Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with the Student Pastor at Carolina Forest Community Church and talk to him about what has made their student ministry so successful. In this interview Rick Adkins shares three keys to a growing student ministry. He says there is a spiritual hunger in this generation and authenticity is the key to reaching them for Jesus Christ. You can contact Rick for more information on CFCC student ministry at radkins@carolinaforest.org
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I completely agree with Rick. In my opinion, nothing has hurt the Church more in the last few decades than leaders hiding their inadequacies and faults until they blow up in their face.
We are all guilty of sin, and it’s better for us to admit our faults and work through them. When young people watch leaders take on their problems and allow God to change them, that does more for their faith than anything else in my opinion.
That’s good stuff Rick! Authenticity is key, students need to see leaders struggle and be given the space and grace to struggle themselves. I don’t remember anything Dean Howell ever said, but when I accepted Christ I knew what it looked like to live for Him because of the way he lived out his faith. Developing a Core Leadership Team is essential. Significant life change takes place in the context of relationships. Period. I think the key statement Rick made here was, ‘willing to sacrifice.’ Relationships take time. It is critical to have leaders who catch the vision of relational ministry and are willing to pursue and pour into students. Lastly, we must be unashamed to present the Truth. Entertainment is an effective draw but a lousy motivator when it comes to life change. The key here is a willingness to, ‘present the truth.’ We can not and need not guilt or persuade students into living lives of obedience. It’s just not effective. The essential element here is the environment. If we ‘present the truth’ in an ‘environment’ where students feel safe to open up, free to question and loved for who they are we will experience life change. I’m encouraged and excited about what God is doing in your ministry! Great job Rick.