Bowling Green Student Ministries (BGSM)
Ministry Plan
The covenant between leaders, students, parents, and the church.
Fall 2014 – Summer 2015
(Posted 8/20/2014)
“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” –Col. -3:15-17
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1Mission Plan Description
2Vision
3Ministry Description and Administration
3.1Name and Meaning
3.2Logo and Logo Use
3.3Leadership and Organization
3.4Volunteer Requirements
3.4.1Commitment/Attendance
3.4.2Theological Consistency
3.5Communication
3.5.1Communications Between Volunteers
3.5.2Newsletter
3.5.3Small Group Communications
4Finances
4.1Budgeting
4.2Providence Fund
4.3Fair-Share Accounts
4.4Youth Group Bank Account
5Planned Weekly Program
5.1Weekly Bible Study
5.2Praise and Worship
5.3Sports/Fellowship
5.4Splinter Activities
5.5Sunday School
6External/Irregular Program
7Summary of Expectations
7.1Ministry Leadership
7.2Students
7.3Parents
7.4Church Leadership and Membership
7.5Pastor
8Final Endorsement
1
1Mission Plan Description
This ministry plan represents a commitment and a covenant between the church, those who serve Bowling GreenStudent Ministries (BGSM), the parents of member youth, and the youth. In it, the goals, objectives and expectations will be clearly defined.
Upon completion, this document will be presented to the following:
- The pastor of Bowling Green Baptist Church for his approval. As a shepherd must guard and guide his flock, so should the pastor be active in guarding and guiding the student ministries leaders in their academic and spiritual plans as well as the students themselves as they grow into young adult members of the global church.
- The deacons of Bowling Green Baptist Church for their approval. As the spiritual leaders of the congregation, it is important that they understand and spiritually commit to supporting ourstudent ministries. It is their mentorship and leadership that will help to encourage those who work with our youth and encourage participation and solidarity with the youth leaders as they follow God’s calling.
- The Mission Coordination Group (MCG) and church members for their awareness. It is important that other ministries and the church membership understand first that there is a plan for building the church’s students into spiritually mature adults, and secondly that the plan set out for the students is grounded in the spiritual belief that God is at the center of each person’s life and each ministry that the church undertakes.
Each year, Bowling Green Student Ministries (BGSM) Mission Plan will be reviewed and updated as needed. The design of this document is to openly communicate what the student ministries team feels is God’s plan for this church and not to restrict or reduce the operations of the ministry administratively or unnecessarily. As such, any updates should allow for flexibility as the ministry evolves and matures.
2Vision
Bowling Green Student Ministries is a ministry dedicated towards building lasting relationships between mentors and students and towards building up disciples ready for the challenges of life. The vision statement of BGSM is simple to remember and reflects these values:
Love. Build. Go.
This vision addresses not only the vision of the church’s ministry towards the students, but also the vision each student should pursue in their own lives. Love serves as the foundation for all relationships: relationships with our families, our friends, and with God. Building is required to fortify ourselves for our lives head so that we can be strong enough to follow Christ even when it isn’t convenient. The action “Go” moves us to not just live as insulated Christians behind closed doors, but as believers that want to share the joy Christ has given us with the community around us.
3Ministry Description and Administration
3.1Name and Meaning
The name of the Bowling Green Baptist Church youth group is ‘Bowling Green Student Ministries’, abbreviated BGSM. The name is intended to encompass not only Wednesday night Bible study, but also Sunday school, mission trips, and any supported ministries that may use BGSM facilities, resources, or personnel. The broad spectrum of the name is intended to imply that we are a united church that works together to achieve God’s goal for our students, our church body, and the community.
3.2Logo and Logo Use
The former logo of BGSM was the cross superimposed in the center of a ‘G’ which illustrated that just as Christ is the center of our lives, so should He be the sole driver in everything the youth ministrydid. Since changing the name of Bowling Green Baptist Church’s youth group to BGSM, a new logo has not been established. Once one is established, it will be present on all print-outs for students and parents, the church bulletin board, and all social media. This is to help establish a sense of community, belonging, pride, and ownership among our students, parents, and volunteers.
3.3Leadership and Organization
The leadership for BGSM is designed to facilitate what the leadership team and church feel is God’s direction.
The ministry is led by the student ministries coordinator (SMC) who is directly accountable to the head pastor and must coordinate ministry activities and objectives with the MCG and all external ministries which BGSM may interact with. The SMC’s role is toapprove the Bible study curriculum for a given performance period suggested by the assistant student ministries coordinator, guide the missions focus of the ministry, and manage student activities. Delegation of duties is imperative as the large amount of responsibilities on a volunteer student leader can quickly become overbearing and ultimately degrades the quality of service provided to students. The student leader should solicit for assistance when needed and the church leadership should coordinate needs with the student leader to ensure that all ministry objectives are met or that the impacts of unmet objectives are mitigated. The primary spiritual role of the SMC is to be a spiritual mentor to individuals and guide the activities and events of the group towards a spiritual goal, always focusing on deepening existing relationships with Christ and forming new ones. The SMC must commit to regular attendance to all BGSM events (exceptions permitted).
Assistive support and guidance is available to the SMCfrom the assistant student ministries coordinator (ASMC). The ASMC is responsible for researching and developing study curriculum and managing activities and events as necessary to support ministry objectives. The ASMC is empowered to propose ‘deep dive’ studies and to work with individual group leaders to develop new ways of reaching students in small groups or during special Bible study sessions/activities. The ASMC plays the important role of maintaining accountability of the SMC both in his/her conduct and the direction of BGSM. It is necessary that the ASMC be able bold enough to respectfully and openly communicate with the SMC to avoid any administrative, managerial, or spiritual conflicts. The ASMC must commit to regular attendance to all BGSM events (exceptions permitted).
During regularly scheduled Bible study and special study units, students are taught by group leaders who work with the curriculum proposed and approved by the SMC and ASMC respectively. Group leaders have the unique opportunity to customize lessons to resonate with the needs of individual demographics (age/grade, gender, etc) and pick which themes from the lessons apply most to their group of students. The group leaders are empowered to work with the ASMC to develop unique Bible study units that allow students to dive deeper into their faith and look into issues they might not otherwise have the opportunity to discuss with a larger audience. Group leads must commit to attendance of BGSM events as agreed upon per the requirements of their study unit with the SMC and ASMC, but are welcomed to attend all BGSM events.
BGSM also has a studentintern who is selected from among the students, or a recently graduated student, and assists as needed with various event, activities, and duties.
The entire BGSM staff is supported by a matrixed organization consisting of event and support coordinators, chaperones,at-large team members who help advise the ministry team, and other staff as necessary to support regularly occurring or special events. These individuals have the opportunity to support BGSM on an irregular or temporary basis. This allows individuals who may have limited availability or uncertain interest to assist with ministering to the students without a regular and reoccurring commitment. Matrixed support staff must commit to attendance of BGSM events as required by their role or responsibility as agreed upon with the SMC and ASMC.
In the event that a staff member is unable to meet their responsibilities for any amount of time, it is their responsibility to either identify a replacement and notify the SMC/ASMC or to request that the SMC/ASMC cover their role.
3.4Volunteer Requirements
Volunteering requirements are designed to help workers achieve the ministry vision of “Love. Build. Go.” Adhering to these requirements will prevent any misunderstanding of duties or expectations between the ministry team, students, parents, and church.
3.4.1Commitment/Attendance
Relational ministry, especially as it pertains to students, requires a level of commitment and dedication. Often times by simply being consistently present and available, students will naturally form bonds with leaders, even those who do not actively seek to form connections. Volunteers should be prepared to commit to their position for at least a single ‘season’, which consists of one study-unit in the Bible study material. This allows the volunteer to commit for a short duration (several months versus a year or more) and determine whether they would like to continue working with the students. After the season is over, volunteers may elect to step away from BGSM either temporarily or indefinitely. However, once a commitment is made, it is requested that volunteers honor their commitment not only to the church, but to the students.
3.4.2Theological Consistency
Using the study material provided helps ensure that all workers are following a similar theological approach. However, situations will inevitably arise where Biblical interpretation and theological differences will surface. When this happens, it is highly encouraged, though no required, that the worker bring the point of discussion up to the ministry team as soon as is convenient to discuss the matter. It is possible that the ministry team can disciple each other and even deepen their own understanding of God’s truth through talking through tough issues.
If the worker decides not to bring the matter up to the larger group, it is recommended that the worker use discernment to determine when to caveat statements with phrases such as “this is my interpretation” or “I personally feel that” to help frame the statement as a personal belief that may not be universally accepted among the youth workers or the church.
3.5Communication
BGSM communicates through several different means:
-Text
-Website
Since most teens utilize their cellphones,texting, e-mail and many also have Facebook accounts or can otherwise access the internet, these methods are considered sufficient for most individuals. If someone has difficulty communicating through these means, messages can also be sent home via US mail on a case-by-case basis. It is the student’s and/or student’s parent’s responsibility to communicate these special needs to a leader if needed. A contact form will be presented to students and/or parents each year to allow each household to determine how they would like to best receive news updates.
3.5.1Communications Between Volunteers
All volunteers should be included on e-mail chains that concern the overall ministry, unless the conversation is private/confidential. It is expected that if/when confidential dialogs begin to involve issues or events of concern to the larger group that the private conversation will transition to the entire group. This is to prevent a lack of understanding between volunteers regarding what the direction of the ministry is or who is supporting specific tasks.
All ministry volunteers should be included on mass texts to students and to parents. Mass texts sent out on behalf of BGSM should be sent out using the paid texting service unless otherwise directed by the SMC.
3.5.2Newsletter
A monthly newsletter will be posted on the website and e-mailed to parents containing announcements for events, a brief message, and other materials that can help parents tackle difficult issues they face. An announcement will also be put online (website) and made during Wednesday night activities when newsletters are ready. It is through this medium that notification of events will be made and it is desired that all parents take a moment to review upcoming events and ensure they have made necessary arrangements if they want their student to participate.
3.5.3Small Group Communications
It is desired and encouraged for small group leaders to regularly communicate with their students both one-on-one and as a group. These communications obviously don’t require the SMC to be directly involved. However, if a small group is planning a group event, retreat, or study, the SMC should at least be notified so he/she can deconflict parallel small group events with each other and with larger BGSM activities.
4Finances
Among the most common reasons for conflict within an organization are disagreements associated with finances. These guidelines attempt to consolidate understanding of the availability and use of ministry finances.
4.1Budgeting
The church currently operates on a calendar year-based budget. This means that the budget for BGSM must incorporate spring/summer costs for the current school year and fall/winter costs of the following school year. Since the major events and large-cost items in the budget are fairly consistent from year to year, this should be easily manageable.
The budget will be submitted to the ministry team prior to being submitted to the church’s finance committee. Every line-item should have an attached description and address what the ministry impact will be if funding is not approved.
4.2Providence Fund
The Providence Fund is intended for use in emergency situations where normal budgetary line-items will not suffice for a need. Unless directed otherwise, BGSM will consider an ‘emergency’ to mean issues of aid or relief for a student or student’s immediate family. These funds will not be used to compensate for individuals who do not make payments for specific events unless a needs-based statement is submitted and approved by the Finance Committee.
4.3Fair-Share Accounts
A Fair-Share account is a student account designed to provide parents and students the greatest flexibility possible with how to pay for major camps and events. Each student will be provided with a summary of expenses at the beginning of the school year. The total amount identified is how much parents will be charged for major events throughout the year (any events not listed will have to be paid for on a pay-as-you-go basis).
When fundraising events take place, a record will be kept of how many hours each student worked or participated. For fundraisers that do not require hourly participation, hourly equivalents will be assigned prior to beginning the event. At the conclusion of each Bible study season, the total money raised for fundraising will be divided by the number of hours worked by each student. The effect will be fundraising dollars allocated to students who participate in fundraisers. This has the dual effect of (a) encouraging hard work and providing a financial reward and (b) allocating earned money to families that are actively participating in ministry events. This also allows parents who many opt to only participate in special events to may-their-way rather than requiring their students to participate in fundraisers.
Current Bible study seasons end December 1st, February 1st, June 15st, and August 15th.
All payments into a student’s fair-share account, whether through fundraisers or parental payments, will be made into the youth group bank account.
4.4Youth Group Bank Account
The youth group checking account is an account held at Union/First Market Bank. This bank account will be used to store monies given to the ministry either for an individual student’s fair-share account or from fundraising. Withdrawals from this account will only be made (a) on the basis of a parent or supporter refund or (b) to make payments for camps or other events that are to be paid by each student’s fair-share.
Any other use of this bank account will have to be approved by the Finance Committee on a case-by-case basis. Reports will be provided to the Finance Committee on a quarterly basis.
Per bank policies, two individuals must be listed on the youth bank account and are required before a check can be signed. These two individuals, at a minimum, must be the SMC and a non-related support worker.
5Planned Weekly Program
A student ministry must be composed of more than just a regularly scheduled social event. BGSM endeavors to combine multiple student ministry opportunities into a single program to aid in continued spiritual refreshment throughout the week that support youth at different stages of spiritual growth.
5.1Weekly Bible Study
Every Wednesday evening, all students will participate in a 30 minute Bible study out of a curriculum that will be determined and communicated by the ASMC. During this time, students may either be combined into a single large-group setting or into multiple groups led by assigned group leaders.
5.2Praise and Worship
No less than once a month, youth will have a time of praise and worship that lasts between 10-15 minutes. During this time, youth are expected to be respectful of other youth who may want to participate and are encouraged to sing along with the worship leader. The worship leader will be delegated by the SMC as needed. In the event that no regular worship leader can be identified, praise and worship activities may be omitted.