The Lord has led Steven Neal and his wife Jacqueline to come and take the position of Youth director at the Tri-State Baptist church. Upon graduation this spring, they will be moving to Connecticut to serve the Lord in this church. Both are recent graduates of The Crown College www.TheCrownCollege.com in Knoxville TN where they majored in youth ministries.
At Tri-State Baptist Church, our philosophy of youth ministries may be a little different than most. Our desire is not to see teenagers grow to be just “good kids”… but to be Godly teenager that understand what they believe, are not afraid to share their faith… and live lives that are pleasing to the Lord.
We will accomplish this in several different ways… certainly bible study through our teen Sunday School will play a foundational role… it is through the Sunday School classes that friendships are formed… fellowship is enjoyed and the Bible is made clear and applicable to the areas of life that teenagers are dealing with.
It is never our intention to replace parents or their authority in the home… the goal of the local church youth ministry is to strengthen that teenager as a Christian so that they can be a better teenager in their home… and to strengthen and encourage the mother and father to lead that home in a way that brings glory to God.
There will be more information coming as we get a little closer… we are looking forward to bringing our teens together under the leadership of the Neals. As that pastor of the church, I am looking forward to a productive ministry and the joy and activity and the fun that comes with a youth ministry.
