During Central Student Ministries this year, we will be walking through The Core. The Core is designed to introduce 8 “roots” of faith into your student’s life. In future years, we will build on these 8 roots.
Each core will be covered in a 4-5 week message series on Wednesday nights followed by our student Connection Groups. In addition, our Sunday morning equipping workshops for students will also correspond to our Wednesday night series allowing us to hon in on a specific aspect of that Core.
Rescue
The Rescue Root helps students understand their need for a savior:
We are slaves, held captive by terrible enemies: sin and death. In this fallen, corrupt, and shattered world, we need a rescuer—Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer. In fact, he’s the only one who can free us. And once we’ve been freed, we have the opportunity to join in the rescue mission for others.
- Aug 24 – Rescue Intro
- Aug 31 – Sin
- Sept 7 – Sacrifice
- Sept 14 – Adopted
- Sept 21 – Salvation
Identity
The Identity Root, which helps students discover their unique identity in Christ:
God created humans in his own image, unique in all creation. Then sin entered the picture, and all people developed a warped version of their original identity. Christ came and died on the cross and rose again to offer us a new identity, even better than the first. He took on our sin and shame so we could take on his righteousness. He identifies with us so we can find our identity in him—a redeemed identity.
- Sept 28 – Identity Intro & Worship Night
- Oct 5 – Image of God
- Oct 12 – Spiritual Gifts
- Oct 19 – Disciples Mission
- Oct 26 – Temptation
Community
The Community Root, which helps students understand the meaning of biblical fellowship.
We weren’t created to be alone. Our emotional, physical, and spiritual well-beings depend on deep, loving relationships with other people. God has created a family for you. They are his people, and they will help you grow in another essential connection—with God.
- Nov 2 – Community Intro
- Nov 9 – The Church
- Nov 16 – Community is a Need
- Nov 23 – No CSM (Join us for Thanksgiving Eve Service)
- Nov 30 – Church for the Broken
Apologetics
The Apologetics Root, which prepares students to explain the hope they have in Christ:
The Bible encourages us to defend our faith: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” (1 Pet. 3:15, ESV). That’s the point of apologetics—to explain our hope in Christ to others. In the Apologetics Root your students will find ways to do just that.
- Dec 7 – Apologetics Intro
- Dec 14 – Faith In Culture
- Dec 21 – No CSM
- Dec 28 – No CSM
- Jan 4 – Resurrection
- Jan 11 – Testimony
- Jan 18 – UnBending Truth
Kingdom
The Kingdom Root, which helps students understand how to live in the Kingdom of God every day:
When students embrace Kingdom life, they begin to look at the small things differently. They realize the weight that their decisions carry, and they can start to live by God’s value system instead of the world’s tainted values.
- Jan 29 – Worship Night & Intro
- Feb 1 – Last Shall Be First
- Feb 8 – Kingdom Worth Dying For
- Feb 15 – Revenge Verses Forgiveness
- Feb 22 – Flashy verses Meek
Outreach
The Outreach Root, which helps students understand their God-given mission:
Jesus gave his followers one last command: to spread the good news of his death and resurrection—the gospel—to the whole world. When we become members of Christ’s body of believers, the story doesn’t end. That’s just the beginning! Now we get to join in a remarkable mission to care for the least, to love other people, and to share Jesus as Lord wherever we go.
Wednesday
- March 8 – Lost & Found
- March 15 – Why share Jesus?
- March 22 – How to share Jesus with others.
- March 29 – Wanting what God wants.
Knowledge
he Knowledge Root, which helps students understand the basics about God:
God is enormous. He’s too big, too awesome, and too complicated to wrap our minds around. Yet he wants us to know him. He wants a relationship with us, so he has revealed himself in a number of ways. We will never know everything about God. But in order to become his disciples, we need to know some essential truths about the One we follow.
- April 12 – Revealed
- April 19 – Hound of Heaven
- April 26 – The Omnis