Give
All posts

Pioneering a Student Ministry

Mar 4th, 2011

The tide is turning across the UK.

More churches than ever before are starting up student ministries. Rachel Magowan from St Stephen's Twickenham shares her top tips for starting out in student ministry:

"Last September we had very few students at St Stephen's, but now have a flourishing student cell, with more and more students interested in finding out about Jesus. Here are some top tips in order to make student work happen in your local church.

Invest in the lives of students

  • Gather the students that you already have and invest in their lives. This means making them feel welcome in the church, and can involve taking them out for coffee, praying with them, and mentoring them. Once you have a small committed group of students, encourage them to set up a small group with agreed values, such as discipleship and mission.  A thriving small group will naturally draw in others who have not yet found churches or who are simply interested in the Christian faith.  

Plan and think about the future

  • Start planning for the future. Dream dreams and ask questions about what could be. Get an overall vision of what you want the student work to look like in a few years time. But keep in close contact with your church leadership to  make sure that your vision for student ministry reflects the vision of the church.
  • Once you have a vision write it down. Then think about how you are going to make it happen. This involves asking questions, such as ‘What practical steps do I need to take to make this vision happen?’ This takes time; I find that it is good to set aside a bit of time once a week to pray and think through ‘how’ part of your vision.

Get your church involved

  • Draw together a team from your church to help and support you in this work. Communicate your vision clearly with your team and ask for their advice and help. Publicise student ministry in the church and get your church praying for what you are doing. So if you invest in the lives of students, plan and think about the future and get your church involved, pioneering a student ministry should be both fun and fruitful.