Commonly Asked Questions

The youth team put together some commonly asked questions about the youth ministry and here they are:

Commonly Asked Questions

What is TVM?

TVM stands for Total Velocity Ministries which is the youth ministry of The Rock Church and was founded by our Senior Pastor, Pastor Jeff Knight, in 1997.

What is Grid 29:11 or The Grid?

Grid 29:11 is the 8100 square foot youth facility of The Rock Church

What does Grid 29:11 stand for?

The Grid portion of a name is a cool name we came up with that has no meaning other than that it is cool. The 29:11 portion comes from Jeremiah 29:11 which says that God has a plan and purpose for all of our lives. The reason behind that is that it is our prayer that in the Grid our students will discover God’s plan and purpose for their life and find hope in God.

Can I attend Saturday Nights with my student?

First and foremost we would never want Saturday nights to replace anyone’s attendance to Sunday mornings. The most important part of anyone’s spiritual development is to sit under the word with their pastor. With that being said, you are more than welcome to come on Saturday nights with your student. In fact we encourage that you come from time to time to hear the heart of our youth pastor and show your support for you student. It is also a great opportunity to worship with your student. Another great opportunity to attend a service with your student is our Fuel service which happens on the 4th Wednesday of every month.

Can I attend Sunday mornings with my student?

While we do encourage parent participation we ask that for our Sunday morning service parents do not make a regular habit of attending our Jr. High service. This helps us preserve an atmosphere that is safe for our Jr. High students to grow. We also ask that on these days that you attend first service with Pastor Jeff and then attend our Jr. High service.

What do you teach my student(s)?

Every week either Pastor Travis or an approved TVM leader will deliver a message to the students. As Pastor Travis often says, we are not interested in sharing our opinions, but God’s and therefore we preach from the bible and not from opinion. If an opinion is shared it is represented as a personal opinion and not as biblical or God’s opinion. The topics of our message are driven by what Pastor Jeff is preaching on. At The Rock Church we want every age group, Children’s, Students and Adults learning about the same basic topics (i.e., friendship, adversity, relationships) so that parents can share with their children the insights they’ve learned and healthy dialog can come about as a result. For more information on the doctrine of the church visit http://www.therockchurch.info/about/beliefs.shtml.

Why are we moving TVM Wednesday Nights to Saturday nights at 8pm?

Out of the hundreds of reasons we have come up with there are seven that we specifically want to touch on.

1. The overall atmosphere – In order to reach this generation we need to provide two atmospheres: one that promotes relationships and one that promotes spiritual growth. Grid 29:11 provides the relationship building atmosphere, while our worship center provides the best atmosphere for spiritual growth because of the ability for creativity with the video and lights. The worship center provides the right atmosphere of those powerful “God moments” where He touches our lives and changes us forever.
2. Fuel Weekly – We are going to make our service that Fuel atmosphere weekly. What does that mean? It means service in the Worship Center, longer and louder worship and some of the creative elements that you would see at Fuel.
3. College target – There is simply nothing specifically targeted at our growing group of college age students. They have been pleading for us to do something about this and so we are.
4. Maturity – Combining College and high school will allow for greater maturity in all of our students and allow us to tackle real life and difficult issues or questions that young people have.
5. Athletes and availability – With the exception of the occasional dance there is nothing going on, on Saturday nights to keep high school and college aged people from attending our services. This will allow us to reach out to the athletes in our community that were unable to attend on Wednesday nights.
6. Compliments Grid Friday Nights (GFN) – GFN is doing so well attracting students who do not attend a church, but telling a student about church happening five days away leaves a lot of room for them to forget. With the service happening the next night, it will allow GFN to be a more effective outreach and we will have something for students to do on Friday and Saturday nights.
7. Jr. High Sunday morning worship experience – The Jr. High students are as important to TVM as any other age group and we desire to give to them a service that gives them the proper atmosphere to grow relationally and spiritually. To do this we feel that they need their own service. We are going to take our current Sunday morning model and add some new elements of creativity and fun.

What is the age group that can come to Saturday nights?

Saturday nights are targeted at high school and college age students and therefore the music, the message, and the overall atmosphere will be targeted at them. With that said, anyone can come. We will not turn anyone away unless there is a safety problem or concern. So whether you are in Jr. High, High School, and College or wish were one of those ages, you are welcome to attend. We do ask that if at all possible you make Sunday mornings your priority.

How, with older age groups attending, are we going to keep our students safe?

We will continue our check in procedures at our services for high school and college students. This means that we will have trained check in personnel watching who is coming through our doors. We will also have trained security personnel all over the building watching to be sure that our students are safe. One of their main purposes will be to watch for any individual who has ill intentions. Our student’s safety is our top priority.

Why are we separating out the Jr. High?

The Jr. High students are extremely important to this church and to Pastor Travis and we feel in order for them to grow relationally and spiritually as we desire they need their own service. We have committed to place as much emphasis and importance on Sunday mornings that we do on Saturday nights. In order to build community and relationships amongst our Jr. High students, they need their own time and their own space. We are so excited about adding worship to Sunday mornings, as well as other creative elements to make this the best service around aimed at Jr. High students.

What is our ministry philosophy?

Our ministry philosophy is to present the Gospel of Jesus in a real and relevant way to the generation. We believe that if the Gospel is presented in a way that is understandable it will be irresistible. To do this with the next generation relevance and creativity are needed. So we believe in using drama, current events, outreach, and secular music that doesn’t contain immoral messages and anything else that does not compromise our integrity or morality. We believe in providing safe and fun atmospheres where students can be themselves, walls can be broken down and they can receive the message of Jesus Christ. We believe in relevance, but we will not under any circumstance water down or compromise the Word of God to make it easier or safer for anyone to come to Christ. We also believe in setting a road map for student’s spiritual journey, so that when they graduate high school or in their early years of college they have gone through our TVM Steps. See below for a break down of the TVM Steps.

What are the TVM Steps?

The TVM Steps are a road map, a journey that we desire to take students on to give them a solid in their spiritual life. They are as follows:

Proverbs 4:12 “When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble.”

Step ONE: Be There: “Check it out”
Show up on Wednesday nights at 7pm, Sunday Jr. High service at 11:00am, or attend one of our small groups called Reach Teams. Regardless, come and see what we’re all about.

Step TWO: Come again: “Get your card”
Return for a second service to get your own Grid ID card. We welcome you back and cannot wait to get to know you more.

Step THREE: VIP Party: “Meet the team”
Every 4th Wednesday of the month from 6:00 to 6:45 we open the Grid just for you and provide you the opportunity to meet the TVM leadership team, as well as meet other students.

Step FOUR: Reach Teams: “Get plugged in”
Every week in a city near you a regional reach team (small group) meets for two reasons. The first is to hang out, have fun and get to know one another. The second is to discover how to become the man or woman God designed you to be. “Get plugged in,” build relationships with your peers and learn the Word.

Step FIVE: Encounters Retreat: “Get the Junk out”
Encounters Retreat is an overnight experience where we seriously deal with the sin of our past, present and learn that God has already forgiven the sin of our future. This retreat is necessary for all Christ followers who are on their journey towards the destiny God has for their life.

Now it’s time for you to get involved. At this point should you choose to make yourself available. It’s time for you to serve in the ministry and be a part of Connecting People to Life. Or if your current situation doesn’t allow for this, but only remaining faithful in coming, then make that your priority.

Step SIX: Student Leaders: “Lead your Generation”
Student leaders are just that, students who serve and lead in TVM. From the worship team, to greeters, to the café, to outreaches, to reach teams, these are students who give their time to help in reaching their generation.

Step SEVEN: Internship: “Next Steps”
The internship will give you the tools, skills and character to take the next steps of life. Whether that is college or a career, the internship should seriously be considered before continuing on. You will discover more of your purpose and destiny as well as build the character necessary for all walks of life.

What goes on in a typical TVM service?

While we try to change things up as much as possible to keep the Word relevant there are certain aspects to the service that rarely change. A typical TVM service will have some sort of opening, sometimes very creative, sometimes just a person welcoming people. We’ve started services with special songs, dramas, dances, videos and more. From there we typically go into a time of worship, where the worship team will play a whole range of songs that are relevant to that age group. After worship we might pray to transition or have someone let them know they can be seated. From there it is a surprise. We may do drama, video, poems or the offering. We believe in our students giving weekly to the vision of The Rock Church and TVM. We believe that God wants them to set a standard of tithing and giving in their life when they are young and that He wants to bless them. From there we preach. Typically messages are 20 to 30 minutes long and the content of them is geared towards the specific age group. Following the message we take an alter call for salvation and/or the topic that was presented that night. Following the alter call we typically dismiss the service then hang out in the Grid or the foyer for coffee, smoothies, games, etc.

What is Grid Friday Nights?

Grid Friday Nights is an open night at the Grid every Friday from 3pm to 12am. It is an opportunity for students from 6th grade to age 24 to come and hang out with their friends. Every portion of the Grid is open. There is skateboarding, billiards, foosball, video games, board games, café, basketball and more. In addition to these, we hold frequent theme nights and competitions. For a list of these theme nights and competitions check out www.myspace.com/grid2911. Grid Friday Nights is staffed with volunteers who run the café, security, and events. To volunteer see below.

How do I become a TVM volunteer?

Thank you for asking. We can always use more people with a heart to serve the next generation. The safety of our students both physically and spiritually is our number one priority, so in order for any person to volunteer they must fill out an application that can be picked up at The Rock Church office or the information kiosk during services. Once they have filled out an application we will do a background check on each individual and then check their references. When everything checks out okay, we then place each person in the area of ministry that they have requested or best fits their skills. After this is done each individual will go through a training time, then a period of job shadowing another volunteer and finally will be placed on the volunteer schedule where they serve the next generation. Additional training and meetings are sometimes required throughout the year.

How do we train our TVM volunteers?

We believe that the key to safety for our students and satisfied volunteers is to train people how to do their job effectively. In order to do this we schedule regular trainings on Saturdays before our youth service to train volunteers on their position. The training takes 2 hours, where we go over policies and procedures, safety concerns, the heart and vision behind first impressions, as well as play some team building games. Following the training is our Saturday night youth service where the new volunteers will job shadow another volunteer to see what is required of their position.



What is a TVM leader?

A TVM leader is someone who has been approved by Pastor Travis and/or Pastors Jeff and Melinda. TVM leaders are volunteers who direct different departments. They are the only people who are approved to teach, preach, and pray with students. Currently there are seven directors who lead in TVM. They are:

Dan Hudson - Jr. High Director
Jaisa Cohn - Café Director
Gia Warren - TVM Greeter Director
Justin Crouch - Grid Friday Nights Director, Production Director
Kyle Davis - Security Director
Stefanie Celix - Check-in/Guest Services Director, Follow Up Director
Jenny Brien - Events Director

Along with these seven there are several other individuals who are TVM leaders and help lead the way in the youth ministry.

What is the character of a TVM leader?

TVM leaders are intrinsically involved in the spiritual development of our students and therefore we take the content of their character very seriously. The requirements are taken out of our Connection Point manual and Acts 6:3.

Must be a person of good reputation.
Must be full of Wisdom.
Must be full of the Holy Spirit.
Must have regular quiet times.
Must be a Member in good standing. The requirements for this are as follows:
- Remain faithful in loving the Lord.
- Love each other.
- Consistent attendance to Sunday Church. This means you must attend one Sunday service a week, unless out of town.
- Weekly tithing to support the church.
- Strategic giving and offerings.
- Compassion with difference.
- Serving in the ministry.
- Respecting church and its leaders.
Proven Leadership skills/experience.
Proven communication skills.
Proven team building skills.
Proven planning and organization skills.



What is Pastor Travis’ favorite meal?

Pastor Travis’ favorite meal is artichokes and spaghetti with garlic bread. He also loves Chinese food.

If Pastor Travis could be an animal what would he be?

A Lion, Tiger or Eagle, but definitely not an Owl. J

What does Pastor Travis do on his day off?

First he sleeps in, and then prays, then any of the following:

Shopping
SCUBA diving
Hangs out with his wife
Video games
Reads books
Lays around in his PJ’s all day, yes all day.
Watches TV
Movies
Cleans his room J
Turns off his cell phone

Can Pastor Travis fix my car?

No, the last person you want working on your motor vehicle is him. As he has said in his messages, he is responsible for blowing up one car and nearly putting windshield wiper fluid in the oil compartment on his wife’s car.

What is Pastor Travis’ favorite scripture?

It changes but right now it’s Romans 12:1-2, sometimes its Galatians 2:20 and others it’s Jesus wept, so you never really know, but it’s going to be good.

one year of youth ministry has taught me...

Today marks the one year anniversary since I came on staff at The Rock Church and I figured today should be the where I make my first post on my brand new blog. There are 5 quick thoughts off the top of my head that I have learned about life and leadership this past year that I would like to share with you all.

1. Passion is not an option
   Don't live life without it! Find something to be passionate about and be passionate. Life is too boring without it. Whether you are about to walk onto a stage and preach or whether you are about to sit down to dinner with your family don't do it without passion. Passion attracts others to your vision. Passion keeps you focused. Passion is a choice, so choose it and don't leave home without it.
   
2. Some things just take time
   When I first became the youth pastor I thought I could change every student within an earshot of my voice and we would have a youth ministry of thousands overnight because I was PASSIONATE. Well... I was wrong, very wrong. First, it cannot be built by me, but by God and second, some things just take time. It takes time to cultivate a loving relationship with your spouse. It takes time to raise children the way God desires and yes it takes time to grow a ministry and change a generation. Time is your friend, so enjoy every minute of it!
   
3. Rest is a must
   Passionate, vision filled, driven people will work until they collapse from exhaustion, but I have found that it is only when I take time to rest and do things I love that my passion is filled back up, my vision gets clearer and my creativity is reenergized. It’s easy, in the name of the vision, to work too hard, so take time off and rest.
   
4. In order to grow you must first grow yourself then your leaders
   Personal leadership development is a must. If you want your ministry, your relationships, your children, your life to grow, you need to work on developing yourself. In ministry you not only need to develop yourself, but your leaders. The more your leaders grow, the more people you can affect, the more your ministry grows, the more people are changed.
   
5. At the end of the day share the love
   Ministry, leadership and life throws us all kinds of situations and it’s easy to forget that we are here to help one another. It's easy with all the conflict in relationships and leadership to forget to share the love. Love covers all sins, it says in the Old Testament. When you find yourself frustrated and too focused on the task, share the love with those around you. People like to be around people who are loving.

This is my first of many posts. Last year has been one of the greatest of my life and everyday I love to wake up and reach this generation. Enjoy!