{"id":38731,"date":"2021-01-26T09:06:49","date_gmt":"2021-01-26T15:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/?p=38731"},"modified":"2021-05-11T15:35:42","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T20:35:42","slug":"twenty-one-saved-through-springfield-churchs-young-adult-collegiate-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/26\/twenty-one-saved-through-springfield-churchs-young-adult-collegiate-ministry\/","title":{"rendered":"Twenty-one saved through Springfield church\u2019s young adult, collegiate ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"

SPRINGFIELD \u2013 <\/b>Like many youths growing up in church, Jared Bone\u2019s understanding of his personal role in discipleship and evangelism ended at the doors to the church building. \u201cI brought a friend to church, so my job is done,\u201d he says of his mentality as a youth. That all changed during college. Today, Bone, the young adult and outreach pastor at High Street Baptist in Springfield, is passionate about helping other young adults recognize that inviting friends to church is just one small piece of their role in sharing Christ with the people around them. <\/span><\/p>\n

Bone got saved at a young age, largely due to the faithfulness of his parents, who he says are \u201ctwo incredible pictures of service. They did a great job of showing us our need for the gospel.\u201d Throughout high school and community college, Bone was heavily involved in his parents\u2019 church, First Baptist of Arnold, but he never foresaw entering pastoral ministry.<\/span><\/p>\n

When he transferred to Missouri State, Bone felt a stirring in his soul, an urge to \u201cgo meet some people who don\u2019t know Jesus.\u201d He started joining on-campus clubs for the simple purpose of meeting people. \u201cI said no to other things so I could spend time with guys on campus,\u201d he says. He spent the rest of his college career living life with them and talking about his faith.<\/span><\/p>\n

That mentality carried with him to his job at a bank after college, but the sense of unrest struck again. He became the College\/Young Adult Pastor at High Street, where \u201cpeople saw a calling on my life that I didn\u2019t see in myself,\u201d he says. \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

As home to the large Missouri State campus, a small Bible college, two private colleges, and a community college, Springfield has no lack of college students and young adults. Bone is passionate about the age group because \u201cthere\u2019s not as much apathy,\u201d he says. When young adults show up to attend and serve in church, it\u2019s because they want to, not because their parents are making them. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see God moving in their life,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

When he started the job, Bone was responsible for the church\u2019s college ministry, while another leader oversaw the young adult ministry. The two ministries operated separately. It was understood that when college students graduated, they moved to the young adult ministry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bone and the other leader, Logan Counts, began talking about their side-by-side ministries. They realized that \u201cfor better or worse, college ministry and young adult ministry are very similar,\u201d says Bone. At the time, Counts was serving as a volunteer while working full-time as an elementary school teacher. \u201cHe wanted to grow the ministry but didn\u2019t have time and ability,\u201d says Bone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the summer of 2018, the two decided to combine their efforts. Joined by a woman named Coco Lyons, they started by defining their vision together. \u201cWe wanted people to be sharing Christ with their area of influence,\u201d says Bone. <\/span><\/p>\n

The three developed a team of leaders and got to work creating a culture of hospitality, commitment, and everyday evangelism and discipleship. \u201cWe did this by modeling it ourselves, training them in our six core values, and celebrating wins, whether sharing the gospel or having a simple conversation with a neighbor,\u201d says Bone. \u201cThe more people who are expecting to share Christ, the better.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Since \u201cyoung adult\u201d is a large range spanning from 18 to early thirties, they also instilled the expectation that the older young adults \u201cbetter be serving,\u201d says Bone. \u201cIf you\u2019re older, you\u2019re investing in someone younger than you. Your role is to help shepherd people.\u201d All of that has created a ministry in which \u201cwe see more ministry done before and after the service than during,\u201d Bone says.<\/span><\/p>\n

The number of college students and young adults attending their weekly gathering and participating in groups grew steadily. Two or three people were getting saved each semester, and they were averaging 190. Then COVID hit, and like everything else, their ministry came to an abrupt halt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lyons, Counts, and Bone decided to resume young adult gatherings for the fall semester as normally as they could with masks and distancing. They recognized the toll the pandemic was taking on their age group. \u201cEverything was cancelled. Jobs changed. Students went home for months when they didn\u2019t intend to be,\u201d says Bone. <\/span><\/p>\n

To their surprise, their attendance grew bigger than ever before, topping 200. The culture they had cultivated in their team of over sixty servant leaders proved effective. \u201cOur people have been diligent and faithful,\u201d Bone says. \u201cThey are really excited about Jesus,\u201d Bone says. \u201cThey saw that people were looking for substance and meaning in life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Twenty-one young adults accept Christ in the fall semester alone. Some during the service, some after the service, and several came to Christ because \u201csomeone was having a follow-up conversation with them after the message,\u201d Bone says. <\/span><\/p>\n

Bone doesn\u2019t attribute the twenty-one new brothers and sisters in Christ to anything other than the power of the gospel and a ripe harvest. \u201cWe didn\u2019t make any key shift,\u201d says Bone. \u201cWe\u2019ve just had our hand to the plough for a while. People are looking for hope and something to hold onto. The field was ripe. Our leaders have been bringing friends and sharing Christ on their own. We just make sure that whatever we\u2019re talking about always ends with the Cross of Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“We just make sure that whatever we\u2019re talking about always ends with the Cross of Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9192394,"featured_media":38735,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_selected_social_profile":[]},"categories":[40,41,299,45,8,17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTwenty-one saved through Springfield church\u2019s young adult, collegiate 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