At Matthew Road, we don’t view student ministry as a holding tank for teenagers until they can step into real ministry and a real relationship with Christ. We view student ministry as an incredible time to invest in and train up young men and women to be in deeply connected relationships with Christ and others and deeply involved in service for the Kingdom. Collide Student Ministries seeks to provide an environment where teenagers can grow in their relationship with Christ our Savior, grow into strong community with other believers, and pour themselves out sacrificially for Christ and others. We long for our students to collide with Christ and His kingdom in Jr. High, High School, and beyond. We’ve summed up what we believe and strive for in student ministry in 3 family traits that make up our DNA. These traits are:
1. Connect
We believe that life change happens through the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16). We also learn from Scripture and Jesus that relationships are an avenue for the Gospel. It is our aim to connect students to the Savior through Christ-centered relationships with other students and with caring adults who will motivate them in their relationship with Christ.
2. Grow
In all ways — spiritually, physically and intellectually — the teenage years can be an exciting season of growth for students. It is our hope to produce followers of Christ by deepening their knowledge of God through Bible study (2 Timothy 3:16-17), memorization (Psalm 119:9,11; Colossians 3:16) and community (Acts 2:42-47).
3. Give
Jesus came not to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28). Fighting the cultural norm of “it’s my right” and “what can this do for me” mentalities, we hope to raise up a generation of servants, students more concerned with giving than getting and more focused on serving that being served (Philippians 2:3-4).
