Campaigners Ideology \tur~j1if~
The mission of Young Life is to introduce teenagers to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith
through relationships with adult leaders.
In campaigners alone we are able to:
• Provide teenagers with a true picture of Jesus Christ
• Help them grow in their faith so that they will be able to walk on their own
• Establish the importance of relationship to the Body of Christ through fellowship
What are the ideal components of Campaigners?
• Fellowship, Worship, Prayer, Discovery of Scripture, Discipleship that leads them to serve Him
and those around them
Who are we targeting?
• Believers: Kids who are already following Christ
• New Believers: Kids who have just begun their relationship with Christ
• Seekers: Kids who do not know Christ but want to know more
What does this look like on a weekly basis?
• All-school campaigners meeting in the evenings once a week
0 Young kids see older kids and get a picture of who they want to be
o Old kids feel the pressure of being looked up to as a big brother/sister in Christ
o Raised consciousness of opposite gender believers
o Kids gain a vision for the Body of Christ and are encouraged by the other folks who are
pursuing Christ in their high school
o A very inclusive feel
Two parts of our time together:
Large Group Time
• Worship (15-20 minutes)
o Include contemporary worship tunes, hymns, spiritual club songs, and songs based on
Scripture
o Worship teaches the Gospel and theology, and helps them remember Scripture
o Helps kids transition into church
• Pray together (5 minutes)
o Have kids pray for God’s work at our high school through Young Life
• Vision Cast (5 minutes)
o Inform them.. .make them insiders in all that is going on in Young Life
o Remind them of who they are: Servant leaders among their families and peers
Small Group Time
• Teach them how to read the Bible
• Teach them how to pray by modeling
• Teach them how to spend time with Christ
• Teach them to look to Scripture for truth about life
• Create an atmo~ohere of inclusiveness and openness
Leading Small Group Campaigners
Evaluate
• How old are they?
• Where are they spiritually? Socially? Emotionally?
• What do they need?
Plan Ahead
• Where do you want them to be spiritually at the end of the semester? Year?
• Have avision for the lives of the guys/girls in your group
Strategize
• Plan the entire semester in advance.
• If you know where you are going, you are more likely to get there
Teach the Basics in Practical Ways
• Have quiet times in your Campaigners
• Teach them to dissect Scripture. Try using these three questions:
o What happened in the passage?
o What do I learn about God or Jesus?
o What does this mean to my life? How do I apply this to me?
• Teach them to pray, and give them time to pray individually in Campaigners
Execute the plan with excellence
• Lay down the ground rules with your guys
o Respect each other (no talking while someone else is)
o Don’t make fun of anyone else
o Nothing leaves the room (Confidential)
o There are no dumb questions
• Be prepared every week.
• Plan your lesson like a talk.
• Begin with some opening questions to get them talking. Find a line of questions that will tie into
your lesson.
• Use the appropriate Scripture passage. Do not overwhelm them with Scripture. Keep it simple.
• Dissect the passage with them using directed open-ended questions.
• This is not a time to preach.. .it is a time for them to discover.
• Once you have c’arified the passage allow them to reflect and apply this to their lives
Leading thoughts
• Be creative
• Teach them in their language
• Capture their imagination
• Repetition, redundancy, and saying the same thing over and over again are some of the best
teaching tools.
Campaigners Semester Planning
Evaluate Kids
How old are they?
Where are they spiritually?
Emotionally?
Socially... what are they “into”?
What do they need?
Where do you want them to be at the end of this plan?
Write out your plan for them in ten words or less:
Write down main point and Scripture for each week
Week 1:
Week2:
Week 3:
Week4:
Week 5:
Week6:
Week7:
Week 8:
Week 9:
Week 10:
~5MALLGKoLtrcAMrAIGN~K5
rurpo5e: \tunguI~
To kelp our friends learn 6ow to rcacl and interpret th~ bible
To kelp our fr-lends learn to pra9
To experience fellowship
Thoughts on rreparation:
i. Read pra9erkll9 through scripture that l am going to use tk~~ week
z. l~stablish main point(s) that I want them to take awa9 from our time
~‘. What questions can I ask to get them from ‘where tk~9 are’ to the 5cripture that week
> Ask a question that is about tk~ subject-_but applie5 to their life
> Read tk~ scripture
> Ask a c1uestion about what the~j read/ the meaning
> Ask a question about k0~ tk~5 affects their life/people their age
> Ask a question that leads them to a personal response to tk~5 scripture
(sometimes no audible response)
Thoughts on ~xecution:
i. Welcoming inclusive environment
> There are no stupid 9uestions
> Don’t tell me what I want to hear!
> don’t know all tk~ answers (I’ll d0 m9 best to find th~ answer)
> Don’t use names of f0lk5 (slander: r~phesians 5: z)
2.. Want to lead in a wa9 that promotes discussion: the9 DI5COV~K the truth
> Do not a~k questiOn5 that allow for one or two word answers: (9es, no, facts)
> Ask 9uestions that promote thought/feeling: how? Wh9?
> If it is helpful, ask them to write their answers d0~~
> Allow for 5ilence don’t fill it!
~‘. When the9 ask 9ou a question—turn it to the group...”wkat d0 9ou all think?”
.1-. Totall9 wrong answcrs~handle delicatel9.~but clarif9 TK(JTh
~. in the end A~~1RM TM~JK DI5COV~Kl~5: use their own worcl5 or-quotes 0f great ansWcr5 to
summarize9our main points that 9ou hoped t6~9 would take from the discussion
~ (Optional) Use a “memor9 too!” if helpful or applicable
~ card th~9 can carr,~j ~~tk them
~ something to take I-rome
> avisualaid
7- 1’ra9 together (pra9er requeshs/pra9er for specifics/pra9 as lead)
Campaigners Lesson Planning Outline ximiite
In Preparation:
Main teaching point:
The best Scripture I know of to teach this:
In Execution
“Ho Hum” Question:
Transition question:
Read Scripture. Have them read it passionately.
Question 1:
Question 2:
Question 3:
How does this apply to your lives? So what?
Re-state their discoveries:
Practical challenge that they will leave with:
Take prayer requests about real stuff
Pray together. (Make sure someone prays for the spiritual growth of the group)
Ideas for Campaigners ur~jUI~
Younger Kids
• Mimic the talk sequence and Scripture
• A semester on ‘~What Jesus did, what Jesus said, and what others said about Jesus.”
• The A-Pack (the Christian Wheel)
• The B-Pack (Gospel verses)
Older Kids
• More Jesus
• James
• The Fruit of the Spirit (taught as something acquired only through the spirit)
• The Armor of God (taught as gifts from God not as things we earn or equip ourselves with)
• Basic Old Testament
• The D-Pack: Be Christ’s Disciples
• The E-Pack: Grow in Christ Likeness
Versatile Lesson Plans
• l3GreatThings**
• The C-Pack: God’s Resources
In General
• Stick to the Gospels
• Don’t teach stuff you dn’t understand
• Have them fall in love with Jesus
• Teach them to know that absolute truth comes only from God’s Word
• Keep it Simple
**13 Great Things
Charlie Patten
1. Love God-Love Others (MatI 22:37-39, Matt. 6:33, John 14:15)
2. Have a Life Purpose Statement
3. Run to Jesus in dependence (John 7:37-38)
4. Serve others-Deny self-Give yourself away (Matt. 16:24-25, Mark 10:42-45)
5. The Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-4, Romans 3:22-25a, John 1:12)
6. Be incarnational (John l:14&18, John 20:21)
7. Remember Him every 15 minutes
8. Make others look good
9. From the proper motive, ask God for wisdom
10. Contentment and thankfulness (Phil. 4:11-13, 1 Tim. 6:6-8, 1 Thess. 5:18)
ii. Be shrewd as a snake and innocent as a dove (Matt 10:16, Phil. 2: 16b, Ronians 16:1 9b)
12. Be disciplined (Phil. 2:12-13, Proverbs 24:30-32)
13. Live out your convictions
What is Campaigners?
Campaigners is a group of students committed to growing in their relationship
with Christ and sharing this relationship with others.
Committed to a Group
God works through a group, a “body,” a team; His Church. We learn about ourselves and
His love for others as we live and work together.
Committed to Growing
As leaders, we recognize that kids are in different places in their journey with Christ.
Keeping this in mind, Campaigners is still for those who desire to grow in their faith. In
club we aim at the lowest common denominator. The club message is basic so that the
one farthest away might understand. In Campaigners, however, we are running with the
big dogs. We are aiming at the highest common denominator. Although our Campaigners
will be at various levels of commitment to Christ, this is still a time for those who want
to he challenged to grow spiritually.
Committed to Sharing
Our growth in Christ will show itself in our love for others. Campaigners is more than
simply gaining biblical knowledge, although it most definitely includes this. As we grow
we will want to reach out to others. Campaigners becomes the student leadership and
backbone for our club work.
Mark 12:28-31: “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing
that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments,
which is the most important?’
“‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: “Hear, 0 Israel, the Lord our God,
the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbor
as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.’”
The heart and soul of Campaigners should be to help students (and ourselves) obey the
great commandment:
• to love God above all else—and with everything we have and are;
• to love our neighbors — f~mi1ies, friends, peers, those of various backgrounds
and cultures, the less fortunate — as ourselves.
But this doesn’t just happen.
Good teachers take time to design lesson plans.
Good coaches take time to prepare their strategy for game day.
Good builders work closely with their blueprints.
Good Campaigner leaders:
• are motivated out of their love for Christ and His truth;
• are going somewhere. They have a plan and are working on it;
• are developing their own leadership and discipleship skills;
• are prayerfully dependent on the Lord to produce His fruit.
This manual is for all those deeply desiring that students would encounter the Lord and
grow in their faith. We hope this manual will help:
• Focus our attention on the high calling of discipleship;
• Sharpen our skills and understanding of rooting students in Christ;
• Equip us with tools needed-in this task;
• Provide e~mples and studies on which to build;
• Continue the important dialogue within our mission on how best to help
adolescents “live a life worthy of the gospel;”
• Encourage us all to love Christ and others more;
• Develop a new generation of leaders for Jesus Christ.
begin With the End in Mind
Your discipleship will take the shape of whatever you believe to be your goal.
• For some the goal is informational. If we can just get Campaigners to read the Bible
and learn biblical truths, we have succeeded.
• For others the goal is. sharing. Our teenagers need adults who create a safe place for
them to bC able to talk about what they are feeling in a non-judgmental setting.
• Still others may. seethe goal of Campaigners as building the Young Life club at their
school. Kids need a form of outreach to learn how to serve the Lord among their peers
and club provides such an opportunity
Those of us compiliikg this handbook believe that each of these goals is worthwhile. Our
discipleship needs to be marked by biblical teaching, open sharing of who we are and the
challenge to walk our talk among our friends and family. But none of these is the primary
~goal of our time together.
(The primary goal of Campaigners is to help students love God with all their
~ heart, soul, mind and strength and to love their neighbors as themselves.
~ ~>- This is the great commandment. The great commandment warrants our greatest atten-
~) tion. It is the end that we must keep in mind as we set out.
How does Campaigners help us love God and others? By giving us a true understanding
of the One we worship and our need for God (biblical literacy). By allowing us to know
the Lord’s healing and compassion (honest sharing). And by giving us opportunities to
p ~ ~ —‘.4~U L ~ ?~-~ ~ ~—
What Do You Know About
Leading Campaigners?
Maybe a lot more than you thought you did. You know something about what makes peo-
ple feel comfortable in a discusthon. You know something about what a high school friend
is looking for when he walks into a Campaigners gathering, and you know something
about what you want him to walk out with when he leaves.
You’ know as well that Campaigners works best if it’s more than just a weekly meeting —
that it works best if it’s more like a daily walk. A walk where, with one hand you take
hold of Jesus, with the other hand you take hold of a high school friend and together you
venture down the path of life, stopping regularly to discuss what you’re learning along
the way.
You might say that your walk with Campaigner kids involves two steps — loving God
and loving others. When you repeat these two steps over and over again, like putting one
foot in front ‘of another, you find yourself following Jesus and making great strides in
your walk with your high school friends.
This workbook was composed to help you in that walk with Campaigner kids. It was corn-
posed with the conviction that YOU are the key to an effective Campaigner ministry. It
was composed with the conviction that your Campaigner ministry is bound to flow out of
who YOU are — your personality, your spirituality, your lifestyle. And it was composed
with the conviction that YOU already know a lot about leading a Campaigners discus-
sion, but maybe just need some help organizing, expressing and refining what you know.
This workbook has been organized into two general sections: Your Walk and Your Talk,
Your Walk deals with your relationships with the Lord and with Campaigner kids and
asks the basic question, “Are you a good lover?” How well do you love God? How well do
you love others? How well are you doing in these two basic steps of the Christian jour-
ney? Your Talk wrestles with the process of developing effective discussions along the
way.
What do you know about leading Campaigners? More than enough for God to use you in
a dynamic way with high school kids. You know Him. And He is the beginning and the
end of the lesson.
Helpful Hints in Using These Lessons
1. Icebreaker - Go around and let everyone
answer the question. Leader — be prepared to
answer the question too! (You may need to
start.)
2. Use your own examples and illustrations
wherever appropriate.
3. Make a list of scripture references of the
verses (from different booksin the Bible).
Before campaigners, give out the verses to
individuals and have them look up, mark
their spot and read them when they come up
in the lesson.
I—~-j-~€~ r~ ~ ~hov’~ 6 ~~bk “~ V~r~ )~I p -~ I
4. Let everyone share at the end, including you.
Jot down some of what they share so you can
pray for them and follow up in the next
week.
If you have questions or need clarification on
anything, please call me Joann:
(H) 852-2168, (C) 202-1796, (0) 274-0775