Elevate in Action

The preteen leaders conference ended on Friday and it was awesome. The night before the conference I had the opportunity to visit Elevate, a preteen ministry that Sean Sweet leads. I took some pics, so if you want to check them out, scroll down to the bottom of this post.

Here’s my thoughts after sitting in on the service:

Elevate’s Wednesday night service is called Reveal. The leader doesn’t do a teaching. Rather, he creates a moment, video or presents an idea. Preteens then journal what God is speaking to them and share their thoughts with each other in small group. For a more detailed explanation of this, listen to this podcast: The Reinvention of Preteen Ministry.

Sean did a great job of helping the preteen take ownership of the service faith and take ownership of the service. In other words, he did a fantastic job of letting go of the bike. Preteens gave the announcements, helped run a/v, led prayer in front of the group, read verses from the front and more. They were involved in almost every aspect of the service. They weren’t told what to think or believe, but were encouraged to seek what God was speaking to them. Talking about their thoughts afterwards in small groups, preteens were able to learn from each other. Leaders were letting go, but staying close by.

Another really cool aspect was worship. Preteens were engaged in worship. Yes, they were singing, clapping and dancing. But it was more than that. They were engaging with God and praising Him. During slow songs, they were encountering God on a deeper level. It was cool!

Overall, preteens were excited and eager to participate in every element of the service appropriately. In worship, they worshiped. During the stage game, they played and cheered for their peers. They discussed the topic during small group. They wrote in their journals when asked to write down what God was speaking to them.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you listen to the full podcast explaining the thinking behind Elevate’s Reveal service. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Sean at ssweet@destinyrocklin.com.

My next post will be my highlights from the preteen leaders conference. Excited to flesh it out!