Engaging, empowering, and training teens
Teens at St. Andrew, Middleton, Wis., are being engaged, empowered, and trained to serve as leaders in their church and their community. Kelly Huet, pastor for service and outreach at St. Andrew, reports that in its congregation that averages 425 members worshiping each week, St. Andrew has:
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- Students in confirmation (30)
- Mission trip participants last summer (38)
- Science camp leaders (37)
- Middle school music team (pictured above), leading worship once per quarter (12)
- High school music team, leading worship once per quarter (12)
- Ushers (5)
- Greeters (11)
- Communion set-up (4)
- Audio/Visual team (10)
- Hospitality team, setting out coffee and donuts (5)
- Sunday children's ministry leaders (23)
- Worship folder prep (2)
- FUEL (weekly teen ministry) (17)
Huet notes, "I don't share this list or numbers to boast but to share some of the ways our church intentionally engages the students in our congregation. We've found that keeping them connected through serving and leading is a core component. In this way, worship is something they participate in and help make possible, not something they are forced to do. If a teen doesn't show for A/V, no one will be there to progress the slides, so their service is critical."
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Keep reading to learn more about how St. Andrew created this culture and to view more pictures of St. Andrew's teens in action. (Note: After you click "Read article," you'll need to scroll down to read Huet's article and then you can scroll back up to read Phil Huebner's article, referenced below.)
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