Pastor John Hedberg leads the Parker Bible Church youth ministry. The youth group serves ages 7th - 12th grade and meets every Sunday and Wednesday.
Youth Ministry Mission Statement
The youth ministry exists to see God RECLAIM teenagers by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. While this has been the goal of many youth ministries in the past and present, we see a major deficiency in youth ministry across our nation. The problem has stemmed from watered-down discipleship, teaching, and expectations of teenagers. Therefore, it is our goal to see these 5 things reclaimed in the lives of our teenagers:
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Reclaim an Awe of God
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Reclaim a Love for Christ
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Reclaim a Devotion to His Church
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Reclaim a Commitment to Expository Teaching
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Reclaim a Desire to Sing Theologically Rich Music
Meeting Times
Sunday, 9:30 AM Bible Study
Each week we have opportunities for our church to break up into smaller groups to study, ask questions, and connect with others in a similar stage of life. Our students meet together for some quick morning anouncements and light breakfast in room 151 and then we break into age and gender graded small groups. This is a vital place to connect with others on a deeper level and grow in your walk with Christ.
Wednesday, 6:30-8 PM Youth Group
We have a mid-week time of worship specifically as an encouragement and refreshment for youth. During this time we have worship music led by our student praise band, bible study, food, and group activity. This night plays an important role in teaching and demonstrating to students the importance of expository preaching, theologically rich songs, love for Christ, and devotion to the Church during the teenage years and beyond.
Philosophy of Youth Ministry
There are several convictions that drive our philosophy of ministering to teenagers. In addition to our general philosophy of ministry listed on our church's home page, here are a few very specific identifiers of how we minister to teenagers at Parker Bible Church.
1. Young Adults
We view teenagers as young adults, not children. They are in a very unique time of transition from childhood to adulthood. We seek to walk alongside them in this very important time of transition by helping them leave behind childhood and move forward into adult maturity. This has a major impact on our depth of teaching, expectations, and involvement in ministry.
2. Partnering with Parents
We believe the Bible has given the responsibility to parents and the church for the evangelism and discipleship of children (Deut. 6:7, Eph. 4:11-16). However, for much of childhood and teenage years, parents will have the most time and opportunity to do these with their children. Students are at church or on church functions far less than they are in the home. This is why we place such a high priority on partnering with parents in the evangelism and discipleship of their children.
3. Deep Discipleship
Not every student that attends Parker Bible Church is a Christian but that is most definitely our prayer. As students hear the Gospel, trust in Christ, and turn from sin, we do not turn our attention to worldly entertainment but to deep discipleship and equipping for ministry. This means that we teach them doctrine, theology, spiritual disciplines, and ministry training. Our primary foundation in doing all of this is expository preaching and teaching.
Music
Music is a vital component of our student ministry. It is through music that we seek to dwell richly in the word of Christ as we are called to in Colossians 3:16. This is why we should always sing songs that are theologically correct. But not every Christian song should be sung "in" the Church. While some artists and genres may be completely appropriate for your iPod, they may not be good for singing in the Church congregationally. Here are some songs and bands that we consider both appropriate and rich to sing congregationally.
