YPT in Action: Nick Hartman
We like to talk about the importance of theological depth in youth ministry - but what does that actually look like? YPT is not 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 setting. “YPT in Action” will be an ongoing series where youth workers in a variety of contexts answer the same questions so we can learn from one another.
Name: Nick Hartman
Church/Ministry: Mt Carmel Baptist Church
Title: Associate Pastor of Students and Discipleship
How long have you served in this ministry: 18 months
How long have you served in vocational ministry overall: 3 1/2 years
Ministry Setting: Cross Plains, TN
Average Church Attendance: 215
Average Youth Group Attendance: 25
Age range of students in ministry: 6th – 12th grade
Please describe what “Youth Group” looks like in your ministry?
We gather twice a week, on Sunday mornings before church and Wednesday Nights for Midweek. Our spaces are all large group time with some small group breakouts. We also do a variety of fun events, retreats, and trips throughout the year.
What are your regularly-scheduled youth ministry programs?
Sunday Morning at 9 AM – Bible Study
Wednesday Night at 6:30 PM – Midweek Time
Monthly activities including worship nights, hang-outs, and meals
Summer Camp is a huge part of our ministry
How would you describe your teaching style in youth group?
Our space is teaching, and discussion based. Typically, I’ll teach for 25-30 minutes and allow for 10-15 minutes of discussion time to take place. We also try to utilize the game time as opportunity for review as well as meet students where they are by using their phones to our advantage. I try to leave room for conversations that may naturally happen and each lesson. I usually offer one theological term for students to understand our Triune God deeper and better.
What are some recent series you’ve taught through, and how many weeks long were they?
On Sunday Morning’s we are on a 6-year plan through the Bible. Our hope is that if a students joins us in 6th grade, when they graduate in 12th grade, they will have read the whole Bible. We are in the middle of year 1, finishing the book of Genesis in 18-weeks and currently in the Gospel of Matthew which is slotted for 19-weeks. Through this we also encourage students to practice inductively study the Bible on their own during the week.
On Wednesday nights we follow a 3-year plan that focuses on apologetics, theology, and Christian History. We have about 30-weeks during the school year for our Midweek time. In our apologetics series we did a 3-week series on creativity discussing how art, movie, music reveals our creative God. We are currently discussing world religions for 6-weeks and have also done a 5-week series on the questions that often cause people to leave the Christian faith.
YPT obviously values teaching theology and doctrine in our ministry to students. What does that look like for you?
While we spend 30-weeks teaching systematic to students, we also structure our Sunday mornings to cover whatever theological theme that text of study brings out. For our Matthew study, we have discussed the hypostatic union in Jesus; we have talked deeply about God’s metanarrative, and we try to introduce larger theological terms through each lesson. Our students really have enjoyed this.
We also spend time introducing catechetical questions in our lessons. For example, our students have memorized Westminster Question 1 (without even knowing it) as we talk frequently about the ultimate purpose of man. Right now, we are looking at Heidelberg Question 1 as we talk about taking comfort knowing that all of us belongs to God.
How do you seek to partner with parents?
We have a resource board that parents can scan QR codes for helpful articles, books, videos, and activities for whatever their student may be facing. Parents have utilized this in big ways.
We send out a bi-weekly email that includes all the information about our student ministry as well as articles that I have found helpful to share with them.
We host a quarterly, parent training/meal to bring parents in and help them better understand family discipleship, culture, and parenting their teenagers.
Parents are vital to our ministry, so we try to establish regular contact with them weekly through texts and phone calls.
How do you seek to integrate students into the life of the church?
Our students are a deeply integrated part of our church. While they enjoy their space with one another, every Sunday they worship with our adults. Being in the worship center together allows students to see the multi-generational aspects of our church.
When we have church-wide fellowships, we encourage both students and adults to talk and develop relationships. We also take our January 5-week term and do a cross-generational study together. We want both our adults and students to understand the need for one another as one church family.
What are some of the books you think every youth worker would benefit from reading?
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of the best reminders of our need for Christian community. This read is short and easy for even the non-reader. I’d highly recommend it for youth ministry leaders.
Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund is a reminder that we do not have to shoulder the load of students and life on our own. Ortlund masterfully describes the grace, mercy, goodness, and humility of Christ and his heart for us. It is an incredibly freeing book and a yearly reminder of the great love that Christ has for his people.
Dangerous Calling by Paul David Tripp is a must read for anyone called to vocational ministry. The calling of the minister is not an easy one but this book reminds us that it is a high calling from a good and gracious God. Tripp offers helpful ways to guard our hearts, families, and ministry responsibilities to stay in the game for the long run.
The Jesus I Wish I Knew in High School by Cameron Cole is a wonderfully written book that offers insight for parents, students, and youth workers as to who Jesus really is and how to walk in the truth and freedom he offers. With contributions from over 30 brothers and sisters in Christ, the book reads easily and is a great asset to help with conversations with students.
A Theology for the Church edited by Daniel Akin is a great theological treatment tracking through the systematic, historical, and practical elements of seemingly-every theological topic. It is an approachable read for everyone, including students.
What are some particular issues/struggles that your students/families encounter that may not be prominent in other ministry contexts? How does that affect the shape of your ministry?
We have a lot of divorced and blended families in our church. It affects our ministry to parents because often, we only interact with one parent. About 75% of our student ministry is apart of a divorce or blended family. This makes conversation about marriage, sex, divorce, and other practical issues a challenge at times because students are healing from the broken relationships they have experienced.
Another challenge is that about a quarter of our students comes from homes with tough financial situations, thankfully our church has supportive members who give generously to make sure students have a chance to participate in our ministry.
What’s one thing that you do in your ministry that could be easily-adapted for others?
This year, we started our J-term Sunday Morning groups where we mix up our Sunday classes to have teenagers and adults in the same classes together. Doing this allows our normal Sunday teachers a break in teaching, allows others step up, and fosters some intergenerational discussion. This past year, we did a five-week study on what it looks like to love our church as members of our church. A model of this can be easily adapted to other churches and I would highly encourage you to give it a shot!
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