ourMission:
Creating a community that seeks the holistic transformation of adolescents towards Christ-likeness and commitment to building his Kingdom.
ourVision:
At the Journey we want to form genuine community where adolescents can be honest and ask questions, feel safe, be holistically ministered to, welcome in non-Christians and feel comfortable no matter where they are on their faith journey. We want adolescents to discover their gifts and abilities and use them to lead and minister both within the ministry and in their lives. We want to empower adolescents to transform the world and build the Kingdom of God through serving, loving, and sharing their faith journey. Most importantly, we want to move adolescents towards Christ and challenge them to find their identity in Jesus, see the world through a biblical perspective, and follow Him in every aspect of their lives.
ourValues:
Community- The Journey Coffeehouse is committed to building a community of authentic relationships including both Christians and non-Christians. We seek to explore the journey of faith together, learning from each other and ministering to each other along the way. The entire ministry of the Journey Coffeehouse happens in the context of community and relationships. We want to invite adolescents into a loving community instead of inviting them to programs.
Authenticity & Honesty- We highly value authenticity and honesty. Leaders are encouraged to be authentic and honest with adolescents, with no hidden agendas in relationships. Adolescents are encouraged to come-as-they-are and be completely honest about where they are in life in faith without the fear of judgment or rejection.
Dialogue & Questioning- Out of the values of community and authenticity come the values of dialogue and questioning. Learning happens at the Journey Coffeehouse through dialogue and discussion of ideas. Leaders are to walk along side adolescents as they search for truth together. Questions are highly encouraged, even of the “unquestionables” of faith. We question with the faith that God’s truths will prove true when questioned. We celebrate that questions often lead to more questions instead of answers, revealing the mystery and awesomeness of God.
Holistic Ministry- We seek to minister to and transform students in every aspect of their lives, spiritually, emotionally, academically, and physically. Because we truly love adolescents and want to share Christ’s love with them, we minister to them both spiritually and holistically. We hope to show adolescents that Jesus cares about all areas of their lives, not just their spirituality. We also hope to transform adolescents in every aspect of their lives, demonstrating how following Jesus affects absolutely everything in us.
Diversity- We acknowledge that all people are created in God’s image and welcome all adolescents to the Journey. Using the image of Revelation 7:9, we welcome people of all races and backgrounds to reflect the image of God’s Kingdom.
ourGoals:
Six Month
- Have volunteers trained to lead at least three small groups for each gender a week
- Build a student leadership team that meets at least monthly and has at least eight committed students
- Have at least three adult After Class volunteers at the coffeehouse between 3:30 and 5:30 Monday-Friday (see job description here)
One Year
- Have at least three small groups weekly for each gender
- Have a volunteer Barista at the coffeehouse from 5:30-11pm daily (see job description here)
- Have outreach nights at least two Fridays a month, including open mic, bands, movie nights, games nights, and karaoke nights (see schedule here)
- Have at least 50 adolescents coming to the coffeehouse each week, 15 of which are not part of First Church
To find out how our theology guides our ministry, click here.
To find out how we evaluate our ministry, click here.
