THE DOULOS PROJECT
A tried-and-true teen leadership and teamwork program
Dr. Brad Zockoll
Knoxville TN
cell: 865-308-0302
I would like to tell you about an exciting program that blew the lid off apathy, fear, and worldliness in Christian youth groups during my years as a youth pastor.
I had started a young people's teamwork program based upon the fraternal “society” I joined during my years at a Christian university. I divided my youth group into four teams, carefully assembling rosters so that no team was too dominant in any area. Giving Greek names for a college-like feel, our four teams became unique among church programs in that the Doulos Program was run by students while being closely supervised by the adult leadership.
We were able to see young people take roles of leadership and cooperation - from Bible preaching to hospital visiting - like never before. We saw teens coming to Christ because of the efforts of individuals within the groups. It worked so well that I was hired by a North Carolina publishing company to market it to churches across the country.
Expecting to reach 20 clubs in our first year, we saw the Lord dynamically bless the ministry, and within nine months we had 150 clubs nationwide. But that’s not the story I want to share with you.
I want to share with you how the teens woke up and jumped into the program.
One teen-age team president would give us a devotional, another would give announcements, and then the competition would begin!
We might have the four senior high teams compete in a Talent Competition. The next week it could be a Trivia Bowl. We had poster contests and improvisational talent shows. Once we had a Debate Contest. Our top contest, however, was when we received police permission to block off a street and run a Soap Box Derby.
Yes, believe it or not, each team made a soap box derby race car. When I moved back to Tennessee, I was asked to form a home-school cooperative Doulos Program in Knoxville. Later, when I took a publishing job in Arizona, I was again asked to start a Christian school program – this time at Mission Christian School in Phoenix. Each week we had competitions that brought in points for the teams as the teens earned credit on anything from memorizing Scripture to organizing an outreach. The teens loved it for more than just an active time. It forged a foundation of Biblical love, power, and discipleship among our teens. It brought a spirit teen mentoring and encouragement.
It raised up Christian teen leaders.
It released the dynamic potential that was hidden within many of our Believers. It was powerful.
It was fun.
It was exciting. I call it the Doulos Project.
"Doulos" is the Greek word for servant. That's what our teens learned - how to serve. It is a ministry. Teens from affluent homes sit alongside the “trailer park” guys, planning, working and winning. For years, I've seen it work.
Based upon the truths of 2 Timothy 1:7, the Doulos Project takes teens and shows them the Christ-guided walk that God has intended for their lives. You see, as the verse says, God did not give the students a spirit of fear.
Think about it - if your students are afraid of witnessing, talking about Jesus, reading God's Word, standing up for the Lord in their classroom...well, that spirit of fear didn't come from God. God did, however, give them the spirit of love. That means love for the unsaved. That means love for each other, no matter what the school grade, age, gender, or race.
God also gave them a spirit of power. Power to stand up and speak in the classroom. Power to pray in boldness. Power to witness. Power to lead. God gave the Christian the spirit of a sound mind. That means your students can actually learn verses and the Romans' Road of salvation. They can figure out challenges you give them as well as read, discern and ask questions so that they may know the Bible more and more each week.
And as we work through the year, growing closer to Jesus Christ, we do it together as a team. Following the truth of Psalm 133:1, we do indeed find it pleasant for the brothers and sisters of Christ to dwell together in unity. The teens get along in groups which we call "collegians."
These are based upon the structures of the old college Literary Societies of the days in Harvard and Yale when they were Christian colleges (did you know that?).
The youth group is divided up in a fair and equitable way - teens are mixed so that no particular group is dominant in athletics, Bible memory, I.Q. or even gender. The goals are set for the year in Godly training as well as goofy stuff - the societies will compete in anything from Bible knowledge to trivia questions. They may go head to head in Tug-Of-War or they may be in a skit contest. The competition is enjoyable as well as challenging.
