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As ministry leaders, we often find ourselves caught up in the day-to-day responsibilities of running a church or ministry. But amidst the meetings, planning, and pastoral care, we must not forget one of our most vital callings: discipling and equipping the next generation. This task isn't just another checkbox on our to-do list; it's an investment in the future of the Church and God's kingdom

A Mandate

The importance of discipling younger generations is deeply rooted in Scripture. One of the clearest mandates comes from the Apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy, where he writes, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Timothy 2:2, NIV). Paul wasn't just concerned with teaching Timothy; he wanted Timothy to pass on what he learned, creating a chain of discipleship that spans generations.

This idea is not new; it echoes back to the Old Testament, where Moses instructed the Israelites to teach their children the commandments of God. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." The Bible makes it clear: every generation has a responsibility to pass on the faith to the next.

Why Focus on the Younger Generation?

You might wonder why it's so crucial to focus on discipling young people. For starters, they're the future leaders of our churches, communities, and even our nations. The values and beliefs they develop now will shape the world of tomorrow. Investing in their spiritual growth is, therefore, an investment in a better future.

Moreover, young people often face unique challenges that require guidance and mentorship. From navigating social media to grappling with questions of identity and purpose, today's youth are inundated with conflicting messages. Without a solid foundation in faith, they can easily be swayed by the prevailing cultural winds. By discipling them, we offer a firm anchor in a turbulent sea.

How to Disciple Effectively

Discipling the younger generation doesn't have to be complicated. It starts with building authentic relationships. Spend time with them, listen to their concerns, and be genuinely interested in their lives. Remember, discipleship is more caught than taught; it's about sharing life and faith in real, tangible ways.

Another key aspect is equipping them with the tools they need to grow spiritually. This includes teaching them how to study the Bible, encouraging them to develop a personal prayer life, and helping them understand their spiritual gifts. Equip them to serve, not just within the church walls but also in their everyday lives.

One practical approach is to involve them in ministry. Give them opportunities to lead worship, teach a Sunday school class, or even organize a community service project. This hands-on experience not only helps them grow but also gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility.

A Legacy Worth Leaving

When we invest in the younger generation, we're not just teaching them; we're leaving a legacy. We're passing on the baton of faith, ensuring that the work God started in us will continue long after we're gone. The seeds we plant today will bear fruit in the lives of countless others tomorrow.

So, let us not neglect this crucial aspect of our ministry. Let us be intentional about discipling and equipping the young people in our churches and communities. Let us pour into them the wisdom and love that God has poured into us. In doing so, we'll be fulfilling our calling and building a brighter future for the Church and the world.

Partners

Victory College plays a pivotal role in this process by providing a structured environment where young people can grow in their faith and leadership skills. The college’s curriculum is designed not only to impart Biblical knowledge but also to foster spiritual growth and practical ministry experience. Students are equipped with the tools they need to navigate life’s challenges and are prepared to take on leadership roles in their churches and communities. By prioritizing spiritual development alongside academic achievement, Victory College ensures that its graduates are well-rounded individuals ready to make a meaningful impact for Christ.

Social Media has taken over marketing and promotional avenues and has proven to be the best tool for not just putting your organization in front of people, but engaging with them, too. This is why it’s such a great tool for churches and ministries. Where would your ministry be without the interaction and engagement of people? If we want to truly inspire, motivate, and communicate with people, we have to position ourselves and be where they already are. Social media is definitely the place where people are hanging out and receiving their information.

We’ve put together some quick content for you that breaks down the two most popular and useful social platforms that your ministry can use. We’ve also lined out a few tips for how to get the best use out of each platform.

FACEBOOK VS INSTAGRAM

Both Facebook and Instagram are great tools to engage with people. However, each platform has it’s own niche for communication and serves different purposes.  

Instagram is definitely more of a visual platform, where high quality pictures and videos are shared. People follow their friends for obvious reasons, but they will also follow other accounts that they find interesting (fashion, fitness, funny cats, etc). People Choose to follow Instagram accounts for one reason: they enjoy seeing what that account is posting. 

Facebook, on the other hand, has little to do with enjoying what other people post. For most Facebook users, they are using it to communicate to the people who they actually know. This is where they chat with their friends who they don’t get to see very often, or they can write out and share with their friends what is on their mind and start a conversation about it. Most Facebook users are there for the sole purpose of talking to other people.

Both networks are great tools for engagement. They each have the ability to post comments, likes, and send private messages. Which is why both are great tools for a ministry. For your ministry or organization, your social platform goal should boil down to one thing: engagement.

WHO ARE YOU ENGAGING WITH?

The best way to start engaging with your audience is to know who they are. You might have different audiences for different platforms. Many will agree that the Facebook audience is older than the Instagram audience. If that is the case for your ministry, then makes sure you are posting content in ways that appeal to each audience.

FORM A STRATEGY

Your ministry has goals and strategy on what you are going to do to reach more people—in the same way, you should also have a social media strategy to align with that. We recommend starting with a calendar. Look at your organization calendar and see what events, special series, or offers you will promote, different topics you want to cover at different times, etc. Based on what is going on in your organization, you can form intentional social media posts around those specific items on your calendar. After your calendar is marked with those specific items, you can fill in the blank days with other great content.

CONTENT IS KING

When deciding on the content to post, think about what you are communicating and what purpose it has. Whenever you’re sending out a message, whether it be in a public address in person, or a written document that you send out, or on social media, it is best to follow this guideline:

1)      What do we want our audience to know?

2)      What do we want our audience to feel?

3)      What do we want our audience to do?

Make sure that the content you are posting is answering 1 or more of the questions above. If your post doesn’t answer one of those questions for your audience, then chances are the post content is not communicating the correct purpose or intent.

Here are some tips on making your content great:

·        Mix it up.

Don’t always post the same type of announcement or message. Some posts will be to inform your audience of something they need to know, while other posts can be something to encourage them, or inspire them. Some posts might be just to make them laugh. Mixing up the meat of the content will keep your users engaged, and not bored.

·        Keep the look consistent.

The best and most affective platforms are those whose design is consistent and uniform. For the most part, you want to stick to the same fonts and color schemes in your posts. Every now and then, doing a new font or color that is trendy and eye catching, is helpful. But consistently stick to the same design and feel of your page or feed.

·        Tell Stories

Everyone loves a good story. What qualifies as good? The main character faces hard times and in the end, he or she wins! Share these stories on your platform. These are the testimonies of transformation. The more personal, the better. People seeing those posts can relate to the story and you will engage with them at a higher level.

·        Respond, Respond, Respond

Set a rule for your response time on social media. Respond to your comments, private messages, and when others tag you in their posts. This will boost your engagement, build trust with your followers, and ultimately grow your platform.

Other tips and tricks for social media:

1.      We all can relate to the struggle of not having a skilled photographer in our pocket. When you  need to post a quality picture, but don’t have access to one, visit the website called unsplash.com. This is a free stock photo website where you can search for the kind of picture that you want, download it and post it to your feed, and not pay a penny for it. It’s FREE!

2.      Send your posts to your staff, volunteers and partners to share on their own social media pages. This works particularly well when you have a big event coming up. Make the exact post that you want them to share and then send it to them to copy and paste into their own feed. This will help build an awareness of your account, as well as an awareness of your event.

3.      There are platforms out there that can help you with scheduling your posts. You can type out as many posts as you want and include the graphics and videos that you want, and then set a date and time for it to be posted. This is great for time management! Some platforms we recommend: HootSuite and Sprout Social.

 

Have you tried anything new on your social media platform that has worked? Do you have any questions that we can help answer? Let’s start a conversation. Comment below with your thoughts and questions.

The Church Experience

People pick where to go to church the same way they choose where they want to go out to eat, what school they will send their kids to, or who will be their family doctor. Yes, some decisions are harder than others, and many choices play a part in the decision that we make, but all of those little decisions can be summarized into one thing—an experience. People are searching for a specific experience when they are searching for the right church for their family. In this blog post, we’ll share a little bit about how we have developed the Victory experience, and how you can implement something similar in your own church or organization.

The typical weekend church service, today, has so many moving parts. You have the worship service part, the sermon, the announcements or offering time, the closing altar call, etc. All of those different service elements play different roles in the overall experience that someone has at your church. Each are important in their own right. But what we have found is this: when it comes to the local church, people are looking for connection. They want to feel connected to what is happening in the service.

How many of you pastors have ever had someone tell you after your sermon that your message really connected with them? Worship leaders, how many times have you heard someone talk about a worship song and they say something about being able to connect with a certain song? This connection is their experience.

Someone’s experience can also be viewed as how they feel. Think about your favorite retail store. Why is it your favorite? You probably have multiple reasons why that store is your favorite. All in all, I would be willing to bet that your favorite store has won the label of favorite because of how that store makes you feel. One of my favorite stores is actually a fast food chain. Chik-Fil-A. Yes, they have the best chicken in town and it is reasonably priced. But that is not why I keep going back. I keep going back because I have yet to have a bad experience there. Their facility is always clean and put together, no matter what location I visit. The workers are always friendly, helpful, and super-fast. The food is consistently good and lately, they’ve been calling me by name, which is SO cool. Chik-Fil-A 's consistency of great service is a large part of their overall success.

How come the church can’t adopt the same ideas for their weekly services? Why can’t we create a consistent, unique experience that makes people want to keep coming back? What if we set out to not just give people a sermon and a worship set? Chik-Fil-A doesn’t just offer me a chicken sandwich. They offer me an experience that I keep coming back for.

How are we making people feel?

Often times, people forget the sermon that was preached, no matter how great it was. As a pastor’s kid and grandkid, I have sat through a fair share of sermons in my life. I can’t recall to memory too many of them. The same goes for worship services. The most powerful worship services can often be forgotten. The most memorable experiences I have had in a church service directly coincide with how that experience made me feel. That experience comes from how connected I felt to what was going on during the service, and how I was treated.

Carl W Buehner said it best: “they may forget what you said –but they will never forget how you made them feel. When we set out to create a unique experience at Victory, we wanted to answer one question: how do we want people to feel?

1. The first answer is, we want people to feel loved. Our mission statement at Victory is Love God, Love People. We want people to know that God loves them, and we love them. 

2. The second answer is, we want people to feel known. One of the greatest needs for mankind is the need to be known. The need to belong.  We want people to know that we see them. We want them to feel acknowledged.

3. The third answer is, we want them to feel challenged. When people feel challenged, they are open to taking actions and steps toward accomplishing that challenge. We challenge our guests through opportunities to grow in many areas of their life. 

Answer this question about your ministry or organization: What experience do we want our members, partners, or customers to have? How do we want them to feel? This is the first step in developing and initiating the right messaging and process for creating your unique, memorable experience.

We hope you enjoyed this blog post, and we look forward to hearing more about the experience you have created in your ministry! Comment some of your thoughts in the message board below. 

VLN Administrator

Have questions?

Email your questions to us at vln@victory.com. We look forward to serving you!