Our ministry to young people is a priority at Derwood simply because it was a priority to Jesus. It's designed to nurture, teach and equip our young people to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) and to assist parents in the Christian nurture and instruction of their children (Ephesians 6:4). There will always be a large-group teaching aspect to our
youth ministry, but the discipleship of our teens is one that is essentially relational. One-to-one meetings, small groups, friendships among staff, volunteers, church members and students are all instrumental because one of the most effective and biblical means of discipleship is relational. Our goal is to see our young people develop a deep, mature, personal knowledge of the grace of God that has been given to them in the gospel. This means that we are “people-based” rather than “program-based,” and “process-based” rather than “event-based” in our approach. We do not view ministry to teens as a replacement of
parental discipleship, but as a means to assist, support, encourage, supplement and complement parents as they seek to disciple their children. Youth ministry works best when parents intentionally seek
to train up their children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). As a result, our youth ministry seeks to come alongside parents to teach, support, and encourage them in their God-given responsibilities to their children. And while we will continue to offer opportunities for teens to grow together in generationally appropriate ways, we also seek to integrate our young people into the life and ministry of the local church. Since the church is cross-generational, we believe that
church life functions best when young and old alike come alongside each other, learn from and support one another, and participate together in the work and life of the church.
