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Teen & Student Ministry

About the ministry

It’s never been “easy” to be a teenager. Teens today carry an even greater amount of pressure and stress than has ever been seen before. The pendulum of thought in Western society has swung wildly in recent centuries. From knowing everything after the Enlightenment to knowing nothing after modernism, today’s teens find themselves in a predominantly post-modern culture where the primary emotions are confusion, skepticism, and loneliness.

Nearly 50% of high school graduates walk away from church—and that’s even if they go to church to begin with. Old answers aren’t cutting it for new questions. Modern existence puts forth hard questions and real-life struggles. These demand that adults and especially churches provide support and empathy toward today’s youth.

In the College Church of Christ, we try to understand just how complicated life is for young people. Our church works as a whole to support and encourage youth by walking alongside them as they grow in their faith. Even when they stumble over life’s twists and turns, we want to stand in support rather than judgment of our young people.

Our Youth Ministry focuses on helping teens take personal responsibility for their relationships. Teens (and adults) ought to have a solid relationship with God rooted deeply in the truth of his word, so we teach the Bible and important biblical truths. Teens (and adults) need strong relationships with one another, so we emphasize peer connections that allow teens to feel known and loved. Teens (and adults) also need intergenerational relationships that bless both young and old as we share wisdom, vision and energy, so the church as a whole is vital to our youth program. It’s our desire to build such a solid foundation that students will be able to withstand the storms of this life and learn to be not merely hearers of the word but doers.

Togetherness—our schedule and communication:

Sunday mornings: Our youth group joins in with the whole church for services on Sunday mornings at 9:00. A class specifically for teens takes place right after service and is about an hour long.

Sunday nights: Each Sunday evening, the youth group spends a couple of safe and fun-filled hours together communing and having dinner. Our fun can consist of outside events, service projects, or staying in the youth room to play games and enjoy each other’s company.

Wednesday evenings: We encourage the youth group to join the whole church for one of our exciting Wednesday night programs, which stays fresh each Wednesday!

Events and trips: It is not uncommon for the youth group to go on an exciting trip or hold fun events! Spending the evening at Blackbeard’s, enjoying a winter retreat, holding lock-ins, helping with Trunk-or-Treat, a week at summer camp, and more is part of our expected annual schedule!

Communication: Parents and teens are kept up to date with everything from personal calls and texts, to social media, to emails, calendars and through our own youth group app on BAND. The ministry is not only here to serve the youth, but the family unit as a whole.

Interested in becoming a volunteer? Email the church office.

Our target audience

Impact youth & student ministry focuses on 7th-12th graders, but we do not operate as an independent silo. We value the work of the whole church, just as the whole church values our youth ministry.

We have young people in our church from throughout the Fresno/Clovis area. Our teens represent over a dozen different high schools and intermediary schools. We’re always looking for new people to bless us and be blessed as we share life and faith together.

Our Youth Pastor

Chalé Wesson has served as our church’s youth minister since January, 2019. Check out her bio here.