November 2016 Student Ministry
Dear Church Family,
It is such a joy to be a part of Oakhill Baptist Church! My wife, Kayla, and I have been so blessed by you and already feel like we have been members here for years. We are looking forward to the future that God has called us to with great anticipation.
I want to take a moment to thank the Lord for the great pastors and leaders that He has blessed to serve at Oakhill. They have done a great job preparing me and my wife for this transition, and they have served the student ministry faithfully during interim period. It is an uncommon blessing to see all the pastors of a church come to the youth group and treat them as a genuine and vital part of the church. They have shown that the students at Oakhill are valuable members of the church body and are worth giving them our time. The pastors, lay elders, and the Children’s Ministry Director of Oakhill are a phenomenal group of people who are concerned with ministering to all the people of Oakhill. I say all of this to express the deep gratitude and sense of urgency I have concerning my role in this body of believers alongside this godly group of leaders. God has provided a lavish blessing on my family in bringing me here to serve you as your Student Pastor. My hope and prayer is to be a great blessing to this church and a help to you and our youth as we all pursue growth in Christ.
Another moment of thanksgiving (which only seems appropriate for the month) must be given for the amazing faithfulness of all the volunteer leaders in the Student Ministry. They consistently give hours of their time each week to pour into our students and disciple them in Christ. Without people willing to serve in this way, my job would be impossible. During the transition period, they have played a vital role in ministering to the students. They are doing the work of ministry, teaching the gospel and discipling students to follow Christ in every area of life. My hope is to encourage and equip our leaders for this work, as well as recruit others to come alongside us to do so likewise. This is the message of Ephesians 4:12-16. My task as a minister of the gospel is to preach the Word and equip the saints in order that we and our students all grow into maturity in Christ. I am so thankful that I get to do that with the help of such faithful and self-sacrificing volunteer leaders as we have here at Oakhill. Praise the Lord!
In order to accomplish this task, I will be working closely with our volunteer leaders to discuss the future of the Student Ministry of Oakhill. While nothing logistically impactful has been decided just yet, there are some things that will guide the way I approach student ministry and how we are to operate in a faithful manner. One of those things is parental involvement. I think parents are instrumental in training a child in the way they ought to go (Prov. 22:6, Deut. 6:4-9). I hope to find new and effective ways to bring parents and grandparents into more meaningful and impactful relationships with their youth. Another guide will be reaching lost youth for the gospel and connecting them with adults who will love them and teach them the truth about God and Christ. This will take some creative thinking, communication on my part, and lots of prayer. Ultimately, our goal will be to honor Christ in all that we do, especially in our ministry to students at OHBC and in Evansville.
I sincerely hope all of this sounds like a good plan to you, because I firmly believe this is our biblical call as followers of Christ! If you would like to meet up for any reason or would like to be a part in any way, I would love to talk with you and encourage you however I can. You can get a hold of me at church, through the church office, or by email at
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In the Love of Christ!
Brian Van Doren
