The Senior High Youth Ministry serves a vital role at City Calvary Chapel by helping our students transition from childhood to adulthood. We firmly believe that it is the parents’ responsibility to train their children in the Lord. However, we also recognize that the role and influence of parents change during these years and it is the responsibility of our church community to help bridge that gap.

Alarming statistics about High School students have emerged over the last few years. Studies now find that 70-80% of Christian students will fall away from their faith within 5 years of leaving High School. Why is that? We believe that is because most youth ministries train students how to “look like Christians” rather than how to be followers of Christ. What do we mean by this? We mean that many youth ministries place their focus on helping students to make good decision that are in line with Scripture. Though we encourage the same thing, our focus is fundamentally different. We believe in helping students to understand who they are in Christ and showing them how to maintain their own relationship with the Lord. The focus is on Christ and His transformational power in their lives. Our prayer for the students is similar to Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians:

^“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” – Ephesians 3:14-19

This paradigm shift in ministry philosophy permeates every level of what we do with the students. It is our conviction that every 9^th through 12^th grade student students should have the ability to study God’s word correctly and be able to engage (i.e. prayer, fasting, etc.) in the dynamic relationship that the Lord has invited them into. We also strive to develop an intimate community amongst the students and while still helping them to understand the role they play within the larger church body. Finally, we establish a Christocentric worldview and help the students to see those outside the church in the same manner Christ does. We accomplish all of this through Wednesday night studies, fun fellowship events, service projects and outreach opportunities.

If you would like more information about the Ignite Youth Ministry, please contact Greg & Jenny Newbloom at: newbloog@u.washington.edu or jennynewbloog@gmail.com.