Whether you’re a youth pastor at a local church, a school counselor, or you’re just trying to find a way to reach the kid down the street, you can learn something about evangelism from the way the parachurch organizations from the United States and elsewhere have made youth evangelism a priority.
Here’s a look at Young Life, Youth for Christ, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Youth Alpha that explores what they do to reach kids for Christ.
Young Life and Youth for Christ
By Katie McClung
These two organizations pioneered the concept of youth evangelism in the first half of the 20th century. Both organizations were founded in the parachurch boom of the 1940s, and both are headquartered in Colorado. The most significant aspect they share is their approach to evangelism: it is relational. They recognize that kids will listen when the voice that is speaking is the voice of a trusted friend. Not only will they pay attention to words about the things that seem important, they’ll listen to the most important story of all, the gospel.
YFC labels its relational approach as 3STORY. What’s this about? It’s about listening and unpacking their story, sharing your story and connecting the two to God’s story. It’s simple, but powerful.
Young Life aims to “earn the right to be heard.” One way volunteers and staff earn this privilege is by going where kids are rather than expecting kids to come to them. They meet them where they are, as they are.
The evangelistic heart of both ministries is about building relationships. So the next time you’re investing your time in editing a retreat video or searching for the perfect song to play for a skit, remember to invest time in getting to know your kids.
We asked representatives of each organization about how it does evangelism. Here are their answers.
Youth for Christ
YouthWorker Journal: What is a brief description of the ministry’s approach to evangelism?
Youth for Christ: The one-word description of the YFC approach to evangelism is relational. In our ministry, young people are just as apt to be exposed to the gospel at McDonald’s as they are at a meeting or group gathering.
We also have an approach to evangelism we call 3STORY that pervades everything in YFC. You can get more specific information about 3STORY at 3Story.org, but the gist is that it is centered around:
• Listening and unpacking THEIR STORY;
• Sharing MY STORY; and
• Connecting the two to GOD’S STORY.
This could take an hour, a week, a month or a year because it’s relational. It’s a way of life, not a formula or a program.
YWJ: What is your vision for the future of your organization?
YFC: In the mid 1990s, God gave YFC a new vision: as part of the body of Christ to see that every young person in every people group in every nation has the opportunity to make an informed decision to be a follower of Jesus Christ and become part of a local church.
We all need visions and dreams to drive us into the future. We need to dream of what could be. In YFC, the dream that arises out of our vision is that one day we will be able to approach any teenager in any part of the world, ask if he or she knows who Jesus is, and actually get an answer that they not only know who Jesus is, but also know where they can go or to whom they can go to find out more about Him.
An impossible dream? Yes! However, we follow the God of the impossible, the same God who commanded us to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. YFC’s part of the Great Commission dream is to give all young people in the world an opportunity to know Jesus and have an everlasting relationship with Him.
YWJ: How can people get involved on the local level?
YFC: Youth for Christ in the United States is made up of more than 160 local chapters. These chapters are locally run, locally governed and funded, and locally connected in the community. The board members, staff members and volunteers of local chapters actively work to recruit others to be involved. We support this nationally by directing inquiries to the local leadership. When someone goes to our national website (YFC.org), there is a map where he or she can enter a zip code, which then directs him or her to the YFC contacts in that area.
YWJ: With the landscape of adolescents constantly changing, how does Young Life stay relevant in outreach ministry?
YFC: When YFC was launched in 1944, and Billy Graham was our first full-time employee, our motto was “Geared to the Times…Anchored to the Rock.” This has been the driving force for more than 66 years.
Historically, our approach is relational, and not driven by program. We used to have Saturday night rallies in the 50s and 60s, and we had large national conferences with 15,000-20,000 attendees in the 90s; but the key is that any kid is looking for personal connections and someone to care about him or her and listen. That’s the key to the success of YFC today, and it will be the same tomorrow.
Young Life
YouthWorker Journal: What is a brief description of the ministry’s approach to evangelism?
Young Life: Our approach to reaching kids is relational. It can be summarized by a phrase we use a lot in Young Life: “Earn the right to be heard.” This approach focuses on developing a relationship with kids in order to earn the right to share the gospel with them.
We believe in the “power of presence,” so Young Life doesn’t start with a program; rather, it starts with adults concerned enough about kids to go to them on their turf. Young Life staff and volunteer leaders log many hours with kids—where they are, as they are—to begin significant relationships with them.
Local Young Life chapters also organize their own activities open to all students. A weekly Young Life club meeting is the main organized event during the school year and is open to all students. The club meeting is a safe place for fun with their friends and a chance for kids to hear a brief word about the Person of Jesus Christ from a Young Life leader.
Then there’s the Young Life camp experience. Camp is about kids getting away from the pressures of everyday life, experiencing adventure and fun with their friends and Young Life leaders, and hearing the gospel message in terms they can understand.
Young Life campaigners is a weekly gathering for kids who wish to learn more or grow in their faith through study, service and leadership. We invite kids to follow Jesus Christ actively—and we’re with them for the long haul to help them take those steps of faith with unconditional love. Along the way, we encourage kids to celebrate their faith through participation in a local congregation.
YWJ: With the cultural landscape constantly changing for adolescents, how does Young Life stay relevant in outreach ministry?
YL: A big part of what we do in Young Life is “earn the right to be heard.” Part of earning the right to be heard is listening, observing and appreciating what’s important and relevant to kids in the changing culture in which we live. This not only impacts how we relate to kids in our one-on-one time with them, but also in our club and camp messages and our campaigner studies. With that said, our field staff are required to take regular training courses put on by our training department, which address contemporary culture as it relates to youth ministry.
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Steven Grover
The wide world of televised sports gives many young athletes the illusion that fame and fortune are just around the corner. Videos on improving technique and skill levels are available everywhere, and parents toss hard-earned money toward athletics either through camps or competitive leagues, just so their children can compete at a high level. The pressure for success in athletics is so high for young athletes that the message of success is determined by wins and losses and individual statistics, not by the growth of the team.
Some parents have bought into the lie that kids need to be taught by the best coaches or go to the best camps. The lie is that only true success comes from dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars toward these things and will generate a masterpiece of an athlete.
The truth is that less than 10 percent of high school athletes go on to play college sports, and less than 1 percent make it to the professional level.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes was founded in 1954 and challenges coaches at all levels along with athletes of all ages to use athletics to impact the world for Jesus Christ. The current president and CEO of Fellowship of Christian Athletics, Les Steckel, has a storied athletic career at the collegiate and professional levels. Today, he leads an organization in which terms such as integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence are values used to demonstrate a commitment to Jesus Christ and His Word.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes has influenced many of the leaders we know and love today at the collegiate and professional levels: Tom Osborne, Tom Landry, Bobby Bowden, Betsy King, Steve Largent and Tony Dungy. These are just a few names associated with FCA that have been inducted in the Hall of Champions. FCA also has a Hall of Honor for those who have served on the staff for 20, 25 and 30 years supporting young men, women and coaches across the country.
One Story
Kurt Earl, an assistant football coach at Lincoln Christian Schools, located in Lincoln, Neb., has been associated with FCA for 15 years, first in high school, then college and now as a coach. His experience with FCA came as a freshman in high school when he was experiencing difficulty with his family and struggled with some personal trials.
Knowing things needed to change and being an athlete, Kurt began to engage with FCA. The turning point in Kurt’s life came through the Fellowship of Christian Athlete’s sponsor Doug Johnson. Kurt was drawn to Doug Johnson through his intentional, purposeful and driven desire to live for Jesus Christ. Doug helped guide Kurt through the muddy waters of his freshman and sophomore years.
Teaching Kurt the right and wrong ways to handle situations in his life, and spending time listening and being consistent without compromising what was right and wrong. Kurt explained how Doug always spoke the truth into Kurt’s life and struggles. Kurt now has the opportunity to give back to the high school athletes the wisdom and knowledge passed down from Doug Johnson and the FCA.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes has a presence in all 50 states with leadership in place to help coaches who want to get involved and information for young men and women who would like to become part of the FCA family of Christian athletes. For more information, visit FCA.org.
Youth Alpha
By Cara-Ann Burnham
A movement started in a church in London in 1970 has become an international tried-and-tested method for introducing people to the Christian faith. By the mid ’90s, youth workers were so impressed with the Alpha program that they asked for their own youth-oriented version. Now, like its parent, Youth Alpha is a global success.
What’s Youth Alpha?
The truth is, Youth Alpha presentations will look different from church to church. An outline exists, but this is flexible, allowing anything from 45 minutes to three hours per session. Food, fun and discussion remain the key components.
The Youth Alpha presentations are given live, unlike the adult version, and may consist of testimonies or movie clips before a thought-provoking talk about Christianity. Topics include “Who Is Jesus?” and the Holy Spirit, which are followed by small group discussions (often led by teenagers within the church). As the talks and teachings are given live, the guests’ experience and quality of the program will vary. A follow-up course or program is beneficial for guests who decide to join a church as a result of the program, and while they will have covered the basics of Christianity, they are likely to have many more questions afterward.
Today, an estimated 15 million people worldwide have attended Alpha presentations; here in America, it has been implemented in 50 states and supported by most major denominations. Perhaps one reason churches are enthusiastic is the multitude of resources, available at Alphana.org, as well as conferences to assist with the training.
The book Questions of Life by Nicky Gumbel is the main resource for Alpha, laying out the foundations of the Christian faith. Also available to guests is Searching Issues, which provides some insight into a Christian response to key topics such as world religions, homosexuality and sex before marriage. These resources are easy to read; and combined with the additional training and manuals, they make the course relatively easy to implement in a church.
Alpha provides a place to ask questions about the meaning of life, to hear from those who have been transformed by Christ and to witness the church opening doors to the community.
