New Blogpost by YM360.com

“Public schools are the largest mission field in the USA.”

This is a common refrain from Matt Wilson, Executive Director of First Priority (Greater Birmingham). And you know what? Matt’s right.

Our public schools are fertile fields ripe for harvest. And First Priority is one of the most effective organizations in the country for reaching them.

That is why youthministry360 is honored to be partnering with First Priority to impact this generation (and future ones) of teenagers.

We love First Priority’s Vision Statement:

A City Wide Church Vision with a Comprehensive Plan of Action to Reach This Generation of Students with the Love and Message of Jesus Christ.

We like the intentionality of this statement. Two things particularly jump out to us:

City Wide Church Vision

At youthministry360, we are passionate about serving and equipping youth workers in the local church. First Priority, more than any other national organization we have encountered, lifts up the local church.
First Priority are experts at helping youth workers develop and maintain networks, and supporting youth workers through these networks. This commitment fits right in line with youthminstry360’s DNA. We have loved watching the ym360 community grow and evolve. When youth workers equip other youth workers through their own experiences and passions, the Church only gets stronger.
Comprehensive Plan of Action

First Priority has a lot of different ways to help youth workers raise up student leaders on school campuses. Whether it is student-led clubs at school, See You At The Pole rallies, or any other of the many initiatives organized by local First Priority chapters, they are so great at putting their values into action.
There are simply a lot of things that First Priority has been doing for years that match up very well with youthministry360. So, we have committed to working together to reach teenagers for Christ and to support youth workers in the local church.

What does this partnership look like? Great question. Right now, we’re still figuring it out. But here’s what we know . . .

We are passionate about developing excellent, Bible-centered resources that are creative and culturally relevant. So, there is a lot of potential here.
We love to leverage our network of youth ministry experts. You can bet there will be some great opportunities for youthministry360 to intersect with First Priority’s city-wide networks to create some incredible training opportunities.
We’re still ironing out the details. But you can count on us to keep you updated. For now, we’re just excited about the incredible opportunities this partnership represents for you . . . the youth worker.

Andy Blanks is the co-founder of youthministry360. Andy has worked in youth ministry for 12 years, almost exclusively writing, designing, and developing curriculum. Andy is a teacher at heart and loves to challenge teenagers and youth workers alike through his writing and speaking.

Latest First Look from Greater Birmingham

Why is being a campus missionary so important?

As a youth worker, I know that you are passionate about reaching this generation with the love and message of Jesus Christ. Why else would you do what you do? Your camp rocked this year, small groups are in full swing and your Wednesday night services this year are going to blow the kids away. But, what about the other students? What do we do about the students who will never EVER come to a church or church sponsored event? These students are also known as... the majority. On average, 12 percent of students attend church. Your numbers may spike to 20 percent if you are in the Bible belt. Don't believe me? Talk to the churches in your community and run the numbers. It will shock and motivate you. I did in Birmingham, Ala., and it was dead on.
Knowing these things, we can all agree that public schools are the largest mission field in the USA. Twelve percent of students attend church, 95 percent attend school. Do the math.
What do we do then? What is our role? You and I are not there 8 hours a day. We are fortunate if we are allowed to each lunch there weekly, do a devotion here and there, and attend the school functions.
Our responsibility is to raise-up Campus Missionaries out of our groups and give them the resources to be successful.
Campus Missionaries are students who care about their friends and others who walk the halls of their campus every day. Campus Missionaries have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They are interested in seeing Jesus have an impact on their campus and in the people they influence. Campus Missionaries are willing to do whatever they can to see that Jesus is represented on their campus.
Becoming a Campus Missionary
To become a Campus Missionary you need to:
· Have a desire to see your campus impacted for Jesus Christ;
· Begin praying daily for the people in your school;
· Be involved in your local church youth ministry;
· Be willing to tell your story and how Jesus has impacted you; and
· Tell the Gospel story to those who will listen.

The Campus Missionary's Priorities
Campus Missionaries have the opportunity to do several things, but none are more important than these:
· Live the life.
Your example of a strong Christian testimony is a powerful tool in your school.
· Pray for your friends and your school.
You may be the only one who is praying for them.
· Tell the story of Jesus.
It all comes down to you presenting Christ at school to those whom you can.
· Begin or support an ongoing campus club or ministry on your campus.
· Give to other missionary efforts.
Your church probably has mission programs or people you can support.

Matt Wilson, First Priority Executive Director

FP Orlando FL July Newsletter....

School begins in one month. It is hard to believe that summer has gone and very soon the halls of middle and high schools will be filled with tens of thousands of students trying to find their way, make plans for their future, and for some just merely survive. I have been thinking about this coming fall and a conversation I had with about 50 students last May. I asked a simple question, “What do you think of church?” The overwhelming answer was “They hate homosexuals.” To these students church is a place of judgment. I then asked them what they thought of Jesus? Almost everyone them said he was an amazing man that tried to do a lot of good.

Reaching the largest mission field in our country

This struck me because these students have disconnected Jesus from the church. The idea that students would come to church looking for Jesus is insane to them. They don’t think He is there. The media has done a number on our churches as well as some well meaning Christians. If students will not come to hear the Gospel at church, then we must go to them. This is the heart of First Priority Central Florida. We train our Christian students to be missionaries on campus, share the Gospel, and then bring their friends to church. We have to go where they are at. They are not coming to us.

First Priority’s goal is to present the Gospel to every student and then connect students with local churches to be discipled. It is so simple and it works. We will reconnect Jesus with our churches in the minds of these students by going outside the walls of our buildings and into the halls and classrooms of our schools. Armed with God’s truth and grace our students will reach their friends and we will see a spiritual awakening that none of us could dream about. We have the churches, parents, and students ready and the harvest is ripe.

Tony Hevener - City Director of FP Orlando

07.20.10 working together to reach all - 2nd Peter 3:9

Over the last few years I've had the opportunity to sit with hundreds of local church youth workers and I consistently ask them one question: "What comprehensive strategy does your youth ministry have to reach EVERY student on the campuses in this community?" Out of all the great youth workers I have met with, none could share with me a strategy that reached all of those students; there were always gaps.

These youth workers' inability to develop a strategy to reach every student in a school is not due to a lack of desire, mission or resources. These were all incredible churches reaching and discipling teenagers. It was not them; it was the reality of the situation that has been laid out before them. The vision to reach every student, on every campus, in every community is too big for one local church. It will take many churches in a community working together, in sync, as the Body of Christ to make this vision a reality.

That is why we exist at First Priority. We work in communities, networking local church youth workers together for a common purpose: reaching this generation. The hub where all this activity will take place is the local school campus. Why? Simply put, it's where the students are.

The way we must do this is by equipping students with a strategy and resources to share the revolutionary love and message of Jesus Christ. It's their mission field. They are the missionaries. The students are the ones to champion the name of Jesus on their campus. Our role as youth workers is to set them up for success. We must give them the tools, training and encouragement to take this love and message to their world.

As we think about working together with a common purpose to reach a campus, I challenge you to think about your local church youth ministry.

Do you have an environment that lends itself to infusing the local schools with students passionate for reaching their friends? Do you have a culture of partnering with other churches for ministry? Is having a personal ministry on your students' campus even on their radar?

For campus ministry to be successful, your youth ministry must do these things:

· Value every person coming into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ;

· Disciple Christians to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ;

· Encourage Christians to give their lives in meaningful service to Jesus Christ;

· Intentionally work together as the body of Christ; and

· Challenge Christians to impact the culture for Jesus Christ.

Are you ready to unite to reach your city? First Priority can help.

Matt Wilson, First Priority Executive Director

06.12.10 Great article from a ministry partner, YM360

http://blog.youthministry360.com/reaching-teens-in-public-schools-first-priority-and-the-local-church/184/

06.11.10 June 2010 Business Leaders Update

IT’S WORTH IT!

Fox 6 News' Sheldon Haygood shares the gospel with Bragg Middle School


TV personality, students, a local campus and the gospel all in one, oh my! On April 22, 2010, Fox 6 News Sports Caster Sheldon Haygood visited Bragg Middle School's First Priority campus club. Hannah Haygood, Sheldon's daughter, did not ask her Dad to come to career day but to come and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with her fellow classmates. When asked to come speak for the challenge week of ACTS (Accountability, Challenge, Testimony, Seek), Sheldon said he would be honored to share his faith with the students at Bragg Middle School.

During his visit, Sheldon challenged the students to make an effort to share the love and message of Jesus Christ with every student on their campus. Sheldon encouraged the students to be bold in their efforts both in the classroom and the hallway. He stressed the need for students to be an example to others through their attitude, academics and their faith. We as a society take time every day to watch or listen to the news for the day's events surrounding us, but not too often do we ever think that the personality we are watching or listening to is community-minded or even has a relationship with Jesus Christ.

We at First Priority and the students at Bragg Middle School would like to thank Sheldon for being a "Roaring Lamb" in the media today and for being a huge part of molding our students as campus missionaries.

For more details, visit us at www.fpoa.org

05.29.10 May 2010 Youth Pastor eUpdate

Lord of the Harvest

Luke 10 says the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Do you think God is waiting for us to train workers for the harvest. I believe you will reach what you plan to reach. When I worked with Jay Strack and did the youth work in his area-wide crusades, I began noticing a pattern. If we went to a town that had trained 50 counselors we would have about 150 to 200 come to Christ in 4 nights. If we went to a place where there were 100 trained counselors we would see 400-500 come to Christ. God gives us what we can handle.

Is your church and First Priority club prepared to handle the har- vest with trained workers in the field? Have you spent time training stu- dents, parents, and faculty? You will reap the harvest you prepare for. Go prepare!

Keep fishing, Mark Roberts First Priority of America

Testimony - F.P. of Greater Nashville, TN

“This school year we have had more students come to Christ as new be- lievers and plug into our church for discipleship than ever before in our 17 year history. There is no doubt that the strategy of First Priority at Independence high school played a huge role in that. As a church we will be vested locally with the body of Christ, and cannot wait to see what God does next year on all the campuses our students are at!”

Joel Evrist is part of the staff team of New Song in Franklin, TN. He served as a campus coach this year at Independence High, and will do so at another Nashville school next year.

Newly married Joey Proffitt is overseeing First Priority of Greater Nashville, TN as the City Director. He has an amazing history with First Priority having been a student leader in his middle and high school and spent time on First Priority of America staff. Congrats Joey in life and ministry!