Youth Ministry Philosophy

As we seek to connect our stories with God's great story of love, grace, and hope, the Derbyshire Baptist Youth Ministry seeks to...

  • Discover: We seek to help students discover how their God-given gifts and callings fit into the ministry of Christ's Church. We believe that students are not the future Church, but are the present Church, and that people of all ages are called to serve together in partnership to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our purpose is to provide a safe place where students can engage with each other, with God, and with their own selves so that they might continually seek to understand who they are as God-created, God-called, and God-sent people.
  • Equip: We seek to provide faith-filled opportunities to grow spiritually, emotionally, and personally, so that students will feel equipped to live and love like Jesus. This happens, of course, at Sunday School, Worship, and Bible Studies, but the equipping for life with Jesus also happens in the fun fellowship activities where they can grow in community, and as they are outside the walls of Derbyshire serving the world and sharing the love of Jesus wherever they are.
  • Empower: We seek to offer opportunities of service and ministry in all aspects of church life at Derbyshire and in the Kingdom of God. Students are vital to the whole of the Derbyshire congregation, and we seek to help them find their place where their passions can meet God's calling.
  • Encourage: We seek to be consistent, reliable, and dependable. Often times the most meaningful things in the life of students is to have people who are consistently present, and who can be trusted.

To live out our Youth Ministry Philosophy we believe that everything we do should fit into at least one of these categories...

  • Discipleship: Sunday School; "The Gathering" Youth Bible Study; Passport Camps; Retreats; Small Groups
  • Fellowship: Sunday Breakfast; "The Gathering" Youth Supper and Bible Study; "Downtime" on Wednesday Evenings; Picnics; Gatherings in Church Members' Homes; D-Now; Fall Retreat
  • Mission: Passport Camps; SOUPer Bowl of Caring; D-Now Mission Project
  • Worship: Sunday Morning Worship;  D-Now