Relational Ministry

The Core of our Ministry

Relational ministry focuses on leading, teaching, and counseling all within a direct relationship between the leader and the follower. It is the structure in which the leader becomes intentional in the existence of their follower and does life with them to guide their steps towards Christ.

This means that all interaction between leader and follower is productive for the spiritual growth of the follower. From doing fun things like playing games, solving puzzles, and eating awesome food, to more serious things like talking about purpose, discussing tough questions, studying the bible, and praying, all things are of equal value as they all are important for developing a good relationship between the leader and follower and ultimately between the follower and God.

3 story

3Story is the phrase we use to describe how we live in a relationship with God and others. We use three circles to represent these stories—God’s Story, my own story, and the stories of young people. When the circles overlap, it means friendship is growing, trust is building, and transformation is happening.

This method of Ministry helps people who love Jesus stay tightly connected to Him so they might become good news as they talk about the Good News of God’s love. It’s a lifestyle we pursue. We want to be people who love like Jesus loves us, who serve as Jesus serves, and who are consistently drawing near to God for the sake of young people.

3Story is not an evangelism tool or method; it is who we want to be and how we want to live. In Youth For Christ, 3Story is our living operating system, it is our DNA. Knowing that if we seek to abide deeply with Jesus every day and stay saturated in His word, we will be ready and aware of the opportunities He gives us in a lost world. We focus on being with Jesus. All of our doing flows from our being with Jesus.

How it Helps

Jesus had a very close relationship with his disciples. He spent time with them every day as he brought them along on his ministry tour. Together they laughed, talked, prayed, ate, and loved one another. To Jesus, a big part of his ministry was the disciples he was preparing to be the leaders of the beginning of the church. History proves that doing life with others while both speaking the truth and living it out, is the most effective way to inspire others to follow.

When a teenager can trust on your consistency, they will trust what you have to say. If you are consistently involved in their lives they will listen to you and follow the actions you set as an example.

If we embody the actions of Christ and introduce kids to his story, then will feel inspired to follow him more intimately as well.

As we sent the example of patient, enduring, unconditional love, then we will find that the kids will start to live their lives by that and in turn, set the example for others, causing the chain to grow and grow.

One day maybe all will be leaders, embodying selfless love in the servanthood of others, and it may just be contagious enough to spread beyond all borders, changing many lives.

Approach to Ministry

 A leader and a follower is what ministry is all about. When a leader, whose sole motivation is the well-being and growth of their follower, steps into the life of another individual and models a way of life that is in the image of Jesus, that is what true ministry is. To have the greatest impact on one’s life, the leader should have a frequently involved position in their followers life to allow the follower to establish  friendship, trust, and respect. We believe that when a leader is involved in a followers weekly life and their actions work in perfect harmony with their speech, this creates the most impactful form of leadership.

The leader should be older than the follower. Anyone can be a leader, however it is most effective when the older serves the younger. Experience is the most important teacher in life and someone who has more of it has more wisdom. An older individual has more wisdom and is in a better position to help guide a younger individual into a life of correct decision making and purpose.

Our model of the older serving the younger“ can be applied at any point in a person’s life. Whether the individual is elementary age, teenage, or adult age, they can always lead those younger than themselves. The hope is that when an older leader steps into the life of a younger individual, that individual may be inspired and learn by the older so that they can start serving those younger than themselves. Whole communities can be impacted   by this model. if everyone learns from the those older than them and guides those younger than them then no one is left without guidance. It is a principal that in which its simplicity allows it to work in any environment and its effectiveness can change any community.

With this Older Serving the Younger model of relational ministry being applied in our organization, we desire that it be contagious and effect those in and outside of the ministry, so that society can adopt this, and create a self sustaining system of Godly leadership and living.