Preparation for the Week of Youth & Young Adult Evangelism (What to do before the Week of Evangelism?)

Initiative “Have you seen me?”

The objective of this initiative is to identify the youth and young adults who have been in the church and left, the kids that were a part of the church and are no longer present. The Adventist Youth & Young Adult Leadership Team must work together with the Pastor, the Church Clerk, and an Elder (Counselor/Advisor for the Youth) to make this initiative successful. Follow these steps:

Step #1     Assign a Youth Team to meet with Church Clerk, Pastor, and Elder

Step #2    Team meets with the Church Membership Book/Records and creates a list of kids, youth, and young adults who are no longer attending church, those who were dropped from the books, or have been disfellowshipped. Check back for at least 10 years.

Step #3     Make the whole church aware of the names of kids, youth, and young adults who are not attending or who were members and are no longer in the books of the church. See a few ideas

Slide Show with Pictures & Names:

Create a slide show, with the pictures, names, and last day the kid, youth, and young adult was seen in church. Play the slide show during worship service and any other time possible and encourage everyone watching to pray for each one constantly.

Create Card with Pictures & Names of Missing Youth & Young Adults:

Create a deck of cards with the names of kids, youth, and young adults missing in your church. Distribute the cards among younger and older church members and ask each one who receives a card to make a commitment to pray for the individual on the card.

Missing Youth Poster with Pictures & Names of Missing Youth & Young Adults:

Create a poster that includes pictures and names of missing youth and young adults. Place the posters in relevant locations of the church and distribute one poster to each household of the church. Ask each household which receives a poster to pray for the pictures and names on the poster.

Step #4    Assign Teams of grace-oriented, loving, nonjudgmental, non-accusing, and tactful youth, young adults, and adults to contact each name possible (personal visitation, personal text, personal phone call, personal Facebook and Twitter message, among others).

Step #5     Invite missing youth and young adults to attend a Banquet/Reception/Party especially for them. Begin the Week of Youth & Young Adult Evangelism with a special celebration on behalf of those who have been missing.

Step #6     Protect each one of the returning kids, youth, young adults. The first few days back in church  are very risky, anything or anyone can turn them away. Stay close to them.

Step #7     Connect each returning kid, youth, and young adult to a youth or young adult Small Group in your church. The returning youth and young adults will not stayed unless they get a sense of belonging and feel connected to friends and people who love them.

Step #8     Work with Pastor, Elders, Youth Leadership, and other ministries in the Church to involve each one of the presently attending youth and the returning youth in some type of ministry at the church. If youth and young adults do not feel needed in church, they will go to a place where they feel they belong. They need to be connected and useful in church in order to stay.