Youth Ministries

Winning, building and sending

Young people face tremendous challenges – simply because of the world in which they live. The Assemblies of God places a high priority on ministering to the needs of junior high and high school students. "Our mission is that every student would have the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ," says Tom Greene, director of national Youth Ministries. "This group of young people is sincere. I’ve never seen a more committed generation of teen-agers. Campus ministry involvement and missions giving are at all-time highs."

At a national level, the department is committed to providing quality materials for leaders and teens. A discipleship series emphasizing the work of the Holy Spirit, Road Trip, premiered recently.

Youth Alive campus ministries materials have been revamped, and students can now obtain packets that include an outline of how to become missionaries to their high schools or junior high schools. In the last seven months, more than 10,000 Campus Missionaries have been commissioned around America.

But there is more work to be done. "If all of the 330,000 A/G students saw themselves as missionaries to their schools and began multiplying themselves through witnessing, it’s unlimited what we could do to turn back the wave that seems to be coming against our schools," Greene says.

To increase prayer support for students, the department encourages adults to become Prayer Zone Partners. So far, 50,000 adults have committed to pray for administration, teachers and students as they drive through school zones.

Involvement in ongoing ministries such as Bible Quiz continues. Bible Quiz is considered one of the greatest discipleship resources the Assemblies of God has. It gets young people directly into the Word of God and committed to memorization.

Fine Arts Festival, an opportunity for young people to explore their ministry abilities, continues to expand. In 2000, 40,000 students participated nationwide.

Ambassadors in Mission and Speed the Light bring a global emphasis to youth, broadening their vision to encompass the world. In the past 10 years, more than 20,000 teens have gone on short-term missions trips, and more than 300,000 people have come to know Christ. In 2000, students gave $12.6 million to Speed the Light.

Youth Ministries is making available new drama and human video resources and the second in a series of worship CDs.

The mission continues to be winning, building and sending young people into the world, and equipping leaders to do the same.