What makes our student ministry unique?
The goal of the Student Ministry of Grace Fellowship of South Forsyth is to fan the flames of the affections of the students, their respective families, and all team members towards the greatness, beauty, and all-satisfying nature of Jesus Christ. As their affections grow, so will their conformity to the character and priorities of Jesus Christ.
The student ministry of Grace Fellowship, known as WIRED Student Ministry, seeks to connect the students of Grace to God’s Word and the local church by partnering with the family as we reach, build, and equip both the students and the families of Grace Fellowship. The end goal is that each person is leading in a discipling role somewhere in their lives as they are conformed to the character and priorities of Jesus Christ Himself.
First, we believe the “good news” of the Bible is that Jesus made it possible for us to have a relationship with God by paying the penalty for our sin through being judged in our place on the cross. This is our hope and the center of our joy! Therefore, we recognize that when teenagers value what Jesus Christ has done for them they make honoring Him a priority.
Second, we are not scared of hard questions. At Grace Fellowship we believe that the Bible is our source of spiritual authority. This gives us a tremendous confidence that there are answers to every question that life will throw at a teenager. Also, we do not “dumb down” teaching simply because some may think that students can’t “get” the “deeper” teachings of Scripture. We think that students, when taught at an appropriate level and style, can—and should—work through challenging themes in the Bible.
Find tools below under the Resources button.
Third, we also see students as young adults, and we treat them as such. Some of the greatest examples we have in the history of Christianity (most if not all of the Apostles, King David, Charles Spurgeon, etc.) are of teenagers who had a burning passion to follow and spread God’s fame and we believe that the standard should not be lowered to meet the culture. As a student matures in their faith, we seek to develop their leadership qualities. It is our desire to see teenagers who are God-centered, confident, and passionate about living a life of disciple-making.
Fourth, we believe the parents are the primary “movers and shakers” in the lives of their teenager(s) and we consider it a privilege to join with them in shaping their teen to spread the fame of God. Therefore, we encourage parents to be involved in our student ministry in a variety of ways. Whether it is serving on the Student Ministry Team, helping to plan retreats, attending events, or just providing transportation, we believe that parental involvement is critical. We simply do not follow the belief that teens need to get away from their parents in order to develop.
The student ministry of Grace Fellowship has taken the name WIRED. This name was chosen because it is the goal of the ministry to connect each student to God’s life-giving Word as well as to the body of Christ, the local church. We believe that God’s Word contains everything that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3) and present it to the students as one grand story of the revelation of God’s glory and beauty to His creation through the themes of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.
In addition, we hold out the church as Christ’s beautiful body in which each Christian, even teenagers, should be an active part. It is the church that gathers to worship Christ and it is the church that loves one another, encourages one another, bears one another’s burden, and even rebukes and corrects one another. We believe that our students should be active and contributing participants in carrying out that reality and teach and train them to do so.
Our foundational weekly activity is our Sunday evening gathering which is also called WIRED. It is a high-energy event where the students gather for a time of fun, activities, and worshiping the one true God. As partners with parents, who are the primary shepherds in the spiritual lives of their children, the small group leaders have a significant impact in the lives of the students as they seek to connect the truths taught to the lives of the students. Additionally, fellow students can partner with one another on their spiritual journeys as together they seek to grow in grace and holiness by savoring Christ.
Within the WIRED Student Ministry we seek to teach a full-orbed view of our great God as the fuel to stoke the flames of the student’s affections towards Jesus. The reason for this is found in Acts 26:26-27.
Speaking to the elders in Ephesus Paul said, “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” Like Paul, our goal is to stand innocent in front of our mighty God because we too taught His entire counsel to the students during their seven-year time within the ministry. Thus, we look at what we teach the students in each of the different venues we have with them to ensure we are fully displaying the grandeur and beauty of our glorious God to them.
What is the whole counsel of God? We think there are six main areas that must regularly be taught to the students in order for them to properly understand the whole counsel of God. They are:1
Our goal is that over the seven years we have the students they are taught an even portion of each of these six categories so that their view of and love for God can be as high as possible upon graduation.
1 Categories 1-5 were taken from Point 3 from the book Zealous: 7 Commitments for the Discipleship of the Next Generation by David Michael.
The goal within the WIRED Student Ministry is that after seven years with a student we hope to produce a student who is discipled as much as possible. Goals are good but without some form of measuring stick it can be hard to tell if progress is being made. Thus we have a Description of a Discipled Student which is used to help ensure progress is being made.
We believe there are four broad areas that can be used in describing what a discipled student looks like. They are the student’s relationship to the Word, the student’s relationship to the church, the student’s relationship to other people, and the student’s relationship to the world.
Description of a Discipled Student1
1 This content was largely drawn from a document shared by David Michael from Truth78.
We believe that having fun is wrong… just kidding! We have a blast at all of our events! Whether it’s Capture the Flag, Game Night, retreats, or mission trips, we always have a good time! Is it all about fun? It can’t be… that’s not the fundamental identity of the church. Often a youth group is measured by whether or not a student had “fun.” That is a tragic measuring stick to use in how teens (or adults) relate to attending church. Why? Because we have been called to spread God’s fame by making disciples of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-20). Since Jesus is our hope AND our joy having a blast together is the response of our emotions as we obey what Jesus told us to do! So, we define “fun” as pursuing lives that radiate doing what Jesus wants us to do for His glory and our good. Everything else is centered on how something pleases us. Bottom line? When we measure things (even church) in how they please or fulfill us, we make having “fun” our god and that is wrong.
Within the WIRED Student Ministry we love questions! No question is too hard because all truth is God’s truth! We know that during this time in a young person’s life there are plenty of questions and we know that in His kindness, God has provided many excellent resources to help young people get good, solid answers to those questions. Below is a curated list of books and resources loosely arranged by topic to help in answering your questions.
If you don’t find what you are looking for, let us know so we can try to help.
Apologetics
Bible
Heading Off to College / Leaving Home
Evolution/Creation
Other Religions
Worldview
Sexuality and Gender Issues
Specific Topics
Sundays @ 11am
The high schoolers will be going through Rejoicing in God's Good Design by Truth78. This is a study on biblical manhood and womanhood that helps students submit to and delight in God's good design for men and women.
The middle schoolers will be going through Pour Out Your Heart Before Him by Truth78. This curriculum is a study on the book of Psalms encouraging the students to see God as the trustworthy covenant-keeping God of Israel who invites them into relationship with Him through Jesus.
Student Connections will begin on August 17th, 2025.
Most Sundays @ 5pm
Our series this year for WIRED is called The Filter: How You See Shapes Who You Are and is a look at worldviews. You may not know it, but you (and everyone else for that matter) has a worldview. Worldviews provide an account for where we came from, why we are here, what is right and wrong, and where we are headed.
It is vitally important that Christian young people realize that the world’s view of itself is at odds with what God’s Word says. Thus, the Christian young person needs to have a fully functional and biblically integrated worldview.
Why you ask? Because how we view the world directly relates to how we live in the world. Join us this year at WIRED as we will come to see that a Christian's actions always flow from how they view God and the world around them.
Students have a lot of questions about life and God. Every few months we take some time to address their questions from God's Word.
If you have any questions about Grace Fellowship's Student Ministry, contact Pat Dirrim.