Testimony

Teens-4-Christ is a unique ministry. We are not seeking to be church planters, nor are we a “church helps” ministry in the traditional sense. Because we are such a unique ministry, we are faced with some unique questions. To help answer these questions, we have assembled this FAQ, or list of Frequently Asked Questions.

What is your relationship to the local church?

We are 100% local church in the traditional sense. That is, we believe that all ministries should, be sanctioned and controlled by the local church. As a result, the earthly seat of authority for our ministry, Teens-4-Christ, is Dr. J. Barry Goodman, the pastor of our local church, Faith Baptist Church of Shelby, NC and his designees. Although the final authority for our ministry is with the Pastor of our local church, we have formed an Advisory Board for counsel and oversight. This board only has the authority to make recommendations and offer counsel.

Teens-4-Christ is not a substitute to the local church in any way. For the Biblically solid local church, Teens-4-Christ is a tool that can be used to aide the existing programs at that church for teens. For all others, Teens-4-Christ is a tool for Christ to use to seek and save those who are lost or in need of a solid local church. Our belief is that every believer should be in a doctrinally sound, Bible based church that is local to them.

What church do you send your teens to?

Whenever a teen is brought to the point where they are ready to attend a local church, they will be directed to the church of like faith and practice that is nearest to them. When possible, we will send the teen to a church that supports us, however this is not always possible. To help accomplish this, we rely on a network that includes several resources of well known churches in the Unites States, as well as several large mission boards. We believe that if a soul is seeking a solid, fundamental local church, the Lord will help us find one for them.

Who is your mission board?

We believe that the mission board provides many great services to a missionary. In some cases, a mission board provides services that a local church does not have the resources to provide. However in any case, a mission board must remain in it’s proper place – subordinate to the local church.

In our case and with the structure the Lord has led us to for our ministry, we feel that a mission board is not necessary for us. As stated above, we are subordinate to the authority of our local church. This means that we submit to the direction of our local church in matters of finance, affiliation, doctrine and practical aspects of living.

What is the authority of the Advisory Board?

The advisory board has no binding authority. Any recommendation made by the advisory board as a whole, or by any of it’s individual members, can be rejected at any time. The final earthly authority for Teens-4-Christ is our local church. The advisory board will consist of five to seven men of varying backgrounds. All of these men must meet the Biblical qualifications for a Deacon as defined in I Timothy 3. In addition, these men have all demonstrated a burden for teens, some technical savvy, and have a servant’s heart.

If the advisory board has no power, why have one?

The advisory board is based on Proverbs 11:14 (“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety”). The role of the advisory board is to provide counsel and oversight. Their recommendations, either individually or as a group, are not binding, but will be strongly considered. In essence, the board exists as a safety net, and to provide oversight.

Who is on the advisory board?

Birt, Larry	Hipps, Anthony
O'Malley, John	Carter, Ken
Leonard, Mark	Street, Randy
Goforth, David

How are your finances handled?

In general, we submit to the authority of the local church in the area of finances for our ministry. Specifically, we follow the guidelines listed below:

v The yearly budget must be reviewed and approved by the advisory board and the local church.

Our local church is aware of, and has approved our yearly budget.

v Any single, non-budgeted expenditure in excess of $500.00 per month must be approved by the our sending church or it’s designee (typically, the Advisory Board).

v Any purchase involving the use of credit or leasing (other than standard 30 day net payment terms) must be approved by our sending church or it’s designee (typically, the Advisory Board).

v We provide our local church with a record of expenditures and income on a quarterly basis. Detailed records for the previous calendar quarter are available for inspection by our local church or its designees thirty days after the conclusion of any calendar quarter.