Hope for the Teen Years
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, 
but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love,
in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12
The culture around us tells us that the teen years are years to be survived – that if we hold our breath and battle for our lives, we just might make it through in one piece. And there seems to always be people with horror stories who would back up that point of view.
But we at Southlake Baptist don’t see the teen years that way. We know as parents you may be afraid, and you may even have good reason to fear. But we want to partner with you, encourage you, pray with you, and together we can watch God redeem the teen years from years of despair to years of purpose and passion for the things of Christ. We believe that there is great shining hope for this generation entering the teen years. We believe this generation will fulfill the call of Christ to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20.
During adolescence, students can make wise choices that will set them on a path to be world changers. In many churches, students lead the way in worship, missions, sharing their faith, and Bible study. Southlake Baptist wants to be a church where our teenagers lead like that, bringing glory to God and joy to their parents.
So how do we get from the “survival” mindset to the hopeful one? How do we look at the teen years not with fear, but with excitement? How can we help mold students into adults who choose to make a difference in the world around them?
After asking these questions, a plan of action was set in motion and the student ministry of Southlake Baptist Church was born. The elders and staff of Southlake Baptist set specific guidelines on which they wanted to base the Student Ministry. The first emphasis point was a core value of the church – successful student ministry equips and enables parents, especially fathers, to lead as God intended, as is outlined in Deuteronomy 6. We believe that all activities, Bible studies, retreats, camps, trips and worship services should be for the purpose of strengthening and enabling the parent-student relationship. We don’t want to take the spiritual leadership of your students away from you; we want to equip and encourage you to lead your kids in righteousness. We realize that parents are the primary influence in the student’s life and the one with whom the student spends the largest amount of time; therefore, we believe in enriching that relationship. If your relationship with your student can be strong and positive, there are no limits to what your student can achieve.
A second emphasis point for our student ministry is that every facet of the ministry be used to build students to have a heart and desire to serve God faithfully. The Barna Research Group tells us that nearly half of churchgoers say that their lives have not changed at all as a result of attending church. We want the exact opposite of that statistic. Our desire is that every student who attends our ministry will learn that God has a divine purpose for his or her life and that the greatest satisfaction and fulfillment he or she will find rests in achieving that purpose. We know the love God has for His kids, and we want every student to leave our ministry absolutely convinced of the empowering unconditional love of God. For a student to learn and realize that God is interested in him or her and wants to be actively involved in his or her life can be a transforming moment. We don’t want students to come to Southlake Baptist to be blessed by a great program; we want students to come to Southlake Baptist to be impacted by a great Savior. That is where life change happens.
A third emphasis point for our student ministry is that we wanted a student minister who understood students, had a heart for students, and had experience in helping students reach their fullest potential. In December, Chris Cox was brought on board as our Student Ministry Coordinator to oversee our Kidz Square ministry and the Student Ministry. We believe God has brought Chris for our students for such a time as this. Chris has been married to his wife Rebecca for 15 years and they have three children: Julianna (13), Lacey (11), and Ben (10). After graduating from college with a Bachelor of Science degree, Chris began working in a children’s ministry in Michigan. After a few years in that role, an opportunity opened for Chris to help missionaries and pastors in foreign countries develop programs for their children and students. So in 1998 Chris began traveling to assist these missionaries and pastors in their churches by developing a student ministry plan that could be adapted to fit many foreign church situations. Chris brings to Southlake Baptist a heart for the global church and the work of Christ around the world, and we know that this coming generation is absolutely interested in the global community.
Chris’ desire to impact students for the cause of Christ continued to grow and in 2003, he was asked to join the staff of another church to assist them in developing a student ministry program. After nearly a year of planning and organizing, the program was launched in three surrounding cities, and within four months, one hundred and twenty students from these communities were being reached on a weekly basis. Today this program is still functioning with hundreds of students being impacted by the Word of God each week. Chris has a heart for students and believes that this generation has a great role in the growth of the kingdom of God worldwide.
These are exciting days for students at Southlake Baptist Church. We want to partner with you and your teenager to make the years your student is a teenager years of passion, purpose, and powerful impact for the Kingdom of Christ.
If your student has a passion for Christ, come join us. If your student doesn’t have a passion for Christ but you want him or her to, come join us. If you are saying, “Help! My child just turned 13 and I don’t know what to do!”, come join us and see what God can do for you. We have hope for every student.
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