This term, eight Sydney Anglican churches will host Youthsurge events, bringing up to 500 teenagers in their region together at one time.
These Friday night events are designed to encourage kids and leaders in churches throughout the Diocese and beyond, says Youthsurge Director, the Rev Steve Jeffrey.
Around 8000 teenagers Australia-wide attend Youthsurge events each year, which include singing, praying, games and a Bible talk.
Kellyville Anglican Church will host Youthsurge for the Hills District tomorrow night, on the theme of "Dying to be there in the End'.
Youth pastor Bruce Dickson says these events hold a number of benefits for smaller Anglican churches like Kellyville.
"The events are always Christ-focused, which reinforces our own ministry," he says.
"And it helps the kids to see they're part of something bigger, that they're not the only Christians out there.
"It's also a good foot in for a lot of them to invite their friends."
Mr Dickson adds that Youthsurge includes positives for him and for Kellyville's youth leaders as well.
"You get to see others doing what you do and doing it well, which is a great encouragement,” he says.
“Youthsurge is a crucial part of every term for us - it gives us new ideas and a lot of the guys I meet there are my support network.”
A model ministry
The first Youthsurge was held in 1999 under the Anglican Youthworks banner, but the events have been run independently for five years now.
Youthsurge also runs youth events and training days in Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia and supplies resources for youth groups, such as programs and Bible studies.
In Sydney however, Mr Jeffrey says the main ministry of Youthsurge for leaders is to encourage them that they too can run similar events in their own parish.
"Youthsurge presents a model of what you can do at a youth group, using ideas leaders can take home," he says.
"We want to show that you can have a youth ministry program that's purposeful, meaningful and fun for kids."
Mr Jeffrey is also an assistant minister at Norwest Anglican Church, which has supported the ministry since he took it on three years ago.
"Norwest has allowed me to put focus and energy on the Youthsurge ministry at the cost of the focus and attention that I could have put into parish ministry," he says.
