This blog post was written by Hannah Blackburn.
On this week’s podcast, our hosts Steve Cherrico and Brad Schelling sat down with special guest Rachel Gardiner. Rachel had always felt called to ministry in some way, and her journey to First Priority started as a high school English teacher. As a teacher, she was invited to guest speak at her school’s First Priority club, which is how she found out about First Priority.
Our hosts discussed some challenges about being a teacher while in a public school setting, the largest one being an emphasis on separation between church and state. Many teachers do not understand their rights and the ways that they can provide students with resources that can point students to Jesus. Rachel discussed the balance of legalities and where that meets the character of Christ. She highlights that students are led to Christ more through acts of service and seeing Jesus through her, rather than through dramatic altar calls in a club meeting.
Rachel started at First Priority in 2019, and has grown exponentially in her confidence and purpose since then. She ultimately realized that God’s calling on her life was to reach the unreached with the Gospel, and uses training and relationship building to reach those students daily. Legally, Rachel has partnered closely with school and administration and the board of education, making sure they know First Priority is there to help and serve them, rather than go against them. Rachel highlighted the intentionality behind coming alongside students and making sure they are plugged into a local church, which goes back to previous episodes about church partnerships. Rachel’s advice to First Priority staff and volunteers around the country is to focus more on Christ and what He is doing now and less on statistics and goal setting, and she is excited to see where God takes First Priority in the future!
This blog post was written by Hannah Blackburn.
In this episode of the First Priority podcast, our host Brad Schelling sat down with a longtime friend: Joseph Daley. Joseph has a long history with First Priority, which started with being involved in the club at his school and currently by serving as a board member. Joseph and Brad discussed the many ways First Priority has impacted Joseph’s life and where he has seen God’s hand in the lives of students. Joseph was greatly influenced by his area director Debbie DeBoer (watch her podcast episode here), and she is part of the reason he went from being a First Priority student leader to becoming a board member. Joseph shares several personal stories from his journey through business and First Priority, and several examples of times when he has been able to overcome various obstacles.
Joseph challenges other business leaders to be involved in the First Priority mission. How can one do this? There are many ways, but it starts with identifying the vision of First Priority. Second, one must identify what they have that could contribute to the vision. This could be leadership seminars, speaking at leadership summits, leveraging relationships, or community connections. Joseph reminds us that God has given business leaders both the ability to gain great wealth and the responsibility for gaining great wealth. This means that business leaders are accountable for how and where they choose to spend their resources, since ultimately it all belongs to God. Joseph encourages his fellow business leaders to not only identify what they can do for the mission, but also to follow through with it no matter how small the act may seem.
Joseph reminds us that the mission is difficult, and Satan will try to come stop us. He references the story of Paul from the Bible, who was beaten many times and received the maximum amount of 39 lashes each time. Joseph reminds us that Paul received the 39 lashes due to the ministry he was doing and the change he was making in Jesus’ name, and he challenges us to think about whether our lives would also warrant 39 lashes. Ultimately, it’s a spiritual problem that students are facing, and they’re missing the purpose found through being in God’s will.
Watch this podcast episode to hear more stories from Joseph and Brad as they reflect and celebrate the impact of First Priority in the lives of themselves and others.
This blog post was written by Hannah Blackburn.
In this episode of the First Priority podcast, our host Brad Schelling sat down with the First Priority president, Mark Robbins. Mark Robbins began as a First Priority director in one of the oldest chapters in the country, and he is very enthusiastic about the First Priority ministry and sharing some exciting new updates. One amazing First Priority update is that there are now over 1,000 clubs in the country! There have been 500-600 student leaders trained, and many areas are growing exponentially. In another exciting update, First Priority has seen 7200+ students come to know Jesus this school year!
In a continuation of last week’s conversation, Brad and Mark got into the topic of the episode, business leaders and their impact on the First Priority network. The First Priority model focuses on five central networks: the students, student leaders and coaches, teacher sponsors, parents, and the business community. Brad and Mark discussed how business leaders and community leaders focus on the longevity of their community. People like this are central to the First Priority business model. When local business leaders work together with parents, students, pastors, and teachers, they become a huge network of Christians all working together to lead the next generation to Christ. Networking is a core theme of the First Priority model. Although networking through pre-established relationships can feel inconsequential, it’s those established connections that are the most important to creating a strong community of support.
Next, Mark and Brad shared some advice for people new to First Priority. It starts with following God’s lead on your heart. This could mean not becoming distracted and discouraged when things seem to overwhelm you, but instead following God’s lead even when it doesn’t make sense to you. Brad brought up an example of when God led him to call his dentist, and long story short he was able to make a whole new network of business leaders excited about First Priority’s ministry. Business leaders and community leaders are a central part of the First Priority network, and working together with students, teachers, coaches, sponsors, and parents, First Priority is able to see God working and moving in the local community and bringing students to Christ.
This blog was written by Hannah Blackburn.
In this week’s episode of the First Priority podcast, Brad Schelling sat down with special guest Ryan McMichael to continue the conversation surrounding church partnerships. Ryan is an area director with First Priority Greater Nashville, which includes Maury County and South Williamson County. First Priority Greater Nashville has been there slightly less than five years. Before joining First Priority staff in September, Ryan was the student pastor at First Baptist Columbia. He is very passionate about student ministry and felt God calling him into First Priority for this reason!
Ryan has always felt called to equip students and student leaders with the tools needed to share the gospel, and has always had a heart for evangelism. First Priority was able to bridge the gap between the students in the local church’s youth group and the students in the local school who may have never stepped foot in a church before. One of the ways Ryan has seen First Priority serve the local church during his time as a student pastor was through watching students step up as leaders to share the gospel with their school campus. Through these experiences, he has been able to share the First Priority mission and network with other student pastors from other local churches to get their students plugged in as well!
Brad and Ryan also discussed some of the things Ryan has learned since coming on board with First Priority. One thing he has seen consistently is the willingness of local churches to pray for First Priority’s mission, despite many of them never having heard of First Priority before! Another amazing thing Ryan has seen is the power of giving students ownership of First Priority’s mission and model. When students are given ownership of a club and the tools to share the Gospel and network with their peers, they’re empowered to step up to the plate, become leaders, and ultimately lead their peers to Christ!
Ryan’s final note is this: if God is calling you somewhere or to something it is always the right place or thing, even if it doesn’t fully make sense to you or people around you. If God is calling you there, it will always be the right step. On a related note, we might not know the impact we make now or in the long term, but we should remember that even small actions can have a huge impact on someone’s life. Ryan reminds us that God isn’t limited, and encourages us to follow His calling no matter where it takes you!
This blog post was written by David North.
There’s a lot of talk about IDENTITY these days among students. We repeat the phrase “Know who you are in Christ“ at church, but I’m not sure we’ve done a very good job of explaining what that means and why it matters.
And now we are seeing the consequences of abandoning that conversation and allowing culture to hand out new identities to students -and even new categories!
Our students need to know some things about identity. Everything, I mean everything, flows out of knowing Who God is and who he made you to be.
Identity is a big deal to God, and it should be a big deal to us. The world and our Enemy wants us to identify ourselves by our sin and struggles.
God identifies us by our purpose and our potential. Sometimes He even changes peoples name just to make the point! Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul and the list goes on.
At First Priority we are training students to let their friends know that God made them for a purpose-and He is prepared to give them a new life, a new identity, and a better future if they will just come to Him.
Partner with us in this identity war and let’s see what God does!
Blessings,
David North, District Director, NE Tennessee
This blog post was written by Hannah Blackburn.
In this week’s episode of the First Priority podcast, Steve Cherrico and Brad Schelling sat down to continue their conversation from last week’s podcast with Larry Crawford. Themes from last week included church partnership, the local church, and being pro church, as well as a discussion of all the angles by which First Priority markets itself to the local church.
Engagement of the local church is not only important, it is absolutely crucial! Steve and Brad discussed the “Dead Sea Analogy” to explain why engagement of the church is so vital. The Dead Sea can’t house life because nothing ever flows out, things only flow into it. In the same way, many student ministries only have students come in, but never send them back out into the world. First Priority clubs create a way for local church’s student ministries to send their students back out into the world, which in turn breathes life back into their ministry.
Why do students lose their faith at college and what can prevent this from happening? Brad and Steve discussed how youth ministry helps students view their daily life as missional and causes them to engage their faith on a greater level. In partnership with First Priority clubs, this could look like a student inviting a classmate or athletic team member to a First Priority meeting. When these students get to college, their faith isn’t something they walk away from because they already view it as part of their daily life. This worldview creates greater opportunity for students to share their faith with their peers, whether that’s at school, college, or beyond!
Next Brad and Steve discussed yet another layer of benefit for local churches that partner with First Priority. Romans 12 talks about the importance of being the body of Christ. Many students don’t feel like they can discuss their faith openly at school, even though oftentimes there is a whole body of believers surrounding them. First Priority clubs provide a connection for students to find fellowship with other Christians at their school and a connection between students and local churches. Connect Week, in our EPIC Cycle, is solely dedicated to helping students find their local church family. Students want someone to say they belong, and the local church is the best place to find that community. First Priority can connect students with local churches AND other Christians at their school in a really amazing way!
Another benefit of partnership with First Priority is the encouragement of the local church. Oftentimes, the church can focus too much on the negatives of the modern childhood experience. First Priority gives churches a reason to CELEBRATE what’s going on at their local school when students come to know Jesus! Over and over, we have seen the awesome things God has done when students and the local church come together, and we at First Priority are incredibly honored to be even a small part of that!
Listen to the podcast today to learn more about engaging churches in school ministry!
This blog post was written by Hannah Blackburn.
In this week’s episode of the First Priority Podcast, Brad Schelling and Steve Cherrico sat down with special guest Larry Crawford. Larry has been a campus coach at a local middle school in the Murfreesboro, TN, area for just over one year. He and his wife have been attending Living Water Church for about ten years. Larry works in sales and goes to the middle school once a week to coach their First Priority club.
Larry’s story on how he became a club coach happened quickly. For Larry, it all goes back to being servant minded and sacrificial. One of the kids at the middle school noticed there wasn’t a Christian based club at her school. Her father is the pastor of Larry’s church, and she told Larry that the middle school needed an adult to lead a First Priority club. Larry jumped in with First Priority resources and training and thus began his journey as a club coach.
How many students does it take to start a First Priority club? The answer: only one! At Larry’s first club meeting, there were five students. The next week there were seven, then ten, then twelve, then twenty-five students in the club. Now, there are somewhere between forty to fifty students! This growth happened 100% from word-of-mouth between students inviting their peers to the club. As the club continues to grow, students have more and more ideas on how to grow and connect, they just need the confidence to do so.
Students are very instrumental in inviting their friends to church, a story that Larry has seen multiple times. It’s hard to break out of the assumption that students already know who Jesus is, because that’s simply not the case. Seeing middle schoolers step up for Bible reading and teaching has been very inspirational for Larry to see. As the club grows, Larry has watched it mature to be increasingly student led, which is the goal for First Priority clubs to become.
How do we understand the difference between a small church versus a big church? There is none! There is the local place we worship together, but the definition of the church is God moving through people as the body of Christ! First Priority focuses on being the church by connecting students with each other and giving them the resources needed to bring their peers to Christ. Ultimately, it’s not about First Priority or any one person or organization, it’s about leading people to Jesus and furthering God’s Kingdom.
This blog post was written by Hannah Blackburn.
In this week’s episode of the First Priority Podcast, Brad Schelling and Steve Cherrico sat down to discuss the importance of church based leadership. This process involves training and equipping leaders for ministry and keeping a focus on the local church. Although First Priority clubs aren’t in existence everywhere around the country, churches are! One of the goals of First Priority is to empower the church to train students who will then lead their peers to Christ within their school.
What is the process for church based training and where does it fit? The process involves a guide called EPIC. Thousands of students have come to know Christ through this resource! But the process for equipping student leaders to lead their peers to Christ starts before EPIC. The process starts with finding key influencers in each city who can rally the troops, raise funds, and hire staff. Together, they network with the local church to train club leaders.
How does First Priority network with the church? Ultimately, it is about being Gospel focused as we become one with the local church, spanning denominations, and keeping an emphasis on partnership with one another.
Who do we engage when it comes to a local church? Where do we even start? We start by identifying a group of “key influencers” in a local community. These could be business leaders, parents, or church leaders, and they make up the key influencers who are passionate about making sure the gospel goes forward. It comes down to a group of about 5-7 people who guide or impact the community in some way, shape, or form.
Why do we need key influencers? It’s easy to identify Christians who want to work with students: youth pastors and youth ministers. But if those people are the only points of contact, they may not have enough influence to sustain a First Priority club. Most youth pastors are incredibly passionate about fellowship, worship, and discipleship, but not every youth pastor is passionate about evangelism. Key influencers are a vital network between First Priority resources, students, and the local church.
One of the things First Priority does well organizationally is keeping its focus on seeing the local church win! There are countless ways that our clubs assist the church. For example: plugging new believers into a church’s youth ministry, which leads to their families coming to church, which leads to whole families coming to follow Jesus! Churches already encourage members of their youth ministry to invite their friends and families to church, and First Priority clubs give students an opportunity to do so.
First Priority clubs also benefit businesses and business leaders. The clubs lead students to a transformative Gospel. Through this transformation, students become trustworthy employees; they desire for truth, build morality, and ultimately become future business leaders! It’s a great example of the butterfly effect! Although we have no idea how far this impact goes, we know God can use First Priority clubs to raise this generation to become the next generation’s key influencers.
Last week, Brad Schelling and Steve Cherrico sat down on the First Priority Podcast with special guest Debi Deboer, Director of First Priority Alabama. Debi has been with First Priority for 26 years and had a wealth of knowledge, stories, and encouragement to share.
Debi likes to say that she “grew up” in First Priority, since she started volunteering at Oak Mountain Middle School 27 years ago and continues her ministry there to this day. Her excitement to witness multiple generations of First Priority is what can be only described as contagious.
The stories and statistics in Birmingham reflect her excitement, and are only growing day by day. With a 5-year plan to start 30 new campuses each year, First Priority Birmingham has 4 full-time staffers and are looking to hire more. One of the strongest aspects of the Birmingham network is the thousands of reports from each club, highlighting the individual stories of students and ultimately what God is doing within their community.
One of the biggest hurdles Debi’s campuses have experienced is mobilizing the church to invest in students. They have been able to overcome this obstacle by plugging in local churches through prayer lists. These lists contain meeting times of each club so that the congregation can pray before and during club meetings. Another way Debi has mobilized the church is through utilizing local college students and plugging them in with local First Priority Clubs.
Debi’s heart for First Priority clubs lacks no passion or excitement, and she encourages us all to be excited for what is to come!
Listen to the podcast today to hear more about Debi’s passion to bring the hope of Christ to every student!
This blog was written by Hannah Blackburn.
