Skip to main content
All Posts By

Kristina Sears

Apr 24
Love0

Meet Allison

By FP Success Story, Local FP Communities, Student Leaders

This is a story about Allison, who was a victim of bullying and who suffered from depression. She dealt with her pain by cutting her arms, and struggled with the belief that God had left her. In her sophomore year of high school, she reached a breaking point and spent four months in a psychiatric hospital in Lexington. Allison says it was prayer that helped her survive during this time.

Her dad often told her, “When you are down to nothing, God is up to something.”

After coming home, a friend introduced her to First Priority. There, she found family and a place to belong. When asked to be a First Priority leader, Allison knew her path.

“I saw it as an opportunity to tell my story and help others. I feel closer to other students in First Priority. They are my brothers and sisters in Christ. We are going to heaven together,” says Allison. “Being in First Priority has not only helped me, but also helped others. People know my story, so it helps them too.”

FP Tri-County reaches students like Allison every day. There are 28 clubs meeting in schools across the region every week. Each one is spreading the message of “The Hope of Christ” from one student to the next with the guidance of local teachers, pastors, and club leaders. If you want to hear more of Allison’s story you can click on the video below.

 

Apr 16
Love0

A Great Day at Holton High School!

By Local FP Communities

It was a great day at the Holton High School First Priority Engage event! This little rural 9-12th grade public high school has just 237 students total. Because of your prayers, the courage of our club’s approx. 25 regular attenders, and the grace and goodness of God, there were a total of 52 students in attendance (nearly 25% of the student body)! They all heard the bold, humble and honest testimony of HS Senior Dani along with her clear presentation of the Gospel!

Apr 09
Love0

Celebrating HOPE

By Local FP Communities, Student Leaders

During this year’s 13th Region Basketball Tournament, First Priority Tri-County was honored to present Jillian Enix of Pineville and J.D. McVey of Barbourville with the first annual Hope Award. This commendation recognizes these young leaders’ commitment to their community, school, and Christ.

First Priority Tri-County oversees 27 Christian clubs in middle and high schools throughout the region. These groups provide young people with an accessible, safe space to share their faith and connect with their school community. H.O.P.E is the acronym for the program’s four-week strategy, standing for Hope, Overcome, Prepare, and Engage. This cycle allows students to prepare themselves for their journey in faith and reach out to fellow classmates. During its decade of operation in south eastern Kentucky, First Priority Tri-County has witnessed the growth of countless young leaders who grew through H.O.P.E. This year marks the first time these students had the opportunity to be recognized with the granting of the Hope Award.

Prior to the tournament, every high school in the 13th region was invited to nominate one male and one female student as candidates for the award. The only criteria for nominees was that they belong to their school’s varsity basketball team. tri-countyHowever, in order to demonstrate how they strengthened their community and guided other youth to Christ through H.O.P.E., the qualifying students were then required to complete a rigorous application detailing their involvement with their local First Priority club, extra-curricular activities, community projects, and church programs. The winners were determined based upon points awarded for each activity or area of commitment.

This year’s candidates were truly outstanding young men and women, and we can’t wait to acknowledge more students like Jillian and J.D. in the coming years!

Apr 04
Love0

Campus Ministry is Student Ministry

By Nehemiah, Local FP Communities, FP Tools

By Cameron Crow

I recently started my second year in Campus Ministry, and it is amazing. God is doing great things through the obedience of a few students who are being bold in their faith. One of the best experiences, not only as a Student Pastor, but as a Christian, is watching a student lead another student to a relationship with Christ. Last year, we saw over 60 students in one high school give their hearts to Christ. One of my favorite stories is of a senior named Noemi during an evangelism training meeting. We were in the middle of reviewing the “3 Circles Evangelism Tool,” by Jimmy Scroggins, that we had used all semester when Noemi promptly exited the room with no explanation. She opened the door and rushed out leaving us all in a confused state. Three minutes later she returned back to the room to ecstatically introduce us to our newest brother in Christ.

Noemi saw her fellow classmates through spiritual eyes and wanted to give each one of them a chance to respond to the Gospel. Her passion for her campus and her obedience to God’s calling on her life was addicting. Together with Chelsea and Carrie, Noemi gave over 1,000 students a chance to respond to Jesus Christ and to be equipped to share the gospel on their own. That year, our Christian Club grew from 8 students at our first meeting to upwards of 300 students squeezed into a much larger room. This was my introduction to Campus Ministry.

CAMPUS MINISTRY IS VITAL TO REACHING STUDENTS

In my opinion, Campus Ministry is the most effective form of Student Ministry. It is more effective to go to them than to attempt to get them to you. The days of 1990s event driven Student Ministries are in the past. Don’t get me wrong, events are still a vital part of Student Ministry, just not the central focus anymore. No matter how cool or relevant your ministry is, you will not be able to draw that many students to your church. The reality is that students spend 25% of their waking hours at school, and you cannot compete with that. So, like the old saying goes, “If you can’t beat them, join them.”

The majority of our campuses are plagued with the religion of “False Christianity.” Every day I encounter students on campus that tell me they are a Christian. Upon further discussion, we discover that their “Christianity” holds that salvation is obtained through inheritance, church attendance, good deeds, etc. According to the Pew Research Center in 2014, two-thirds of people under 30 do not go to church regularly, much less have a relationship with Christ. That means over two-thirds of students are lost and going to spend eternity away from God if we do not bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ directly to them. This is our mission field as Student Pastors. Matthew 9:37-38 says it like this, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.”

THE BIBLE IS ALLOWED ON CAMPUS

I remember sitting in a principal’s office as we reviewed the different clubs on campus and how our Christian Club could be effective. As we were scrolling through the list, the ex-Student Pastor turned high school principal grumbled on the fact that political correctness had infiltrated the schools. He voiced his concern at the message that these clubs promoted and his desire for them to go away. It was at this point God grabbed my attention with this one verse, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart,” Hebrews 4:12. God reminded me that HIS proclaimed message was stronger than any secular agenda that was currently popular. He also pointed out to me that not only did this group of students need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but He had gathered them all together in a group so that they were easier to reach.

It is popular for Christians to plaster social media with the issue of Christ being taken out of schools and blame the politicians for removing the Bible from campuses. THIS THINKING IS DEMONIC. Legally, Christ and the Bible are allowed on campus, but stupid people are not. When a Student Pastor stands on a table in the cafeteria with a “Turn or Burn” 1980’s style message, he forces the school administrators to guard their school against becoming a distraction instead of a place of learning. By discovering and respecting the campus rules and district policies, student pastors can infiltrate our school campuses with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Schedule a meeting with the principals and/or superintendents to learn how you can PARTNER with them to better their campus. School administrators would love to have all of the behavior issues removed from their campus. We just have to do it the right way, relationally.

TRANSFORMATION DOES HAPPEN ON CAMPUS

This year was a frustrating start for me on campus. God had called me from Houston, Texas to Big Spring, Texas in late August. We had to start all over at a different school, with a different culture, and a different group of students. We had to find a different way to reach students on this campus than how we did in Houston. Starting the new school year, we offered Bible studies and training sessions. We were inviting students to attend through morning announcements, 3″x 3″ personal invite cards, and school approved posters. None of this worked. We rejoiced in the fruit of two students who give their hearts to Christ, but we knew there was more in store. My pastor growing up always said, “Figure out what God is up to and get on board.”

We started praying and seeking what God would have for Big Spring High School. In what way did he want to reach these students? Through this process we began to be drawn to First Priority of America. First Priority of America is an organization that I knew from past ministry opportunities, but I had never worked with them. As we continued to seek God’s will, meetings began to happen between the First Priority regional director (40 minutes down the road) and us. Stories started to pile up of how God was moving in the Midland/Odessa Area where over 600 students had given their lives to Christ. God is moving through the obedience of 26 First Priority Clubs in Midland/Odessa, Texas. We immediately knew this was how God was moving and we needed to jump on board. God is moving on School Campuses across America and lives are being transformed.

PARTNERSHIP IS IMPORTANT!

What I am about to say will be affirmed by almost every local pastor vocally. The devil is secretly attacking each of us in this area, targeting our flesh and our pride. It is easy to focus on growing our own ministry rather than the entire body of Christ. We are called to work together as pastors, not against each other. We must get rid of our selfishness, bitterness, and pride, and build up each other in the faith. Paul says it like this in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.”

Not only is it important to partner with ministers from other churches, it is important for us to partner with different ministries. When God moved me from Houston to Big Spring, He decreased the ministry budget that I had been used to. The best way for us to do Campus Ministry effectively in this new reality was through partnering with First Priority of America. First Priority of America not only brought a huge financial help, they were able to fulfill the lack of structure and excitement that our current Christian Club desperately needed. First Priority provides each club with curriculum, student leadership training, and a structure designed for success. Through local donations, each student that attends also receives a t-shirt in their school colors, a lanyard, donuts, and a chance to win really great prizes. The excitement generated by the structure and promotional items gets students to the club, while the training allows for the development of student leaders to lead their friends to Christ.

FOLLOW UP…FOLLOW UP…FOLLOW UP

Follow up is where Campus Ministry and your Student Ministry connect. Getting students from campus to your church happens here. As students make decisions to follow Christ or grow in their relationship with Christ, they will naturally begin seeking a place to connect. You are that connection point. This does not mean that students end up always attending your Student Ministry. It means students are connecting to a Bible believing church where they feel comfortable and able to grow in their walk with Jesus Christ.

I have learned that getting students involved in church is tricky. Students typically do not just jump in feet first. It takes some encouragement. The threshold of any church is scary to cross. So how do we work to fix this awkward disconnect? Relationship, relationship, relationship. We must constantly work on teaching our student leaders to be relational as well as leading by example. Students will not do what we say. They will do what we model. Be their Barnabas. Lead and train up Paul’s to go out into a broken world to be the light on the hill.

OTHER WAYS TO MAKE AN IMPACT

I have found that Christian Clubs alone are not the most effective way to do Campus Ministry. Campus Ministry needs to be a well-rounded strategy, not just a box to check off each week. Not only do we need to be ministering to the students, but we need to be ministering to teachers, staff, administrators, and parents. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus lays out the Great Commission in this way, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We need to look at the Great Commission in a way that we normally do not. We need to find the different “nations” on our school campus and strategize ways to reach each one. Click here to see a few different ideas to reach local school campuses for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

God calls us to go. When we follow the calling that He has on our lives, we get to dwell in the blessings that He has prepared for us. Student Ministry must be a calling that you are willing to go to the ends of the earth to fulfill. You have been called to a mission field full of nations. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to reach those different nations? How will you be obedient to the calling God has on your life?

Apr 04
Love0

17 Ways to Serve the School

By FP Tools

Below are a few different ideas to reach local school campuses for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

  1. Become a School Chaplin– Sports Teams, District Ceremonies, Praying over a Banquet.
  2. Principal Q&A– Bring the Principals onto your church campus and interview them on stage to discover school needs.
  3. Lunch Duty– Give the teachers a break during lunch, and cover cafeteria duty for them.
  4. Disciple Now Service Projects– Spend your Disciple Now free time serving on your local school campus, invest in areas that they are limited by time and resources to address.
  5. School Year Kickoff– Have a time where you do something special for the school to launch the school year. Walking the halls and rooms, taking time to pray over each room. Even leave a card letting the teacher know that you prayed for them.
  6. Special Need Sponsorship– Special Need programs are always limited on funds and accessibility. Look for ways that you can minister to this “nation” on campus.
  7. Car Drop Off– Another time that teachers could use a break is during car drop off duty. Taking this off their plate gives you a chance to interact with students and parents.
  8. School Clubs– As stated above… this is one of the best ways to impact your campus.
  9. In Service Meals– Show the teachers that you love and care for them by providing a meal for them during their in-service work days.
  10. A&B Honor Roll Gifts– This is an incredible way to show the school that you want to partner with them. By celebrating successes, you are a great way to connect with parents and show that you care.
  11. Faculty Breakfast– Randomly bring breakfast or cookies to the school with a little note. Let them know that you appreciate their hard work and their calling.
  12. Prayer Walk– Make prayer the front and center of your ministry on and off campus. Pray for your schools, teachers, students, staff, and administrators.
  13. Award Banquets– Offer your church as a place for the local schools to hold their banquets taking the stress off of the directors, sponsors, and coaches. This is a great way to get student through the threshold of the church during a non-church event.
  14. Senior Breakfast– As students start to think about the future, this is an opportunity to share a look, a word, and a touch! This also gets parents and students through the threshold of the church.
  15. Crisis Team– Be there when crisis happens. Let them know that you want to make yourself available to listen and offer a safe place for students to vent.
  16. School Assemblies– You most likely will not be able to have a gospel conversation during the assembly, but you can get your face in front of students, promote events, and have gospel conversations before and after the assembly.
  17. School Events– Be at as many events as possible. This is time consuming, but worth it. Students want to know you care and when you take time out of your day to show interest in their lives, they will connect with you sooner and stronger.

by Cameron Crow

Mar 15
Love0

Grow Where God Has Planted You

By Leadership Development, First Priority Of America

Esther 4:14, New King James Version (NKJV)
14 “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Mordecai speaks truth to Esther and tells her she is there for a reason. If you are familiar with the story, you know that Esther had become Queen and Haman had plotted to have all the Jews killed. Mordecai gets wind of it and tells Esther if she does not act, it will be ruin for the Jews.

We have all been in a situation where we knew we were there for a reason. I believe God put each of us in certain places to accomplish His will and to be used by Him for such a time as this. I have found that everyday can be an adventure if we have the mindset of being in a place where we know God led us to.

I always hear of pastors that want to move on to somewhere else. They think the next church will be better, or, the change in staff and congregation will be more in alignment with them. GrowThe bottom line is this, grow where God has planted you. People are people and all of us have our hang-ups. Find YOUR place. You can still live the adventure. Stop trying to get to the greener grass on the other side of the fence. If you do that, you are missing the opportunity you have in front of you. If you think the grass you have under your feet is brown, and it’s better over there, water and fertilize where you stand and recognize you are there for such a time as this.

Mar 08
Love0

God is Moving more Student to Reach their School!

By Local FP Communities, Student Leaders

God is on the move. More students are ready and seeking to start First Priority Clubs in their schools. In FP St. Louis Metro East 3 new clubs are starting! Praise God!

In FP Greater Clayton 90 students gave their lives to Christ in the last two weeks!

Lane, a FP student in Tampa, FL, shares why she has dedicated 6 years of her life to leading a First Priority club at her school and how she also senses the urgency to share the Gospel of Christ.

Mar 05
Love0

Students are Changing Students Lives for Christ!

By Local FP Communities, Student Leaders, FP Success Story

Here are some stories from clubs this past week where lives are being changed for Christ!

“I watched an 8th grade young lady, share her story, present the Romans road and 34 students walk across a gym floor to say ‘I want what she’s got’ Praise God!” FP North Alabama

What-we-believe“We had several students this morning that attended First Priority for the first time. We had a lot of First Priority students reaching out to bring in friends. We had more than 60 students in attendance today and we are so excited that 11 students prayed to receive Christ and five students responded that they would like more information about the Gospel! God is good!” FP Birmingham

“Students taught how to share the gospel and offered a chance to respond! 7 students responded and accepted Christ!” FP Blue Ridge

 

Mar 01
Love0

Putting Faith Into Action

By Local FP Communities, Student Leaders

Last week, the students in this club in FP Blue Ridge faced persecution as they tried to pass out cards, sharing the gospel with their peers. This was really the first time they faced opposition.

This week worked out perfectly, in an odd way. Zack opened in prayer and talked about the persecution received last week. The students helped each other by talking about any new fears after they were made fun of. There was also a rumored threat at school on Monday. Zack brought this up and shared how we have backed down, cowered in a corner for too long. He said we should’ve been using Monday and Tuesday’s threat as an awesome opportunity to share the reason for our HOPE. And even if they missed the opportunity earlier this week, kids will be looking to the “Christians” when all craziness breaks loose as the boy returns to school. It was a wonderful time talking about truly putting our faith into action.

Feb 16
Love0

70 Days of Expansion

By First Priority Of America, Events

The INSANITY of Gospel Entrepreneurs

Friends,
It is amazing to consider the ministry of First Priority and that we are reaching

10,000 students a year for Christ. The possibility of doubling that number by the end of 2018 is not only possible, but probable. The joy and privilege I have in leading this organization begins and ends with your passion and energy to reach America’s students with the Gospel. These 70 Days will give us all some additional intentionality to take our evangelism “game” up a level. The difference in elite athletes and great athletes is only the higher level of focus and discipline in the fundamentals. The challenge with the 70 Days of Expansion is to be intentional in everything we do and with more passion.

This plan has 4 components:

  • To bring clarity to the student led First Priority clubs by spending time in prayer and fasting in February
  • To give a more focused and intentional evangelism push in March
  • To create a community service project focused on the schools in April
  • To end the 70 days partnering with the National Day of Prayer on May 3

So what is our goal? The important thing is that WE AS A NATIONAL MINISTRY focus for 70 days on expanding our efforts to see students saved and we are ALL as prepared as possible. Included in the 70 Resources are the details and information for the upcoming ’70 Days of Expansion’ starting in February 2018!

The more we pray about this idea and hear the excitement from many of you, the more we feel that this is an incredible opportunity for all of us to unite around a project that will raise awareness of the First Priority brand.

With H.O.P.E. from Christ,

Dr. Rick Forbus
President
First Priority of America, Inc.

70 Days of Expansion Outreach Guide

70 DAYS of Expansion Prayer and Fasting Guide

70 Days of Expansion Service

FPOA-NatDayOfPrayer-8.5x11poster

70 Days of Expansion NDOP 11×17 Poster

Close Menu