High School Ministry (Grades 9–12)

When most people think of High School youth ministry, they think of programs. Ours exist only to fulfill our purpose, reach our various audiences and express our values, and for the 2007/2008 school year include the following:

AMDiscovery

(9:15–10:45 a.m. Sunday, Youth Ministry Center)
“AMDiscovery” is Sunday School with a new twist and the best place to start your involvement with Shift! Middle and High School students come together to worship and study the Bible in a fun, challenging and welcoming environment. AMDiscovery starts with a large-group gathering of worship singing, video, drama, storytelling, games, performing arts and more. Following a compelling and student-relevant presentation from God's Word, students then move into small groups of others their same age and gender for an application-oriented discussion.

CREW

(Times and days to be announced)
In order to give students a place to deeply connect with a few of Christ-following friends and adult caregivers, a “CREW” is a group of about 15 students which meets to find support from teens and adult hosts and leaders and to grow closer to God through Bible study, prayer and life-on-life sharing in same-gender small groups of 4 or 5 students.

High School Youth Choir

(6–7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sanctuary)
This group is for students in grades 9 through 12 and exists to develop and appreciate the instrumental and vocal talents God has given them. They sing occasionally during morning worship and occasionally present musical productions through the year..

Youth Praise Team

(Rehearsal times and days to be announced)
The Praise Team is for auditioned teens who desire to lead their peers in worship through music. We sing the latest in modern worship during AMDiscovery each Sunday morning.

H.A.B.I.T.S.

(Self-directed resources done at home)
“H.A.B.I.T.S.” are resources to help move spiritually maturing High School students towards Christlikeness. They are to be used by the student on their own and at their own pace. They are intended to help establish the habits of a daily “quiet time” with God, accountability to and with another follower of Jesus, Bible memorization, involvement with the whole church family and not just the Student Ministry, financial giving and the personal study of Scripture. This resource is intended to help High School students develop personal spiritual discipline of their own.

Base Classes

(Held periodically at the Youth Ministry Center)
Base classes are foundational classes offered at the church to help introduce students to the ministry of both Shift and Otterbein Church, and to help them move forward in their spiritual journey. We currently offer three different age-appropriate Base Classes for High School students. Class 101 introduces students to the salvation offered through faith in Jesus Christ, the ministry of Otterbein Church through an overview of the beliefs of the church, finances, organizational structure, and the church’s philosophical approach to ministry, and Shift’s strategy for fulfilling our purpose. Class 201 is an introduction to the spiritual disciplines necessary for growth in the life of a follower of Jesus. Those habits include prayer, Bible study, giving and connection with other believers. Students must attend Class 101 before attending Class 201. Class 301 is designed to help students determine their God-given SHAPE (spiritual gifts, heart or passion, abilities, personality and experiences) and how that unique SHAPE prepares them to serve in ministry. Following the class, our Director of Student Ministries, Pastor Craig Schuler meets with each participant individually to discuss with the student where they might best serve in ministry at Otterbein Church. Students must attend Class 101 and 201 before attending Class 301.

Leadership Training

(Summer)
Applications are received for this program from students moving into grades 10 –12 who would like to understand and discover their unique place of service within our Student Ministry. The program includes Scripture memorization, Bible study, weekly gatherings, reading assignments, an opening team-building event, a closing celebration event and more.

Other Information

In addition to these ongoing, regularly scheduled offerings, we occasionally hold events for a specific and intentional purpose, such as concerts, movies, get-togethers, trips, amusements, spiritual growth emphasis, service activities and more. We typically announce these special activities on Sunday mornings at AMDiscovery.