We discuss ministry value #1 about belonging. Special guest Jackson Butman.

Jack shares a few stories about sobbing over video games, telling mom “I love you,” and kids breaking coffee mugs.

We’ve created 8 “ministry values” that we’re going through each month at Renew. In September, we discussed the first:

Ministry Value #1: “We believe the church needs to be a place where all youth are welcome and find belonging. This happens through authentic, meaningful relationships between adults and youth.”

We discuss:

-Do youth feel that they belong here (in the church)?-Do youth outside of the church feel connected to it? How do we help that happen?-How do youth outside the church view it? Do they think it’s about a relationship or is it just religion?-What’s significant about relationships in the church?

We then look at the creation story in Genesis 2. God says it’s not good for man to be alone. God gives us rules (religion), but God also gives us life.

-How are relationships in the church a way that God gives us life?-What’s more important, relationships or religion?

The challenge is to reach out and connect with others, which leads to a connection to the church beyond high school.

Email [email protected] with comments or questions. We’d love for you to join the conversation.