YouthQuest is a student-led ministry within the Rawlings School of Divinity that partners with local churches to host student retreat weekends while also equipping Liberty University students for future ministry.
“YouthQuest is a parachurch ministry in the School of Divinity, which means that we get to partner with local churches and really come alongside the church,” YouthQuest director and junior Nick Warnstrom said. “We do that through student retreat weekends … but our mission statement is furthering the church’s mission to (develop) Christ-centered students.”
This mission shapes everything the team does as they travel to different locations to have gospel conversations and build upon their ministry experience.
“Really, everything that we do is because we love the local church,” Warnstrom said. “We believe that God is doing something really special through the local church.”
Throughout the school year, YouthQuest partners with around 10 to 14 churches, most of them smaller congregations that may not have the resources to host large-scale student events on their own. Through the traveling ministry, the program is able to meet the needs of other groups through four divisions: media, hosting, worship and teaching.
“We’re not really … partnering with like the super big churches,” Warnstrom said. “A lot of the churches that we partner with … maybe it’s four churches coming together for a combined student total of like 40 students.”
YouthQuest can step in and bridge different communities to carry some of the responsibility of various events.
“I can get to take some of that burden off of the youth pastor, the youth director, and the staff and volunteers,” Warnstrom said.
The team operates with a mindset they call “Plan A,” meaning the church always comes first. Whatever the leaders need at that moment, the YouthQuest team is focused on serving in those ways.
“Whatever you need us to do … if you come to us and say, ‘Hey, we need people to wash dishes,’ it’s like, okay,” Warnstrom said. “We don’t have a washing dishes sub-team, but we’re going to find some people to wash dishes.”
Through YouthQuest’s four student-run teams, team members work together to lead sessions, run games, provide worship and handle photography for social media content.
“Another purpose and reason behind YouthQuest is to equip and empower Liberty University students for future ministry,” Warnstrom said. “We’re just getting the best firsthand, hands-on experience.”
For many Liberty students, these weekends of serving alongside their peers turn into meaningful experiences and allow them to form relationships with one another and the students they serve. When Warnstrom calls to mind previous memorable student interactions, he said none are more memorable than one student who was nicknamed “Plunger King.”
“He introduced himself as ‘Plunger King,’ and we knew that he was the plunger king because he ran around with a plunger on his head,” Warnstrom said. “We just got to connect with him … and like really just love on him.”
After reconnecting with the student the following year, the humorous moment became even more meaningful at the end of the weekend.
“He gave us his plunger that he wore on his head the past two years, and he signed it ‘Isaac, Plunger King,’” Warnstrom said.
Beyond the fun moments, YouthQuest also helps students work through deeper struggles in their faith.
“We’re not just there to put on a show … we want to get to know them,” Warnstrom said. “We want to know about the things that are important to them.”
For the students on the team, the experience also connects directly to what they are learning in class.
“I’m being able to experientially learn, and those are the things I’m going to remember,” Warnstrom said.
Looking ahead, YouthQuest hopes to continue growing and improving its approach to reaching students. Rather than just providing information to them, YouthQuest’s purpose is to give Liberty students experiences that they will hold on to.
At the end of the day, Warnstrom said the ministry’s impact comes down to building community in fellowship and preparation for the future.
“It’s really special relationships that you’re able to build,” Warnstrom said. “And wherever I end up, the things that I’ve been able to learn and experiences on this team are going to help me dramatically in the future.”
More information about YouthQuest can be found on their website at www.liberty.edu/divinity/center-for-youth-ministries/youthquest.
Edwards is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion.