Who is JC? Why Preteen Ministry?

There aren’t a lot of people blogging about preteen ministry these days.  There certainly needs to be more of us out there! One super cool guy, JC, is indeed blogging about preteen ministry.  You can read his blog at jcisonline.com. I got a chance to ask JC some questions so you can get to know him a bit and his heart for preteen and student ministry.

1. JC, tell us a little about yourself.  What church do you serve at?  What is your role as a staff member? How did you get into preteen ministry? Why preteen ministry?

My name is J.C. Thompson, I’m 24 years old originally from Memphis, TN and am married to the most incredible woman in the world, Kristen. I am the Associate Student Pastor at Brookwood Church in Simpsonville, SC. I am the pastor over our 5^th and 6^th grade ministry and I oversee small groups from 5^th-12^th grade.

Our family pastor, Mike Hepola had seen a rough time transitioning parents and students from Children’s into students. He had previous experience with a preteen ministry at his former church and thought it would be a great idea here. I had been teaching and programming for 3^rd-5^th grade and asked me about the proposition of transitioning into preteen ministry to lead our 5^th and 6^thgrade ministry.

Preteen Ministry is so important to me because of not only the need for that age group, but also because of the shifts that parents need to make in their role in leading their student’s spiritual life. It is an incredible opportunity to ministering to families and adding to both the Children and Student Ministry at your church.

2. Tell us about the preteen ministry you lead. What one thing does your preteen ministry do exceptionally well?  What one area do you struggle with the most?

The name of our Preteen Ministry is Switch. It’s for 5^th and 6^th graders. We want our kids to transition well to the next phase of ministry at Brookwood.

We tend to key in on 3 areas: Identity, Relationships (Christ centered, parental, friends, boys and girls), and Beliefs.

We believe that if our students get these three things in line then when they transition they are equipped with tools to make a difference in the church and also in their schools and communities.

I think what we do well is looking at the differences in Children and Students and helping to bridge the gap for our students and their parents. It’s amazing how much of a difference this makes in keeping the students engaged and parents in tune. We care about the transition.

I would say that we struggle with events. It’s tough to pull off events for this age group that are both inexpensive and can include most of our kids. We average around 170 preteens on a Sunday Morning, pulling off events for that number that are excellent and a smart use of resources have been tough. This is our first year so we have really so many things to learn, this is just a glaring one right now.

3.  You have a preteen ministry blog.  Tell us a little about it.  Why did you start it?  How long been doing it?

I’ve been blogging since high school. So for probably around 6 or 7 years. When I started at Brookwood I began to blog about Children’s Ministry. When I transitioned to Switch, I’ve had a rough time transitioning my content. I had built a #kidmin centered audience for over 2 years. It’s getting better and a little more focused.

I really like to offer resources to people. Pointing people to other places is what I like to do. I am a Gen. Y so my internet usage is a natural skill and ability. I am constantly reading blogs and studying new things. I like to throw out some (crazy, scatterbrained, unfinished) thoughts in order for me to process through them. I really enjoy all of the incredible relationships that I’ve built and the fun that I have writing my blog.

It’s really just a fun spot for me to process, distribute and hang out chatting about ministry.

4.     Talk to us about your journey with God right now.  What’s God doing in your life right now?

So much. My wife and I have been married for almost 3 years in May. God has really been teaching me about my role as a husband and learning to really lead my wife spiritually. Not only that but as we are talking about growing our family I’ve been continually mulling over the thought of me as a dad. That is scary… seriously.

But also learning to honor those in leadership over me. I heard a quote the other day from the Seeds Conference, “Where there is no authority, there is no ministry” That thought has been ringing through my head.

Am I living out Luke 16:12 in my life or am I paying it lip service? How much more can I invest in honoring those in authority over me and making sure that I am setting up a system of structure for our leaders and students? Am I honoring the families that give their students over to our program on a weekly basis?

Thanks JC for taking the time to let us get to know you a bit.  Keep up the great work!  If you haven’t checked out his blog at jcisonline.com, what are you waiting for?

Hey, are you a preteen leader who is thinking about blogging but just haven’t gotten around to it?  I encourage you to get started. The world of preteen ministry needs to hear your voice!  Already blogging about the topic? Send me an email at nick@preteenministry.net.  Love to know you’re out there blogging about preteens!