"FRBC’s Youth Ministry seeks to Partner with Parents
and to Train Students in the Word of God for the Work of the Gospel"
FRBC’S Youth Ministry
These efforts act as a ministry of Flint Reformed Baptist Church to the students in our midst and the parents in our membership.
To Partner with Parents
The church’s role in the lives of young people is a real and significant one. As a child becomes an adult, the parents’ direct authority decreases until eventually, the (now) adult is directly under the authority of the local church. The teenage years act as a transitional time where these shifts begin to occur in an evident way.
Likewise, the role and involvement of the church should be present along with the parents. Youth ministry is not intended to have spiritual influence on a student in isolation from the family, nor is youth ministry merely an equipping of parents with teenagers.
Youth ministry is meant to partner with parents in raising their students to be Godly churchmen and churchwomen who meet the Lord Jesus in His Word and share His gospel with their world.
To Train Students
Our goal is not to entertain, though there is joy in God’s presence. Our goal is not to inform, though much will be learned from the Bible. Our goal is not to merely hang out, though relationships are important. Our goal is not to clean up the streets, though there is much service to be done.
Our goal is to train students—to introduce them to Jesus, to immerse them in His Word and to help them live Godly lives going the way of the cross, that when they grow up, they will not depart from it.
In the Word of God
When addressing students, it is difficult to think of a more appropriate passage of scripture than 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
It is scripture (the sacred writings) which are able to make one wise for salvation, which are breathed out by God, which are profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness that one may be complete and equipped for every good work.
If we want our youth to be miraculously saved, well taught, lovingly corrected, righteously trained and completely equipped, we will train them in the Word of God.
For the Work of the Gospel
If verse 16 can be seen as the what, perhaps verse 17 can be seen as the why. It is our prayer that our students will be complete and equipped for every good work. These are not good works that labor for salvation (this work was accomplished by Christ alone). Rather, these are good works that stem from salvation (and point to Christ’s alone).
We use the phrase “work of the gospel” because as the gospel of Jesus Christ takes root in our lives, it bears fruit by the grace of His Spirit. Yet, we are called to live lives worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (knowing that it is God who works in us).
We want our students to be workers who are not ashamed as they share the gospel message with their words and live in light of the gospel message with their works.