Youth Worker USA endeavors to energize pastors and ministry leaders to mentor, disciple and inspire young Christians to boldly follow Jesus by imitating Paul's example with Timothy.
STRATEGY
Youth Worker will provide grants to explicitly Christian organizations to create internships that provide service and spiritual growth opportunities for those willing to go deeper in their walk with Jesus. Youth Worker will supply discipling tools to ensure intentional training of the intern. We will focus on reproductive discipleship where the interns will be able to share what they learn immediately to the ministries' participants.
INTERNSHIPS
Youth Worker will provide grants to explicitly Christian organizations to create internships that provide service and spiritual growth opportunities for those willing to go deeper in their walk with Jesus.
MULTIPLICATION
We will focus on reproductive discipleship where the interns will be able to share what they learn immediately with the ministries' participants.
TOOLS
Youth Worker will supply discipling tools to their mentors to ensure intentional training of the intern. We will focus on reproductive discipleship using a curriculum created by CRU called PURSUE.
Pursue is an amazing discipleship curriculum that with just a little preparation gets real and transparent discussions started. Pursue, through the power of the Holy Spirit, leads you (Paul) and your mentee (Timothy) on a journey of spiritual growth.
Each Pursue module utilizes a simple Three Thirds method in which mentor and mentee spend time 1) Looking Back and reflecting on the past week, their goals, and how God was at work; 2) Looking Up towards God through Scripture; and 3) Looking Forward -- applying Scripture to our lives and setting practical goals for the following week utilizing a simple "I will ... by when" statement. The first 16 Pursues come with discussion guides that clearly break the time into these three sections while walking through the fundamental Scriptural truths we need to be able to follow Jesus Christ.
The best part of Pursue is that it doesn’t stop with you. Pursue is designed to allow you to take someone younger in the faith and help them immediately start discipling others using Pursue. In other words, Pursue is meant not only to make disciples, but to make disciples who make disciples.
ABOUT US
The guys on the Advisory Board are all deep friends. We have done years of ministry together. We've made mistakes, had each other's backs, worshipped together, and seen God's hand in ministry and in our lives. That said we are very different with different skills and perspectives. Let me introduce the team:
Don Erehart committed his life to Jesus as a freshman in high school. Since that time he has been passionate about helping young people come to know and follow Jesus. For thirty years he was in the trenches as a youth pastor in the Indianapolis and St. Louis areas. Today, Don leads a Gateway Gathering campus of believers in St. Louis where he resides with his wonderful wife Anne.
Brycen Marner is a pastor at Salem Evangelical Free Church and the founder of the Kulture, an urban youth ministry in North St. Louis County seeking to reach unreached youth. Brycen loves to hang out with wife Kacey and their four kids; Josiah, Lydia, Everley and Isaiah. Brycen enjoys being outdoors playing something with Kulture students or with his family. He loves sharing God’s Word in whatever way he can and living in discipling relationships with those ready to grow. Brycen is transitioning into the chaplaincy after 14 years in St. Louis. He is now a USAF Chaplain.
dAN Hartke was a lonely 7-year-old when he came to know Jesus. He came to know his wife, Jamie, while serving alongside her in student ministries, and came to know his 4 sons (Will, Aiden, Josh & Noah) shortly after they were married. Years later, they came to know their daughter, Jyn, as they asked God for a girl to adopt into their family. dAN and Jamie have been serving in student ministries for over 27 years, and currently serve teens and families at Forest Springs Camp and Conference Center in northern Wisconsin.
Ryan Pott is a Student and Family Pastor at Rockpoint Church in the Minneapolis Minnesota area. Ryan is married to his wonderful wife Katie, and has two fun little boys aged 5 and 3. Ryan enjoys motorcycles, reading, landscaping, and rooting for the Timberwolves. Ryan loves to equip, coach, and develop followers of Jesus who will help others do the same.
Brandon Benefield is the director of communications at Canaan Baptist Church in St. Louis, MO. He is a newlywed married to lovely Katie. Brandon enjoys golf, traveling, and triathlons. His passion for youth ministry began with his own decision as a 6th grader to follow Jesus and continued while serving as a youth ministry volunteer. These two pivotal experiences shaped his desire to equip others, especially youth workers, to share the gospel as effectively as possible.
David Williams is the founder of Youth Worker USA. He came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior when he was 13 at Kansas City Youth For Christ camp. This immediately started a long and happy journey in student ministry. Dave's passion is discipleship and encouragement. David is married to the lovely Nancy and has two adult sons, David and Stephen. He particularly enjoys encouraging his family, pastors, ministry leaders, and small group leaders. During this year of Covid David has been discipling men and teaching evangelism to all who would be trained.
Justin Cupps talking about using PURSUE in Columbia, MO.
Adam Heskett, an intern, talks about good deeds done and the good Word shared while serving in St. Louis, MO.
Tobias Welling, youth group intern in Kansas City.
Three Circle training with Zach from Salt Company