Jackson Youth CO-OP

"Check your Ego and your Logo at the door"

An independent non-profit organization (not a part of any church or other national or local ministry) designed to support local church and parachurch youth ministries to make disciples among youth in the Jackson Metro Area. It is our intent to support, equip and minister to those who are ministering to youth rather than to minister to youth directly.

• Facilitate cooperative efforts among ministries
• Raise awareness of Youth Issue(s) within community through media
• Identify and share what is working and what is not working.
• Strategic planning to identify gaps/needs/under-served population segments
• Prayer support
• Cooperate and/or Pool resources to do things that a single ministry might find difficult to do.
• Community wide events/Speakers/Concerts
• Community wide research
• Referral Service for those wanting to get involved
• Referral Service for those needing specialized ministry -i.e. crisis pregnancy, adoption, counseling,

• Equip local youth ministers/youth workers to better minister to youth.
• Provide training to youth workers ranging from full time youth ministers to Sunday School teachers and other lay volunteers. Perhaps even include some sort of "certification" saying that they have completed certain training.
• Seminars
• Classes
• CD's/DVD's
• Online training
• Provide training to parents about how to disciple their kids, how to have a family quiet time
• Provide training/counseling to parents/youth workers on dealing with specific issues
• Drugs/Alcohol
• Sex/pregnancy
• Internet/Media
• Dating
• Provide counseling for youth workers
• Provide materials for youth workers/ministries
• Personal Self assessment - Where am I in terms of my spiritual maturity? To be used by youth workers or disciples
• Ministry Self assessment - How effective is my ministry/youth group when measured objectively? May include tools for self administered polling of group
• Disciple Assessment - What are some objective standards that I can use to assess the spiritual maturity of my disciple/child? Are they doing as well as I think they are?
• Provide books/cd's etc for purchase from other sources either via web or local bookstore.

• Periodic Assessment - Bring in Barna to do initial assessment of area and then follow up each year to track progress.
• Long Term Possibilities
• Provide technical support for the development of websites, pod casts, etc.
• Provide youth worker screening service which would include background checks, written "assessments" (tests) and interviews. This could give some smaller ministries the ability to screen workers in ways that might otherwise be beyond their capabilities.

Potential Locations:

• Old Broadmoor Baptist Building (Wesley Seminary)
• Various locations around town - Coffee shops, restaurants, homes - depending on size of group and nature of class
• Warehouse - for office only

Staffing:

• Director: Forrest Berry
• Executive Director - Dan Hall
• Secretary/Asst - Amanda Paige Whittington
• Teachers - Dan, Various local pastors/ministers/college profs/seminary profs

Possible Model for Training Program:

• The Every Nation School of Ministry (SOM): to train university and high school missionaries. 8 Weeks of Classroom training in Nashville.