Youth Ministry at First

Our Youth and Young Adults Minister is the Rev. Jeremy Keay.  Here are a few thoughts on Jeremy’s philosophy of youth ministry.  For more info, please contact him at jeremy@fbcedmonton.ca.

In the following sentences, he shares the shape and direction of his pastoral work at First.

1. Genuine Friendship is the heart of good ministry.  It takes time (a lot of time), but it’s worth it.  Fun activities, eating together, laughing and playing together, all serve as a venue for friendship.  Adrenaline-fueled Hype is not the goal.    

2. Good teaching and deeper conversations/questions can happen in the context of real friendship.  Teaching without the friendship doesn’t get far — as students need to know that they are in the company of friends when they ask hard questions, share fears and hopes, worship and pray and learn to be God’s people.

3.  A pastor is one voice in the broad community of voices in the church.  A big part of my job as pastor to our youth is to find other people who love Jesus for our students to spend time with, serve with, and learn from – usually by osmosis, sometimes with words and actions.  People who love Jesus are contagious, and regular exposure is a good thing.  These people may be in our church or from other Christian traditions and denominations.  I’m always looking for ways to make this happen.

4.  A Youth Pastor is a co-consipirator with parents and the wider church community in building a stronger youth ministry, tackling broader projects, and engaging the church as a whole.