LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 63

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PARISH, YOUTH, AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES 63

Styles of Youth Ministry

Within the past two years the BYS has attempted to develop
various styles of youth ministry. Youth ministry needs to be
seen not only as “youth group” but rather as all the ways that
youth are involved in the mission and ministry of their parish.
Seven specific styles of youth ministry have been surfaced:

1. One-to-one ministry. This is ministry that happens
betwen individuals as they share and proclaim their
Lord to each other.

2. Matchmaking. This is a style that puts youth and adults
with like interests together so that adults can help young
people gain skills; it also provides them opportunities to
share their faith with each other.

3. Interest groups. Thisis the style that brings people of like
interests together, such as drama groups, music groups,
athletic groups, evangelism groups, etc.

4. Service projects. This approach enables youth and adults
to reach out to care for people around them. Service
projects should not be seen as merely “money raising
activities” but, more importantly, as ways for youth to
use their gifts to love and care for others around them.

5. Single events. This style helps parishes continue to eq uip
and train young people through retreats, lock-ins, special
trips, gatherings, and other special events.

6. Youth on congregational boards. This style enables
youth and adults to work together in decision-making
processes, at the local parish level. This would include
youth making evangelism calls as part of their member-
ship on the evangelism committee, young people serving
in the various educational avenues of their parish, and
youth reaching out through other congregational boards
and committees.

7. Youth group. This is an especially important style of
youth ministry. Peer-group relationships are vital for
youth of every age. This style enables youth to “belong”
to a peer group while at the same time seeing their total
involvement in their parish life.

BYS Staff

The BYS staff has remained constant during the last two
years. The staff continues to give leadership to District and
parish leaders through workshops, conferences, and resource
materials. The staff is seen as being CRISP:

C—We serve as Consultants to Districts and parishes.

R—We develop Resources in youth ministry.

I—We are Individuals who use our gifts to meet specific
needs of others.

S—We are Support people to District and parish youth and
adults.

P—We develop Programs to enable youth and adults to bein
ministry in their parishes.

The staff consists of the following members:

Mr. Richard Bimler serves as executive secretary.

Rev. Leo Symmank serves as assistant executive secretary
in parish services.

Rev. Terry Dittmer serves as assistant executive secretary,
LYF and special ministries.

Mr. Les Stroh serves as assistant executive secretary in the
area of leadership resources.

Mrs. Marcia Earhart serves as editorial assistant. Mrs.
Earhart’s position continues to enable other BYS staffto
be involved in the planning and promoting of our
synodical] youth gatherings.

The staff is supported by a hard-working and dedicated
group of support staff secretaries that includes Mrs. Kathy
Pratt and Mrs. Jeanette Wolf, full time, and Mrs. Carol Winkler
and Mrs. Dicksie Heidbrink, part time. We have also been
blessed with the addition of Mrs. Marie Biesenthal as our youth
gathering registrar for the 1983 Youth Gathering. Mrs. Biesen-
thal serves as the synodical convention registrar, who is “on
loan” to the youth gathering during this time.

Board Personnel

The 1981 synodical convention reduced the number of board
members from 10 to 9. This includes five adults and four young

people, all elected in convention. The board also meets regularly
with the executive council of Lutheran Youth Fellowship,
composed of three young people.

The board members currently serving are:

Rev. Jack Baumgarn, chairman, St. Francis, Minn.
Ms. Jan Hover, vice-chairman, Hasting, Nebr.

Dr. Bill Karpenko, secretary, Seward, Nebr.

Mr. Bill Cochran, Collinsville, Il.

Ms. Lynn Gergens, Kitchener, Ont.

Mr. Rick Krueger, Amherst, Colo.

Mr. S. T. Williams, Gary, Ind.

Mr. Gary Gehlbach, River Forest, Ill.

Mr. Mark Joachim, Agar, S. Dak.

The BYS is the only board of Synod that has young people
serving as elected members.

Lutheran Youth Fellowship

Under God’s guidance, LYF continues to grow throughout

the Synod. Over 65% of LCMS parishes are now members. This
includes over 95,000 young people. Since its beginnings m7
1979, Lutheran Youth Fellowship has provided helpful Bible
studies, resources, topics, organizational guidelines, and other
resources for parish youth groups. LYF is seen as the link
between LCMS youth groups throughout our church.

_ The foundation of LYF., as developed by the board andstaff,
is—

1. to proclaim among youth the presence, love, and power of
God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, whose life, death,
and resurrection has redeemed all people;

2. to equip youth for faithful service to God and His world
by a ministry of the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament;

3. to assist in training adults and building helpful Chris-
tian relationships with youth in contemporary culture;

4. toenable youth and adults to share their unique giftsand
ministry to one another in the Christian community and in
ministry to the world as the witnessing people of God; and

5. to provide settings for Christian youth to demonstrate
the mission of the church in world and life and for unclaimed
youth to be exposed to the call of God in the Gospel.

The specific purpose of Lutheran Youth Fellowship in youth
ministry is to provide members of youth organizations with
opportunities—

1. to meet, identify, work, and have fellowship with other
young people of the parish, Circuit, District, and the
Synod;

2. to bea part of acommunication network throughout the
Synod, by which young people may share ideas and
resources for youth ministry;

3. to plan and implement projects of Christian witness and
service of local and world scope;

4. to be trained for leadership in the local congregation and
church at large; and

5. to speak with a larger voice and greater influence in the
life and work of the church.

A quarterly “LYF Supports” is mailed to all LYF groups.
The 1983 LYF themeis “Christ Is Life’ and centers around the
lordship of Jesus Christ. A Council of District Chairpersons of
LYF meets annually to develop the year’s theme, mission
projects, and other directions. LYF mission projects have met
with an increasing amount of interest and response. “Ambi-
tious Mission,” LYF’s first mission project, netted $30,000 for
the ministry of Rev. Phil Sipes, Ghana, and Miss Carol Holter,
Hong Kong. MISSION: M.A.S.H. is the current LYF project,
which is providing teaching equipment and materials for the
nursing program at Immanuel Hospital in Eket, Nigeria.

Him We Proclaim!—Plans for the Next Three Years

As we look towards ways of proclaiming the Lord in all that
we do and say, the following priorities have been developed for
youth ministry within the Synod:

1. Providing positive directions and mind-sets through

administrative services

2. Ministry to Districts