By Yong Soo Li

Young people are fast-changing in an increasingly complex world marked by information overload, social media influence and shifting societal values. Some might experience confusion over identity and values, despair over mental health struggles, constant pressure to excel, uncertainty about the future, loneliness, meaninglessness and apathy. It becomes hard for them to engage deeply in matters of faith in God and to find meaning in the gospel.

At the end of 2024, as our Executive Leadership Team (ELT) comprising Richard Tan (national director), Laurent Tan (executive director), Eric Teo, James Lee and Wang Qiuyue sought the Lord for wisdom, two questions emerged. How can we equip our leaders to navigate challenges while advancing youth evangelism? How can we reach our youth with the gospel in relevant ways that resonate with their perspectives and experiences?

In His grace, God gave new beginnings. For the first time, Preteens Ministry met weekly with special needs preteens (without intellectual impairment). Our Institute of Technical Education Ministry team stabilised itself with a new leader and two new staff. The International Students Ministry’s reach among some foreign students grew consistently. With a new tool, the Arts component in Evolving & Digital Generation Evangelism (EDGE) Ministry took shape well. Youth Guidance Ministry explored a fresh way to engage children and youth-at-risk through environmental care and sustainability, resulting in a deeper connection with them.

God also give us boldness to rethink the work. The Secondary School & Junior College Ministry (SJM) is slowly coming to a new form while the Polytechnic Ministry is in a season of discovery as they reshape their community. The Sports platform in EDGE continues to look to God for a new approach to reach sporty youth.

While these ministry teams pressed on, God amazingly set the ELT on an unexpected, exciting 9-month journey. Their destination? A holistic framework of 6Cs (Christ, Character, Community, Clarity, Capacity and Competency).

For Laurent, “these 6Cs form our goals, a leadership development model to build leaders to last and multiply impact to advance youth evangelism.” To Richard, “it is a framework to move forward as a whole team, establishing a common language among us.” Eric finds that “our 6Cs is a good follow up of 2024’s emphases to reach new types of youth, more youth or with more depth.”

At the October leaders equipping retreat based on the theme, ‘Built To Last’, the ELT introduced these 6Cs with content and meaning for our context of youth evangelism. The result was positive. Each ministry will apply the 6Cs into their 2026 plans and programmes (look at “A KEY 2026 GOAL”). Pray for insightfulness and wisdom.

Our prayer is that we can prepare SYFC to navigate an uncertain world with confidence and relevance to young people, discovering new lessons and opportunities God may unfold along the way. Pray with us.

Key Goals and Needs or Possible Hurdles of Each Ministry in 2026

PreTeens Ministry

• To deepen our relationship with current partnering centres and churches. 
• To look for more like-minded churches to partner with and more manpower to run our programmes with our small staff team.

Secondary School & Junior College Ministry

• To build communities of youths, based on their interests (sports, music, gaming, etc) or a shared purpose and build relationship with them.
• To be sensitive, wise and persevering. While making friends with them, we need to stay focused on creating safe spaces for conversations about the gospel.

Polytechnic Ministry

• To grow a community where non-believing poly students experience “shalom” in this chaotic world
• To contribute to our volunteers and student leaders’ welfare and enable them to fulfil their responsibilities.

ITE Ministry

• To engage better with studious ITE youths through helping in their studies and connecting through community service.
• To build deeper friendship with ITE youths with Special Educational Needs (SEN), coach them to manage stress. For more to meet us for games, Bible study or follow-up.

Youth Guidance Ministry

• To run five educational environmental care-based activities with at least one children’s shelter home, one social service agency and with neighbourhood at-risk youths.
• To be able to secure the participation of the neighbourhood at-risk youths we contact.

Arts (Through The Roof), EDGE Ministry

• To build more structure in our groups for zine making and creative mentoring with young creatives coming through our doors.
• To find more volunteers. Busy creative volunteers find it hard to make time.

International Students Ministry

• To expand our reach to foreign university students.
• To look for more volunteers who can engage with these students

With clearer thought, the 6C’s is named BTL6 (Built To Last with 6Cs Framework). We will share more in our next issue.