statement!

Rather than rotating teachers each week we recommend having a Bible study teacher cover a group of lessons for a three to six week period. This enables the teacher to build upon each lesson and gives greater continuity to the series of lessons taught.

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The selected Bible teacher will be responsible to study and prepare for each week’s lesson. One of the keys of a good Bible teacher is advance planning. The teacher may have a great grasp on the truths of God’s Word and be a great communicator, but without planning ahead, opportunities to use the creative dynamics written into the lesson may be missed. The Bible teacher should look ahead to the upcoming lesson plans and be as creative as possible in teaching God’s Word.

The lessons are written with multiple suggestions for involving your students in the Bible study. Using the various teaching dynamics suggested in the lesson plans will keep the teaching fresh, and will keep the interest of the students. Besides, frequent lectures can be boring!

And now a little something for those who like detailed information. 6 YEAR CYCLE OF BIBLE DOCTRINE The Word of Life Bible study material is organized into a cycle of six years. Each year focuses on a different doctrine or doctrines.

Year Description 1 God the Father and the Bible 2 Jesus Christ 3 The Holy Spirit 4 The Church, Its Allies and Enemies 5 Man, Sin, and Salvation 6 Future Events LIFELINES CURRICULUM Within each year, the Word of Life Teacher’s Lifelines Bible study curriculum is divided up into (7) 4-lesson modules and three sections for a total of 42 lessons. Add the two Pressure Point topical studies and that makes 50 lessons in all. Here is a breakdown of the curriculum:

 Parent Insights (section) – Three lessons These lessons are designed to help your parents better understand your Word of Life Student Ministry program. Great for teaching at a Parents’ Meeting or Fellowship.

 Student Life Basics (section) – Four lessons Foundational lessons, essential for those with many youth who are new to Word of Life student ministries. You have the choice of teaching any or all of these lessons as you see the need.

 Bible Lesson Modules 1-6 – Four lessons each Each module is built around a theme, cover a portion of the doctrinal focus for the year, and include creative promotional and decorating ideas.

 Bible Book Module 7 – Four lessons This module is built around a theme and covers a particular book of the Bible in four focused lessons. It also includes creative promotional and decorating ideas. 5-4 © WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC. | REVISED 2012 student ministries resource manual

 Current Issues (section) – Four lessons These lessons will tackle contemporary issues that young people are facing.

 Teens Involved (section) – Three lessons Lessons to help you and your students prepare for Teens Involved.

 Two Pressure Points Topical studies – Eight lessons Four-lesson series that provides an in-depth study on a current topic.

Discipleship Coordinator Another fulfilling position on the leadership team is that of Discipleship Coordinator. This person is responsible for the organization and oversight of the discipleship groups and coordination of the Where Do I Go From Here? interactive discipleship ministry.

The organization and oversight of the discipleship groups involves:  Assigning each student to a group. One member of the leadership team heads up each discipleship group.

 Making sure the leaders are prepared and equipped to facilitate discipleship in their group.

 Accountability. The Discipleship Coordinator should make sure: * Each discipleship group leader fully understands their responsibility. * Each leader is keeping the students’ Creative Discipleship Reward Sheets up to date.

 Rewards * Ask each discipleship leader what rewards his or her students need. * Obtain the necessary rewards for each discipleship group. * Distribute the rewards to the students each week. TIPS WHEN FORMING CREATIVE DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS Here are some tips to help you form your discipleship groups.

1. Do not make the groups too big. No more than six students, please. If you do not have enough leaders to keep a one leader to six students ratio, then you need to recruit more leaders. Discipleship doesn’t happen in a crowd.

2. Balance out your groups. What we mean by this is, don’t put all the pretty girls or ugly guys in their own group. Don’t put all the really bright kids in one group and the kids who think the SAT test is a test to remember where you sat last week in another group. Okay, enough of this silliness. What we really mean is that you want a balance of students in each group. You do not want all the spiritual students in one group and all the carnal ones lumped together in another. You want a healthy balance.

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3. Don’t mix girls and guys in the same group. Each gender has issues they are dealing with that are best handled by a leader among peers of the same gender. Girls should be with a female leader and the guys with a male leader.

4. Unclick the cliques Avoid allowing cliques to talk you into letting them all be in the same group. We want this time to be the most productive time possible and cliques can be counter-productive to a meaningful discipleship time.

The coordination of the Where Do I Go From Here? interactive discipleship ministry involves:  Becoming thoroughly familiar with the Where Do I Go From Here? interactive discipleship series.

The best way to become familiar with the discipleship series is to read through all of the lessons and then to personally take a new convert or young Christian through the program.

 Training discipleship leaders and spiritually mature students in the use of the Where Do I Go From Here? interactive discipleship series.

You could also train both young adults and older adults in your church family. They can have a real impact in the lives of students through a one-on-one discipleship ministry. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to introduce a new believer to another believer who will personally disciple them for the next six to ten weeks?

 Assigning a leader to make contact with the new convert within 24 to 48 hours of their decision in order to begin the discipleship series.

Evangelism Coordinator Here is an exciting responsibility. The individual who serves as the Evangelism Coordinator is responsible to plan and prepare for evangelistic outreach involving Christian service and Word of Life evangelistic events.

Fulfillment of this leadership responsibility is a great way to add some life to your ministry through consistent outreach. “What is outreach?” We’re glad you asked! We think of outreach as involvement in Christian Service opportunities and attending area wide Word of Life evangelistic events. Basically, outreach is anything you do where you are reaching beyond the walls of your church to evangelize the people in your community!

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To best accomplish evangelism through Christian Service:  Read through the Christian Service Manual. In it, you will find many Individual and Group Christian Service opportunities to use in evangelistic outreach.  Plan regular Group Christian Service outreach opportunities.

We recommend planning one Group Christian Service per month. Many leaders have found it helpful to plan the Group Christian Service as a part of a regular monthly activity. For example you could have a Tract Blitz one to two hours prior to a regularly scheduled youth activity. Remember, Christian service involves evangelism and every student in your student ministry may not have the same evangelistic zeal. Do not quit having group Christian Service outreaches if only a few students participate. What if Jesus had quit because he only had a few men involved in outreach?

 Encourage the discipleship group leaders to get their students involved in the Individual Christian Service opportunities. Each week’s Bible study has a Try this week… section, which is a suggested Christian Service opportunity for the week.

You are permitted to print and copy or print the opportunities in the Christian Service Manual to distribute to the discipleship group leaders to have available to give the students in their group.

To best accomplish evangelism through Word of Life evangelistic events:  Plan Plan to attend the Word of Life evangelistic events in your area. For a complete listing of events contact your Area Missionary. Get the events on your church calendar, student ministry calendar, and personal calendar.  Promote Outreach must be promoted well in advance with creativity and enthusiasm. Also remember to inform the parents of the students concerning the upcoming events.  Provide Transportation to and from the event. Additional adult help as needed.  Register Be sure to register for the event by the deadline. Your prompt registration enables your Area Missionary to plan well for the event and it typically saves you money as you avoid any late fees.

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Remember, the Evangelism Coordinator does not have to do everything listed above. (We don’t want any of you passing out while reading this from being overwhelmed!) They just need to make sure that someone is manning that post. Don’t forget to check up on those you delegate to, so that you are sure every area is covered.

Hey, while we are on the subject of Word of Life evangelistic events, it seems appropriate to share with you some very important insurance information in regards to Word of Life events. Sharing this information makes our business manager very happy because this is the kind of stuff he wants you to know.

Insurance Policy: Word of Life Fellowship, Inc. is a non-profit, IMPORTANT charitable organization dependent on God and His people. Those INSURANCE INFORMATION who engage in activities sponsored by Word of Life waive and release Word of Life from any claim for personal injury or property damage that may arise from participation in the activities. Participants in Word of Life sponsored activities agree to carry insurance or have the resources to cover the expenses related to personal injury or property damage.

Teens Involved Coordinator Teens Involved (TI) is the Word of Life program designed for students to gain experience in presenting their gifts and abilities to the Lord. Their various presentations occur in the local church, at ministry services, and with youth from other churches in Area, Regional, and International meetings.

The role of the Teens Involved Coordinator is important to every Word of Life Student Ministry. This person is responsible to understand the Teens Involved rules in order to encourage and help Christian students present their gifts and abilities to God through ministry involvement.

Getting students involved in using their gifts and abilities in the ministry of the local church is no small undertaking, but is vital to the growth and maturity of your students. What church would not benefit from young people who have grown up experiencing the joy of serving Christ, and desiring to continue that service as young adults? It is exciting to be involved in training the next generation of local church leadership!

The following make up the scope of the Teens Involved Coordinator responsibilities:

 Study Become familiar with the resources and helps in the Teens Involved Handbook. Thoroughly read and understand the current Teens Involved rules and make certain that every participating student and coach knows the specific rules that apply to them.

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 Promote Encourage all students to participate in Teens Involved. Every student can participate in something. The 23 TI categories provide an area of participation for everyone. God did not create us to be spectators, but participators.

Use the Teens Involved lessons in the Book of Stuff to promote these great events with your students. Most successful Teens Involved Coordinators personally enlist students to be involved in specific areas of TI. A sign-up sheet will not be as effective as a leader talking one on one with a student saying, “I would like to see you involved on our puppet team. We have a place for you and would like to see you at practice this Sunday afternoon.” If you do not actively pursue training this generation to serve the Lord, who will?

Many find it beneficial to pursue group categories their first year in Teens Involved. Puppets, drama, vocal groups, and quizzing are great ways to get your youth involved and excited about serving the Lord.

 Recruit Enlist adults to help train the students. These coaches do not need to be part of the leadership team but should have a level of interest in, or experience with, the category they are coaching. This is a great way to involve parents and other adults in the ministry to your students.  Plan See that there are regular practice times scheduled.  Minister Teens Involved is preparation for ministry. Schedule students to participate in a Word of Life Youth Emphasis Service or other service in the church to gain ministry experience for Area Teens Involved.  Encourage Be involved with the progress of all participants and offer words of encouragement about their progress. Everyone starts somewhere.  Register Complete all the necessary paperwork for Area, Regional, and International Teens Involved and have it ready at registration time.

Determine what categories your students will be involved in and recruit coaches during the first month of your meetings. Schedule practice times with the various coaches, and begin to prepare no later than mid-October. Schedule the presentations in your local church one month prior to Area Teens Involved.

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Activities Coordinator The Activities Coordinator is responsible to plan, promote, and prepare social activities for fun and fellowship.

The focus of the activities is internal. These events are not primarily designed to reach outside your church (although no one will complain if you reach out through an activity), but rather will be more social in nature, and designed for having fun.

The Activities Coordinator will be involved in…  Planning Monthly activities require thorough planning. Some areas to keep in mind in your planning are: * Date of activity (Be careful not to schedule too many activities) * Guest speaker needed * Cost of activity (Your activities can pay for themselves and not drain the youth budget if planned properly) * Purpose of activity * Time of the activity (Probably don’t want to stay out too late on Saturday night) * Amount of help needed * Appropriate dress for the activity * Transportation needs

 Promotion – If the activity is worth having it is worth promoting with energy and zeal.  Evaluation – Evaluate what worked well and what could be done, in the future, to make the activity more effective.

Discipleship Group Leader The discipleship group time is one of the keys to discipleship taking place in your ministry. Earlier it was stated that Bible study was a non-negotiable part of a Word of Life Student Ministry. Well, guess what the other non-negotiable is? Yep, you guessed it: Discipleship! During discipleship time each member of the leadership team has the privilege and responsibility to invest their life in the lives of young people.

Each student should be challenged to set realistic spiritual growth goals for the year. Remember that your students want to be challenged and they need your input and observations. During discipleship time the group leader will work to help each student reach their agreed upon goals for the year.

Review the Creative Discipleship Reward Sheet with your students individually and determine what growth would mean for each one. (Example: quiet time of five days a week and all 24 verses of Scripture memory for the year, or three days of quiet time and 12 verses.) Let them know that you will pray for and personally encourage them to reach their goal.

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Discipleship time is most effective in the context of a caring relationship. That’s another reason we recommend a one-to-six leader-student ratio. You have probably heard it but it is worth repeating here, “They don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” This time together should be enjoyable as well as a time for accountability and encouragement in the disciplines of the Christian life. The best time to meet with your discipleship group is following the Bible study. The experience of many has shown 30 minutes to be the optimum amount of time to meet together. During your time together you will want to encourage your students by:

 Helping them make personal application to the Bible study. The Lifelines Bible study pages found in the Book of Stuff will help you in this area with the discussion starters at the bottom of the Liven It Up sections of the lesson. This great tool can be ordered from Word of Life Local Church Ministries.

 Ask your students to share highlights from the past week’s Quiet Time. It’s always good to get them to be specific especially in the area of personal application. The purpose is not for you to preach to them but for them to understand how they can apply God’s Word to their everyday life. Your encouragement at the thoughts they share can be used of God to motivate them in their walk with the Lord.

 Having your group share prayer requests is a great way to build your relationship with them. Be sure to write down the prayer requests they share and check up on prior requests to see how God has been working in their life.

Before or after your weekly meeting is a great time to check their Quiet Time, listen to their Scripture memory verses, check on the books they have read, assign Christian service opportunities, and update their individual rewards sheet. DIVIDE AND CONQUER Well, there you have it! We’ve covered the major responsibilities to be divided among your leadership team along with one very important responsibility each team member will have: Discipleship Group Leader.

If you are a new Word of Life leader, you should look back over the list and think of which responsibility you would like to have. A veteran leader may want to think of ways to improve in his or her area of service. Every leader will want to be sure and choose an area of involvement compatible with their spiritual gifts and personality. We all do better when we lead from a position of strength. Now some of you may be thinking, “Yeah, but I am not strong in any of those areas.” Great! You have tremendous potential to learn and grow this year. As you learn and grow and stretch out of your comfort zone, it will be a very exciting year!

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Use the space below to assign your leadership team responsibilities.

Our Leadership Team

Responsibility Name Phone

Administrative Coordinator:

Bible Study Coordinator:

Discipleship Coordinator:

Evangelism Coordinator:

Teens Involved Coordinator:

Activities Coordinator:

As leaders in our Word of Life Student Ministry, we commit ourselves to the evangelization and discipleship of young people to a dynamic life through our leadership here in our local church. Such a purpose grows out of our philosophy of ministry of “Reaching students whose needs constantly change with Biblical truth that never changes!” And it is upon the unchanging foundation of Biblical principles that we labor to build our ministry to students.

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what do we do at the weekly word of life meeting?

Now we have arrived at an exciting part of our Student Ministries Resource Manual, the actual format of your weekly Word of Life meeting. Before we proceed with this section, let’s have a brief review. Remember the first section of this manual? You know, where we talked about vision? In that section, we highlighted how we arrived at a Biblical Program and what it produces. See if you can put the following components in their proper order.

Biblical Philosophy Biblical People Biblical Purpose Biblical Principle Biblical Program

Just draw a line from the phrase on the left to its proper location on the triangle. what now? We will give you the answer later on in this section.

When we talk about meeting format we are talking about how we implement CLUB FORMAT our Biblical Program. The program is the means to help us accomplish our … oops, I can’t tell you now because that would make it too easy to complete the above review. Oh well, let’s look at the components of a great weekly Word of Life meeting.

In this section you will learn more about…  Why you should always arrive early.  Seven key words to help you effectively run your weekly meeting  Twenty-one sharing time topics that work and how priming the pump will energize your sharing time.  One dozen prayer time ideas.  A very practical STUDY plan to make your Bible Study one not to be missed.  General and specific tasks to be accomplished in your discipleship groups.

Your weekly Word of Life meeting can be one of the most exciting 90 minutes of your student’s week. Friends, fun, activity, singing, sharing, prayer, Bible study, small groups, announcements, and refreshments all combined with caring leaders will make this a time your students will not want to miss.

Here’s an overview of what should happen to make your weekly meeting an exciting place for students.

A successful meeting starts before the successful meeting starts. By this we mean, if the program is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. your leadership team should arrive 20 to 30 minutes early to:

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 Make sure the room is set up and ready for the students. (Heating or air conditioning on, chairs in place, lights on, props gathered, etc.)  Meet as a leadership team to pray for the night and your ministry to the students.  Review the Program Planner and leadership responsibilities for the night.  Turn on music to fill the room.  Have refreshments ready to serve, especially if you serve them as the students arrive.  Have all meeting preparation done so you are ready to greet the students and visit with them as they arrive. This is the beginning of building relationships with them.

Now we are ready to start. Along with each aspect of the program are suggested times and a key word relating to this portion of the program. CLUB FORMAT THE BEST 90 MINUTES Refreshments (8 to 10 minutes as the students arrive) Key: Parents If you know students, you know they like to eat. A key to great refreshments can be the parents of the students in your ministry. The Administrative Coordinator can personally ask them to provide refreshments on specific dates throughout the year. Be sure to let them know the favorite snacks and munchies your group likes (you don’t want them to bring pimento cheese sandwiches, unless of course, your students like them!).

You may choose to have your refreshments at the start of your meeting or at the end. Regardless of when you have this time you should be sure to have plenty of snacks for your group. Keep in mind that this is not just a time for the students to eat, but it is an ideal time for the leaders to interact with them in a casual and relaxed environment.

Ice Breaker (8 minutes) Key: Participation This is a time to capture the attention of your students. By beginning with an exciting event or game you provide a rallying point for the students. The key is getting them to participate by being involved in an icebreaker, or cheering for a friend or team, or by simply enjoying the wacky game. This does not need to be a long time. With good planning and preparation a successful Ice Breaker can effectively break the ice in eight minutes.

You do not need to wait on everyone to be present to start your Ice Breaker. By starting on time you will keep your entire meeting running on schedule! You will also train your students to be on time, because if they come in late it will be evident that they are missing an exciting aspect of their meeting.

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Announcements (5 minutes) Key: People Announcements can be exciting as you promote upcoming events. Involving various people in your announcements will keep this time from becoming stale.

You will want to announce upcoming: Activities, evangelistic events, special meetings, student birthdays, and Christian Service opportunities.

Each announcement should be: Clear, complete, creative, brief, and enthusiastic.

Some creative ways to make announcements include: Posters, bulletin boards, skits, PowerPoint presentations, and videos to name a few.

Song Time (7 minutes) Key: Prepare The key to song time is preparation. You should know the songs you will sing and be prepared to lead those songs. The effective use of singing will serve to prepare the students’ hearts for the entrance of God’s Word. Selecting songs that relate to the Bible Study is a great way to further impress the truth you are studying upon the hearts and minds of the students.

It is best to have musical accompaniment for your song time. There are many options available to help in this area: Students or leaders playing guitars or keyboards and split track CD’s are some of the options you can use. It is also good to have the words to the songs available for your students and the visitors you have in your meeting. A song sheet, chorus book, transparency with the words, or a computer slide presentation with the words will help.

Share and Prayer (10 minutes) Key: Prime This is an important time in your meeting when you give the students an opportunity to share the Lord’s work in their life. Psalm 107:2 reminds us to, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” In Hebrews 13:15 we are encouraged to offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, "the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." Through this special time you want to create an opportunity for the students to speak freely of the things of the Lord. Our desire is that such expression would carry over to home, school, work and other areas where the student will interact with his family and friends. It is through this time that you want to create an environment where they have the freedom to talk about the Lord.

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students, in advance, to be prepared to share in your meeting. These students should be given the sharing topic so they are ready at the appropriate time. Typically when one or two share others will follow. Priming the pump will greatly enhance your sharing time.

The following will help your sharing time.

Guidelines for sharing time:

1. Have a sharing time topic posted, for all to see, to stimulate thinking about the upcoming sharing time (see specific suggestions below).

2. Remember to prime the pump by asking a few students to be prepared to share.

3. As your singing nears its conclusion remind everyone of the sharing topic and then sing one last chorus prior to sharing time. The advantage of this is that it gives the students an opportunity to prepare for the sharing time. This tends to eliminate the silence that often takes place at the beginning of the sharing time.

4. Encourage the students to be on the lookout for things during the week that they can share. Have them write them down and bring these encouraging incidents to the meeting to share them with the rest of the students.

5. Do not allow others to laugh or make fun of anyone’s sharing.

Specific sharing time suggestions:

1. At the beginning of your ministry year, you might initiate this time of your program by giving your students some things to consider for sharing. For instance, go around the group, from member to member, and have them tell the others about one good thing God did for them in the past week, or even over the past summer. Remind them that every real joy comes from above. You will get some strange and perhaps even dubious responses, but it will be a start and you will have an opportunity to contribute on their level, thus setting an example of sharing.

2. Vary the people who participate in the sharing time.

3. Write out little slips of paper that can be passed out to select students. These slips of paper contain sharing topics such as the following: a) share your personal testimony, b) share your favorite Scripture verse, c) share something that you received out of the Word during your quiet time this past week, d) share an experience that you had in witnessing to someone, e) share how you would respond if a person were to come up to you and say, “I want to become a Christian.” Give them a few minutes to prepare, then proceed with the sharing time. 6-4 © WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC. | REVISED 2012 student ministries resource manual

4. Have an object lesson sharing time. Introduce the sharing time by telling the students that each of them will have to pick some object around them in the room and on the spur of the moment give a brief object lesson, using a particular object (such as: a piano, a door, a light bulb) and give a spiritual application. For example, “This light bulb will not light unless it is screwed tightly into the socket. We cannot function properly as Christians unless we are tightly connected to Jesus Christ.”

5. Have a sharing time when the students tell when, where, and how they were saved.

6. Here are some other suggestions for jump starting your sharing time:

a. A blessing received from a Christian Service opportunity. b. Something learned on a Christian Service opportunity. c. Something learned in a weekly Word of Life meeting, church service, or series of meetings. d. Evaluation session on a subject of mutual interest and need such as: (1) Blessings of faithfulness in quiet time (2) My spiritual growth in the past three months (3) My desire to witness for Christ (4) My desire to grow spiritually (5) Standing up for Christ in my school e. Victories in personal witnessing. f. Blessings received from other students during sharing time. g. Favorite Christian song and why. h. Favorite Scripture verse and why. i. Favorite Bible character and why. j. Personal testimony in one minute. k. Mark the chairs in your room with an X or a Y. The students will then share according to the marking on their chair: X = favorite verse of Scripture; Y =testimony of answered prayer. l. The temptations they have faced in the past week. Were they victories won or were they lost? m. Trials or tests that the Lord brought during the past month or two. (See James 1:2-3 and substitute test for tempt in each case.). n. Get feedback on a startling verse of Scripture or quote with definite spiritual implications (the application made voluntarily). Example: Being a Christian is not real unless it involves a spiritual change. The outward signs should naturally follow. o. Discussion of a subject evident from daily life. Example: 1 John 2:15- 16 says that all worldliness can be classified as 1) lust of the flesh, 2) lust of the eyes, or 3) pride of life. In what forms did you see these appear during this past week? p. Problems faced at school with tentative solutions offered with a view of maintaining a good Christian testimony.

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q. Answers to prayer in the past month. r. Current prayer requests with explanations designed to encourage more prayer support. s. Devotional thoughts on spiritual relationships to Christ. Examples: Vine and branches, Shepherd and sheep, Son of God and sons of God, Chief Cornerstone and living stones. t. Blessings of examples in a Christian home. u. The way students have been able to put into practice the application of a prior Word of Life Bible study.

Remember the purpose of sharing time is to get the students talking about the Lord and their relationship with Him. Always work to get the students talking. Do not give up after a few tries at sharing time. Also be careful that you do not allow this time to become a mini-message from one of the leaders. Prime the pump each week. Give it time and sharing time will soon become a real highlight of your meetings.

Prayer time: This should be a worshipful time when the students draw near to God and share in bringing needs, burdens, and people before His throne together.

Make sure you write down the requests in your Quiet Time Prayer Pages (encourage your students to do the same) and follow up with the students on the progress of their requests.

Utilize variety in your prayer time. Some of the following ideas may help: 1. Choose only three senior high students to pray for the requests shared in prayer time. 2. Popcorn prayer: The students will pray one after another in short sentence prayers. Each person can pray multiple times during the prayer time if they want. 3. Pray only for an upcoming Word of Life evangelistic event. 4. Pray only for an upcoming church event. 5. Pray only for the salvation of unsaved students (by name). 6. Pray only for those with physical needs. 7. Everyone write their prayer requests on a 3x5 card and exchange them with someone else in the group to pray for during the upcoming week. 8. Pray for the missionaries of your church. 9. All prayers can only be two sentences. The first sentence is a Thank you and the second is the request. 10. After each request is given ask another student to pray for that request at that time. 11. Take prayer requests for the students spiritual growth needs. 12. Have prayer time in your discipleship groups.

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Prayer time is important because: 1. Prayer time teaches about God’s accessibility. Isaiah 59:1 reminds us that God is always ready to listen. 1 John 5:14 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that...he heareth us.” Students need to be confident in God’s accessibility through prayer.

2. Prayer time makes students aware of specific answers to specific requests. 1 John 5:15 goes on to say, “And if we know that he hear us…we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”

You will want to have the students share answers to prayer requests recorded in their Quiet Time prayer pages from time to time. It is exciting to hear of God’s work in response to our prayers!

3. Prayer time brings a greater sensitivity to one another’s needs and burdens. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

4. Prayer time prepares hearts for the Bible study – God listens to us and then we listen to Him. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

The answer to the review at the beginning of this section is here! It would be too easy to find if we put it at the end.

Biblical Philosophy Biblical People Biblical Purpose Biblical Principle Biblical Program

Did you place the items in the right order? If you did, call your Area Missionary and tell him he needs to take you out for a cup of coffee because you passed this important review.

Bible Study (30 minutes) Key: Practical The Bible study is the focal point of your Word of Life meeting format. Everything you do either leads up to the Bible study or flows out of the Bible study. Songs, sharing, and prayer can all be themed around the Bible study, preparing the way for the Word of God to change the lives of your students. Your discipleship group times should help to connect the truth taught with the lives of the students.

To make the Bible study the highlight of your meeting:

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S.T.U.D.Y. Well! Imagine the impact your Bible study will have if you put in two and one-half to three hours of preparation per study. “Whoa, I don’t have that kind of time!” you may be thinking. But maybe you do.

Let’s say it’s Wednesday night and you just finished teaching your Bible study and it was so-so. You really want next week to be better. Preparing a day before or the day of your meeting is just too hectic (and less than effective). You really want to do better but you are not sure of what to do to improve. We have some great news for you. The following S.T.U.D.Y. plan should prove to be a great help in preparing and presenting high impact Bible studies to your students.

Scan: The day after you teach, invest just 30 minutes to scan over the upcoming Bible study. No heavy-duty preparation here, just a thorough read of the entire lesson (look up all of the Scripture references in the lesson while you are at it).

Take Notes: On the next day spend another 30 minutes reading over the Bible study. Take notes on what you have read. Most teachers find it much easier to teach from the notes they have written. You can underline, highlight, and write notes in the margin of your Teacher’s Lifelines Bible Study. Later in the week you will want to write out your teaching notes for the Bible study. We have noticed that the most effective teachers teach from the notes they have prepared from the Teacher’s Lifelines. No doubt they have studied and prepared and are not trying to read the lesson to their students.

Understand: If your student ministry meets on a Wednesday and you are following this plan, then today is Saturday. This is a great day to invest another 30 minutes seeking to better understand the truth to be taught. Today you will have the time to do a little extra research as needed. You will have some time to think through the lesson in light of the students you will teach. Remember, you never teach a class you always teach individuals. Try to understand what this lesson will mean to Marilyn, Mike, Dwight, and Shannon. How will it impact your students?

Delegate: You are now four days away from teaching your lesson. Today is a good day to delegate the various dynamics and visuals needed to make the greatest impact in your teaching. For those who meet on Wednesday, today in this study schedule is Sunday. This is a great day to see the people at church that you will need to be involved in the Bible study on Wednesday evening.

Yourself: The next two days you can invest in getting yourself ready to teach the lesson. Study the notes you have written and reread the Scripture passages. Pray for God’s wisdom, guidance, and direction in understanding and teaching His truth.

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Prepare your heart and mind to teach His life-changing Word. There is truth to the saying, “Teaching from the head reaches the head. Teaching from the heart reaches the heart. Teaching from the life reaches lives.” THIRTY MINUTE INVESTMENT Wow! It is exciting to think of the impact you will make in the lives of students if you S.T.U.D.Y. this way for each lesson. An investment of 30 minutes a day will give you three hours of preparation for each lesson. Think of the confidence you will have in your teaching. Do you think you could find 30 minutes during the day to prepare like this? Giving up the evening news or one sitcom would not be a loss, but would be a great investment in that which is eternal. The Word of God and the souls of men are the only two items on this earth that are eternal. So studying the Word to teach your students is truly an investment in eternity.

 Utilize the Group Dynamics Every Bible study includes various group dynamics to assist in teaching. Use them! The more you involve your students in the learning process the more they will learn. Studies have revealed that most people only remember up to 10% of what they hear. So if you were to lecture for 30 minutes they may remember up to three minutes worth of what you said. No doubt you want to do better than that. Dramas, visuals, role-play, discussions, and the other group dynamics written into the lesson will enhance the impact of each Bible study.

 Teach with a Purpose Every lesson has a personal application. You are not teaching to fill time but to impact lives. Never teach God’s Word without giving a personal and practical application of the truths taught to the lives of your students.

 Utilize the Lesson Options The lesson adaptations will give you helps and additional ideas that will enhance your lessons. Following each lesson you will find a Junior High Adaptation, a Senior High Adaptation, a Small Group Adaptation, and a Large Group Adaptation. Where appropriate, you will want to use one of these for your meeting. Read over the lesson adaptations each time you prepare for a lesson, as they will give you additional ideas to use in presenting your Bible study. BIBLE STUDY COMPONENTS The lessons in Teacher’s Lifelines have the following components: 1) Lesson Objective: A clear and concise purpose statement for the Bible study. 2) Look It Up! The passage(s) of Scripture the Bible study is built upon. 3) Listen Up! An introduction to the Bible study to be taught. 4) Learn It! Definitions of key words used in the Bible study. 5) Checklist: A listing of resources needed to teach the Bible study. 6) General Lesson Format: The body of the Bible study to be taught including the group dynamics. 7) Liven It Up! A chart, graph, or visual to be used during the Bible study.

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8) Truth for Life: Practical principles for everyday life. 9) Live It! General application and conclusion of the Bible study. 10) Lesson Options: Adaptations for the General Lesson Format. 11) Reference Materials: Resources to help the Bible study teacher in further study. 12) Discipleship Groups a. Discussion Starters Questions to use in discipleship groups for lesson comprehension and application. b. Try this week… Suggested Christian Service opportunity for the students.

Each lesson in the Lifelines Bible study includes: 1) Listen Up! An introduction to the Bible study to be taught. 2) Look It Up! Bible text the lesson is built upon. 3) Learn It! Definitions of key words used in the Bible study. 4) Liven It Up! A chart, graph, or visual to be used during the Bible study. 5) Truth for Life: Practical principles for everyday life. 6) Live It! General application and conclusion of the Bible study. 7) Try this week…A suggested Christian Service opportunity.

Discipleship Groups (30 minutes) Key: Personal Discipleship groups are designed to give each discipleship leader a place and time to personally encourage the spiritual growth of the students in their group. There are general and specific discipleship tasks you should accomplish during this time.

General Discipleship tasks for discipleship groups:  Help the students set and achieve spiritual growth goals.

Review the Creative Discipleship Reward Sheet with your group and determine what spiritual growth would mean for each student. (Example: five days of quiet time a week and all 24 verses of Scripture memory for the year, or three days of quiet time and 12 verses.) Let them know that you will pray for and personally encourage them to reach their goal.

 Compliment individual progress frequently. Remember, we get what we honor.  Be a good listener.  Allow them time to share some experiences they’ve had, both good and bad.

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Specific Discipleship tasks for discipleship groups:  Make personal application of the Bible study to their lives.

The discipleship resources in the Book of Stuff will help in this area. Personal and practical application of the lesson taught is an important aspect of your time together.

 Share highlights from your Quiet Time with them. Communicate the importance of having a daily quiet time.  Take prayer requests in your group; record them on your Quiet Time prayer pages. Pray for one another during your discipleship group time and throughout the week. Assign specific responsibilities to help and motivate them in their spiritual growth (for example Christian service opportunities, Scripture memory verse, and required reading books).

A suggested Christian service opportunity is in the Try this week… section of the Lifelines Bible study pages in the Book of Stuff. In the Look It Up section you will find the Scripture memory question and reference. Incorporate these into your discipleship group time.

 Get to know your students. Talk with them. Listen to them. Ask questions. Know their likes and dislikes. Build relationships with those in your discipleship group. Remember, they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

From Ice Breakers to Discipleship Groups your weekly Word of Life meeting can truly be among the best 90 minutes in a student’s life. The order of the meeting format and the suggested time frames give you the best plan to follow. You can personalize and record all of this information for your meeting on your Program Planner. (For more information on the Program Planner see Section 9.) For additional customization ideas call your Area Missionary.

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the reality and rewards of creative discipleship

Creative Discipleship is designed to help motivate your students to grow in their relationship with Christ.

In this section you will learn more about…  The biblical principles of Creative Discipleship  The philosophy of Creative Discipleship  The purpose of Creative Discipleship  Five key characteristics of your students  How Creative Discipleship builds upon these characteristics  Implementing Creative Discipleship  Requirements to earn Creative Discipleship rewards  Requirements to earn Creative Discipleship scholarships  Setting up your Creative Discipleship groups

Biblical Principles of Creative Discipleship

dia program dia We learned back in the section on What Should I Expect Now? that a Biblical Program is based upon Biblical Principles. So let’s look at the Biblical Principles upon which Creative Discipleship is built.

 “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example” (Philippians 3:17). Paul is pretty bold here isn’t he? He says a pattern or example to follow is important. You wouldn’t make a dress without a pattern. You wouldn’t build a house without a plan. Likewise; a growing, godly student needs a pattern to follow. You are to be that pattern!

 “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:9). Wow, Paul is telling the people he served that they should do the things they learned, and received, and heard, and seen in him. Could the same be said of you?

 “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:1-2). Here the Word of God teaches us that discipleship is a process. What Timothy had heard and learned concerning Paul he was to pass on to faithful men who would in turn teach others the same. Are you getting the picture? Paul is talking about more than just Bible study, isn’t he?

These Biblical Principles help us develop the philosophy of discipleship.

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DISCIPLESHIP DEFINED The Philosophy of Creative Discipleship Discipleship is teaching others to be what you already are.

Think about this for a minute. Discipleship isn’t just teaching the Bible. It is living it! Students want to see Christ through your life, not around it. Does this mean you have to be perfect? Of course not! But it does mean that you are growing in Christ. CREATIVE DISCIPLESHIP PURPOSE The Purpose of Creative Discipleship So what is the purpose of Discipleship? It is to motivate students to grow in their relationship with Christ.

We believe you must build relationships with the students in order to help them develop intimacy with Christ. To be effective you must understand your role as a leader. At times your leadership will be well received and at other times you will meet with resistance. Throughout it all, remember that your objective is to lead the students in your group into a closer relationship with Christ. Checking boxes off on their reward card is not your purpose but only a means to help you achieve your purpose.

Now let’s look at your students. GETTING CREATIVE DISCIPLECHIP Five key characteristics of your students STARTED  Their lives are heavily influenced by school and culture. At least 95% of your students are on a school campus and are familiar with periodic times of review, school progress reports, as well as incentive and reward programs. Our consumer culture has also familiarized your students with frequent buyer programs and reward cards.

 They live in the immediate Educational research shows that the early adolescent is still developing their cognitive skills to think long term. Since their long term thinking skills are not yet fully developed, they tend to live in and for the immediate.

 They are independent The home life for most students undergoes significant changes often leading to an independent mind-set. One out of two students do not live with one of their biological parents and one out of three is from a single parent home. While parental involvement in a student’s spiritual development is the ideal, it is too often not the norm in our society.

 They are individuals The intellectual and spiritual development of each student varies along with their spiritual giftedness. They appreciate being treated as individuals.

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 They need encouragement It has been said that encouragement is oxygen to the soul. Sadly, too many students do not receive this encouragement in their homes. The local church can and should be a significant source of encouragement to your students.

How Creative Discipleship builds upon these characteristics.  Their lives are heavily influenced by school and culture. There are eight Reward Cards on the Creative Discipleship Reward Sheet. Students enjoy seeing their Reward Cards fill up and leaders enjoy seeing their spiritual progress. This is effective because students are already familiar with a reward card concept.

 They live in the immediate Creative Discipleship allows you to use this age characteristic for their spiritual growth. Each time a student fills up the ten spaces on a Reward Card he or she will get a reward the following week. Students can earn rewards that interest them.

Think like a teen. Where do they like to eat? Where do they like to shop? What do they like to listen to? What do they enjoy doing? If you don’t know, just ask them, they will tell you. Now go out and get some gift certificates from the restaurants and stores your students like. Get some $5.00 Word of Life Gift Cards that your students will enjoy using at Word of Life events, bookstores, and snack shacks.

 They are independent Creative Discipleship allows students to achieve rewards even if they have little or no parental help. Christian Service opportunities can also be assigned to match each student’s likes and areas of gifts and abilities.

 They are individuals Creative Discipleship allows the student to move along at his or her pace with your guidance. Students do not have to follow any particular order with their Scripture memory, Christian service opportunities, or reading of books.

 They need encouragement Creative Discipleship allows you to demonstrate that your local church is behind each student’s spiritual growth. The frequent rewards they receive from the church will truly honor their efforts in a timely manner.

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Implementing Creative Discipleship  Direct the students to the 1-2-3 Creative Discipleship sheet and the Creative Discipleship Reward Sheet in their Book of Stuff. These two sheets present an excellent summary of the Creative Discipleship process.

Add the sharp Creative Discipleship banner to your youth room this year (see the Word of Life Local Church Ministries Product Catalog for ordering info.)

Each discipleship group can have a Celebration Party. Celebrate ahead of time what God is going to do in their lives this year. Plant seeds of anticipation! Have cake, balloons and create excitement.

Requirements to earn Creative Discipleship rewards

One of the great things about the requirements of Creative Discipleship is that WHAT TEENS CAN EARN any student may participate, even if he or she joins later in the year. He or she would still be able to fill up Reward cards and earn rewards.

Putting Creative Discipleship rewards to work for you is easy:  Each discipleship leader will have Creative Discipleship Reward Sheets in their Book of Stuff (one for each student in their discipleship group).  On the reward sheet there are eight reward cards with ten spaces each.  The spaces are marked off as each student completes: Total marks  Quiet Time – a week of faithfulness (as defined by your leaders) 32  Scripture memory 24  Christian Service 18  Books (2 marks per book) 6

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Notice the various sections on the front of the Creative Discipleship Reward Sheet 1. Name Write the student’s name here 2. The eight Reward Cards This is where you will mark the student’s progress. Remember, a reward is given for every ten spaces marked (a Reward Card has been completed). 7-5 © WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC. | REVISED 2012 student ministries resource manual

3. Mark off squares for: This shows how many times each spiritual discipline can receive a mark on a Reward Card on the Creative Discipleship Reward Sheet.

The following letters will be helpful when marking the reward spaces. Q = Faithful week of Quiet Time – A total of 32 spaces can be marked with a Q V = Verses from Scripture Memory Pak – A total of 24 spaces can be marked with a V C = Christian Service – A total of 18 spaces can be marked with a C B = Books read – A total of 6 spaces (2 per book) can be marked with a B

4. Scripture Memory A listing of all of the memory verses for the current year. As a student quotes a verse, make a check mark or draw a line through the reference. 5. Books Fill in the three titles of the books read. Two books from the Selected Reading Books in the Student section of the LCM catalog and one missionary or Christian biography of your choice. Reading the entire New Testament counts as any two books.

Now let’s look at the back side of the Creative Discipleship Reward Sheet

6. Christian Service A listing of Individual and Group Christian Service opportunities. Students can repeat each Christian Service up to six times.

7. For Camp and Word of Life Bible Institute or other College Scholarships Spots to put check marks when 180 days of Quiet Time have been completed and a score of 80% or higher has been achieved on the fill-in- the-blank Scripture memory test.

8. Address A great way to keep in touch with your students beyond the times you see them in church is to e-mail, call, or text them. It’s all about building relationships to draw them closer to Christ. So this information is vital!

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Requirements to earn Creative Discipleship scholarships Take another look at the back of the Creative Disciple Reward Sheet. There are two spots to put a check mark. You check the one when you have completed 180 days of your Quiet Time and the other when you have achieved a score of 80% or higher on the fill-in-the-blank Scripture memory test. When these two spots are checked and all eight Reward Cards are filled in, several great things happen. 7-7 © WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC. | REVISED 2012 student ministries resource manual

1. Creative Discipleship Camp Scholarship A 25% discount on a week at Word of Life summer camp.

2. Creative Discipleship Bible Institute Scholarship A $500.00 scholarship to the Word of Life Bible Institute for each year ($3,000.00 maximum) of Creative Discipleship, or

3. College Scholarship Check on the Word of Life web site (http://lcm.wol.org/content/ scholarships) for colleges and universities that offer scholarships of varying amounts to those who complete Creative Discipleship.

NOTE: A Creative Discipleship Scholarship may be combined with Teens Involved scholarships, STC scholarships, PLUS one of the following: Word of Life Staff scholarship or discount, Pastor or Christian worker scholarship or discount, Word of Life Chancellor’s scholarship.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For students to be eligible for a scholarship, church leaders must submit all completed documentation for Creative Discipleship award recipients by the 1st of June of the award year. The Creative Discipleship Reward Sheet will be reviewed by a Word of Life Area Missionary. This review is to confirm the student has completed all the necessary requirements to receive their scholarship award.

Setting up Creative Discipleship Groups How do you do this? You divide the students among the leaders so that each leader can focus on just a few. Experience tells us that the average leader can handle no more than six young people in his or her discipleship group.

What do you do before your first discipleship group meetings?

1. Separate your junior high and senior high students. If you have over 40 students in your ministry you may lose your senior high students if you keep junior high and senior high together. We suggest that you have two separate Bible studies; one for your junior high and another for your senior high. However, if you have a smaller group and it is necessary to keep them together for the meeting, we recommend that you separate these ages for your discipleship groups.

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2. Keep girls with girl leaders and guys with guy leaders. This is necessary both physically and morally.

3. We recommend that you keep these groups for the entire year. By doing this you are able to build relationships within the group.

4. Identify your students according to three categories:  Lost or Carnal Usually about 15% of your group fits this category.

 Lukewarm Usually about 70% of your group fits this category.

 Hot Usually about 15% of your group fits this category.

This division is for your reference only. You are not putting your students into categories to pigeonhole them. You are identifying their spiritual condition so you will best know how to minister to them. A lost student has different needs than a spiritually growing student. List all of your students and ask God for wisdom, insight, and discernment to know their spiritual needs. Note which category you think they belong to. Now you are ready for the next step.

5. Divide your students among your leadership team. Give each leader a mixture of the three categories. Don’t be afraid of breaking up cliques. Oh sure, they will complain, but cliques are unhealthy and you can handle it.

6. Do not put more than six students in each group. Starting with three or four is ideal and gives you room to grow.

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Discipleship Activities:

 What to do BEFORE your weekly meeting 1. Pray for your students 2. Arrive 15 minutes early 3. Be sure the Creative Discipleship Reward Sheets are updated and remember to bring the rewards for those who earned them.

 What to do DURING your discipleship group time Every week you will be meeting with your group right after the lesson.

1. Help them to make personal application of the Bible study. (The Teacher’s Lifelines will help you in this area by providing discussion starters built upon the lesson. This great tool can be ordered from Word of Life Local Church Ministries.) 2. Ask your students to share highlights from the past week’s Quiet Time. It’s always good to get them to be specific, especially in the area of personal application. The purpose is not for you to preach to them, but for them to understand how they can apply God’s Word to their everyday life. Your encouragement at the thoughts they share can be used of God to motivate them in their walk with the Lord.

3. Have your group share prayer requests. This is a great way to build relationships with them. Be sure to write down the prayer requests they share. Also check up on prior requests to see how God has been working in their life.

4. Before (or after) your weekly meeting is a great time to check their Quiet Time, listen to their Scripture memory, check on the books they have read, assign Christian service opportunities, and update their rewards sheet.

 What to do AFTER your weekly meeting 1. Call each student to encourage them in their quiet time. 2. Visit their home. 3. Write letters, e-mail, or text them. 4. Take a student through the Where Do I Go From Here? interactive discipleship series.

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glad to meet with you!

The Box of material you received from Word of Life Local Church Ministries was filled with media tools that you will use to effectively minister to your students. In this section, we are going to look at several of those items. Before we look at the materials, let’s spend a few minutes highlighting the meetings.

In this section you will learn more about… meet  How orientation (HD3) or reorientation (HDX) sessions will help you get off to a great start!  Transfer meetings and why they are important.  Leadership conferences and their impact.  The value of planning meetings; how to plan them and what to do at them.

Orientation (HD3) and Reorientation (HDX) Meetings If you are like most leaders, you were eager to rip into the box of material that recently arrived from Word of Life Local Church Ministries. Once you opened the box and looked at its contents you may have thought, “What in the world will I do with all of this stuff?” Relax, what you experienced is common to all new student ministry leaders. A personalized HD3 or HDX session will make it easier on your team to understand and incorporate the biblical principles, philosophy, purpose, and program of your Word of Life Student Ministry. We have divided the HD3 into three sessions: THREE INITIAL TRAINING SESSIONS Session One:  See the big picture of Word of Life Fellowship and learn of all the resources available to you.  Establish goals for your ministry.  Review the process of building a biblical student ministry.  Become better acquainted with the tools and principles of discipleship and evangelism.  Highlight the meeting format.  Identify the six leadership responsibilities essential to the success of your ministry.  Learn how you are vital in the process of discipleship.

Session Two:  Assign leadership responsibilities.  Understand the six key components of your meeting format.  Assign discipleship groups.  Learn how Creative Discipleship can promote the spiritual growth of your group.

Session Three:  See the great importance of planning meetings and actually plan your planning meetings.

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Now you know that there is a whole lot more in The Box then what’s in the box. You have your very own Word of Life Area Missionary who is in the box (okay, so we couldn’t fit him in the box, but he is probably looking at his calendar and getting ready to call you to set up your personal HD3 sessions…. Is that your phone ringing?). For those veteran leaders a HDX meeting is just what you need. A HDX is a time to review the principles and retool the people for another remarkable year of ministry.

Five steps to getting the most out of your HD3: 1. Plan to have your entire leadership team present. No chain is stronger than its weakest link. You will not want anyone left out of this important training session! (It would be a great idea to invite the Pastor to the first HD3.) 2. Arrange to have child care as needed. 3. Read over the Student Ministries Resource Manual (that’s what you’re holding in your hand now) to acquaint yourself with the material to be covered. 4. Bring questions to ask your Area Missionary. (The only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked!) 5. Make sure you have all of your student ministry materials with you (just bring the box of material that was shipped to you and you will have all you need).

Transfer Meetings There are plenty of meetings for you to attend if you are like most Word of Life LOCAL Student Ministry leaders. Job related meetings, school meetings, various civic LEADERSHIP TRAINING meetings, and social meetings just to name a few. You may or may not share common interests with those attending the different type of meetings that you must choose from on a regular basis. You will find the Transfer meetings to be unique from all the other meetings you might attend. For one, it is more than a meeting; it is a time when you gather together with other like-minded leaders. You share many of the same interests. As a group, you are characterized by your desire to disciple and evangelize young people. As individuals, you want to avail yourself of ongoing leadership training. Each year the Transfer meet- ings are planned to provide you with much needed training, encouragement, accountability, and motivation needed to run an effective ministry.

Training Training on relevant topics characterize each Transfer meeting. Those experienced in student ministry have prepared helpful lessons to further equip you. The instruction, discussions, and practical applications greatly benefit your leadership team. Contact your Area Missionary for a listing of the topics to be taught in your area.

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Encouragement Encouragement can be the high-octane fuel that keeps you going. The problem is, it’s often in short supply. Let’s face it; ministry can have its share of disappointments and heartaches. Attending a Transfer meeting can provide you with just the boost you need. An idea from another leader, fellowship with others in a similar ministry, a time of praise and prayer, a dynamic lesson offering insights into a specific area of ministry; many of these sources of encouragement are found at Transfer meetings.

Accountability What word comes to your mind when you think of accountability? You may think of a list of requirements, however, we want you to think of loving relationships. The Transfer meeting is designed to build relationships among leaders and your Area Missionary to help you be the best leader you can be. Your accountability relationships with other leaders do much to build you and your ministry.

Motivation After visiting with other leaders from your area, enjoying a time of fun and fellowship, sharing in prayer and praises, and learning practical ministry helps and ideas, you’ll find yourself motivated! You’ll be anxious to get back to your area ministry to implement all you have learned at the Transfer meeting.

Your Word of Life Area Missionary has a schedule of the Transfer meetings available for you and your leadership team. We know you are busy and that is exactly why we have strategically planned and scheduled these incredible times of training, encouragement, accountability, and motivation just for you. If you don’t already have your Transfer dates on your calendar call your Area Missionary and get the dates. Write them on your calendar. Plan to be at each one and you are on your way to having a top-notch leadership team! REGIONAL LEADERSHIP TRAINING Leadership Conferences By now, you know that Word of Life places a high value on leadership training. Two highlights of your training experience will be the Flashpoint and the Checkpoint Conferences. The Flashpoint helps to kick-off your new ministry year and the Checkpoint Conference is designed to charge you up in the middle of the year.

Flashpoint Facts:  Time of Year: Fall (late August or September).  Schedule: Begins Saturday morning and concludes Saturday afternoon.  Location: Central to the churches in your area.  Purpose: A gathering of all your leaders from your area for a time of training, information and fellowship – this is an area event.  People: Your Area Missionary will be there to serve you. Of course, you need to be there to meet new friends, see old friends, and enjoy a great time of fellowship with everyone. Checkpoint Conference Facts: 8-3 © WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC. | REVISED 2012 student ministries resource manual

 Time of Year: Winter (late January to early February).  Schedule: Typically Friday evening through Saturday afternoon.  Location: Central to the churches in your Region.  Purpose: To motivate, encourage, and instruct leaders in how to effectively reach young people.  Program: Dynamic preaching, practical seminars (many to choose from), great music, skits, icebreakers, good food, and ministry resources combine to provide an exciting program.  People: The regional Word of Life Local Church Ministries staff will all be there to serve you. Of course, you need to be there to meet new friends, see old friends, and enjoy a great time of fellowship with everyone.

Your Area Missionary has the dates of the Flashpoint and Checkpoint Conferences well in advance of the events. Usually the dates are booked three to five years in advance. Now, that’s planning ahead!

Planning Meetings Most people don’t plan to fail; they just fail to plan. But you are not most people; you are a Word of Life Student Ministry leader and Word of Life Student Ministry leaders plan. Those who are successful in their work are those who “Plan their work and work their plan.” What we have to do is far more important than any job you can think of, as we are involved in a ministry that impacts students for eternity. Certainly the call to disciple and evangelize is worthy of our time in planning. So let’s make some plans.

 Plan your Planning Meetings Your monthly planning meetings are so important that they deserve a high priority approach. Schedule all of your planning meetings at the start of the year. If you wait until the week before the meeting to schedule it, you will be frustrated as many leaders will already have other things planned.

In planning your planning meetings remember:  A set time is easy for all to remember (like the first Sunday of every month at 3:30 p.m.)  If you choose to meet on a weeknight (like the last Tuesday of every month) plan to have food and childcare available.  You should plan to meet for approximately two hours (you will meet a little longer if you plan to have a meal together).  Whatever day and time you choose to meet, be sure to get the dates marked on your personal calendar and church calendar (The church secretary could even put a reminder of the planning meeting in the church bulletin one to two weeks in advance).

 Plan your Planning Meeting Agenda

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Now that you have your planning meetings scheduled you are probably wondering what in the world you will do each month. Relax, because we have a plan for you.

The following agendas will help you in your planning meeting:

 Plan to invite your Area Missionary to one of your planning meetings. He has ideas, helps, and suggestions that are beneficial to your planning meeting.

 Plan to have all participants in the planning meeting present and ready for the meeting. As you delegate various tasks, either prior to the planning meeting or as a result of the planning meeting, be sure to remember the four rules of delegation:

1. Tell What 2. Tell Why 3. Show How 4. Check up

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Your First Planning Meeting

Subject Agenda Items Participants Prayer Pray for God’s blessing upon your All leaders leadership team. Pray for the students you will minister to this year. Pray for souls to be saved in your ministry. Goals Set ambitious goals for the year * Youth Pastor (after all, we serve a big and * Aministrative powerful God, don’t we?) Coordinator can (Remember: A goal without a date lead this time is nothing more than a dream.) with all leaders Types of goals to set: discussing various  Attendance goals goals for the year.  Discipleship goals  Souls won during the year  Families brought into the church  Christian Service goals Calendar Items you want to place on your * Youth Pastor calendar: * Administrative  Church events Coordinator  Word of Life events * Evangelism  Leadership conferences Coordinator  Transfer meeting dates  Christian services  Title of the Bible study for each week  Student ministry activities  Leadership birthdays and other special days

Discipleship  Divide your students into * Youth Pastor Groups their discipleship groups. * Administrative  Be mindful of their Coordinator personalities and spiritual * Discipleship needs. Coordinator  Match them with leaders All leaders share who will minister to their insight on students needs and challenge them to as the various grow spiritually perspectives  Six students per leader is the will help as you best ratio. place the students  It is best to keep the students in discipleship grouped by gender. groups

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Subject Agenda Items Participants Bible Study A summary of the Biblical * Bible Study Overview Teaching, Biblical Living, and Coordinator Bible Book Study lessons will excite the leadership team with the direction for the year.

Your Monthly Planning Meeting Subject Agenda Items Participants Calendar Preview  Church events (date, time, * Your Pastor, and place) Youth Pastor, or  Church meetings CE director could (revivals, special update you on meetings, socials) church events.  Student ministry activities * Administrative  Leadership Events Coordinator.  Transfer Meetings (You could  WOL Conferences delegate various  Other leadership agenda items to training opportunities different leaders.)  Future planning meetings * Bible Study  Upcoming lessons to be Coordinator taught * Activities /  Word of Life Student Evangelism Ministry events Coordinator  Evangelistic events (All leaders  Christian Service should have opportunities their calendars  Discipleship group on hand so each activities may update their  Teens Involved calendar.) Detailed Planning Event Detail Planning * Activities  Purpose of the event Coordinator  Budget or Evangelism  Location Coordinator could  Speaker facilitate this  Transportation arrangements section of the  Food and drink plans planning meeting.  Time frame  Extra help needed  Dress standard for the event  Promotion  Delegation of Responsibilities

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Subject Agenda Items Participants Detailed Planning Weekly Meeting Detail Planning The Use your Program Planner to Administrative plan next months: Coordinator may  Refreshments direct this time  Icebreakers with input from  Announcements the participants  Songs who will lead  Share and Prayer time each aspect of the  Bible study (dynamics to meeting. use)  Discipleship group topics

Problem Solving Problems ignored seldom go The away; they usually grow worse. Administrative Problems are not the problem, Coordinator could it’s how we deal with them that lead this time will make the difference. It’s of the Planning been said, “If you aren’t having Meeting. problems, you probably aren’t doing anything.” Some problems you may need to work through are:  Problems regarding schedules  Problems regarding students  Problems regarding parents  Problems regarding your meeting  Problems to discuss with your Area Missionary Evaluation A time of honest evaluation The enables you to commend those Administrative doing a good job, correct areas Coordinator could that need improvement, and lead this time commit to excellence in all you of discussion. do. Multiple Some areas for evaluation are: perspectives and  Past meetings viewpoints will  Past activities enhance your  Discipleship involvement evaluation and  Leadership team reveal any blind responsibilities spots in your  Progress toward achieving ministry. goals  Evangelistic events Remember: Your  Christian Service purpose is not to opportunities voice grievances  Teens Involved participation but to strive for excellence.

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leadership team planning, evaluation, and accountability

There are some great meetings to assist you in your Word of Life Student Ministry. Our staff is looking forward to visiting with you at HD3 or HDX, Flashpoint and Checkpoint conferences, or Transfer and Planning meetings. These meetings reflect our passion to help and serve you. But we provide you with more than meetings. In your box of material you will find a lot of ministry tools to help you disciple and evangelize students.

One of those tools is a single sheet of paper that is invaluable to the success of your ministry. You may not think of a sheet of printed paper as a tool, but we do. It is a tool designed to help you in your ministry as much as a rake is designed to help you rake up leaves. Funny thing about tools is that you have to use them. A rake in the shed will not get one leaf out of the yard. And if this sheet remains in its shrink wrap packaging, you will fail in three essential parts of any student ministry: planning, evaluation, and accountability.

In this section you will learn more about…  The Program Planner, on which you plan what you will do in future meetings.  The Meeting Evaluation, on which you evaluate the effectiveness of your last meeting.  The Leadership Team Progress Report on which you hold the leadership team accountable to the Area Missionary  The Leadership Team Contest procedures forms and chartsforms and Program Planner – The Future The first of the three forms this folded sheet of paper contains is the Program Planner. It encompasses future meetings and is most often completed by the Administrative Coordinator.

When you complete the Program Planner you will know what’s happening, at least four weeks into the future (some like to plan six weeks at a time). Your view of the future can be as detailed as you like. We think the more detail, the better. In fact, history has shown us that the best student ministries are built upon a detailed plan.

Notice the seven key areas on the Program Planner below.

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Just reading over the above Program Planner is exciting! When you put this much detail into your planning there will be students and adults alike who will want to be a part of your ministry. Such a plan will give you and your leadership team great confidence, as you will know where you are headed. It will also keep you from monotony and boredom as, without a plan, it doesn’t take long to lapse into doing the same old thing week in and week out. Without a plan refreshments usually don’t happen, a game is played until everyone is sick of it, you will sing the favorite five, and it won’t be long till you skip sharing time because it just doesn’t work. You’ll lecture your way through the Bible study and have very little time left for discipleship groups. Announcements end up as a list of things to read off to the group by whoever remembers to bring the list. A meeting run without a plan is actually a plan for disaster.

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Instead of the no-plan, plan for disaster approach, you are ready to plan for the future. You want a well run meeting that keeps them coming back for more. Having such a meeting is not as hard as you might think; it just takes a little planning and preparation. Here’s how: 1. Plan for the future at least four weeks at a time in your monthly planning meeting. 2. Bring four blank Program Planners to the planning meeting. 3. Record the lesson titles and dates of the meetings across the top of the four program planners. 4. It’s usually best to plan each item across the four weeks instead of planning an entire meeting one week at a time. By this we mean you should plan your refreshments for week one, then week two, followed by week three, and finally week four. Do this with each of the seven points on your Program Planner. Planning that way enables you to get a Big Picture perspective. It also keeps you from planning the same thing from one week to the next. If you plan one week at a time, you may find yourself singing the identical song or songs two weeks from now. If that happens regularly, the meetings will get too predictable and become boring to the students. The greater the predictability the less the impact. On the other hand, the less the predictability the greater the impact.

 REFRESHMENTS TIME: STUDENTS ARE VISITING AND TALKING.  ICEBREAKER: HIGH-ENERGY FUN TIME FOR ALL.  ANNOUNCEMENTS: SERVE TO EXCITE THE STUDENTS ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS AND CHRISTIAN SERVICE.  SONG TIME: GO FROM LIVELY CHORUSES TO WORSHIP SONGS.  SHARE AND PRAYER TIME: STUDENTS LISTEN TO AND PRAY FOR THEIR PEERS; THIS TIME CALMS THE GROUP AND PREPARES FOR THE LESSON.  BIBLE STUDY: THE KEY THRUST OF THE NIGHT!*  DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS: ALLOWS FOR CONVERSATION BASED UPON THE BIBLE STUDY OR THE TOPIC AT HAND.

5. SPECIAL NOTE: There is a rhyme and reason to the order of events in the Program Planner. It is what we call an Hour Glass plan. *The focal point of your meeting is the teaching of God’s Word in the Bible Study. Everything else either leads up to it or branches out from it. 6. When possible, theme your meeting around the lesson for the night. Sing songs that relate to the lesson. Have a sharing time topic that will complement the lesson. Plan and announce the Christian Service that is recommended in the lesson. When you plan your entire meeting around the theme of the lesson, your teaching will have a greater impact in the lives of the students. IMPORTANT POINT: You don’t need to say, “We are singing this song because our lesson is on this topic.” Just sing the songs and follow your program, the students will see the connection.

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7. Be sure to involve the entire leadership team in this planning process. One leader can come prepared with four to six icebreakers to choose from for the month. Another may have several songs or choruses to choose from. The more your leadership team is involved in the planning process the more they will see how important they are to the whole of your student ministry.

You may want to consider bringing some students in on the planning process. Their input can prove to be very helpful and insightful. It will also help to generate in them love and loyalty for the ministry as they are now investing in the planning process.

Planning in detail will give you great confidence in what the future holds for your meetings. With a well-planned program you will anticipate and not dread the meeting. While it may take one to one-and-a-half hours to plan in such detail, you will find it to be well worth every minute invested. Remember also, the more you plan, the better you will become at it as time goes on.

Meeting Evaluation – The Past The second of the three forms this sheet contains, the Meeting Evaluation, is on the other side of the fold. On it you briefly review the meeting of the past week.

Sometime after your meeting, later that evening or within the next couple of days, you want to use the Meeting Evaluation to review how the meeting went. Basically you will be evaluating two aspects of your meeting: first, your program, on the top half of the form and second, your progress, on the lower half of the form. Such an evaluation will enable you to commend the leaders and aspects of the meeting that went well; correct the areas that need help; and commit to pursuing excellence in all you do. Looking over the following Meeting Evaluation, what areas would you commend and what areas do you see that need some correction?

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Remember: there is only one alternative to evaluation and that is deterioration.

If you want a student perspective on your meeting just get a student to evaluate it for you. It may well be eye opening.

Leadership Team Progress Report – The Present Unfold this amazing sheet of paper and you find the Leadership Team Progress Report. Every Christian should have an accountability partner and this form serves to keep the leadership team accountable to the Area Missionary.

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At first glance, the Leadership Team Progress Report looks like some accounting form and if math or numbers don’t float your boat you may be tempted to sail on by this important tool. Twenty-four items seems like a lot of progress to report on each week…and it is. So we are not asking you to report on all 24 each and every week. On average, you will report on 10 to 12 lines a week. Look at the sample report below and you will notice some items are recorded on a weekly basis; others, monthly; and some, only once a year. Now that doesn’t seem too hard to keep up with, does it?

WEEKLY ACCOUNTABILITY

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MONTHLY & QUARTERLY ACCOUNTABILITY

YEARLY ACCOUNTABILITY

Filling in numbers on the preceding form is a piece of cake. It’s what the numbers represent that cause some leaders to choke. If someone were to ask you if reading the Bible is important for a Christian you would no doubt tell him or her it is. If they asked about Scripture memory being profitable, you would affirm it to be so. But what if they wanted to know how many days you read your Bible this past week and how many verses you memorized this past month? What would you say? How would you feel? Initially you might be speechless and feel uncomfortable, especially if you weren’t reading your Bible

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faithfully or working on Scripture memory. But to raise up a group of growing, godly students it will take nothing less than growing, godly leaders. In God’s creation, everything reproduces after his kind (Genesis 1) and your response to each item on the report (especially lines 1-9) will have a direct bearing on the kind of students your ministry is producing.

Now we have to tell you something we would rather not tell you, but we would be less than honest if we did not. Experience has proven to us that the leaders who do not complete this report on a weekly basis are the ones most likely to drop the entire Word of Life Student Ministry. While the reasons for dropping the ministry may be varied, it does not seem out of line to think that they were not truly committed to the biblical principles this sheet holds each of us accountable to. You could be thinking, “Maybe they did not understand it,” and that is a possibility. But we do not want that possibility to exist for you. Each of us are far more inclined to be involved in something we understand. Therefore, we are going to share with you an explanation of each line on the Leadership Team Progress Report.

1 & 2 Weekly Progress Report – The Administrative Coordinator is to complete and return the weekly Program Planner and Progress Report sheet to their Area Missionary. This must be completely filled out and postmarked, e-mailed, or faxed within seven days of each weekly meeting. Progress Report points will not be counted for any responses received after this, and no points can be carried from one month to the next. However, they will be credited to the Contest Grand Total. Covenant with the Lord that your faithfulness will be 100%. Give a copy of the weekly report to your pastor to receive an additional 500 points.

3 Follow-up of New Convert – The leadership team will get 500 points for each follow-up lesson taught from the Word of Life Where Do I Go From Here? follow-up. The Discipleship Coordinator administers all follow-up work. Each follow-up should be on a person-to-person basis, and not in a group. However, if it is done as a group, it will count as one lesson regardless of the group size.

4 Gain in Attendance – Beginning with the fifth meeting and using the average attendance of the previous four meetings (you are to determine your new average each calendar month), you will receive 500 points for each week you have a 10% increase over the previous month’s average.

5 Lifelines Preparation – Spent a minimum of one (1) hour in preparation for next week’s Lifelines doctrine lesson.

6 Spiritual Growth Check – Each leader who calls or visits at least one student to check spiritual growth can earn 500 points.

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7 Daily Quiet Time – Each member of the leadership team using the Word of Life Quiet Time faithfully each day will receive fifty points per day or 500 points for an entire week. A consistent quiet time is a must in the life of any effective spiritual leader.

8 & 23 Scripture Memory – As an example before the students, each team member should be memorizing the current Word of Life Scripture Memory Pak. Five hundred points will be awarded for each verse card memorized by a member of the team and said (word perfect) to another member of the team. Five thousand bonus points will be awarded for each member of the leadership team who takes and passes the written Scripture Memory Exam. There is a limit of forty- four verses per contest year for which points may be counted for leaders.

9 Reading Books – One thousand points will be awarded for each book read by any member of the leadership team. (Limit of three books for credit.) Two of these books must be the new recommended books for the current year.

10 Monthly Social Activities – There should be at least one social activity planned for each month. (Example: pizza party, cookout, gym night, etc.) This should be designed for fun and fellowship for your own group and/or a place to invite unsaved friends and present them with the Gospel. Five hundred points will be awarded if you have at least one-half of your current average monthly attendance. (You may count two per month for points.)

11 Monthly Group Christian Service – The Evangelism Coordinator should plan at least one group Christian Service project each month from the Christian Service Manual. This is designed and aimed at involving your total group and giving each one an opportunity for at least a small taste of service for the Lord. At least one-third of your current average monthly attendance must participate. For each group project, 1000 points will be awarded. (You may count two Christian Service projects per month for points.)

12 & 24 Attendance at Transfer Meeting – One thousand points per leadership team member will be given for attending each Transfer Meeting. This is a vital part of your student ministry. Any adult who is not a member of a Word of Life leadership team who attends because of your invitation will add 500 points per person to your score. If a Transfer Meeting is missed, 500 points will be awarded for each leader completing a make-up lesson. Note: A bonus of 1000 points will be awarded for each adult who earns a Transfer Meeting Certificate.

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13 Attendance at Evangelistic Events – One thousand points will be added to your total if at least 50% of your leadership team members attend an Evangelistic Event with your group. This refers to events within your area and publicized at least three weeks in advance. These are an important part of the student ministry. If your team sets a poor example by missing events, you can be sure your students will not be faithful in their attendance either. Note: If you bring at least 200% of your regular meeting attendance to an event, you will receive a bonus of 2000 points or in events that require teams (Basketball, Volleyball, etc.) a bonus of 500 points per team will be given.

14 Leadership Team Planning Meeting – Each leadership team should be having its own planning meeting each month to plan both long and short-range calendar of events. One thousand points will be added to your team score for this.

15 Area Missionary Bonus Points – From time to time, your Area Missionary may give bonus points for special assignments. (Example: Additional books read, special reports, etc.) This is up to your Area Missionary and will be announced at Transfer Meetings or in Newsletters.

16 Orientation DVD – Each leadership team member who watches the Orientation DVD each year will receive 2000 points. If watched within the first five (5) weeks, each team member will earn 1000 bonus points. Review is good for all of us!

17 Student Ministries Resource Manual – You will receive 2000 points per team member for reading the Student Ministries Resource Manual each year. If completed within the first five (5) weeks, each team member will earn 1000 bonus points.

18 Lifelines Bible Study – You will receive 2000 points per team member for reading the Lifelines Bible study pages in the Book of Stuff. (You do not have to fill in the blanks.) If completed within the first five (5) weeks, each team member will earn 1000 bonus points.

19 & 20 Leadership Conferences – All members of the leadership team are expected to attend both the Flashpoint Conference and the Checkpoint Conference. Two thousand points will be given for each leadership team member attending and 1000 points will be given for anyone else from your church who attends.

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21 Teens Involved Participation – One of the primary aspects of discipleship in our program is Teens Involved. One thousand points per each 10% of last month’s average attendance (Example: 40% of attendance = 4000 points) will be given for those participating in your Area Teens Involved. (Does not apply to Regional Teens Involved participation.)

22 Leaders Involved in Creative Discipleship A. Reward Card 2 – You will be awarded 500 points for each leadership team member completing Reward Cards 1 and 2. B. Reward Card 4 – You will be awarded 1000 points for each Leadership Team member completing Reward Cards 3 and 4. C. Reward Card 6 – You will be awarded 1500 points for each Leadership Team member completing Reward Cards 5 and 6. D. Reward Card 8 – You will be awarded 2000 points for each leadership team member completing Reward Cards 7 and 8 by May 31.

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essential materials: manuals, notebooks, cds, and downloads

The method used to deliver the student program material will constantly change based on the needs of the local church. Whatever method is used, whether a manual, notebook, CD-ROM, DVD, or Teacher Source, the content will remain the same. The following explains some of the essential elements of the student ministry program.

In this section you will learn more about…  The Teacher’s Lifelines.  Pressure Points  Three reasons every leader will want a Leader’s Lifelines.

notebook  Why every leader and student will want a Book of Stuff (including Lifelines Bible study).  What the Christian Service Manual can do for you.  How to get the most out of the Where Do I Go From Here? interactive discipleship series.

Teacher’s Lifelines The Teacher’s Lifelines Bible study curriculum is divided up into (7) 4-lesson modules and three sections for a total of 42 lessons. Add the two Pressure Point topical studies that you get and that makes 50 lessons in all. Here is a breakdown of the curriculum:

 Parent Insights (section) – Three lessons These lessons are designed to help your parents better understand your Word of Life Student Ministry program. Great for teaching at a Parents’ Meeting or Fellowship. Best Time to Teach: One lesson at the beginning of the year. The other two as special Parent meetings in October and January or February.

 Student Life Basics (section) – Four lessons Foundational lessons, essential for those with many youth who are new to Word of Life student ministries. You have the choice of teaching any or all of these lessons as you see the need. Best Time to Teach: The first four weeks of your ministry year.

 Bible Lesson Modules 1-6 – Four lessons each Each module is built around a theme, cover a portion of the doctrinal focus for the year, and include creative promotional and decorating ideas. Best Time to Teach: Each module is designed to be taught in four consecutive weeks. The order that you teach the modules is up to you. However, if any of the modules are dependent on other modules, that will be explained in the Teacher’s Lifelines introductory pages.

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 Bible Book Module 7 – Four lessons This module is built around a theme and covers a particular book of the Bible in four focused lessons. It also includes creative promotional and decorating ideas. Best Time to Teach: This module can be taught any time in the year.

 Current Issues (section) – Four lessons These lessons will tackle contemporary issues that young people are facing. Best Time to Teach: These lessons should be spread throughout the year. Oftentimes the issue covered is a topic in the news and it would be best to teach the lesson at that time.

 Teens Involved (section) – Three lessons Lessons to help you and your students prepare for Teens Involved. Best Time to Teach: One of the lessons should be taught 10 to 12 weeks prior to Area Teens Involved. This gives the leaders and students time to prepare for this great event. The other two lessons may be taught at the same time, or used for a special TI weekend training time.

Pressure Points You are provided two Pressure Points studies each year. Each four-lesson study is designed to address key issues and pressures that students face. Best Time to Teach: You may choose to teach these studies any time during the year or during the summer. Some leaders like to teach a series as a weekend retreat.

Book of Stuff This one book has it all for both the leaders and the active students in your student ministry. When they come to a meeting with their Bible and the Book of Stuff they will have all they need. This is where you will find the following items:

 The Lifelines Bible Study for the current year’s doctrinal material. The Liven It Up section is a chart, graph, or visual to be used for interaction during the Bible study. The Live It section brings together a summary and personal application of the lesson.  The Teens Involved Participation Planner. Information and help for the student to participate in ministry through Teens Involved.  A 1-2-3 Creative Discipleship sheet. An overview of the expectations and benefits of Creative Discipleship.  Creative Discipleship Reward Sheets. A place for both the Discipleship Group Leader and the student to keep track of creative discipleship progress.  A Word of Life student Ministries calendar. This calendar will help you to keep up with important events and activities.

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 Also included are several pages for taking notes.

Knowing all that the Book of Stuff has to offer, you will want to be sure and encourage every student to purchase one. It is our recommendation that you let the students and parents know the price and have them purchase it. If you buy it and give it to them, there is no value attached. If it costs nothing, it’s worth nothing. Also remember when talking to parents and students that price is rarely an issue, the true issue is always priorities. We spend our money on what’s important to us.

Christian Service Manual “Been There, Done That.” Have you encountered that attitude in your students? If you have worked with students for any amount of time you no doubt have. So what do you do? How can you help to change that attitude? Two words – Christian Service. When students get a taste of serving the Lord, their lives will be changed. A student’s life has been described as living in a house of mirrors, all they see is themselves. What we need to do is to put strategically placed windows in their house of mirrors, so they can look beyond themselves and see the needs of others. We place these windows through Christian Service opportunities. Faithful involvement in Christian Service activities will reduce apathy, increase unity, and change the hearts and lives of students. The Christian Service Manual is a tool to help you accomplish just that.

Inside the Christian Service Manual you will find a great variety of Christian Service opportunities. Each opportunity presents a viable means for students to share the Gospel. There are many individual and group Christian Service opportunities to choose from. Each of these is tried, tested, and effective in real life settings. What leaders appreciate is the clear and concise plan offered for each Christian Service opportunity. You will save time as you follow the practical plans provided for opportunities like Fifth Quarter Evangelism, Evangelistic Car Wash, Tract Blitz, and General Visitation. Forty-eight more evangelistic opportunities await you and your young people in the Word of Life Christian Service Manual. FOLLOW UP: VITAL FOR NEW BELIEVERS Where Do I Go From Here? discipleship series By now you know the heartbeat of Word of Life Student Ministries is that of discipleship and evangelism. There are various means that we use to accomplish each of these objectives. One great tool you have to help in your discipleship of students is the Where Do I Go From Here? interactive discipleship series. This material is designed to help you put into practice Matthew 28:19-20 which tells us to “Go…and teach…them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Each lesson in this series is designed to help spiritually young believers understand important biblical truths.

To make the most of your discipleship ministry: 1. Familiarize yourself with the Where Do I Go From Here? study material.

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2. Get with the new convert as soon as possible to schedule your first follow- up session. 3. Pray for God’s leadership and direction in your life and in the life of the new believer. 4. Be prepared. The more comfortable you are with the material the more sensitive you can be to the believer’s needs. 5. The goal is to be sensitive to the needs of the new believer. The goal is not to just get through the material.

Discipleship is vital for a new believer and it can also be a real source of blessing to you! Through your involvement in the life of another you will experience the following: 1. You will have the opportunity to meet the needs of a new believer. 2. You will learn and grow through the discipleship process. 3. You will experience a very exciting and fulfilling task.

Who can you disciple through the Where Do I Go From Here? interactive discipleship series?

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here’s a book for you

In this section you will learn more about…  How reading good Christian books will benefit you and your students.  How to get your students reading books.

Christian Books It has been said that, “Leaders are readers and readers are leaders.” We think reading good Christian books is an important aspect of discipleship.

Good Christian books are beneficial because they…  Help us more clearly see and understand biblical truth.  Expose us to godly examples.  Reinforce truths we have been taught from the Word of God.  Challenge our thinking.  Broaden our perspective.  Increase our faith (If God can work in and through the individual I’m reading about, then surely He can do the same for me).

Each year the Local Church Ministries Product Catalog includes a selection of reading books. These books are chosen for their relationship to the current Bible

books for you books study or their relevance to the life of a student. From this list the student (and you as well) can select two books to read. In addition, each student is to read one missionary or Christian biography of their choice. After they read a book be sure to mark (two marks per book) their Creative Discipleship Reward Sheet with a B in the space to show they have read the book. They may read the New Testament and count that as any two books.

The best way to get a student to read a book is for you to read the book yourself. Then you can approach the student with confidence and say, “Hey, here is a great book I just read and I think you will like it. Why don’t you read it?” Remember you are not asking them to read a book for the sake of reading a book. Your purpose is discipleship.

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getting students involved in ministry

In this section you will learn more about…  The purpose of Teens Involved  What you can expect from Word of Life evangelistic events.  Answers concerning Word of Life evangelistic event excitement.

Teens Involved In 3 John 1:4 we read, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth.” Teens Involved is an event Word of Life Student Ministries provides that will give you great joy as you see your students practice and proclaim the truth through individual and group participation. There are several categories of involvement in areas of speaking, music, writing, and quiz teams (quizzing on the Lifelines Bible study lessons and Scripture memory verses) for each student.

The Teens Involved Leaders’ Handbook will specify for you who is eligible, the levels of participation, appearance standards, awards, as well as the general and

involvement specific category instructions. The purpose of Teens Involved is as follows, “To encourage and help Christian students gain experience in presenting their gifts and abilities for service in ministry to God for His honor and glory.”

Area Teens Involved is typically held in February or March. Regional Teens Involved is usually in March or April. International Teens Involved will be held during a week of camp in Canada, Florida, and New York. Ask your Area Missionary for the dates in your area and region.

For more information on Teens Involved see Teens Involved Coordinator in section 5: What’s My Responsibility?

Evangelistic Events: Fun and Evangelism A common denominator for all students, saved or lost, is fun. We use the element of FUN as a means to draw a crowd of students together in order to have the opportunity to share the Gospel with them. These special evangelistic events are planned so your young people can invite their friends to a fun-filled, exciting event and know that their friends will have a great time and hear a clear presentation of the Gospel. THE COMMON DENOMINATOR FOR ALL TEENS While fun is our common denominator, evangelism is our main purpose. When it comes to a Word of Life Evangelistic event you can expect:  Promotional tools available to help you recruit and bring at least double your average attendance.  An event that will appeal to a large number of young people.  A fun-filled event for you and your students.  A well-planned and well-run event.

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 A clear presentation of the Gospel and an invitation to trust Christ as Savior.  Personal counseling for those who accept Christ.  Decision slips from those who made decisions from your area so you can begin a follow-up ministry.

Evangelistic Events: What? When? Why? and Who? Knowing all of this awaits you and your students at each Word of Life Evangelistic Event you will want to take these steps to be a part of all the excitement.

 Call your Area Missionary for the dates, time and cost of the events in your area.  Get the events on your calendar, the church calendar, and your students’ calendars.  Set an attendance goal (Double your average attendance is a good place to start).  Recruit, recruit, recruit students to come to the event. Is there any student in your community that you do not want to hear the Gospel? I didn’t think so; so go get them! By the way, don’t take a vote and see who wants to attend the Word of Life evangelistic event. That’s not leadership, at least you are not leading that way, and I’ll give you only one guess as to who is really leading when you take a vote.) Tell your students, “This is what we are going to do” and then go do it! They will respond to a leader who has their best interests in mind, and evangelism is in their best interest.  Plan a Victory Party to celebrate the souls that were saved and the lives that were changed as a result of attending the Word of Life evangelistic event. When you get excited about changed lives, your students will too.

I don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait until the next Word of Life evangelistic event!

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i’d like to place an order

In this section you will learn more about…  Ordering material through the online store.  Ordering material through our toll-free number.  Ordering material from our catalog.

Ordering Material A new family has joined your church and they have a teenage son. You are all out of curriculum books and the parents want their son to have one, what do you do? Simple, just go to the online store www.wolstore.org. The store is open 24/7. Typically, if you place your order in the morning it will be on its way to you the next business day. If you provide your e-mail, you can even check its routing as it travels from our shipping department to your front door. Now that’s ordering service.

Don’t have a computer? Just pick up the phone a dial 1-888-932-5827. Our Order Entry professionals will be happy to take your order.

By now you are thinking, “Wow! This is so great I am going to tell all the youth leaders in our community about this so they can order what they need as well.” Well, we would be happy for you to tell everyone you can about the exciting ministry of Word of Life Student Ministries. But you do need to know that everybody can’t order everything from us. As a registered Word of Life Student Ministry you can order anything from our catalog. Churches without a registered Word of Life Student Ministry can order materials, but have less to choose from. Our driving passion is not sales but service, so there are some items we cannot sell to a church youth ministry because we would not be able to service them properly.

Let’s wrap this up by reviewing the three ways you can order material from Word of Life Local Church Ministries:

 Log on to www.wolstore.org and order with a credit or debit card. To set up your account on the online store, click Login and follow the online instructions.  Call 1-888-932-5827 and place your order. We are open Monday through Friday 9 AM – 5 PM.  Find what you want in our catalog and send your order with payment to:

Word of Life Local Church Ministries PO Box 600 Schroon Lake, NY 12870

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Let’s go to camp!

Word of Life Camp is another great resource available to you and your students. Whether you choose to attend our camp in Canada, Florida, or New York you can be assured that you will find the same biblical principles you are building your ministry upon reinforced at camp. Each camp is focused on evangelism and discipleship. Imagine the impact upon your students from a week of Bible teaching away from the influences of the world! Also remember that over 80% of men and women in the ministry made such a decision while at camp. The camp question should not be, “Why go to camp?” but, “When will we go to camp?”

WORD OF LIFE CAMPS ARE All Word of Life Camps are known for: THERE FOR YOU!  Beautiful grounds and accommodations.  Fun-filled, high-energy programming.  Trained counselors.  A staff of personnel to minister to you and your students.  Delicious meals.  Practical Bible preaching and teaching.  Providing leaders (that’s you) with the time to interact and minister to your students because we run the program, cook the meals, and take care of all the camp work.

So, when will we be seeing you and your students at camp? For more information on our various camps, contact your Area Missionary and ask for a camp brochure or call us at: (800) 965-7177.

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word of life bible institute is for me!

How would your students like to attend their first year of college at an accredited school where there is no math, no science, and no English in the core curriculum? You probably think, “Hey, all of them would like a school like that…where is it?” Well, they can attend such a school at one of our beautiful campuses in Florida, New York, or Canada. The distinctives of the Word of Life Bible Institute are strong academics (fully accredited), great student life and a practical ministry emphasis. One year of Bible study is an investment that every student would benefit from. The credits they earn at the Word of Life Bible Institute will transfer to many Christian colleges.

You could say of the Word of Life Bible Institute that there is no place, any- where near this place, like this place, so this must be the place for…

 Academic Excellence  You will gain a better understanding of the Word of God through practical teaching.  You will enjoy the interaction with our quality resident professors.  You will enjoy sitting under the ministry and teaching of our outstanding guest professors. bible institute bible  Student Life involving…  Intramural sports.  Various activities, social gatherings, and banquets.  A beautiful campus.  Lasting friendships.  Close interaction with faculty and staff.

 Ministry opportunities such as…  Singing and drama ministries before thousands through Gospel Productions.  Open air evangelism in major metropolitan cities.  Sports evangelism outreach.  Personal evangelism training.  Summer camp counseling and staff responsibilities.  Snow camp counseling and staff responsibilities.

The Word of Life Bible Institute has much to offer your students. We would like to see your students join the hundreds each year that say, “WOLBI is for Me!”

For more information, visit us online at: www.wordoflife.edu or call: 1-800-331-9673

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can you lend me a hand?

You have heard it said: “Many hands make light work.” The problem is finding the body those helping hands are attached to. We believe the following ideas and suggestions will help when you find yourself saying, “Can you lend me a hand?”

help! In this section you will find ideas on the help you can receive from the…  Pastor  Youth Pastor HELPING HANDS  Church Staff  Parents  Senior Saints  Associates and Executive Associates  Area Missionary PASTOR Pastor 1. Give direction to your student ministry. It’s easy to hire a youth pastor or recruit a leadership team and then turn them loose thinking that communicates your trust in them. While it is important to trust them, it is also vitally important to understand that they look to you for leadership and direction. Share your vision for the church, your heart for the ministry and how they can be a part of that. We have met far too many leadership teams that longed for direction from their pastor. 2. Take part in your Word of Life Student Ministries HD3 with your leadership team. Your presence will communicate your support of their ministry. This time together will also enable you to hear firsthand how Word of Life Student Ministries can enhance your church’s ministry to students. 3. Support and promote your Word of Life Student Ministry from the pulpit and in person. When a Pastor supports the ministry, the members will as well. 4. Attend the Word of Life Leadership Conferences with your team. Your attendance communicates the importance of these conferences and your desire to support your leaders. 5. Financially invest in the ongoing training of your leadership team. An investment in your leaders is ultimately a wise investment in your students. 6. Pray daily for your leadership team. Have their names and needs recorded in your Quiet Time prayer journal. 7. Review the Program Planner and the Meeting Evaluation each week. This is an effective communication tool provided with your student ministry materials. The Administrative Coordinator of your ministry will be responsible to get this weekly report to you.

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YOUTH PASTOR Youth Pastor 1. Direction: Provide direction for your Word of Life Student Ministry. The tools that Word of Life provides are designed to help you to effectively direct your ministry. 2. Develop: Invest your time in developing your leadership team. As you develop a strong team your ministry to students will grow. 3. Delegate: You will never grow beyond that which you can dominate unless you learn to delegate. The best way to keep a leadership team is to use them. Delegate to others to empower them and improve your overall ministry. 4. Encourage: Encouragement has been referred to as Oxygen to the soul. You should give healthy doses of encouragement to your leadership team. Your encouraging words will do much to motivate them in the ministry. 5. Defend: You should always be willing to hear criticisms but never criticize your leadership team when talking with another. Defend them before others and then research the facts. The biggest threat to your leadership team is disunity. This may come from false accusations assumed to be true. When your leaders know you defend and support them, they will be loyal to you and your leadership. 6. Parent Meetings: Informed parents often lead to involved parents. The parents of your students should be the first to know of your plans and activities for the students not the last. Use the Parent Insight lessons in your Teacher’s Lifelines to keep your parents informed on the direction and progress of your ministry. 7. Staff Meetings: You serve as the voice of your leaders and students to the staff of your church. Keep the staff informed of the problems you encounter and the blessings you experience in the student ministry. CHURCH STAFF Church Staff 1. Associate Pastor: He could oversee and train the young preachers for Teens Involved. 2. Music Director: A great resource for the musical areas of Teens Involved. Seek the advice and direction of the Music Director as you prepare for Teens Involved. 3. Christian Education Director: Typically this individual would oversee the various educational aspects of your church ministry. This person would be good to teach the Bible study from time to time. Also consult your CE director for Christian Service opportunities for your students (scheduling them to teach Sunday School would no doubt fall under the CE director’s responsibility.) 4. Visitation Director: Could be of great help in the area of Christian Service. Share with him the Christian Service opportunities that involve areas of outreach he may oversee. No doubt he would be glad for the student participation and you would benefit from his help in scheduling Christian Service opportunities.

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5. Janitorial Staff: “Someone to help clean up our room” may be your first thought when you think of the janitorial staff. Oftentimes these individuals are overlooked in the ministry. Don’t overlook them but keep them informed. Personally let them know of upcoming activities and when you will be using the church facilities. Communicate with them the importance of a neat and clean room for the students in your church. You only have one time to make a first impression; communicate with your janitorial staff how important this is. 6. Financial Secretary: Here is a good person to talk with concerning your student ministry budget. Their advice and counsel can be helpful. They could also help in keeping student ministry funds in the correct church budget account. Don’t overlook this important person. 7. Secretary: Here is a great resource person and one that usually enjoys working through details. A church secretary may be available to help with newsletters, letters to parents, phone calls to leaders or parents, bulletin inserts (an important communication tool), and announcements to be printed in the bulletin. Just be sure you do not take advantage of the skills and abilities of your church secretary. PARENTS Parents 1. Prayer: Certainly the parents of those you seek to lead would be faithful in praying for you and the leadership team. Share your prayer requests with the parents. 2. Support the ministry: Parents can help by encouraging their student(s) to be actively involved in your Word of Life Student Ministry. 3. Encouragement: Let the parents know that an occasional note or phone call from them to members of your leadership team is very encouraging. 4. Help with evangelistic events and social activities: Who couldn’t use extra drivers or chaperones for an event? Be sure to personally ask for their help; general pleas for help usually get little response. To personally ask for their help says: “You are important and we want you to be a part of what we are doing. I don’t want just anybody, I want you to help!” 5. Provide refreshments: With a little planning you can delegate refreshments to the parents of your students and have good refreshments with little worry on your part. Just let them know what the students like and set up a refreshment schedule so no one becomes burned out providing refreshments for the students. 6. Teens Involved coaching: Many parents have ministry experience and would be good TI coaches. Don’t complain because they will not volunteer but go out and recruit their help. Tell them you need them as a TI coach. Show them the TI rules and the specific rules for the area they are coaching. Their involvement will be good for you, the students, and for themselves. 7. Discipleship group leaders: Contrary to so called popular belief, parents make excellent discipleship group leaders. Who better to know the needs and struggles of students than their parents? Don’t overlook this valuable resource for discipleship leaders.

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SENIOR SAINTS Senior Saints 1. Prayer partners: Let them know the names and responsibilities of your leadership team members so they can pray regularly for each member of the team. 2. Discipleship group prayer partner: Imagine what could happen if each discipleship group had a senior saint praying for them each week. Now, stop imagining and start implementing a dynamic ministry of prayer for your students. 3. Adopt a student: Give each senior saint one or two students in your student ministry for them to pray for each week. Keep them posted on specific prayer requests and answers for your students. In fact, a senior saint could even head up such a ministry for you. 4. Financial sponsor: We all know you can’t take it with you but we may not all know good places to invest it for eternity. Some Senior Saints may be able to financially invest in the life of a student (purchase a Book of Stuff, invest in camp costs for needy student, help with activity costs). Let them know your financial needs and how God is blessing because of their giving. 5. Teens Involved coach: Many of our senior saints have wisdom and a wealth of ministry experience that can be a great resource for your students as they prepare for TI. Tap into this dynamic resource. 6. Counseling ministry: Wisdom comes with age (although not necessarily true for all), so choose out wise and godly seniors to help with counseling needs. They have encountered much and can prove to be a great source of comfort and direction for your students (and you too, for that matter). 7. Advice: Who have you consulted that’s over 65 recently? Seek out the advice from godly men and women who have years of experience. ASSOCIATES AND EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATES Associates and Executive Associates 1. Ministry visits: Associates are often veteran student ministry leaders who have availed themselves of further training to be of help and service to others. A ministry visit from one of these men can help you to discover the strengths of your ministry and perhaps a couple of ways to further enhance your work. 2. Planning meetings: Having an Associate at your planning meeting can give a new dynamic to your time of planning. 3. Local church events: Many Associates enjoy assisting churches with evangelistic and social events. Help may only be a phone call away. 4. Ministry presentations: The thought of more Word of Life Student Ministries in your area reaching and discipling more students is exciting. If your Area Missionary is not able to present the ministry to a coworker or neighbor, you may be able to contact an Associate who has been specially trained to share the ministry with other leaders and pastors. 5. Ideas and resources: Associates often visit Word of Life Student Ministries throughout your area which gives them a wealth of ideas and resources to share with you.

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6. Youth budget: Need help establishing your youth budget? A Word of Life Associate or Executive Associate may be able to help. 7. Calendar planning: Associates or Executive Associates serve to further the ministry of Word of Life Student Ministries. Allow them to further your ministry by assisting you in calendar planning. AREA MISSIONARY Area Missionary 1. Planning meetings: Having a monthly planning meeting? Why not invite your Area Missionary? It is his heartbeat and passion to help you succeed. That’s the kind of person you want giving you assistance and direction in calendar planning. 2. HD3s or HDXs: Starting out or starting over, don’t start without the input and advice of your Area Missionary! 3. Speaking: You say “Speak” or “Preach” and your Area Missionary will say “Where?” He has a passion to communicate the truth and preach the Gospel. He is a great man to fill your pulpit for a special service. He is also in demand during the summer months to fill in for pastors on vacation. The Area Missionary strives to keep a well-planned and active calendar so you would do best to book him well in advance to preach at your church. 4. Consultant: The personal ministry experience combined with the corporate experience of our staff makes the Area Missionary a sought after consultant in the area of student ministry. 5. Encouragement: The Area Missionaries on staff with Word of Life thrive on encouraging others in the ministry. If you have been a leader for any amount of time you already know this. The Area Missionary, while multi- talented is not omniscient, so if you need a dose of encouragement pick up the phone and call. 6. Ministry visits: Sometimes a new leader may think, “Oh no! The Area Missionary just pulled up and he is going to visit our student ministry” (veteran leaders have also had these thoughts from time to time as well). Don’t worry, he is not the WOL Policeman looking for rule violations or improper meeting formats. He is there to learn from you and to encourage you in the great work you are doing. When you do find yourself in need of assistance or an honest evaluation of your ministry, you know whom you can call. 7. Lunch: Next to teaching, preaching, and serving, your area missionary likes to eat. Why not book a luncheon meeting with him? If you don’t enjoy your time together, he will buy your lunch. He will probably try to buy it anyway because that’s the kind of person he is!

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the word of life team serving you

Word of Life is excited to be a part of your ministry to students. Our desire is to assist you in the great task of evangelism and discipleship. We thought you would like to know the responsibilities that we have in serving you.

International Directors

Don Lough Jr. as Executive Director, Joe Jordan and George Theis, as former Executive Directors; Jack Wyrtzen (deceased) and Harry Bollback, as Founders, are/have been responsible for the worldwide ministries of Word of Life Fellowship, Inc. the team Local Church Ministries

Ric Garland, Vice President of Word of Life Local Church Ministries is respon- sible for the development, supervision and coordination of the total Student Ministries program. This includes programming, promotion, training, trouble- shooting, material development and the harmonizing of the various phases in the program, mainly done through the Regional Coordinators. He is responsible to the Directors of the Word of Life Fellowship, Inc.

Regional Coordinator

The Regional Coordinator is to be a godly individual who by life and example disciple the Area Missionaries to maturity of life and ministry and to contribute to the development of the international ministry of Word of Life Fellowship. He is responsible for the student ministry throughout a specific geographical region of the country. This may cover several areas or states within the one region. He is directly responsible to the Vice President of Local Church Ministries and is responsible for the Area Missionary. He is generally responsible for every phase of the Word of Life Student Ministries in his region. He is also vitally involved in the development of the student ministry program.

Area Missionary

The Area Missionary is to be a godly individual who by life and example helps the local church establish a vibrant, biblical student ministry by discipling adult leaders who will evangelize and disciple young people. He is responsible for the development, supervision and coordination of the Student Ministries program on the local level within a given area or state. This includes establishing the local church student ministries, training the leaders, coordinating the program into an effective working tool in the local Bible-proclaiming church, promoting the local student ministry, and harmonizing all local activities. One of the Area Missionary’s most important responsibilities is to sense the leadership needs

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of each person and develop them into more effective student ministry leaders. Much of his time is invested in seeking to know the personality and leader- ship needs of the local leaders. He is an advisor, an instructor and a coach who will minister to the extent that the local church allows. The Area Missionary is responsible to the Area Coordinator. The Area Missionary is responsible for raising his own support through the local church, individuals and businesses.

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technical stuff about registration and finances

Registration Requirements 1. Each student ministry must have a sponsoring church or churches, unless it is within an area where there is no Gospel preaching work in existence. 2. The pastor must affirm his understanding of the Word of Life Statement of Faith. In so doing, the church does not come under the authority of Word of Life, but simply concurs that we are going in the same direction. 3. The leadership team should be selected before the registration is sent in and the names should be completed on the registration or address form. 4. A leadership team may consist of couples or a combination of couples and singles with a ratio of one leader per six young people. There must be a minimum of four people for the leadership responsibilities.

Reregistration Requirements Each year when the church reregisters, the Pastor will be asked to sign the Reregistration Form, reaffirming his understanding of the Word of Life Statement of Faith. registration

Additional Student Ministries 1. Churches desiring to register an additional student ministry should contact their area missionary for the most up-to-date registration specials. 2. A church is considered to have two student ministries if: A. They have two leadership teams B. They divide for the Bible study C. They divide for everything except the Bible study YOUR HELP IS AN INVESTMENT IN YOUR CHURCH Registration Qualifications 1. In order to be declared an official Word of Life Student Ministry, each ministry must be registered annually with Word of Life Local Church Ministries.

2. Only registered Word of Life Student Ministries will receive the necessary materials for the current year.

Financial Involvement of the Local Church 1. The church is responsible for the current registration fee. 2. Each of our established Area Missionaries and Regional Coordinators are serving in a full-time missionary capacity. It is vitally important that the local churches they serve rally behind them both in prayer and financial support. These men are dependent upon this support in order to carry out the ministry; therefore, each registered church will be called upon to help with this need.

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3. All Word of Life materials utilized in your student ministry should be purchased from Word of Life Local Church Ministries. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission of Word of Life Fellowship, Inc. They can be purchased from the catalog. 4. We recommend that students purchase their own materials for personal use.

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two can be better than one

What are the benefits of adding a second student ministry?

1. You will increase your senior high attendance. Generally speaking, in a combined ministry, it is more difficult to keep the senior high students coming. They will consider the ministry too juvenile if there are too many junior high students in attendance.

2. You will increase your attendance. A student ministry with a one leader to six youth ratio will generally top out at about 35 to 40 students.

3. You will be able to target certain age groups. With two student ministries, you can address the specific issues that affect junior and senior high students.

4. You will increase ministry. With more leaders, more students, and directing your program more specifically to certain age groups, you are bound to have a bigger impact. two is better

19-1 © WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC. | REVISED 2012 student ministries resource manual

19-2 © WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC. | REVISED 2012 student ministries resource manual

appendix Word of Life Fellowship, Inc. Around the World

It is the heartbeat of Word of Life to go to the ends of the earth to evangelize and disciple young people. The world map reveals how God has allowed us to accomplish this passion. The dates are listed when the Lord enabled Word of Life to enter each country. We are presently active in over 60 countries providing churches with one or more of three tools to assist them with their task of discipleship/evangelism – Christian Camping, Bible Institutes, or Local Church Ministries.

1940 – United States

appendix 1958 – Brazil 1964 Word of Life Teen Clubs started 1965 – Germany 1969 – Word of Life International Headquarters moved from Orange, NJ to Schroon Lake, NY 1970 – Word of Life Bible Institute in USA started 1970 – Australia – Ecuador – Kenya 1971 – Argentina 1973 – Word of Life Ranger Camp purchased 1973 – Philippines 1975 – Word of Life Family Campground acquired 1976 – Portugal 1977 – Chile – Spain – Uruguay 1979 – Word of Life Olympian Clubs started 1979 – Netherlands Antilles [Curacao] – Paraguay – Venezuela 1980 – Colombia – United Kingdom [Scotland] 1981 – Japan 1982 – Word of Life Conference Center in NY opened 1983 – Mexico – New Zealand 1984 Canada [Ontario] 1985 – Italy 1986 – Bermuda – Costa Rica – Fiji

A-1 © WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC. | REVISED 2012 student ministries resource manual

– Peru 1987 – Hungary – Poland 1988 – Panama – Youth Reachout – short term missions program began 1989 – Korea 1990 – Word of Life Conference and Resort Center opened in Florida 1990 – Bolivia 1992 – Ukraine 1993 – Canada [Quebec] – El Salvador – Romania 1994 – Dominican Republic 1995 – Word of Life Preschool Clubs started (now Gopher Buddies) 1997 – Austria – Czech Republic 1998 – Guatamala – Honduras – South Africa 1999 – France 2000 – Word of Life Fellowship, Inc. moved its International Headquarters to Pottersville, NY – Nigeria – Papua New Guinea 2001 – Cuba 2002 – Bulgaria – Uganda 2003 – Ghana 2005 – Cayman Islands 2006 – Serbia – Taiwan 2007 – Greece – Ivory Coast – Kazakhstan – Nicaragua – Russia – Togo – Turkey 2008 – Lithuania – Slovakia – Thailand

A-2 © WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP, INC. | REVISED 2012