YPT in Action: Alex Tufano

We like to talk about the importance of theological depth in youth ministry - but what does that actually look like? YPT isn’t promoting a one-size-fits-all approach to youth ministry. Instead, we want to encourage youth workers to be anchored in the biblical essentials while practicing wise contextualization in their particular settings. “YPT in Action” will be an ongoing series where youth workers from a variety of contexts answer the same questions. 

Name: Alex Tufano
Church/Ministry: Heritage Bible Chapel
Title: Youth Pastor
Location: Princeton, MA
Ministry Setting: Suburban
How long have you served in this ministry: 3 years
How long have you served in vocational ministry overall: 14 years
Average Church Attendance: 350
Average Youth Group Attendance: 35
Age range of students in ministry: Grades 6-12 (ages 11-18)

What are your ministry's regularly scheduled programs over the course of a month?

On Wednesday nights, the youth group meets for 1.5 hours alongside adult Bible studies, and TeamKID alternates between large group nights and small group nights. TeamKID (Kids In Discipleship) is a club-style program for K-5 students that features Bible lessons, Scripture memory, games, and a missions emphasis each week.

Sunday School is one class for all students and meets before the worship service.

Are there any retreats/camps or other special events that are semi-regular or annual features of your ministry?

We attend a winter retreat at Hume New England, a camp we recently discovered and found to excel in all areas and align with our ministry values.

We have a local overnight in August, designed to give our small groups some extended time together (similar to a DNOW).

In June, we hold a graduating seniors banquet to recognize and encourage students graduating high school, and we also hold a dinner for incoming 6th graders.

What does "Youth Group" look like in your ministry? 

Youth group is our large group gathering, which meets on Wednesday nights. We begin with some games and hangout time and have a large group teaching. Both middle and high school have the same youth group gathering. Due to some of our logistics, we meet in our small groups on the same night, alternating between a large group night and a small group night - while calling Wednesday night "Youth Group" regardless for consistency.

How would you describe your teaching style in youth group?

I typically teach for about 30 minutes, and seek to find a balance between myself speaking and students answering questions or discussing with each other. This leans more towards teaching than discussion leading, and I try to incorporate elements that work well for different learning styles (visual, experiential, participatory, etc.). Because our church has strong expositional preaching on Sunday mornings and most of our students on Wednesday nights are present for that, I seek to offer something slightly different for Youth Group.

What are some recent series you’ve taught through, and how many weeks long were they?

Last Fall, we taught through a series titled "How Do I Relate to God?". This was a Christian spirituality series, where we aimed to help students understand their identity in Christ and how to live life in communion with him.

In the Spring we taught through the Apostles' Creed. This has been our Christian doctrine series for the year, unpacking the theological truths summarized in the Creed while also helping students see that even this doctrine-heavy statement focuses on the person of God and is immensely applicable to our lives.

YPT obviously values teaching theology and doctrine in our ministry to students. What does that look like for you? 

One way we teach theology and doctrine to students is by directly teaching them theology and doctrine. The three-fold emphasis of the catechesis process, on Christian doctrine, spirituality, and living, has helped shape our big-picture lesson planning. We seek to balance between those three areas, while still teaching theologically about Christian spirituality and living.

We also seek to teach parents, church leaders, and other adults the theological reasons behind the way our ministry operates. For example, how our calendar is less packed because we want to encourage families to take time for Sabbath, or that we value students being integrated into the life of the church because they are part of the church.

How do you prioritize partnering with parents?

The largest part is communication, both direct and indirect. Every week, I send parents a newsletter covering what's happening that week, what we're teaching with some follow-up questions, upcoming events, and a resource to equip them. I also reach out directly to each family in the fall and in the spring, to check in, hear any concerns, and pray with them for their students (this is in addition to being available as needed, of course). I also work with our Children's Ministry Director to plan parenting classes and seminars for more formal equipping and partnership.

How do you integrate students into the life of the church?

This is an ongoing culture shift and the one we're perhaps moving the slowest in. We have some adults and students paired together for 1-1 prayer, and are advocating for student involvement in more areas of the church. This includes attending adult Sunday school at certain times of the year, working with ministry leaders to find areas for students to serve alongside adults, and trying to find ways for students to participate in home groups. Our students are fully present during the Sunday morning worship service, and there is room to grow in engaging them during that time.

What are some particular struggles that your students and families encounter that may not be prominent in other ministry contexts? How does that affect the shape of your ministry? 

 One new challenge, relative to my previous experience, has been how spread out everyone is. We have students from our ministry driving up to 30 minutes from most directions, so logistically we have to think through how many nights we’re asking families to drive and where we gather off-site. We also face the reality of long New England winters and the seasonal depression that accompanies them. I’ve been intentional in planning more opportunities for students to get together in these months. I’ve also recognized the value of having a winter retreat rather than one earlier in the year, like the fall when school starts, as it can provide a bright spot in this season.

What are some of the books you think every youth worker would benefit from reading? 

Faith for Exiles by Kinnaman and Matlock - Integrating research with Scripture, this work from Barna looks at what develops resilient disciples in a culture that is more like Babylon than Jerusalem.

Lead Them to Jesus by McGarry - This is the best integration of robust Biblical/theological depth and boots on the ground practical help, and a fantastic resource to put in the hands of volunteers.

With by Jethani - Youth workers can become so busy doing ministry for God and need to hear this call back to first and foremost live life with God.

Hurt 2.0 by Clark - While some factors have changed since this was published, Clark offers a great look into the lives of students and how they experience systemic abandonment from the adults around them.

Knowing God by Packer - Packer’s pastoral heart and accessible chapters work in tandem with the robust theological content to help youth workers understand who God is - and make this a great book to walk through with some students. (Read YPT’s book review of Knowing God here)