Parent Meeting Hamilton Mill

We are making an important shift for Victory Youth!

Beginning June 7th, our Youth services at our Hamilton Mill campus will be held on Wednesday evenings at 7:00PM. This move will mean that middle school and high school services will meet together. Through this move, we hope to build greater community and grow in discipleship across age groups.

Please feel free to check out the entirety of the content available on this page, as the content shared at Parent Night is all available here, and then reach out to rfallett@victoryatl.com for any further questions!

Students need community, consistency, and discipleship now more than ever before.

The church drop-out rate among 18–29-year-olds is now at 64%. Only 10% of 18-29-year-olds with a Christian background consider themselves resilient disciples. [Barna Group] Those who do have this in common: they found belonging as a part of a church and developed their faith early in life. This means we have to help our kids build relationships and form bonds that seal a greater sense of belonging in the church and allow them to learn and practice discipleship in a more intentional way.

Today, when our middle schoolers go into service: they are met by different leaders, volunteers, and fellow students. Oftentimes, even if they attend the same service time each Sunday, they go in not really knowing anyone. That inhibits deep learning and connection with others.

We as adults don’t want to be a part of a small group that changes leadership and community all of the time—and we don’t want that for our kids either.

With one service, the students will have the same leader and group every week. And they will be able to participate more consistently in leadership and discipleship programs.

Our hope is that the students of Victory will feel belonging and be empowered to be the example, that they will grow in relationship with each other, and develop as disciples of Christ as in 1 Timothy 4:12. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Ultimately, we want to build a model of ministering, teaching, and serving our youth and their families in a way that is consistent from person-to-person, and Sunday to Sunday. With greater consistency, we have more opportunities to help our youth grow in maturity, learn leadership, and practice discipleship through:

• Growth Track – an intentional program to guide biblical learning and spiritual maturity
• Small Groups – where students will build relationship and support each other
• Apprenticeships – where small group leaders work with individuals in their own groups to prepare them for small group leadership
• Serving Opportunities – with the shift to Sunday evenings, we open up a host of opportunities for youth to volunteer and serve in other areas of the church

Our dream is to see kids thriving in spiritual maturity, to have them serving and connecting with others, and to see them leading others to Christ. We are confident that we can make this transition as a church family and be better positioned to grow leaders and create disciples throughout the entire church body.

The biggest benefits are consistency, community, and discipleship. Today, when our kids go into service, they are met by different leaders, volunteers, and fellow students. Oftentimes, even if they attend the same service time each Sunday, they go in not really knowing anyone. That inhibits deep learning and connection with others.

With one service, we expect students to get to know each other and their leaders. They will have the opportunity to have greater connection and be known in a biblical community. Through small groups, they will build relationship and be able to practice discipleship with each other.

Another benefit for families is that you will now have the opportunity to attend church services together. This is such an important transition for kids as they mature and gradually become a bigger part of the world apart from their parents.

Our youth will also have the opportunity to serve and volunteer in areas they can’t today. This is important for them to experience at this age, and is a growing, enriching experience on its own. We have many volunteer opportunities for students to identify passions, learn skills, and cultivate gifts while they are serving their church community.

Yes, absolutely! However, we believe that kids will benefit most from relationships, teaching and worship in person, so we hope you will decide to join us on campus.

We’ve got great news! We host Wednesday Night Prayer every single Wednesday night at 7pm right here at VHM. Any member of your family who is not in middle school or high school is welcome to attend these prayer gatherings. There are also serving opportunities available if you yourself or your spouse would like to get involved with what God is doing in Victory Youth. If you are interest in exploring options: please visit our serve page.

Please know that we have put focused time and careful thought into the vision for Victory Youth. We have prayed over the decisions and the changes. We have sought advice from youth advisors, parents, youth and youth volunteers. While no change of this magnitude is easy, we have peace over the direction, and we believe that these are the right changes for youth and families.

If you’d like to share your feedback, or if you have a question that isn’t addressed here, please reach out to Pastor Russ at rfallett@victoryatl.com.