By way of introduction: If we have not met, my name is Steve Spitters. I attended Hope College for undergrad and then in 1998 I followed God s call

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1 1 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

2 By way of introduction: If we have not met, my name is Steve Spitters. I attended Hope College for undergrad and then in 1998 I followed God s call on my life and started in student ministry vocationally in Holland. I love Holland and the surrounding areas. Married Lisa in 2000 in the 2nd best decision of my life, 1st was following Jesus. And these are our children Ellie 14, Kenzie, 12, Anna 14, and of course on the bottom, Kaden who just turned 10! When not here, I love to be with my family, to mountain bike and play basketball. 2 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

3 On Saturday August 12, I graduated from Wesley Seminary with my MDiv. In the last few months, people have been asking, What are you going to do next? The Answer: Stay at CENTRAL! I love what God is doing here at Central. We love living in the Holland area and love the people here, both those at Central, and those who have not yet visited Central. 3 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

4 Student ministry at Central is not something that we do TO families. It is something that we are doing WITH you! Mom s and Dad s are best situated to be the primary spiritual formers in their families. We are here to serve and resource you in the role that God has called you to! Families are uniquely designed with the greatest disciple forming relationships. 4 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

5 Family Builders is a class at Central that is specifically designed to build into you as parents regardless of the age of your children. Check it out on the Fall Class and Community list. 5 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

6 Parent Instagram: #fuelcwc As mentioned before student ministry at Central is in partnership with you as parents. You are the primary spiritual formers of your sons & daughters. We want to do this with you! So here are two great ways to stay up to date with what s going on in FUEL. Write it down or take a pic with your phone. And of course, if you sign up for the , read it! We can tell if you are or not! :-) 6 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

7 Philosophical Staff Visual Practical Student Ministry, encompassing middle school (IGNITE), high school (FUEL), and young adults (YA), are all undergoing some changes: The areas of change are philosophical, staff, visual, and practical. 7 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

8 Philosophically - Central Students has to be connected to the vision of Central as a church! And we are. We want to amplify the Hope + Life of Jesus to all students. 8 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

9 This represents our vision and mission. Our mission plays out in three main ways: With God, In Community, and on Mission. Let me pause here and acknowledge that Central has a rich history in student ministry. One flaw is that we have allowed students to see IGNITE, FUEL, and YA as their church. I think it was accidental and unintentional. So students graduated and have felt disconnected from the church as a whole. Stating I am IGNITE, or I am FUEL it has been heart breaking to hear of freshman not making the jump to FUEL very well in part because they were so identified with IGNITE. Part of our new philosophy is to be intentional in helping students say, I am Central. 9 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

10 We desire that everything we do in student ministry would flow through these missional values of Central. With God, In community, On Mission. So we want to have this philosophy and connection represented visually. We have done this with our new student branding. And you are about to see a sneak peak. Central has identified 9 life stages that people move through in their spiritual journey from birth to death. Each stage has a key word from starting with a letter from A through I. Central Students includes three of these life stages. MS = Deeper, HS = Expressing, YA = Forming. The goal in all of this is that our student ministries become more integrated and not individual silos. We desire to work in collaboration with other ministry areas and age groups as we seek the full formation of the character of Christ in your students alongside you. As I introduce the logos to you, I will share the word and the basic goal of what our discipleship process is for that stage. And you will see the intentional theming, especially in the MS and HS logos. 10 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

11 Middle School IGNITE DEEPER = Deeper connection with God and people. With the onset of puberty, both the mind and body are rewired, and we believe that the heart, too, is rewired. Knowing God s love and character, middle school students practice living in a trust relationship with God and experience connection with others in their daily lives. 11 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

12 High School FUEL EXPRESSING = Expressing faith and relationship in the world. High School students take their faith experience and begin to express it uniquely in their everyday lives. With increasing maturity, they see the world through God s eyes and respond as God s hand and feet. 12 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

13 18-28 years = College + Young Adults FORMING = Forming habits to thrive in newly gained freedom. Young adults have moved from dependence to increasing interdependence and consequently enjoy freedom socially, financially and relationally. At Central, we want to equip young adults to handle their new found freedom in Christ through the formation of godly, Christ-honoring habits. 13 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

14 COLLEGE and CENTRAL YOUNG ADULTS INFINITY SYMBOL + PLUS SYMBOL MEANING OF ICON MARK This is a break down of the symbolism of the YA logo. Think of it as two Central drops in a horizontal reflection. 14 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

15 This morning you are here because you do have or are about to have a student in FUEL. So let s take a look at your high school team. 15 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

16 Jordan Kizewski Becca Harris Jaimie Cowen Joel Torres Jordan - HS Pastor, you can see as a seminary student, he has a deep love of reading and yet does not take himself too seriously. Becca (Lynn)- Student Ministry Event Coordinator focusing in HS, married Brody Harris this summer. Jaimie (Campbell) - married Josh Cowen this summer, Student Ministry Administrator. Joel (pronounced Jo-el) - Resident Worship Leader for MS, HS, & YA. 16 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

17 FUEL is no exception we want everything we do to fit within the Mission of Central to be with God, On Mission, and in Community 17 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

18 We have done a great job with these two areas across student ministries. The problem with excelling in just these is that it leads to spiritual obesity. Obesity occurs when we are overfed and under-exercised. America as a culture does this with food and this mentality has crept into our spirituality also. Our student ministry wants to partner with parents to raise up a generation of spiritually fit and active Christ-centered leaders! 18 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

19 Living on mission is what it means to exercise our faith. The E for expression that I mentioned earlier is far more wholistic than a small group conversation or hands lifted in worship. We are shooting for a faith that is expressed in Christ-like ways in every arena of a student s life. Culture has shifted in the last years since you and I were around high school age. You can think of the the church in medical terms. It used to be THE emergency room that people came to when things in their life were broken. People now have tons of emergency rooms they run to, but most of them are practicing bad medicine for the soul. In light of this, we have to move from a come and find us mentality to a go and find them mentality. My dream is to raise up a new generation of spiritual first responders. In order to do this, I believe we need to make some practical changes to our HS programming. 19 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

20 Church attendance culture has shifted from 2 hours Sun AM to 1 hour, what I have seen for the last 5 years is that those who do come 2 hours may do age specific programming and then go serve every other week or so. Families are worshipping together less than ever before. My role also has opportunity to speak into the Big House experience to help it become more student friendly. Right now in student ministries we are creating an age specific venue that actually competes with the goal of connecting our students with the Big House and the body of Central. In a sense we are unintentionally guilty of creating mono-generational ministries instead of following the arc of Scripture that speaks to intergenerational worship from the OT to the NT. 20 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

21 I ll let you in on the sweet old truths, Stories we heard from our fathers, counsel we learned at our mother s knee. We re not keeping this to ourselves; we re passing it along to the next generation God s fame and fortune, the marvelous things he has done. He planted a witness in Jacob, 21 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

22 set his Word firmly in Israel. Then commanded our parents to teach it to their children so the next generation would know, and all the generations to come Know the truth and tell the stories so their children can trust in God. Never forget the works of God but keep his commands to the letter. - Psalm 78: Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

23 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was Acts 20 is often used by youth pastors to playfully jab at lead pastors or teaching pastors for the length of teaching or not capturing students attention. This is unfair and not the point I want to make. My point is that the generations were intermingled in listening to the teaching of the Word of God. A number of New Testament letters were written to Christians with the expectation that there would be children and youth in the room when they were read aloud to the Christian gathering. It has only been in recent centuries that student ministry has become so segregated, I believe this trend needs to be reversed. A student ministry that is intentionally integrated across the church will bring the deepest commitment to Christ for students. 23 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

24 sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. Don t be alarmed, he said. He s alive! Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted. - Acts 20:7:12 (NIV) Acts 20 is often used by youth pastors to playfully jab at lead pastors or teaching pastors for the length of teaching or not capturing students attention. This is unfair and not the point I want to make. My point is that the generations were intermingled in listening to the teaching of the Word of God. A number of New Testament letters were written to Christians with the expectation that there would be children and youth in the room when they were read aloud to the Christian gathering. It has only been in recent centuries that student ministry has become so segregated, I believe this trend needs to be reversed. A student ministry that is intentionally integrated across the church will bring the deepest commitment to Christ for students. 24 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

25 Disorienting Dilemas Serving Life on life relationships A Weekly Net for age specific Spiritual formation in our students happens most significantly through these four venues and they are listed here in order from what I believe represents the greatest to the least impact. God grows us most when we are out of our comfort zone. In other words, disoriented and needing guidance. Student ministry camps and mission trips provide these opportunities. As a student ministry, our greatest efforts should be placed on prioritizing and providing excellence in these areas. The weekly net of an excellent program is necessary, but not primary in its return on investment. 25 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

26 Some recent data for High School: 1st time guests this June was Zero. Our programming was solid on Sunday mornings and also included a fantastic mission experience to Chicago. Our first evening event in July had 10 first time guests. 14% were new guests, but our retention numbers are low for getting them back on a Sunday AM. The XCOM House Boat trip also had 10 students come that had never been to FUEL Students are hungry for an experience that they cannot get on their own. These are the areas where we can make the largest impact with the widest on-ramps for students who are not a part of Central. 26 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

27 If was a fruit, which should it be?: Pineapple or Peach Pineapples are sweet, delicious, and juicy on the inside with a hard and prickly outside. Peaches have a hard center core, but it has a soft, pliable outside that is sweet, juicy, delicious and appealing. In my opinion FUEL has historically and unintentionally taken the Pineapple approach to ministry. We have programmed our gatherings and meetings in ways that are easy on those on the inside (Christians) yet hard for new people, specifically, non-christians to connect with. A non-christian student is not pumped to come to a high school gathering at 9am on a Sunday morning. 27 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

28 As a high school ministry we want to adopt a Peach mindset. Our programming of gatherings and events should be sweet, delicious and enticing for those outside of the church and we as secure believers in Christ should take on the harder part. 28 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

29 Sunday Night 6-8pm Practical Changes: shifting off from Sunday morning and to Sunday 6-8pm. Allow me to start by offering that my wife, Lisa and I, have talked this through and prayed about this for our own family. I am aware that this timing may not be convenient for families. It is not for ours either. We love our quieter Sunday evenings, but we have been convicted of the extraordinary lengths we will go to in order to get our four kids in multiple places throughout the week for things of significant, but not eternal impact. In light of this, we are talking about ways to adjust the other days of the week in order to prioritize Sunday evening for our girls to be With God and In Community. Easier for our students to invite friends who do not yet know Jesus to a Sunday PM time than 9am. 1 Sunday a month will still be a Big Event geared toward 1st time guests, the other 3 or 4 Sundays will be discipleship focuses with teaching, music, and discussion/small groups. Student Ministry is working in conjunction with other Central ministry programs to identify intentional and meaningful serving & leadership opportunities on Sunday morning for HS. Juniors and Seniors are encouraged to consider be small group leaders alongside an adult leader in IGNITE. Mobilizing HS students on Sunday morning to serve acts as a laboratory and safe place to get out and serve 29 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

30 We want to give leaders time back during the week to do life with students. Fuller Youth Institute released sticky faith a few years back. We used to believe 1 leader to every 10 students was healthy, and it is for safety. But their research indicates that 1 student needs 5 adults in their life! Program time does not build relationships, but deeper relationships do enhance worship encounters and discussion depth. 30 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

31 Programs that support our HS students: The Landing: CR for teens, hurts, habits and hangups. This will launch in 2018 on Monday nights. Read more at Campus Life: great on-ramp for students who do not know Jesus. This also becomes a great spot for our students to invest as student leaders in an outreach driven ministry to their peers. Steven Timlick leads this ministry that meets on our campus on Tuesday evenings. You can learn more at: campus_life/holland_high 31 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017

32 Student Center Schedule: Sunday AM: IGNITE Sunday PM: FUEL Monday: Celebrate Recovery Tuesday: Holland Campus Life (for high school students) Wednesday: IGNITE Thursday: student worship rehearsal Saturday: College + Young Adults 32 Parent Vision Cast 2017 for Web - August 16, 2017