What Does the Endeavor Campaign Mean – A Youth Ministry Perspective

by: Pastor Trevor Clark

This week I get to share what Endeavor means from the perspective of the student ministry. As you know, Endeavor is the first phase of a long-term plan to renovate our campus and refocus our vision. Here, I want to share what it means to and for our students.

Students recognize that Endeavor is an opportunity to invest in the future of the church as part of the church family. Sure, quantitatively, no student will give substantial sums of money. But students are using their time and talents to help make Endeavor successful—they talk about it during Sunday School, they performed at the Endeavor to Worship night, they designed a prayer walk to lift up the campaign. Students recognize this as an opportunity to shape their future. 

What does Endeavor mean for our students? It shows them that you care about them. The fact that you are willing to support Endeavor is a testimony for students that you care about the future, which means that you care about them. You want to bequeath to them facilities that they will not be reluctant to invite their friends to visit. 

Also, for students, I think the Endeavor campaign is a great opportunity to see a church talk about raising funds in a healthy way. We cannot build without resources, so we have to ask for money. But how we ask for money makes the difference between affirming negative church stereotypes and breaking them down. Our vision is not about collecting but connecting—connecting people to Jesus and each other. And this, I think, will counter negative stereotypes and help students remain active as members of the body.