WestWay Student Ministry's Filter Update

As I write this, it is Day 23 of Filter - our summer Bible reading challenge. In case you don’t remember, I’ve challenged our students here at WestWay to read the Bible for 1 hour each day for 100 days. About a quarter of the way in, and some great discussions are already happening centered on what’s being read. Even those who’ve fallen behind keep moving forward and deepening their understanding of God through His Word. A large part of what has motivated this project has been this desire for depth.

I believe that students who have given themselves to Jesus are more than just the church of tomorrow. They’re the church, period, and they’re called into Christ’s mission, not just to hang out and be well-behaved together. Instead of teaching them to wait quietly on the sidelines until they’re “old enough”, what if we trained them to hear the voice of God today and equipped them to respond immediately? What if they began to see themselves, not as the church youth group, but as young, vibrant cells of the Body of Christ? What if we cleared the runway for them to launch their own new ministries, putting their passions and energy to work to make His Kingdom known?

These aren’t just hypothetical questions. I really wonder what the church would look like if all of us could see young Christians the way God sees them. I pray for His perspective. That’s really what Filter is about for us - understanding the mind of Christ like Paul mentions in 1 Cor. 2, knowing what He wants, walking in step with His Spirit to reveal His greatness to a world that rarely notices.

Please be praying for our students this summer as we dig into God’s Word together - and take a deep look into how you treat the Word of God in your own life. The church that can’t hear the Shepherd will wander aimlessly and ineffectually. Let’s not be that church.

2 Keys to Making Disciples

This post is a summary of the message from Sunday for those who missed it (sorry for the delay).
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Jesus told us to go and make disciples, but sometimes we settle for making introductions. We can mention Jesus, or invite someone to a church gathering, but how are we doing at actually making disciples? Last week Willie shared that here at WestWay we've had 370 baptisms in the last 10 years. That's about 1% of our area population and should definitely be celebrated. But our average attendance this year has been about 350, so I wondered with the congregation Sunday, "Where are they?"

We have about 165 people in small groups and about 100 come to classes on Sunday morning (there is a fair amount of overlap in those numbers). I wonder, what would happen if each of those 370 had been plugged in to a discipling group or class? What if each of the 370 had been paired with a spiritual mentor to help them grow in their new faith? 

Why do we not do a better job discipling?

Filter Bible Reading Challenge Day 1

Today is Day 1 of Filter, the 100 hour Bible reading challenge I've put up for my students. 100 hours in 100 days - reading the Bible for an hour each day. Why? Why would I ask my kids to trade a hundred hours of their summertime freedom to read the Bible?

It's because we need to hear God's voice. In a world of Biblical illiteracy, the church runs the risk of losing touch with our Maker. We have more translations and study resources than ever before, yet many Christians never read the Word beyond what's read to them on a Sunday morning. It's no wonder so many churches aren't actually making disciples.

But I think the church is poised for some amazing things that God will do through this next generation - if they can hear Him calling... Young people have some serious questions and some difficult issues with how the church seems to be functioning. But they often are beginning to take their faith very seriously, digging into those questions and issues for resolution. If they can learn to recognize His voice in their lives, God will use them to take the church to places we never dreamed we'd go. It will take a lot more than 100 hours, but it's a start.