Adventist Youth Ministries

Module 5 – Lifestyle & Vocation

Tracy Wood
Youth & Young Adult Min Director
NORTH AMERICAN DIVISION

Adventist Youth Ministries

 Seven Foundations
Ambassadors Ministry

A Christ-centered Leadership A Personal, Public, Character &

Discipleship Plan Development & Small Group Based Personality Development,
Mission Lifestyle including Outdoor,
High Adventure
Programming

Lifestyle & Nurturing Community outreach

Vocational Training Godly Relationships development through
service projects and
emergency preparedness
training
 Ten Objectives
Ambassadors Ministry

1 Make the number-one priority of your Ambassador programming to be 6 Inspire the youth to give personal expression of their love for God by
the personal salvation of each and every youth who is a member. teaching them how to be involved in various outreach activities.

2 Encourage youth to discover their God-given talents and to use their Teach the youth specific vocational skills and hobbies that will provide
gifts and abilities to fulfil God’s expectations for them. 7
them with purpose and employment opportunities.
Teach the youth to internalize God’s love and His principles so that they
3 8 Encourage the young people to develop and maintain physical fitness
will take responsibility for their walk with God and use His principles
and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to make wise decisions in their lives. through an active, energetic, drug-free lifestyle.

Help youth to realize that God and His church love them and appreciate Provide them with opportunities to develop and demonstrate their
4 9 leadership abilities. They will strengthen their resolve to learn and
them using their talents for the fulfilling of the gospel commission as
given to us in Matt. 28:18–20 and Acts 1:8. Help them find fulfillment in maintain appropriate internal discipline and apply their skills of
their life with God as they share their beliefs with those whom God resourcefulness and understanding of the processes of group dynamics.
brings to them.
Provide ample opportunities for teens to interact in carefully supervised
10
5 activities that will lead to and strengthen life-long committed
Teach an understanding and love for God’s creation through programs of relationships.
adventure and discovery. The young people will find their fellowship
with God to be more meaningful as they are given opportunities to
experience that sense of wonder and worship as nature unfolds its
deepest spiritual secrets, as described in Romans 1:19, 20.
 Four Essential Elements
Ambassadors Ministry

Individual
Spiritual Social
Discipleship Projects
Companion Activities
Plan (IDP)

01 02 03 04
 Outcome and Evidence of Learning
Ambassadors Ministry

Outcomes Evidence of learning

Head
Participants will...

Hands
Participants will be able
to...

Heart
Participants will be able
to...
 Hearing Voices &
Guidance from the Gut
Ambassadors Ministry

Of all the questions young adults have about life,

what God wants them to do as a vocation is found in the top five.

In today’s workforce, young adults are likely to make significant shifts in their field of
work as many as 3-5 times.

Session #2 explores biblical principles of hearing God’s voice.

It also provides Bible stories of young people how followed God’s calling for them.
 As Iron Sharpens Iron
Ambassadors Ministry

Who are the individuals in your life you look up to?

Do you have any mentors that you respect in multiple areas of your life?
A spiritual mentor?
A vocational mentor?
An academic mentor?
A relationship mentor?
What other area of life do you want a mentor to speak into or coach you?

In session #3 participants will consider the role wise counselors or mentors play in offering
guidance, affirmation, and insight to the Ambassador’s calling.
 God-given Gifts, Talents, Tendencies
Ambassadors Ministry

Some possess natural tendencies or talents that they may develop for good or evil. Then there
are skills that one can learn with a degree of practice. One of the ways God can guide us to our
vocational callings is through our aptitude.

While it is true that just because we might be good at some things we doesn’t necessarily
mean we need to do it for a living, it is helpful to explore the various qualities that we have
been blessed with.

Session #4 explores biblical examples of individuals and their vocations, and invites
consideration of how occupations have changed over time and in what ways are they the same.
 Financially Wise & Materialism
Ambassadors Ministry

Preventing debt and planning wisely are crucial to the success of young people handling the
money they make.

The rate of materialism among young people grows in direct proportion to the efforts of
advertisers targeting them.
When advertisers promote products or services to consumers, the most responsive audience is
young people between the ages of 15 to 25.
Why do you think this is the case?

Sessions 5 & 6 explore the biblical principles of money management and the influence that
materialism has on the heart and life of young people.
 Work Ethics
Ambassadors Ministry

It is important to presses the virtue of work into conversations about calling and vocation. That
humanity should work is obvious, but why and how they should is something the Bible speaks to.

Whether launching into professional work or working to earn your way through school, your
work ethic matters.

In session #7 the overall goal is to inspire Ambassadors to be the kind of workers that bring
glory to God.
 Disappointment & Unemployment
Ambassadors Ministry

Handling unemployment is critical because we were meant to work (Genesis 1 &2) and when
that becomes unavailable, our sense of identity and purpose takes a blow.

Inevitably roadblocks come up in life and how to keep our head, keep our faith, and keep
working towards what God has called us to is most important.

Session #8 helps Ambassadors prepare for adversity, proceed through in faith, and proclaim
God’s faithfulness in spite of the circumstances or outcome.
 Honesty, Integrity, Tithing, Giving
Ambassadors Ministry

An Ambassador of Christ ought to explore what it means to live honestly with integrity.
Whatever your vocation or work, being someone who is sincere is expected of all who put on
the name of Christ.

What does it mean to be a generous follower of God? There is a distinction between simply
giving and cultivating a generous lifestyle.

In sessions #9 & #10 discussions will challenge Ambassadors to foster generosity as a practice
instead of an emotion. The goal is to commit fully to a lifestyle and a work-practice of
integrity.
 Discipline & Peer Pressure
Ambassadors Ministry

As young adults plan and prepare to work as God has called them, but without self-discipline
you will not succeed. God calls His people to be true even if they must stand alone.

This session offers a spiritual/biblical foundation for self-discipline as well as procedures for
forming good habits is critical to the success of Ambassadors.

In sessions #11 & #12 Ambassadors should renew their commitment to God’s way versus the
way of the crowd. The key will be to challenge participants to practice self-discipline in an
area of their life related to their potential work or vocation.
 Sabbath & Work
Ambassadors Ministry

If we were created to work, then what is the ultimate purpose of the Sabbath? How does our need
for work and our need for rest resemble the “image of God”?

Do we damage our ultimate calling by defining ourselves solely by our work? What happens when
work and our calling become at odds?

The goal of this session #13 is to call participants to renew their sense of identity in Christ through
loyalty to Christ and faithful keeping of the Sabbath.
 Volunteering vs Volunteerism
Ambassadors Ministry

We have considered the various aspects of vocational preparation from a spiritual standpoint. We
call upon all Ambassadors to respond to the call to volunteer.

Whatever you choose to do for work, know that the gift of your time and service make a unique
impact for God.

In the final session #14 we are all called to be witness in our part of the world with deeds of
kindness.
Adventist Youth Ministries