Nehemiah

And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame.  The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”  Nehemiah 1:5

Let me rephrase that for ministry today: “The remnant in the __________ school in my community is surviving, but is in great trouble and shame.”  The body of Christ is alive, but it is shrinking while the overall student population is growing.  Even at that, the ‘Christians’ are becoming Samaritans (if I may stretch the analogy).  Let me explain.  My middle child (daughter) turned 10 in July.  She had a sleepover at our house with six friends.  Let me tell you that the conversation was eye opening.  I didn’t realize that we are sheltering our kids.  Ten year old girls with iPhones, playing mine craft at will, watching Usher on Saturday night live, and Barbie has been turned into a zombie!  What has America come to??  Barbie?  Is nothing sacred anymore? (note sarcasm)  Know that this is not all of them, but it is the popular culture creeping in younger and younger.  These are ‘Christian’ girls being raised in ‘Christian’ homes.  Where will the ‘cool’ conversation be by the time they hit high school?  I think I know, because I hear it in the music and watch it in the movies.  Nehemiah and I reacted the same way.  Here is how he reacted:

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:6

How do you react when you see popular culture creeping younger and younger?  What can we do about it?

Thinking out loud,

Brad Schelling, Mark Roberts, Brandon Starnes

First Priority of America New Start Team

I hope this writing finds you doing well and enjoying the spiritual fruit that ministry in the summertime brings with it.  While schedules are often sporadic and lack a ‘normal’ weekly routine, they also bring opportunities for extended periods of time with students at camps, retreats, mission trips, boating at the lake, and the like.  Many of those opportunities have special times to share the gospel of Christ built in.

In the First Priority world, we hold high value to Paul’s word given to Timothy: “Entrust (the gospel) to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  This summer, you have seen students accept Christ, share Christ, help others in the name of Christ, etc.  Students took ownership of their faith under your leadership.  Can that happen this fall at school too?  We believe that it can.  This starts with you entrusting your students to influence their school, helping them take leadership among the single largest (yet unorganized) group at their school: the Christians.  While it is lots of work to lead a mission trip for a week in the summer, the results are always amazing.  God moves.  The same is true when you send your students on a nine-month mission trip to their school this year.

The first step is to set a goal.  Make it specific.  Put it on the calendar.  Tell someone.  Here is the idea: My goal is to get three churches to start the First Priority club at _____________ middle school by October 1.  Then call us and share!  We will celebrate with you, support you along the way, and help you navigate the issues others have had to deal with as well.  If you do not make it specific, on the calendar, with other people, your chance of seeing the students at the ____________ middle school finding hope in Christ this fall is slim to none.

Praying for revival,

Brad Schelling

It has been said that ‘timing is everything, but it’s not the only thing’.  Remember that as you continue to follow God and walk into this new school year.  As the year starts, there will be moments filled with pressure to speed through to an ‘end’.  Whether your end is to launch three new clubs, get your Initiation Team together, or get through the Vision Casting so you can get on with the rest, take your time and remember your goal: the Hope of Christ in Every Student.

Your goal is not to start a club; students have lots of options for those already.  Your goal is not to network youth ministers; there already is a ‘National Network of Youth Ministry’ that gathers them together because they are youth ministers.  Business Leaders definitely do not need another nonprofit knocking on their door.  But students do need eternal Hope.  The only way to reach them all is with a united church effort in your community.  Is anybody organizing them?  That is why you are where God has placed you.  He has given you a burden; not for another thing to do, but to work this plan.  Your end?

Uniting the Local Body of Christ 

With a Plan of Action 

To Influence the School 

With the Gospel.

That’s it.  Period.  You do not start clubs.  Sure, you may be actively involved in one, even Nehemiah worked on his part of the wall.  But Nehemiah’s success wasn’t in his ability to lay bricks, it was his vision for the big picture and willingness to be used by God to bring his people together for a common purpose.  If not you, then who?

Amber is not your typical youth group mom. She had recently gotten involved with the youth group at her church as her oldest son was entering into middle school.  As Amber’s involvement grew, she began to notice that her son’s influence for the Gospel was playing a far greater role on his school campus then it was at the church.

When her son began to take advantage of that influence, Amber began looking for a way to plug in there as well. This was a significant decision by Amber and her son because their school was labeled “one of the most high risk schools” in the state of Florida. Her son helped launch a First Priority club at their school in his 7th grade year. Amber chose to plug in as the club’s “campus coach” and began finding herself at the school a lot. At first, the club was small with 15 kids attending; however as his classmates began to take note, the club’s size and influence began to grow.  By the end of their first school year, the club was seeing 60 students attend each month. Many of those attendees had made first time decisions for Christ at the club or a secondary event sponsored by one of the churches who had students involved in that club. They were then being plugged back into the local churches for discipleship.

One of those decisions was made by a young man named Aaron. Aaron was a 16-year-old student, in his third year of 8th grade when Amber first met him. Amber got to know Aaron at the school and trust built between Aaron and the students in the club.  Amber learned about Aaron’s background and how the current administration viewed Aaron’s schooling future; it was not bright. The administration has had so many students like Aaron, coming from very broken homes, often with parents who do not have the skills to engage their teenage kids. Aaron had also been told by a judge that this school year was his last shot. If he did not stay out of legal trouble, he would end up in jail, forced to get his GED. Aaron’s lack of hope intersected with Amber’s hope in Christ for Aaron and a lot began to change.  Amber began to rally individuals for tutoring and mentoring from the local churches in the area. It began to make a difference in Aaron’s grades.

In December, Aaron made the choice to attend church for the first time. He was invited by one of the First Priority students to participate in a youth group Christmas event. Though Aaron was nervous, as the event ended, he did something that neither he nor Amber expected. There was an offer to accept Christ’s gift of salvation, and Aaron accepted it. It was a huge moment.

As the school year continued on, Amber kept up with Aaron and his grades. And as the year was winding down, the club had their last meeting together. One of the students came running in late to the club. “You have to see Aaron’s grades, you’re not going to believe this.” Aaron however refused to show anyone. Amber finally convinced Aaron to show her his report card.  To her amazement, this third year, 8th grade student, had gotten straight “A’s”.  Amber asked Aaron why he was so nervous. He explained that where he lived, in the neighborhood, if they found out, it could cause him trouble that he was excelling.  Though middle class mom Amber could not relate, her trust built with Aaron caused her to trust deeply. They agreed that they would celebrate him quietly and not make a fuss.

Amber, however, went home and made a huge fuss over the Lord. God has been so faithful to allow her son’s influence at his school and her partnership with that to bring the Hope of Christ to the lost, broken, and hurting. Amber is still involved with her three kids’ schools and is seeing the Gospel bring influence on a daily basis.

Thanks to Brad Schelling, I had the opportunity to be the speaker last week at “HIS Work Camp” in Knoxville,TN.  (I’m sure he was biting his fingernails when I got up to speak!)  HIS Work Camp is a mission opportunity for the Reformed Church in America of the Great Plains Region. What a great group of people! There is hope for our country. I was so impressed by the maturity of these students and their passion to change the world. The 9 churches represented traveled 20 hours to bless the lives of hundreds in the Knoxville area. The reason I am sharing this with you is to let you know that I have never been a part of anything like this. When God created man, he gave them a job. I believe that all people were made to work and when we are not working, it robs us of the blessings of God. Work gives us a sense of responsibility and accomplishment. Not only did these students work and work hard, they served people.

There were 14 different work projects. A foreman and a team of students would go work all day at a home where they did all kinds of home improvements. The families that own the homes were there the whole week interacting with the students. The day would end each night with a service, which I got to speak at. The hearts of all were in tune to hear from God. The incredible combination of work, serving, and hearing from God made for an incredible experience.

As the week drew to an end, I realized why I loved this camp: It reflects First Priority!  We equip students to work.  As leaders, they serve their schools and the hearts of the students by sharing the life-changing message of the Gospel.  It is through this work that God brings joy to believers’ lives.  It gives us a sense of accomplishment in leading and emotion beyond words when we get to partner with the Creator of the universe to change eternity forever.

Lets keep working until He comes.

Keep fishing,

Mark Roberts – Vice President – First Priority of America

In a lot of ways, First Priority is like John the Baptist.  Matthew 3:3 says this, “For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'”  First Priority is a strategy for the local church.  Like John the Baptist, we are pointing the way for the church to legally reach teenagers and influence the school with the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Many people believe (falsely) that it is illegal to speak the name of Jesus in a public setting like a middle or high school.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  The government of the United States cannot dictate religion, so when a student enters the halls of a school, they are not required to leave their faith at the door.  They can share the gospel with their peers and with their teachers.  But, many do not get up and share Christ alone; many people do not do anything on their own for the first time.  It is done with a friend.  This is where the adults come in.  We must work to organize and help them create a space, at school, to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with their peers.  Adults have a [legal] role to play!  Teachers cannot preach to students, but they are required to be present for the First Priority club.  Over the last 11 years as the faculty sponsor, Sam saw more than 400 students receive Christ in his classroom.  This was not because he was sharing the gospel, but because as a teacher, he opened the room to the First Priority club and watched students share Christ with their friends.  Youth Pastors train and equip the [teenage] saints for works of service week in and week out at their programs.  First Priority gives them a place to implement prayer, evangelism, and come back to church for discipleship.  Parents pray.  I believe that.  What if the parents prayed together?  After all, what we are talking about is spiritual, not physical, mental, nor emotional.  Let’s gather and open the heavens for God’s work to go forward at your child’s school.  And let’s not forget the leaders in the community.  Whether you lead in business, government, or non-profit, you are a valuable piece of the First Priority puzzle.  You create longevity and structure for ministry to happen not just at one or three schools, but in every middle and high school in your region.

Long story short, the Good News found in Jesus Christ is shared at public middle and high schools every day that they are  open.  Will you play your role and help it in yours?

Taking one day at a time,

Brad

In May of 2013, I took the class to be able to carry a concealed weapon.  One of the things they asked is, “What percentage of the time does a highly trained cop, someone who spends their life at a shooting range practicing, hit their intended target in that real life gun fight?”  We all guessed wrong.  A highly trained cop will only hit the bad guy in a real life situation 18% of the time.  There are several reasons for this statistic.  Physically, in an adrenaline situation, the blood gets pulled from our extremities and pools in our core to save the internal organs in the event that one would get hit.  Mentally, we get tunnel vision.  This is a good thing because we are focused on our target.  It is also a bad thing because we lose touch with our surroundings.

We are walking down the road of the minority ruling the nation.  The majority still believe in Jesus, but  it will soon become illegal to share that relationship in public.  Especially in school, a government setting.  What will it be like for students to share the gospel at school? Especially if they haven’t been in that situation already?  We need to help them create that environment at school now while we still can.  It is easier to do something for the first time together.  Let’s help students reach students at school by creating a Christian environment where they invite non-believers to hear that God loves them and wants to have a relationship with them.  There is no better time than the present.  Even though school is out for the summer, there is no better opportunity to lay the groundwork of adult support so students can hit the ground running this fall.

To get trained on how to share First Priority in your community, email Brandon Starnes at brandon@fpoa.org.

To schedule an Initiation Team training, email Brad Schelling at brad@fpoa.org

Brad Schelling

Director of Expansion, FPOA

The Word of God in Romans 9:6 says, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed.” Romans 10 states, “All who call on the name of The Lord will be saved.”  So why do we see such failure in our country?  Could it be because many of these teenagers have never heard the words of the Good News found in Jesus?  Could it be that they got their view of Christianity from the media and the leadership of Hollywood?  Could it be that if someone was sent into the middle and high school(s) in your community to share the words of Jesus that many would call upon the name of The Lord?

We do not need to tell anyone that our nation is in crisis. We have been deceived by the great deceiver who took something that was meant for good and twisted it to mean something else. Our founding fathers made a statement and wrote in the Constitution about separation between Church and State to protect people from the government establishing a church. Our culture has used it to remove God from our public debate and have taken all references to God and the Ten Commandments out of our schools. Now, our culture is heading towards no moral foundation. We have a culture that is defined by Hollywood and the Supreme Court. We have babies having babies. We have kids killing each other. The list goes on and on. The hopelessness of students is shocking. These are eye-opening statistics that need to get the Church’s attention:

Every day in America:

• 5 children are killed by abuse or neglect – one death every five and a half hours
• 5 children or teens commit suicide
• 186 children are arrested for violent offenses – one arrest every six minutes
• 4,133 are arrested in total
• 386 are arrested for drug offenses
• 3,312 high school students drop out – one student every eight seconds
• 18,493 public school students are suspended – one student every second and a half

(Numbers are from the Children’s Defense Fund website: www.childrensdefense.org. Children are ages 5 – 17.)

Could Romans 10:12-13 come true: “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:13-15 ESV)”?

For the Good News to go forward in the 2013-14 school year,

Brad Schelling

I work from home sometimes.  Other times I work in the office.  Sometimes I am on the road to speak, attend a local FP board meeting, golf fundraiser, or coach a director.  Sometimes I have a day with the family or a Sabbath to journal, read scripture, and the latest preacher book out there.  How do I know what I am supposed to be doing that day?  Under the premise of setting and reaching goals and objectives each year, I have the freedom and flexibility to structure a day, week, and sometimes month accordingly.

I was reading in Acts 16 this morning.  I want to share with you a few verses and the questions that I wrote down following.  Here is verse 35-40:

 35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly,uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

 Paul and Silas stood up for themselves, letting everyone know they were Romans and were treated unfairly.  Notice in verse 39 that Paul and Silas didn’t share the gospel with them but instead just listened.  In verse 40, Paul and Silas honored the request by departing town.  How does it look for us as believers to live life and listen to God vs. listening to man?  Did God tell Paul and Silas to leave town through the chief magistrates who were only reacting and scared?  Shouldn’t Paul and Silas have had a better plan for their lives and better time management than that?  Do these questions lead into ‘Many are the plans of man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails’ or ‘Where God guides, God provides?’

Living in our world only able to see and hear and experience the moment, we are faced with these questions every day.  Where is God laying the burden on your heart?  Can you see the need for Hope in the lives of students at the schools?  What is God calling you to do about it?  How can you structure your day to influence the schools with the Good News of Jesus Christ?

In Christ,

Brad Schelling

Let me paint a picture for you. It’s an overwhelming picture that points to a dream we’d all like to achieve.  Let’s take an average small city school: McDowell High School, comprising grades 9-12, enrolls approximately 2,400 students annually.  I am going to use two assumed averages about the church.  First, that an average church spends a minimum of $50,000 to run the student ministry department including salary.  Second, that on average, the student ministry has about 50 students in it’s mid circle of influence.  Now, some churches will be higher and lower in either or both of those assumptions, but look at your situation and do your own math.  Youth Ministry Architecs agree with me that an average church will spend $1,000 per student per year.  Based on this, a single church would need to have the following in place if it hoped to have a student ministry that involved half of these students:

     – A budget of roughly $1,200,000

     – 24 full-time staff

     – 240 volunteers

     Keep in mind this is effectively reaching half of ONE high school in our area.  How many schools does your student ministry draw from?

The dream I mentioned above that we’d all like to see, but are scared to begin the journey to, points to this… churches must work together as the church. We don’t have a choice. No church in our area that hopes to reach every teenager in the community with the Good News can afford the money, staff, and volunteer power it would take.

What if we worked together for the Kingdom and combined our resources, not to form one congregation, but to provide extensions of every local Church to the school in the form of an evangelistic club?  First Priority is a non-territorial place for the churches to come and unite with the sole intent of sharing with students the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Students do reach students.  There are more students who call themselves ‘Christian’ than any other group at the school, including the band and the football team.  Let’s give that group a strategy to influence their peers and support them as they do it.  The potential of seeing thousands of students come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior is there, ONLY if we, the local church leaders will work together to reach our schools with the gospel.

Keep Hope!

Brad