Over the past few years, we’ve seen students experience too much anxiety and fear in the move from K-5 All Stars to 6-12 Fusion. We saw at this age, parents start giving their kids the choice to go to church and many chose to opt out. When a preteen opts out often their families do too. The SoHills family desired to create a ministry that would give them a reason to stay and to grow.  The new 456 Preteen ministry will bridge the gap from child to student, allowing preteens to mature and grow in their faith before moving into the student ministry.

Paul, one of the authors of the New Testament of the Bible, writes, “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11, NLT)

456 Preteens is designed specifically for the 4th through 6th graders. During this preteen phase, students are solidifying their faith and need teachings directed at where they are in life. The purpose of 456 is to transform the lives of preteens by providing an authentic encounter with the Gospel within the context of a true community focused on worshiping God and leading others to Him.

There are 3 elements defining our 456 preteen ministry: leadership, worship, and community. As the faith of our preteens mature we desire for their commitment to God to grow through leading and serving others. We want to teach why we worship by involving the preteens in prayer, singing, offering, communion, scripture, testimonies, and serving. Each service has a time of reflection and prayer where students can actively take the next step of growing their faith. We also desire to help preteens develop and deepen healthy relationships where they feel safe to share their emotions, thoughts, testimony, and faith.

Since our launch, we have seen our preteens show up in droves, take steps in their faith, and invite their friends to do the same. In our first lesson we learned, “When it comes to growing our faith, doing is better than knowing.” In this lesson we challenged the students with the words of Jesus, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 24:7, NIV) Most of these students have grown up in church and have the knowing part down. 456 is challenging them to apply what they have learned and to begin doing something about it.

Our next series is called “Real Talk” and we are going to take a look at what Jesus said prayer is and isn’t. We want these preteens to lay down the formalities, relax and have real conversations with God.

Will you join us in making a difference in a preteen’s life? Pray that students will experience God during services, invite a 4th through 6th grader to join, or maybe even consider taking the next step in your faith journey by joining this service team!

If you would like more information about serving in the 456 Preteen Ministry, please contact Corey at cjones@sohillscc.com.