M.T.N. Youth Pastor
Daniel Brooks comes from a relatively large home. In his younger years, he moved around a lot, before stopping in Lakeland, FL, where he lived for seven years with his parents, 3 brothers and one sister. Daniel moved to Cleveland, TN after high school (and community college) to attend Lee University, a private liberal arts college operated by the Church of God. At Lee University, Daniel met his wife Gracen and they both graduated from there with Bachelors Degrees. Gracen graduated with a degree in Accounting, while Daniel graduated with a degree in Bible and Theology. Daniel went on to complete a Masters Degree in Theological Studies at Lee as well. Daniel and Gracen took up residence in Arnold, MO in 2006. They enjoy their work as the Youth Pastors at People’s Church, and have great expectations for what God can do in the lives of teenagers through the youth ministry.
Daniel's 3 "I's" to Youth Ministry...
Invite
As a Youth Pastor, I see a
responsibility not only to invite teenagers to church, but to invite
them to be a part of my life. Teenagers need Christ, yes, but they also need someone to
talk to and trust. By inviting them to be a part of my wife's and my life, I believe that we are
modeling the example Christ set when he invited the disciples to be a part of his life. He
could have simply preached a conversion message to each of the twelve, but he didn't. He
invited twelve to vividly see what he was about.
Influence
Influence is what happens when you
invite teenagers to be a part of the body of Christ
and a part of your life. Influence happens at several levels. Influence happens through
speech, through written communication, and through actions. Not only as a Youth
Pastor do I want my talk to be right, but I want teenagers to see me as someone who
has a living and vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. I want teenagers to see
spiritual discipline (prayer, Bible reading, etc.) at work in my life and want it for
themselves. And I want everything I say and do to reflect the one whom teenagers
need most: Jesus Christ.
Involve
Teenagers must feel a sense of involvement.
Not only do they need involvement with their
peers, but they need to be involved in some type of ministry as well. At M.T.N. Youth
Ministries and the People's Church we want teens to sense that they are welcome to be a
part of God's ministry to the world. Teens are welcome to be a part of choir, work days, as
well as numerous other ministries we have to offer. Teens were not meant to simply sit on
the sidelines until they became an adult, but as Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12, "Do not
let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in
speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity."