Young Life’s Western Great Lakes Region is celebrating 30 years of connecting kids to Christ through the Church Partnership Program.
The Church Partnership Program is a different approach to youth ministry that seeks to bridge the gap between the church and Young Life.
Participating churches have described the program as a “win-win” situation. And here is why.
Young Life provides the training and a time-tested method for building relationships with kids, introducing them to Jesus, and helping them grow in faith. A Church Partner agrees to spend 30% of his or her time in outreach ministry to the community doing Young Life and 70% of his or her time as the church’s youth director. The goal is to create a healthy, sustainable relationship between Young Life and the church, and to provide a connection point for kids to a local congregation.
Kevin Eastway, who coordinates the Church Partnership Program for the Western Great Lakes Region shared, “In 20 years of Young Life ministry, I have never witnessed such an effective approach to bridge the gap between kids who do not go to church and the local church. These partnerships have led to impactful outreach ministries in local communities, more kids and families attending local churches, and increased amount of Kingdom teamwork and togetherness.”
Currently, the Western Great Lakes Region supports eleven churches. You can see the list of them here. A church partnership program of this capacity is unique to Young Life’s Western Great Lakes Region.
Recently, a Church Partner Lead Team was formed as a way to steward and honor the work that has been put into the Church Partnership Program by Jay Lindell, who dedicated 20 of his 40 years with Young Life toward building and directing this long-standing program.
The team consists of seven experienced Young Life and church ministry professionals who seek to deepen and grow Young Life’s relationship with the church, through partnership, as a way to develop leaders and connect kids with the local church. The team will provide support in the following three areas: leadership development, deeper partnerships, and cultivating content.
The Church Partner Lead Team consists of:
- Gina Abbas, Young Life Church Partner & Student Ministries Director, Jamestown Harbor Church, Hudsonville, MI
- Kevin Eastway, Director of Church Partnerships & Associate Regional Director for WGLR
- Katie Flood, Young Life Church Partner & Director of Children, Youth & Family Ministry, First Presbyterian Church, Harbor Springs, MI
- Rob Housman, Campus Pastor, South Harbor Church, Byron Center, MI
- Lucas Johnson, Young Life Church Partner & Student Ministries Director, Pillar Church, Holland, MI
- Abby Nowicki, Young Life Church Partner at Glen Lake Church, Glen Lake, MI
- Zach Van Wyk, Young Life Church Partner & Youth Director, Second CRC, Fremont, MI
Gina Abbas and Abby Nowicki are invested in the leadership development of our church partners. They are making improvements to the onboarding process for new hires and developing a mentoring program.
Zach Van Wyk and Rob Housman are committed to developing deeper partnerships with local churches through collaboration, relationships, and working to help students get plugged into local congregations.
Lucas Johnson and Katie Flood are devoted to cultivating content and resources for church partners to dive into during training meetings. Whether it’s theology, relevant topics, or church polity, they are committed to equipping church partners to handle whatever comes their way.
“The Young Life Church Partnership has been a tremendous gift to the Pillar community,” shared Rev. Dr. Jon Brown, Lead Pastor from Pillar Church in Holland, “allowing us to integrate in one ministry two of our heart’s desires: To shape and form students for Christ and to engage our area with the good news of Jesus. The partnership has expanded our hearts, widened our reach, and made possible ministry opportunities with area students we otherwise may not have known.”
More information about the Church Partnership Program can be found on their website, or by contacting Director Kevin Eastway.
