endeavor explained

1Endeavor | Activists. NOT Activities.

2© Endeavor Ministries. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

Jesus’ final mandate to his young protégés was to “go into all the world” and repeat the process of training he modeled for them. His brilliant ap-proach to spiritual formation and leadership development is the basis of Endeavor, and we are excited that you are investigating this time-tested and proven model of collaborative ministry with youth.

The primary mindset of Endeavor is to help youth do ministry, not do ministry for them. In a safe environment of learning by doing, young people are given the opportunity to dream, discover, develop, and de-ploy a God-sized mission for their life. As a result, Endeavor is a ministry to youth, by youth, and for youth guided by adults who model, mentor, mobilize, and multiply youth in ministry.

The following pages give a quick overview of Endeavor and contain the Endeavor Covenant and core values called, Essentials. These fundamen-tal elements have guided countless groups and millions of young people for decades. Every aspect of Endeavor is proven to effectively direct the mission of emerging young leaders and serve as a framework to help them make decisions for the ministry of their Endeavor group, as adults give emotional and spiritual support.

As you ride the Endeavor wave and build your youth-led, adult mentored expression of youth in ministry, we will be here to support your efforts.


“FROM NATALIE’S BLOG

I’ve given up on youth group! We played games for a good while, sang songs for a very good while, and prayed once. This isn’t just a description of a one-time event at youth group either, it’s pretty indicative of what goes on generally. Youth de-serve more than that. Youth need more than that. And, I know for a fact that it’s not just me who feels this way. And it’s not just because I am an “older” youth. We deserve more, and we need more.”

A typical high school junior, Natalie shares the sentiments of a global generation of young people ready to step forward and take action, to answer God’s call on their life, and to lead the cause of Christ. What’s holding them back?

Absolutely nothing.

The higher expectations, greater accountability, and significant relationships young people across the globe desire are wrapped-up in Endeavor. Keep reading to see if it’s right for you.


THE BIG PICTUREWhat is Endeavor?

Endeavor is widely recognized as the most biblically-balanced approach to training young people to own their faith. Since 1881, Endeavor has worked with churches worldwide to help tens of millions of young people dream, discover, develop, and deploy a God-sized mission for their lives today—not someday.

We partner with congregations and communities to create youth-led, adult-mentored ministries where young people are intentionally treated as co-equals of the church and trained as co-laborers in the church who put their faith in action through love and service to transform the world with the message of Jesus Christ.

Endeavor connects young people with adult mentors to help them recog-nize their own talents, abilities, and passions and respond to the needs of people around them using God’s Word as their guideline. As they grow together, congregations and communities experience momentum as youth realize a greater understanding of their purpose in the Church and their place in the cause of Christ.

This generation of emerging young leaders is looking for significant relationships that make an impact on their lives, but most congregations lack an effective mentoring and discipleship process to accomplish this


outcome. The simple, scalable, and sustainable Endeavor approach pro-duces confident, equipped, and engaged youth with a practical under-standing and relevant application of God’s Word.

Meeting Jesus Through Meeting Needs

Young people in Endeavor change lives in many ways worldwide. They have raised funds for clean water projects, purchased and distributed school supplies for impoverished children, provided Christmas gifts and meals for hurting families, distributed truckloads of food to needy homes, fought for foster care reform, and even created community cen-ters in struggling villages that lack adequate youth resources.

Above all, their acts of service have opened doors to sharing their Gospel of Jesus Christ with their peers within a desperate generation. We are proud of what they have accomplished and continue to be amazed by their contributions in the kingdom of God.

GETTING STARTEDCan you explain Endeavor in two minutes?

Even less. It’s simple. Your Endeavor group will follow the format of the First Century church found in Acts 2 and meet together, care for each other, learn from each other,encounter God together, and take action.


As they apply these five priorities, they also implement five practices that will enable them to demonstrate their individual role.

• Pray | Connect with God and discover their significance in His plan.• Study | Learn how God equips people and prepare to them to serve.• Serve | Respect one another and serve together in Christ’s cause.• Share | Practice accountability and share God’s love with the world.• Worship | Express praise to God and celebrate together.

It doesn’t get simpler than that.

GROUPSWho leads Endeavor?

Endeavor is best described as collaborative ministry with youth. It’s 100% youth-led, adult-mentored. Young people are responsible for design. They plan, organize, and lead all aspects and activities of the group. Adults are responsible to define. They act as mentors to guide young people and help determine healthy, biblical parameters. Young leaders work with adult mentors to organize into teams that allow members to operate in their strengths and develop skills and abilities that expand their capacity to transform their world.


What happens at Endeavor?

Meetings follow a biblical structure form the New Testament book of Acts 2:42-46 (see page 5). Time is allotted for prayer, study, teamwork, discus-sion, and community building. All directed by young people and support-ed by adults. If it gets done in Endeavor, youth do it. Activities, events, and projects result from what they are experiencing as a team.

What does Endeavor do?

Endeavor groups take risks and put their faith in action as they respond to needs in their world. Young people work together to accomplish tasks critical to their mission. As attendance grows, teams increase and take responsibility for all aspects of operating their Endeavor group. Mature young people provide leadership for each team, and adult mentors offer support to help teams function effectively and biblically.

MENTORSHow are adult mentors included in Endeavor?

Adult mentors provide guidance and support to teams each week. They also connect with team members outside weekly meetings for a dis-cipleship program called, Complete21. This series of 21-day learning


experiences help young people nurture deeper faith, sharpen individual skills, and increase personal awareness of how to apply to the principles, practices, and priorities of Endeavor to their lives. As each young person grows individually, the Endeavor group and church are strengthened.

What if we need more training or ideas?

Endeavor provides training opportunities to establish and grow your new group, as well as coaching to help young people develop as leaders in the cause of Christ. Training is included in the Extended and Expanded membership options, as well as in regional events and seminars.

What’s the structure of Endeavor?

Endeavor is built on teamwork. Everyone young person plays a significant part in the operation. We suggest starting with the following lineup, but additional teams can be added as need with inevitable growth.

1. Care Team | Recruits new members and ensures all members are growing in their faith.

2. Operations Team | Manages finances and coordinates equipment, resourc-es, and assets.

3. Activities Team | Prepares events, activities, and projects to ensure everyone is involved.


4. Communications Team | Keeps group and community informed of all Endeavor activity.

5. Leadership Team | Casts vision, equips teams, and ensures the mission is being achieved.

What if our group is too small for these teams?

You can use our ideas for teams, or you can adapt, eliminate, or add to suit your group’s needs. The important thing is that young people are responsible for all aspects of their Endeavor and that every young person has a voice and role to play. A small group can fulfill all the functions as one team if necessary until more members are recruited.

Raising the STANDARDSHigher Expectations and Great Accountability

Endeavor is not a typical youth program. It requires an incredible amount of commitment but offers exceptional results. Ironically, that’s exactly what young leaders need and want from the Church today, so we start by raising the standards for both youth and adults.

Agreeing with the Endeavor Covenant and Essentials is the first indica-tion that Endeavor might be the solution your church has been seeking.


ENDEAVOR COVENANT

The following statement is crucial to the success of your Endeavor. It must be embraced fully by the leadership of your church and by each adult mentor, if you hope to build a collaborative ministry with youth:

Believing that youth can make the same commitment to Jesus Christ as adults, and as a sponsor of collaborative ministry with youth, I/we covenant to challenge young people to the highest level of service and dedication.

With God’s help, we promise to:

• Model the principles, priorities, and practices of Endeavor;• Mentor youth to dream, discover, develop, and deploy their mission; • Mobilize youth to put their faith in action and transform their world; • Multiply a generation of youth in ministry to spread the Gospel.

As a congregation, we will embrace youth as co-equal members of the church, support their ministry, and publicly celebrate their achievements.

ESSENTIALS The Essentials have served as the fundamental framework for Endeav-or groups worldwide since the movement began on February 2, 1881.


They are both the glue and the grease that produce young disciples who understand their role in Church in their place in the cause of Jesus Christ. Everything builds upon these core values:

PURPOSE Endeavor exists to cultivate a global generation of youth taking action to transform their world for Jesus Christ.

POSITIONEndeavor begins with three (3) components:

• Spiritual Potential of Youth | 1 Timothy 4:11-16, Romans 8:5-11, 2 Timothy 1:14, 1 Corinthians 3:1

• Lordship of Christ and Authority of Scripture | John1:1-2, 2 Colossians 1:15-20, Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21

• Relationship to the Church | Hebrews 10:19-25, Hebrews 13:7, 17, Ephesians 4:11

PRINCIPLESEndeavor believes in four (4) absolutes:

• Confession of Christ | Romans 10:9• Service in Christ’s Church | John 12:25, 26• Loyalty to Christ’s Church | Romans 12:4, 5• Fellowship with Christ’s People | 1 John 1:3, 7


PRACTICESEndeavor builds on five (5) disciplines:

• Pray | Connect with God and discover our significance in His plan.• Study | Learn how God equips and prepares them to train others.• Serve | Respect one another and work together in the cause of Christ.• Share | Exercise accountability and take the Gospel into all to the world.• Worship | Express praise to God and celebrate together.

PRIORITIESEndeavor bonds through five (5) habits described in Acts 2:42-46:

• Meet Together “…met together constantly and shared everything they had…”

• Learn from Each Other “…joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…”

• Care for Each Other “...they worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes...and shared...with great joy…”

• Encounter God “...a deep sense of awe came over all of them and the apostles performed many miraculous signs…”

• Take Action “...sold their possessions and shared...with those in need.”


PROMISEEndeavorers bear witness of their commitment with a personal pledge:

Trusting the Lord, Jesus Christ, for strength, I will endeavor to live for him boldly and make it the practice of my life to: pray and study God’s Word daily, serve others freely, share my faith openly, worship God in my church regularly, and humbly lead his cause for my generation.

MEMBERSWhat does membership mean?

The youth in ministry movement consists of congregations worldwide who understand that “Unless youth learn to lead in the Church today, they leave it tomorrow.” As a member of Endeavor, you join that unique tribe and embrace the phi-losophy of building collaborative ministries with youth. You commit to treating and training young people as co-equals and co-laborers in the cause of Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, you agree to link arms with like-minded churches to produce a generation of young leaders who know their place in the Church and in the cause of Christ. Members support one another and can expect to receive encouragement and assistance to help achieve greater success.


SOME FAQS

Is membership really free?

FREE MEANS FREE. There is no obligation to give; however, we are a member-supported ministry. Every year, we ask churches who use Endeavor as the foundation of their youth program to contribute to the cause financially. This funding model has worked since the movement began in 1881. Your monetary investment allows us to serve overlooked and underserved churches and young people across the globe.

Does Endeavor have a doctrinal statement?

Not officially, but we do adhere 100% to the Apostle’s Creed and to the Lausanne Covenant. Over our existence, we have served countless de-nominations with distinct theological perspectives. We provide a biblical-ly-balanced model of collaborative ministry with youth; you follow your own statement of faith, vision, mission, and ministry design.

Is it important that we use the name Endeavor?

Of course not. Endeavor is an international, interdenominational, and intercultural ministry composed of churches of every shape, size, and


color. From rural communities to urban centers and countless spaces in between, Endeavor is releasing the potential of young people to lead the cause of Jesus Christ. That’s our objective. If you decide to use Endeavor as your name, we have branding resources to help you build a fresh, fun identity, but that’s the very least of our concerns.

Can we get even more involved in the movement?

Absolutely! We provide opportunities for your voice to be heard. Experi-enced members join our coaching team. Others serve in regional steering committees. We even recruit a few to join our national and international advisory boards. More importantly, we offer ways for young leaders to provide leadership to the future direction of the movement.

INVITATION

If the essence of Endeavor is what you desire for the discipleship of young people in your congregation and you find the premise more appealing than what you’ve experienced in other models of youth work, register for Endeavor now by completing the application online.

We will send you the necessary materials to establish Endeavor as the foundation of your ministry with youth. You will get a better understand-ing of how Endeavor works and how it will enhance your passion for pro-


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