Ministries : Youth
Phileo
Phileo is a Greek word meaning "brotherly love." We also think of it as an acronym: Pursuing Him In Life and Each Other.
Mission
Our mission is to reach teens with the Gospel of Christ as well as to empower and encourage them to develop a personal faith that is the controlling reality in their lives.
Vision
Our dream is to provide a safe place where teens experience Christ's love, mature in Christ's life, and share Christ's legacy (The Gospel). Through God's grace and guidance, our MINDset (Maturing, Instructing, Nurturing, and Demonstrating) is to spur teens toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24) in group and individual settings.
Core Values
Relationships are central
The most influential impact occurs within the context of relationships. Maybe more than adults, teens don't care how much we know until they know how much we care. The life of Christ is in us to work in the lives of others. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Hebrews 10:23-25)
Envisioning
We strive to see beyond what the teen/young adult is now, to what they can be in Christ. We attempt to identify an individual's uniqueness and to stir his or her their giftedness. ( 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Hebrews 10:23-25)
Authenticity
We are to model high standards, but we will strive not to appear to be more than we are. Phoniness is a turn-off and opposes truth. (Romans 12:3)
Consistency
Our time, attention, discipline, and rewards are to be applied consistently and according to need. We value each individual, and we will not pick favorites nor develop cliques. (Galatians 3:28, 1 Corinthians 1: 10-13)
Heart-focused
God is more interested in our motivations (heart) than our behavior. We should be too. Our goal is to look deeper to seek heart change that leads to behavior modification. We approach the heart first while recognizing that some behaviors must change immediately. (1 Samuel 15:22)
Individuals are important
We seek heart change, one individual at a time. (Acts 20:31)
"Personal faith in Christ cannot be mass produced in adolescents' lives." -- Kevin Huggins
Nurturing/Empowering
We seek to encourage and empower teens in their journey to become more like Christ. On the bus of life, we are not the driver; instead, we are fellow travelers. (Colossians 1:15-20)
Grace-focused
We accept adolescents as they are, and we attempt to meet them there. We will seek growth toward their maturity, but we must accept that they may not mature. We will seek to encourage growth without exasperating youth. (Ephesians 6:4)
Family-focused
Parents are ultimately responsible for raising their children. We will support families and respect parental authority. We will not intentionally place adolescents at odds with their parents. (Ephesians 6: 1-3)
God-dependent
God runs this ministry. We seek His guidance, direction and approval. We strive to maintain our own close personal relationships with Christ and to place our lives and ministry at His feet. (1 John 4:13-16, Proverbs 3:5-6)
We remember this as REACHING For God.
The most influential impact occurs within the context of relationships. Maybe more than adults, teens don't care how much we know until they know how much we care. The life of Christ is in us to work in the lives of others. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Hebrews 10:23-25)
Envisioning
We strive to see beyond what the teen/young adult is now, to what they can be in Christ. We attempt to identify an individual's uniqueness and to stir his or her their giftedness. ( 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Hebrews 10:23-25)
Authenticity
We are to model high standards, but we will strive not to appear to be more than we are. Phoniness is a turn-off and opposes truth. (Romans 12:3)
Consistency
Our time, attention, discipline, and rewards are to be applied consistently and according to need. We value each individual, and we will not pick favorites nor develop cliques. (Galatians 3:28, 1 Corinthians 1: 10-13)
Heart-focused
God is more interested in our motivations (heart) than our behavior. We should be too. Our goal is to look deeper to seek heart change that leads to behavior modification. We approach the heart first while recognizing that some behaviors must change immediately. (1 Samuel 15:22)
Individuals are important
We seek heart change, one individual at a time. (Acts 20:31)
"Personal faith in Christ cannot be mass produced in adolescents' lives." -- Kevin Huggins
Nurturing/Empowering
We seek to encourage and empower teens in their journey to become more like Christ. On the bus of life, we are not the driver; instead, we are fellow travelers. (Colossians 1:15-20)
Grace-focused
We accept adolescents as they are, and we attempt to meet them there. We will seek growth toward their maturity, but we must accept that they may not mature. We will seek to encourage growth without exasperating youth. (Ephesians 6:4)
Family-focused
Parents are ultimately responsible for raising their children. We will support families and respect parental authority. We will not intentionally place adolescents at odds with their parents. (Ephesians 6: 1-3)
God-dependent
God runs this ministry. We seek His guidance, direction and approval. We strive to maintain our own close personal relationships with Christ and to place our lives and ministry at His feet. (1 John 4:13-16, Proverbs 3:5-6)
We remember this as REACHING For God.
