Youth Ministry

When joining a church, parents are right to ask, “do they have anything here for my kids?” Christian parents know first hand that the world has many deadly temptations, and they are right to want a community of believers that can help their kids live a godly life. It may be true that the teen years are a unique season in life wrought with particular challenges, but this can often lead parents to look right past the things in a church that might help their kids the most. At Immanuel we believe that the main things young people need are the main things that all people need! Young people need to understand their sin and how God has provided a Savior. They also need godly role models who they (along with their parents) can trust and follow. Finally, they need to be part of a welcoming community that will get to know them and then call them over and over to follow Christ more faithfully. At Immanuel we long to see young people who resist the temptations of this world and who use their lives sacrificially to build the kingdom of God. We’re convinced this comes about through the teaching and community of the whole church.

What does our Youth Ministry look like?

Parents – The most important components in our youth ministry are parents. The Bible makes it clear that the primary responsibility for training children to be like Jesus belongs to the parents. The book of Ephesians says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4 ESV) That means the most important person in teaching a child that Jesus was the Savior of the World is Dad!

Gathered Worship –The center of our gathered worship is the teaching of the Bible. As we gather to sing the Word, pray the Word, listen to the Word, and watch the Word in baptism & the Lord’s Supper, we believe young people will get much of the training, teaching, and encouragement they need to follow Christ.

Gospel Community Groups – A vital part of growing up is learning to interact in community with people from all walks of life. Maturity means honoring your parents publically and privately (Eph. 6:1-4). It means learning how to submit to the Elders of the Church (1 Peter 5:5). It means learning how to treat younger women and older men (1 Tim. 5:1-2). We desire to see young people and older people interacting and learning how to love one another in Christ. That kind of community is a vital part of our youth ministry.

One on One Discipleship – One of the wonderful blessings of community is one on one relationships. It is truly a precious thing when two Christians begin meeting to encourage one another! We love to see older women meeting with younger women, and older men meeting with younger men and we do see it in the youth ministry at Immanuel

Youth Gatherings – Finally, it can be really beneficial and enjoyable for young people to meet together, serve together, and to enjoy one another’s fellowship. Monthly youth gatherings are held every second Friday.

If you would like to be more involved in the lives of Immanuel youth, please email youth@ibclouisville.org.