Jason Gaston

Here are the four things/areas that we will always hit on, day in an day out with our students in our ministry. It’s our mini version of the “Checkpoints” per se. These are the four areas that we’ve identitified to be of great importance in the lives of teenagers. We teach these areas through books of the bible, packaged series, stand alone sermons, etc.. We rarely stray from them. What about you? What’s your filter/template? I’d love to hear!

• Gift Righteousness: In Christ, there’s nothing I can do today that would make you love me more and nothing I have failed to do today that would make you love me less. The flip side of gift righteousness? Works righteousness. We’ll always combat that lie with the gospel.
• Identity: Jesus, your presence and approval are all I need today for everlasting joy. Yep, our students constantly deal with an identity crisis. Students are constantly seeking to find their identity and approval in something; sports, the circles they run in, grades, relationships, family, etc.. It’s also here on this point that we talk much about the important of identifying yourself in a community of faith. Discipleship happens in relationships. No man is an island. That’s gospel truth, and we long to see our students see the beauty of the gospel as their identity.
• Generosity/Mission: As you have been to me, so I will be to others. Generosity is contagious, and so is stinginess. Understanding his generosity towards us in Christ, we will also be generous to others. The generosity of Christ calls us to come to himself and be made in his likeness, and to GO to tell the world about our generous and loving God.
• Radical Belief: As I pray, I’ll measure your compassion by the cross and your power by the resurrection. What filter for our prayer lives. We say a lot around the Summit that “Belief unlocks the power for the mission of God.” What would happen if students really began to believe God? Wow. I know…..revolutionaries for the kingdom in the workplace and among the nations would be raised up. I want to be a part of that.

Our church has developed over the past couple of years a set of guides that help us in our decision-making that we call our “Plumblines.” They are, at the core, the DNA of who we are as a church. Over the next few weeks, I want to simply share with you a few of them and talk with you how they affect our Student Ministry. I hope you enjoy this little series of posts. 

Plumbline #1: People are the Mission

In all of our programming and strategy, we have to always remember that People are the Mission, and our programming and our facilities are simply tools in helping us reach and equip people. So many times we (myself included) get caught up in making secondary things the “main thing.”  People are our mission. They are our main thing. Not our facility. Not our programs. Those are simply resources that help us…not define us.

Here’s what this means for our Student Ministry:

• This means that we will be good stewards of the resources we’ve been given. We’ll keep the facility clean and make good use of what we’ve been given. Nobody wants to use crummy tools.
• We’ll spend our money wisely.
• We’ll see our programs as platforms to always connect with students and equip them with the gospel
• If our emphasis becomes on our resources and not students, we’ll repent.

We’ve been equipped with the message of hope. That message is for people. People that are created in the image of God, yet separated by sin. We will take that message to them and help them grow in it daily. They are our mission.