Despite pressure to do otherwise, they want to maintain SHIFT’s humble, intimate atmosphere.
SHIFT is the young adult ministry of Christ First Baptist of Covina Calif. Led by college intern, David Kenney, SHIFT gets its name from John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” “It’s a mind set,” said Kenney. “When our lives meet His will, we must shift.”
SHIFT meets twice each Sunday. The first time is for Potter’s Clay, a class that is open to all twentysomethings. The tone is laid back, and guests are greeted with dim lighting, soft worship and the smell of the Starbucks down the street. Guests sit on couches and catch up with each other for a few minutes before moving on to more serious matters.
“I didn’t want to teach this class with the mindset of ‘What do college students need to learn,’” said Kenney. “I know that these are men and women on the same journey as I am a lot of the times. We all have the same worries, fears and concerns. Potter’s Clay looks at how we can be molded and shaped by the Word of God into the men and women God wants us to be.”
The evening session is more intimate and exclusively for college students. It’s a relaxed bible study in which the group breaks into small accountability groups. Each group is has a leader who helps facilitate discussions about what’s happening in their lives and the issues they are facing.
Despite pressure to do otherwise, Kenney wants to maintain SHIFT’s humble, intimate atmosphere. “I know a lot of other churches like to ‘do it big’ with media and live bands,” he said. “But for us discipleship is encouraging each individual to know Christ and growing in full maturity in Him.”
