Christina Huwalt loves what she does. “I’ve always enjoyed spending time with kids. Loving them and being there for them has been a passion for a long time.”

Huwalt spent four years in the student ministry program at Geneva College learning the importance of ministering to today’s youth and nurturing them to grow in faith as followers of Jesus. “I first thought I wanted to be a public school teacher, but that wasn’t enough. I wanted them to learn about the most important thing: the love of Jesus Christ.”

According to Brad Frey, assistant professor of biblical studies and former program director of the youth ministries program at Geneva, student ministry is rapidly growing across North America. An array of activities are included under the general umbrella of “student ministry,” making it difficult to generalize about the movement. Consequently, there are many misunderstandings about the purpose of student ministry.

According to Frey, “A lot of people view youth ministry as simply ‘entertaining kids.’ But at Geneva, it is directed toward presenting the message of the Gospel and nurturing faith, and dealing with the brokenness of so many lives in contemporary society.”

The student ministries program at Geneva dates back to the mid-1980s when an academic minor was first developed. As the program slowly grew, it became an “emphasis” within the Christian ministries major.

Frey assumed leadership for the program for most of the 1990s, and the program became a major three years ago. Its name was subsequently changed from youth ministries to student ministries. Since the program became a major, it has been growing rapidly; students became anxious to earn a bachelor’s degree in the field rather than just a minor or emphasis, because of the added value it offers them in searching for employment.

Most Christian colleges in North America now have a youth ministry program of some kind, but they vary greatly in quality and focus. At Geneva, student ministry is the fourth largest major on campus with more than 100 students enrolled. This makes the program one of the largest in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).

Geneva’s student ministry program was carefully developed with a specific understanding of the relation of the Christian to culture.

According to the founding documents for the major, “Student ministry is an essential…profession for our world, culture, and time because it is…intimately connected to a majority of the foundational social institutions, especially the family, that make up the world around us.”

The program has been designed to develop Christian leadership in the church. “The net result of all student ministry is to create Christian leadership that will change the world for Christ.”

The special focus of the program is to reach the unreached for Christ. This is accomplished from a Reformed theological framework, on the belief that all student ministry must emanate from the “Kingdom of God” ethos. The program’s developers believe it is the student minister’s “vital responsibility to teach and inspire all of their students to embrace an authentic praxis of God’s rule and His Lordship over all areas of their lives.” The Kingdom of God is a primary theme of Jesus’ teaching, and is also central to the Geneva program.

Many students in modern culture, including Christians, are disassociated from the church and the family. Geneva’s program is intended to create graduates with an agenda to make a difference for Christ in the world by working in the lives of these young adults. They should clearly understand their role as “salt and light” in the world, and understand their calling and vocation.

The vision of the program states that “student ministers are actively working with their students, not only to be reconciled to Christ, but also to joyfully embrace His plan and purpose for their lives.” These transformed believers will then carry on this same cycle to other young adults by evangelizing, discipling, and training them.

Contrary to popular trends, the Geneva College Student Ministry program is not technique-driven. It is rooted in biblical studies, philosophy, and theology, and framed by a Reformed world view. Students complete the full-core curriculum of the college, and in the process, gain the knowledge and skills they need for effective citizenship and leadership in the home, the community, and the world.

The program teaches flexibility, and is not tied to any specific model of conducting ministry. According to Rich Grassel, assistant professor and current director of the student ministry program, “We believe that God raises up people with particular gifts and talents, to go into ministries in a specific context. We are to develop a model that works best in that particular ministry context.”

Faculty in the program work intentionally to mentor students. Since the average youth minister stays in a church for less than a year, potential youth ministers need to be prepared for the challenges of this church ministry.

“The most valuable part of the program for me was the support, prayer, and mentoring that I received,” said Huwalt about her preparation from Geneva. “For four years my professors not only taught me but they loved me. They cared about my walk with Christ and where I was in my faith.”

The place where youth ministry is best accomplished is within the institutions of the Church and the family. According to Grassel, “Youth ministry should bring families together, not fragment them, and it should accentuate what the church does.” He believes in an intergenerational philosophy, involving parents and older adults in ministry to teens.

According to the college’s catalog, student ministry, a track within the biblical studies major at Geneva, is “designed to prepare students for service to youth in a church or parachurch ministry.” The 52-credit hour program includes a set of core Bible courses; curricular requirements in theology, philosophy, and ministry methods; and field-based internship experiences. The program also offers students a number of electives.

One of the distinctive components of this program is the integrative Senior Seminar, which students take during an internship experience. Students are required to develop their own youth ministry manual. This capstone exercise includes the formulation of a statement of ministry philosophy and a ministry model.

Only those who are passionate about winning young souls for Christ need apply for the program because the study is rigorous. With the exception of biblical language courses, the requirements for the student ministry major are similar to those in the department’s pre-seminary track of the biblical studies major, according to Grassel.

There are, of course practical components as well. Coursework includes: methods of youth ministry, teaching the Bible effectively, organizing a student ministry program, evangelism, and spiritual formation. Students choose between a course in urban youth ministry and a course in experiential education.

All majors are expected to gain mastery in written and verbal communication, computer software applications, and organizational skills. Students must also successfully complete an extended internship with a local church.

The Geneva faculty work cooperatively with other Christian colleges that have student ministry programs, including Gordon College (Mass.), Malone College (Ohio), Trinity International University (Ill.), and Huntington College (Ind.). In both formal and informal settings, the faculty get together regularly with colleagues from these and other like­minded institutions.

Dr. Stanley Clark, Geneva’s vice president for academic affairs, believes that the student ministries major is one of the college’s most distinctive and successful programs. “Brad Frey and Rich Grassel have established an excellent major. It is rooted in a Reformed understanding of the world, strong in its theological and philosophical foundation, broad-based, relevant to contemporary culture, and sound in its pedagogical approach.”

Clark believes that Student Ministries “…is absolutely central to Geneva’s mission. It is one of the very best ways we have of carrying out our vision of being a place where students are prepared to transform culture for the glory of God.”

For Christina Huwalt, now working with youth in Pittsburgh, Geneva prepared her mentally, physically, and spiritually for taking part in furthering God’s kingdom. “Going to Geneva has to be the best thing that I have ever done,” she said. “The student ministry program has given me the resources and knowledge that I need day to day. Through the love and care from my professors, I feel much more confident in my day-to-day work with students. It is so important to be spiritually ready when dealing with the sin of the world. I believe Geneva is truly transforming our society for the kingdom of Christ.”

Rebecca Williams is a senior public relations major at Geneva College from East Earl, Pa. In addition lo performing with Geneva’s vocal groups. Rebecca is an intern in the college’s public rela­tions office.