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Program for Youth The Lilly Ministerial Vocation Program for Youth seeks to address one the most perplexing trends confronting the post-modern church; namely, the decreasing number of young men and women who actively respond to God's call to vocational ministry. Unless this trend is reversed, the church faces a monumental crisis in leadership in the coming years. The Lilly Ministerial Vocation Program for Youth at Gardner-Webb University, in partnership with Crossroads Ministries has developed a three-fold strategy to address the dilemma. First, a vital partnership has been established with Crossroads, a non-denominational summer youth camp conducted by Clayton King Ministries. The camp draws 1,000 teens each week to the campus of Gardner-Webb University. Participants in Crossroads have daily options to attend varied Bible study classes. Our partnership with the camp allows an alternative track of study on the topic "Call to Ministry." The second component of our program is the Summer Ministry Forum held in conjunction with a Crossroad camp each summer. This program allows seventy students to experience in-depth Bible study and theological reflection, as well as explore the call and character of vocational ministry. Our objective is to encourage serious engagement and dialogue with theological concepts. Designed to be intensive, interactive, and experiential, the Summer Ministry Forum allows our participants to think theologically and to begin to explore ministry as a viable and satisfying vocation. During the school year, students and their church leaders have the opportunity to experience a weekend Ministry Summit, offered through the same Crossroads partnership. This final piece of our program incorporates ministerial mentoring into the equation. The ministerial mentor will not only support and nurture the student but will also be encouraged to offer vocational modeling and job shadowing as part of the mentoring process. Ministry Summits have been held in Greenville, SC (2003 and 2004) and Jacksonville, FL (2004). The next Summits will be held Nov. 12-13, 2004 in Charlotte, NC and March 11-12, 2005 in Greenville, SC. Registration is located on the Crossroads website at www.crossroadsworldwide.org. If you are a young person exploring a call to ministry, we hope you will look further and explore your faith on a deeper level. Engage a trusted friend or leader in conversation about what you are experiencing. And consider applying for one of our events. Melanie Nogalski, Director Telephone: 704-406-3548 Email: mnogalski@gardner-webb.edu |
