We believe that advancing the Kingdom of God means advancing the local church. It is a core of our beliefs for the First Priority family. A very practical way that we express that core value is through our partnership with SLU (Student Leadership University). They believe the same as we do, that the local church and it’s youth ministry is key to seeing the Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. So, we utilize the YPS (Youth Pastor Summit) to encourage, equip, and empower youth pastors in our communities. Here is what Phillip Cole (FP Area Director, Shreveport, LA) had to say after taking a group of youth pastors to Dallas this past spring:
“We had the privilege to take local student pastors in the ArkLaTex to a conference in Dallas, Texas at no cost to them or their churches in April of this semester. Youth pastor summit is a great opportunity for youth pastors to come together, fellowship, be encouraged, and learn new ideas about youth ministry, so we make it a practice to take a group annually. This year we took a group of 14 youth pastors and had a blast! We also took in a few rounds of Top Golf and laughed together for hours. It is a blessing to see the camaraderie among youth pastors in the ArkLaTex!”
Jesus said that He would build his church. By working with SLU, we help to build unity in the youth ministry community because it is what we value. There will be 7 locations for YPS this coming 2017-18 school year; be sure to check them out when they announce dates and locations this fall.
