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The vision of Vigor Youth Ministries International is to build young leaders to affect a generation through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our mission is to invade academic institutions, juvenile detention centers, and churches and inner cities to minister to young people. We will train them to be young leaders for God and send them back into their communities to affect a generation of young people for the glory of God.
Vigor Youth Ministries International has been established by God as a womb for birthing his priests in this hour. Our goal is to build ourselves as a model ministry by using the priesthood as our model and utilizing this design to help shape and transform youth ministries in the 21st century. VIGOR is not just another youth ministry or traditional local church, but it is the beginning stage in developing a new culture, a holy culture – the Priesthood of Christ. It is our desire that through a series of conferences and crusades, and effective discipleship we will be able to train and equip the young leaders and youth pastors of the local church that they will be able to evangelize to their communities and eventually the entire world.
Vigor Youth Ministries was founded in 1997 by Pastor Keean Sutton. Currently located in the city of College Park, one would have never thought that a ministry founded on prayer and passion for young people would grow to become a spiritual incubator for international leaders and local church to many youth and young adult families. Vigor is defined as an active force of strength and is also an acrostic standing for Victory in God Our Redeemer. The history of this ministry began in a basement nine years ago with the cry of a man to see the heart of a young generation turn their hearts back to God. Standing on two scriptures, Jeremiah 30:17 and 1 Peter 2:9, a man began to move by faith and Lord started to birth a revolution. With a desire to evangelize the lost of this world and disciple sons and daughters, God took an evangelical outreach ministry and made it His tabernacle. The initial vision of Vigor Youth Ministries consisted mainly of conducting a series of youth crusades and conferences to reach out the “outcasts” of the inner cities. However, as time progressed, and the vision grew, a more immediate need arose in VYM. The once youth outreach driven ministry shifted and began to develop a greater emphasis on leadership development among church youth and their leaders. The mandate was to aggressively pursue the youth inside of the church along with their leaders to prepare them to evangelize and disciple their local communities. It was in this season of transition that the priesthood training model would be birth. For the past three years Vigor Youth Ministries has become a ministry of intense “fire” and development. By seeking the Holy Spirit, the Lord has re-defined the original vision of developing leaders by bringing greater clarity to its purpose for this generation. Using the priesthood, as defined in the Old and New Testament, Pastor Keean Sutton and his leaders have submitted themselves to a season devoted to character development, prayer, studying of the scriptures, and impartation. It has been over these past years that the Lord has mandated this group of young leaders to equip other young leaders that they, as a result, will have an eternal effect on every aspect of this present day culture. The mission has not changed, yet the focus is directly to youth leadership and youth pastoralship. The youth and young adults of Vigor Youth Ministries are becoming a catalyst that will stimulate spiritual life in local communities, influence the governing nations of this world, heal the land of the poor, and create a new culture that reflects the image of the Kingdom of God. Currently, the ministry is incorporated as non-profit organization in the state of Georgia and recognized by the federal government as a 501c3 organized church. The current activities in ministry consist of Sunday worship services, leadership conferences, spiritual training classes, academic tutorials, and arts ministry.
The target groups that Vigor Youth Ministries International has aimed to minister to in the past have been youth and young adults ages 12 – 25. However, as the ministry has evolved over the past 6 years from just youth ministry to local church, so has the target group evolved? Our primary focus is still to youth and young adults in that age range, yet more specifically, the youth and young adults in the body of Christ that need leadership development. We are preparing ourselves as a model ministry and incubator for youth, youth leaders, and youth pastors that express a desire to grow spiritually, have their leadership challenged, and transcend to another level in God. In order for us to be effective in fulfilling the Great Commission it is important that we have disciplined leaders that can make disciples of Jesus Christ. We are also sensitive to the increasing presence of married couples and families that are being produced within our ministry, but our primary mission as a ministry is to train young leaders in the body of Christ.
VIGOR is a youth ministry of teens and young adults that are looking to break the chains of tradition. “In the year of jubilee ye shall return every man his possession” (Lev. 25:13) “They run like mighty men. They climb walls like men of war; everyone marches in formation and they do not break ranks. They do not push one another; everyone marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, they are not cut down. They run to and fro in the city, they run on the wall; they climb into houses. They enter at the windows like a thief. The earthquakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon grow dark and their stars diminish their brightness. The Lord gives voice before his army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the one who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it?”(Joel 2:7-11) These scriptures represent a perfect army, sent out to execute the will of God. There is one thing that we must realize. When God calls his soldiers and everyone is in their position and on one accord, we truly become a force to be feared by the adversary. Not only does the army of God conquer all, but it also endures all, pulls down spiritual strongholds, and binds all demonic schemes to accomplish their purpose. VIGOR believes that there is a special anointing placed on this distinct generation that enables us to effectively carry out God’s purpose for his people, just like this particular army. The problem is that many teenagers are unaware of this great commission that we have been given because they haven’t been taught. So many minds have been morally corrupted by the world that “the love of many shall wax cold”, and there is an earnest need to feel the warmth of God’s presence. This ministry is looking to go beyond the four walls of the church to let others know that, “now is the acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation.”(2Cor. 3:2) God has preserved these youth from their mother’s womb. He has predestined them, called them, and justified them for a higher calling, in which they have accepted. Vigor’s goal is to let other teens recognize the same. Only one word can describe such a radical group of teens… “ANOINTED” “But when He saw the multitudes He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to his disciples, the harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out the laborers into his harvest.” (Matt. 9:36-38) The enemy is has strategically planned to take out the leaders of this generation by captivating their minds with the desires of this world and a heart to rebel against God. However, we, the priest of the Lord, have come with this assignment – to destroy the works of the enemy. Our exceeding great army - the Priesthood of Christ, the collective body of priest who reflect the image of Jesus Christ; Our strategy - training young leaders through weekly worship services and Bible studies, leadership conferences, inner city crusades, community development projects, and international missions; The end result – victory, liberty in the spirit, and the establishment of a new culture! It is our passion to see a unified global church under one head – JESUS CHRIST!
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