Chad

New England's Youth Ministers CARSON CHEATHAM and CHAD WHITESEL

Carson

This is the second in a series on youth ministers serving in New England. This week is an interview with
Carson Cheatham (Student Ministries Arts and Programming) and Chad Whitesel (Student Minister)
at Manchester Christian Church (MCC) in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Manchester Christian Church Student Ministries is somewhat unique, in that the two young men who lead this ministry have only led Student Ministry in New England. Rather than trying to overcome cultural differences from previous experiences, Chad and Carson are able to serve with what they know and learn about the New England region and its culture.

Tell us about yourself:

CARSON:
I was raised in Clinton, Illinois. For most of my life I can remember being a part of a church where my dad was a preacher. After high school, I had high aspirations of being part of a band and doing the whole recording thing, but also knew that an education was important. So I ended up going to Lincoln Christian College and Seminary for what I planned to be a semester or two, and ended up finishing with a degree in Music Ministry.

CHAD:
I was born in Anderson, Indiana, but spent most of my life in Massachusetts. I, like Carson, grew up as a preacher's kid. My high school years were spent in Marlboro, Massachusetts, and ended up going to Gordon College to study Youth Ministry. It was here that I was forced to mature in many areas of my life and to become more focused on serving God.

Tell us about your responsibilities:

CARSON:
I get to work pretty closely with Chad in creating a worship environment for our Sunday night gatherings for the students (called Fusion) -- from selecting the songs, practicing with the student band, and creating the visuals/videos and words to the songs on the screens. I also try to get with those students who are a part of the worship band by simply being there for them, going out for coffee, and hopefully planting seeds of God's grace, love, and truth for them.

CHAD:
I deliver the message each week, lead small groups, work on leadership development, help train adult sponsors/leaders, and I have a team of thirty to forty adults who help with Fusion each week. We are in the process of developing a teaching team that will help in taking the responsibility of finding, reviewing, and ordering the curriculum we use in Student Ministries. God is really doing some amazing things with our students and our group leaders. I see His fingerprints all over the place and in the lives of those we connect with every day.

When you have a youth group of 100-120 students with 40 volunteers/group leaders, how do you disciple that many individuals?

CHAD:
For now it is through the small groups. We can minister from up front and get larger themes across from there, but we rely heavily on our small groups to be the point of contact for deeper relationships and study. We allow the Group Leaders to lead out in those small groups so that we can invest in the lives of these students by simply getting to know them better and develop a relationship with them in a non-threatening way. We often forget what it was like to be in junior high and high school and how so many are trying to define who they are by being a part of a group. It is critical, however, for teens to also think about being part of the right group, especially for those who come for the first time. Even for those who are not a part of our small group structure, Fusion offers a positive large-group atmosphere to which they can belong. Ultimately, we believe that discipleship is about relationships that change lives for Christ.

What are your goals for 2008?

CARSON:
I want to do more ministry outside of MCC. A facility or building with a church association creates a bubble on multiple levels. We really want to instill in our students that ministry can take place wherever they find themselves. Jesus spent most of His ministry with people in their context of life. We believe that if we are able to go to the places the students would normally go and join them in the things they normally do, then we can model the relevancy of Christianity in everyday life rather than at a specific time and place. Jesus invited Himself into the lives and homes of people, and we want to strive to do the same this year.

CHAD:
We also want to realize that we do not need to be here for ministry to take place. It is so easy to believe that Fusion and Student Ministry hinges on us leading out in these areas. We really want to raise up student leaders who can walk alongside of us and do the very things we do here, either in our place or somewhere away from us. We often forget that Jesus was always teaching those around Him. We want to train others to take our place! Ministry is larger than ourselves. The more we can get people plugged into using their gifts and talents, the more individuals we know can be impacted by the Gospel in New England. 

To read more about Manchester Christian Church, go to www.manchesterchristian.com.