Do Something…it’s a phrase that has been on my heart for the entire summer. Well, actually, it’s the language for a new vision for student ministry at our church that I’ve been asking the Lord to help me speak out and explain to our students. I was so excited to share this vision with our students and adult leaders on promotion Sunday this morning. It was encouraging to me to see so many students listening to what I believe is God’s call for this ministry, this school year. The concept for “Do Something” is birthed out of a familiar but challenging passage of scripture. It’s found in James 2:14-18…my favorite part being the end of verse 18 where it says, “I will show you my faith by what I do…” There is a lot of talk today about following Jesus and a lot of Christians are raising their voices over issues and I’m sure there is a place for that. I just believe that if there was ever a time in the history of the American church for students to see and experience a “real faith”, it’s now. When we say “Do Something” we are declaring that we believe our God is big and that He does big things. We are also agreeing with James that it’s not enough to simply say I love Jesus – my life simply must show that I do.

The “Do Something” vision has two core components and it is these components that will drive our ministry to students in the greater Carrollton area for this school year. The first component is for every student in our ministry to possess a brokenness for their school campus and for all the campuses represented in our city. I believe this generation of students must turn their perspective upside down when it comes to their campus. No longer should we look to adults, ministers, teachers and coaches as the only ambassadors for Christ on the campus. Instead, students should recognize that they are the best missionary expert for their campus – no one knows their school campus better than they do. Therefore, there is no one better equipped to reach their campus. The question becomes then: do you have a burden for the lost students on your school campus and what are you prepared to do to see that lostness overcome by the gospel of Jesus Christ? The second layer of the “Do Something” vision is to see the needs around us and passionately meet them through dynamic and creative means. James says in 2:15-16 how silly it would be to provide for someone in need simply by wishing them well – it would be our equivalent of saying “God bless you!” but not doing anything about their material or physical needs. So, this school year, we are challenging our students to raise their awareness of the needs around them and then actively go and meet those needs. I believe there is no greater way to show how real Christ is in our lives than by going to those around us and loving them like he would. What an incredible sight it would be to see an entire city revolutionized by some teenagers from First Carrollton who simply wanted to see the kingdom of God advanced in their city.

We are accountable for what we know and we also know that we just can’t sit anymore – we have to do something! How are we going to do it…this was also unveiled on promotion Sunday as well. It’s called “The White Board Project” and the way it works is we ask our students to dream as big as they’ve ever dreamed and then go try it – and the fun part is they come up with the “it”. Individuals, small groups, maybe even our entire ministry will step out and take hold of the ideas of our students provide and put them into action. We have already marked off Sunday mornings on our calendar to make room for these ministry projects. I’ve already read some of the ideas our students have submitted and they are pretty amazing. We plan on dreaming big because we know our God wants us to do big things. “Do Something” is more than a phrase…I hope it will become a rallying cry for a whole generation of teenagers in our church who desperately want to see God move in their church and their city, no matter what it takes. I hope you’ll join us either as a parent of a student, a student, a church member or just someone who’s reading about a church full of teenagers who are out to make a difference. I think this is going to be a great year. I can’t wait to do something.

Jonathan Teague
Associate Pastor, Students & College