BEFC STudent ministries

If you spend any time around our church at all, you'll quickly learn one thing: we love students. They're smart. They're funny. They're bold. And they're bursting with potential. We truly believe that the middle and high school students in our midst are world changers in the making.

That's why student ministry is such a huge part of what we do at our church. We want to guide our students in developing a personal faith in Christ as they step into their specific roles in the story He's writing with their lives. We work hard to create environments that engage students in good conversation about God, encouraging them to ask questions, search out answers, and truly learn to listen to His leading in their lives. 

We know that the middle and high school years are a time where students are most in need of kindness, community, and someone to walk alongside them as they grow. Our student ministry provides just that, connecting students with one another as well as with leaders who want to support them in their journeys. Buffalo Free Students meet weekly, focusing on worship, teaching, and small groups to encourage students in their faith.


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TEXT "@befcsm" to 81010 for reminders and updates on what's happening.


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Current Sunday Night Youth Series:



Stress. It’s a dominant part of our daily lives. Stress over schoolwork, sports, jobs, and friends. Not to mention the stress that our home life can cause. We juggle so many responsibilities and deal with so much pressure and expectations. How can we deal with stress in a godly, Christ-centered way? Good thing Jesus had a ton to say about this.



This series will help teach us to trust God with the stress of life; that

we have a choice when it comes to dealing with our stress; that choosing to trust God with our stress is the right decision even if we don’t understand exactly what God is doing; and that the Holy Spirit is present in our lives to give us peace and comfort.



This series will help us see that God is the source of our peace and assurance in a stressful world.


student ministry Programming

Here is what is happening at Buffalo Free Student Ministry! 

  • Christianity Foundation & Formation (CFF)

    (6th-12th grade students)


    We meet on Sunday mornings (Sept 8th-May 17th) from 11 am to noon in the youth room. During this time we focus on helping students build a strong foundation by understanding who God is, what the Gospel is, the story of God's redemptive plan, and who they are in Christ.

  • Sunday Night Youth

    (6th-12th grade students)


    We meet on Sunday nights (Sept 8th-May 17th) from 6:00-8:00 pm in the youth room. During this time we hang out, play a game together, sing some worship songs, experience teaching from God’s Word, and break out into small groups based on grade and gender. 

  • student leadership team

    (9th-12th grade students)


    We meet on Sunday afternoon, once a month from 4:30-5:30 pm. This is a time for students to grow in their leadership, be a part of planning for Buffalo Free Youth, and growing in their relationship with Jesus through Sonlife discipleship studies. 


    To apply for student leadership please fill out THIS FORM

Special events:


  • Rethink Conference

    Join us on November 8-9 at Grace Church for the reTHINK apologetics student conference. This event is open to middle school, high school, and college students.

    You can purchase tickets by following this link: CLICK HERE


    We will be covering transportation cost by taking a bus if we have over 20 people register. 


    Friday, November 8

    4:00PM Registration begins

    6:00PM Welcome and worship

    6:30PM Session 1: “reTHINK Your False Ideas About God” Greg Koukl, Alan Shlemon, and Tim Barnett

    8:15PM Break

    8:40PM Session 2: Myth: “God Does Not Exist” J. Warner Wallace

    10:00PM Closing thoughts


    Saturday, November 9


    9:00AM Welcome and worship

    9:25AM Session 3: Myth: “God is Not Good” Frank Turek

    10:35AM Break

    11:00AM False Ideas About God Breakout Sessions

    12:00PM Lunch Food will be available on-site

    12:00PM Parent/Leader Luncheon: “Four Ways to Help Students Guard Against False Ideas” Tim Barnett and J. Warner Wallace

    1:25PM Session 4: Myth: “God Hates Gay People” Christopher Yuan

    2:40PM Break

    3:00PM False Ideas About God Breakout Sessions

    4:00PM Break

    4:20PM Session 5: “Tactics in Engaging False Ideas” Greg Koukl, Alan Shlemon, and Tim Barnett

    5:30PM Closing thoughts and dismiss

why we exist

We exist to glorify God and build relationships. We do that through living out our core values (listed below):

  • Surrender To A Gospel-Centered Life

    • Students are no longer at the center of their life, they’re called to live a life where Christ is at the center, where the Gospel is at the center. 
    • Surrender: Luke 9:23-24
    • Gospel as central: Colossians 3:3
    • What does Gospel centered life look like? Colossians 3:12-14


  • Hunger To Know God

    • Students move away from legalism and toward a desire to live like Christ. To have His heart. To see the world through His eyes. To serve as His hands. 
    • What does hungering for God look like? Philippians 3:8-10
    • Hunger for knowing God through the Bible: Psalm 1:1-2; John 8:32
    • Hunger for knowing God through prayer: Philippians 4:6-7; Psalm 63:1


  • Embrace Christian Community

    • Students commit to growing together in their knowledge of God, enjoying each other’s fellowship, praying for one another, and meeting each other’s needs. But they’re also called to the difficult work of community. 
    • God authorizing Christian community: Matthew 18:20
    • A picture of life lived in Christian community: Acts 2:42-47
    • More than just fellowship: Galatians 6:1-3


  • Engage With Our Surroundings

    • As Christ-followers, students are called to engage their neighborhood, their city, their country, and the world in the name of Christ. This is the Gospel in action: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21
    • Jesus commands us to engage: Acts 1:8
    • Our motivation for engaging: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
    • An example of what engaging looks like :Isaiah 58:6-10


  • Desire to Worship God

    • Worship is their response to God when they encounter Him, and they encounter God all around them every day, then we can quickly see that worship must go beyond the sanctuary on Sunday mornings!  
    • Worship is a response to who God is: Psalm 136:1-3
    • Worship flows from our hearts: Psalm 103:1-2
    • Worship is how we live our lives: Romans 12:1-2

  • Invest in Multiplying Disciples

    • Students are seeking out the lost in their sphere of influence and inviting them into their lives to see how Christ has rescued them. 
    • Jesus modeling multiplication: Mark 1:16-18
    • Jesus describing discipleship: Matthew 16:24-26
    • The command to multiply and grow the Kingdom: Matthew 28:19-20


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