Featured Preteen Ministry

February Spotlight: Infusion
Leader: Charlie Conder
Grayson, GA

Tell us about your preteen ministry.

INFUSION - fusing Christ into our lives 24/7
Based on Philippians 2:4-7
We are building a community of Christ centered 5th and 6th graders.

What one or two things does your ministry do really well?

For one week each summer our ministry hosts Vacation Bible Xtreme or VBX. This preteen camp occurs alongside our church’s vacation bible school program. VBX opens up a new world of worship and fellowship that students have not had the opportunity to experience before. The week has one theme that focuses on scripture, skits, games and small group time each day. Every day starts off with awesome worship with a live band that gets the students rocking and gives them a chance to learn how to respond to Christ through worship. The best parts of the week are the friendships that students make with other Christ followers be it the adults who lead our games or the high school students who lead the vbX teams and small groups in our community.

Also, while many churches have eliminated the Sunday School hour, this is something that we feel has been the backbone of our preteen ministry. This hour of the week is solely devoted to exploring the Bible. The class content is designed to use the Bible such that is holds our preteens’ interest and is relevant in their lives. This class lays the foundation to our preteens faith so that they can own it for themselves.

Talk about a preteen who has recently been impacted by God in your group.

During the Christmas season, I did series on love. I talked about how when God gave his son to us this was love in action. We, as Christ followers, need to back up our words with actions of love.

We have a 6th grade girl who just started attending church for the first time in her life. On her second visit to church, I learned that she had struggled through a terrible divorce with her parents, had recently come home to witness her mother’s physical abuse from her mother’s boyfriend, and learned that she and her mother would soon be homeless when the bank finalized the foreclosure on her home. Overwhelmed by her situation, I began praying for her and asking God what I could do to help this girl. Food. I felt like God put it on my heart to take food to her. I took groceries to her house and visited them for a brief time. The next day she went to her school campus and shared how she gets “it”. She explained how she understands what Jesus did for her. This sixth-grade girl turned the simple love she received into action by giving her testimony to others at school. She has reached out to other girls who are going through hard times and has taught them that Christ will always be there for strength and support.

You mentioned starting a preteen ministry virtually from scratch. It started small and grew big over the years. What advice would you give someone launching a preteen ministry?

Our 5th graders had outgrown children’s ministry. At the time, the student ministry encompassed students from grades 6th-12th. Our 6th graders were being crippled by their insecurities with not fitting in with the older students and the messages were not reaching them. They were becoming disenganged. I cast a vision developing a ministry to 5th and 6th graders. With the support of a wonderful family and our children’s minister, we launched a preteen ministry. We know and understand the culture these students live in, so we are able to show them how they fit into “The Story” and how to make Christ relevant in their everyday lives!

We made the preteen ministry a BIG deal. We branded it with a name and logo. We also took an unused adult classroom and revamped it, so our students had their own space. Then, by personally inviting every 5th and 6th grader in our church, we had a preteen ministry launch party. When we started this ministry we had a $125 budget for the first year, and after lots of creative thinking and spending, we developed a ministry that appealed to our target students. All of sudden, the students were not in such a hurry to join the middle school ministry because they had their own space adn identity.

What few things made the growth possible?

We have created a community where preteen students can feel safe and find their “place”.

We offer events that are geared only to preteens. They build relationships with each other and become accountable to one another.

We consistently hold monthly events that keep students involved in the church community. As students remain involved, they begin reaching out and inviting their friends to events and Sunday.

We listen. Our volunteers take the time to develop relationships with our students. They listen to the students, but best of all, they hear them. The volunteers pray, comfort, and guide these students who live in our chaotic culture.

What unique challenges come with a large preteen ministry and how do you attempt to overcome them?

For me personally, it’s giving up the ability to be able to personally pastor every preteen. As we experienced growht, I switched gears focusing on leading/training leaders who could speak into the lives of preteens. I would love nothing more than to be able to individually share with each student how exciting a relationship with Christ can be. Instead, we focus more on walking alongside our preteen’s parents, and equipping them on how to share the Message with their children.

Also, there is the smell. A certain aroma that a room full of 6th grade boys give off that no air freshener can eliminate!

Questions or comments? Charlie can be reached at charlieconder@gmail.com