In West Michigan, the YFC team is not only ministering to students but also equipping them to become the next generation of ministry leaders.
Dan Kregel, Executive Director of YFC West Michigan, stated, “We want to produce young people who are not only discipled, but shepherds themselves. We do that by equipping them with leadership and ministry skills.”
While YFC West Michigan experienced phenomenal success in reaching young people for Christ, Kregel and his team began to notice something else: Many of these new Christian students immediately began ministering to other students.
Kregel shared, “This past year, we saw 136 young people say yes to Jesus. Seventy-five percent of those teens went into a discipleship relationship with a leader. And 35 of them went back to their high schools and started sharing the gospel with their friends.
“The high school lunchroom can be one the most intimidating places on the planet. It can be a scary place for us adults, let alone students. To go back in there and share the Gospel, and not be intimidated by potential rejection or bullying tells me that there are young people out there who are ready for leadership, ready for ministry and ready to be equipped and called.”
To that end, Kregel’s team is developing an enhanced Young Leader Development and Discipleship Initiatives program to foster and mobilize young leaders to share their faith.
Kregel said, “We’re developing a new leader pathway that can accelerate the current program. We also partner with nearby colleges so that students can get some formal education as part of the initiative. We want to prepare these teens to go do ministry where God is calling them; to serve their community.”
One student from the program developed his leadership abilities, becoming a Young Leader who has welcomed more than 80 Rwandan refugee students to local YFC ministry sites.
Kregel recalled, “Patrick joined a YFC small group during COVID and his faith in Jesus grew exponentially. The leadership at the ministry site where Patrick attended noticed how much he had grown in his faith and invited him to step into a Young Leader role. Although Patrick was hesitant about his abilities as a Young Leader at first, he decided to accept this invitation and be equipped to reach his peers.
“Patrick is now leading small groups and Bible studies, and actively welcomes refugee families into the United States. He has personally reached out to more than 80 Rwandan refugee students who are now involved at their local YFC ministry site, and has been developing his peers into young leaders as well.”
Kregel concluded, “We want to build and champion the next generation of leaders to make sure that there is a pipeline in place to disciple and equip young people to serve in ministry.”