Invest in the development and growth of youth leaders in your church!
We would like to share with you an exciting opportunity to invest in the development and growth of youth leaders in your church. In 2024, three youth organisations (The Message Trust, Pais and Scripture Union) are launching an intensive programme called Training Youth Leaders Together 2024 (TYLT24). We know that leaders can only minister from what has been deposited into them, and this is a vital opportunity to shape the leadership skills and spiritual journey of young people within your church community.
Aims of TYLT24
The TYLT24 aims to equip and empower youth leaders by developing:
- Character: Cultivate personal growth and spiritual development, enabling youth leaders to model Christ-like character and lead by example.
- Competence: Deepen their understanding of Christ-centred youth work, and acquiring essential skills for effective ministry.
- Contextual engagement: Explore how to apply these principles in your church’s unique ministry context, reaching and engaging young people with the transformative message of the Gospel.
By participating in this program, youth leaders will not only grow personally but also contribute to the growth and vitality of the local church youth ministry. This program will help them develop a youth ministry plan that builds depth and a legacy within their local church.
Audience of TYLT24
The ideal candidate to attend this programme would be (a) youth committee members who are being trained within the context of a local church to grow into fully fledged youth leaders, taking over the running of a youth ministry; (b) young people in a local church who have a heart for youth ministry but who lack the skills and direction to make it happen. The ideal age is 18-28. These ideals are do not exclude those outside these parameters from attending, but make clear the intentions of the programme.
Structure of TYLT24
The program will run for 9 months of the year, starting in March and ending in November. The following program will be delivered in collaboration with the three youth NGOs:
| Month 2024 | Programme Element |
| March | “Ignition Retreat” |
| April-September | One 3-hour Saturday afternoon meeting per month |
| October | Full Saturday Youth Leaders Training Conference |
| November | Graduation dinner + certificate of completion (Level 1 Youth Leadership) |
The Ignition Retreat is an intensive exploration of character and formation – God is interested in who you are before he is interested in what you can do.
The once-a-month Saturday sessions will focus on skills development and contextual ministry, with a consistent element of authentic accountability.
Committing to TYLT24
- Youth Leader(s) Commitment:
- To participate in the program, we ask for your firm commitment to attend the kick-off camp and the eight training Saturdays.
- To meaningful engagement with the presented material and purposeful pursuit of personal growth.
- To meet regularly with designated leadership from the church for accountability and progress.
- Church Commitment:
- To commit to investing in the future of youth ministry in your church
- To attend two Pastor’s engagement meetings to help us hone the programme’s effectiveness
- To select, endorse, and support your youth leader(s) involved in this program.
- To meet regularly with the youth leaders(s) for accountability, attendance and development
- To sponsor the youth leader(s)’ participation by covering the program cost of R1800 (an upfront cost of R1000 + four payments of R200 over four months). If the church is unable to cover the cost, we ask that they consider helping the young person raise the funds from family, friends, and church members.
- Three Training Organisation’s Commitment:
- To offer well developed, quality training sessions that focuses on both discipleship and skills development.
- To host two Pastor’s engagement meetings (February and August) to help us hone the programme’s effectiveness
- To offer optional deeper levels of engagement within each organisation (TMT, Pais, SU). This is not mandatory, and you can fully participate in the above program without this optional element.
Youth leaders and churches can indicate their interest for TYLT24 by filling in this form, and we will then contact you with a more comprehensive application. 2024 will be the pilot year for this programme so we will only be accepting 30 candidates. We intend to close applications on the 16th February 2024. If you have any questions or need guidance in making application, please do not hesitate to contact Jody: jody@su.org.za.
