More Than a Competition

With approximately 60 Top 10 finishes and 10 National Merit recipients in the latest National Fine Arts Festival, it goes without saying that Mainstream Orlando, the student ministry of Faith Assembly of God in Florida, is a pre-eminent force in the Fine Arts world. Directed by lead youth pastors Johnnie and Jamee Wilson, the ministry has built a culture of Fine Arts resulting in hundreds of students discovering, developing, and deploying their God-given gifts.

For Johnnie and Jamee, Fine Arts isn’t a competition, it’s an evangelistic tool. One strategy they utilize is hosting a talent show for various public high schools. Through the show, they pull groups and individuals and expose students to Fine Arts.

“Fine Arts has given us a way to manifest the model of ministry that I believe Jesus lived out,” Johnnie says. “Jesus began his relationship with the disciples saying, ‘Follow me.’ It was then through time spent with Him that they learned how to live a life that glorified Christ and represented Him to the world. We see that happen on a regular basis through the ministry of Fine Arts.”

Mainstream Orlando’s unique perspective to Fine Arts puts discipleship on the forefront. Some students may not start off attending Sunday School, small groups, or weekly worship services, but through Fine Arts practice full of intentional time for devotions, extended prayer time, and accountability, students are encountering God.

For Mainstream Orlando, a student’s initial involvement in Fine Arts leads to new levels of commitment of all types: a developed or reconciled relationship with Christ, student leadership, adult leadership, and even full-time ministry.

“The ministry of Fine Arts has been integral to help steer that passion and trend in a direction that will ultimately bring them closer to God and closer to God’s people, which is and has always been our number one priority,” Wilson says.

The Wilsons don’t do anything extraordinarily different when it comes to creating a Fine Arts culture within their student ministry. They believe that this particular generation is naturally attuned to the arts, but don’t have avenues to express themselves. So it becomes all about exposure — featuring presentations from the previous year in services, student leaders talking to their friends at school and at outreaches, and leaders recruiting students at services.

“If a student joins a group, builds a relationship with the leader and other students in that group, strengthened by a genuine move of God in their life and a week long trip with the church, the Fine Arts program becomes a vital expression of their involvement in our ministry,” Wilson says.

Mainstream Orlando’s success is due, in part, to AG Peninsular Florida District Youth Director Al Force. His passion to see Fine Arts grow has made the PenFlorida District a nationally recognized region that consistently produces Fine Arts excellence. Force believes in celebrating students who courageously stand on a stage to discover what their giftings are  — or are not.

“We make a big deal about Fine Arts because it is a big deal in the lives of students,” Force says. “It's a big deal in our state, because youth pastors and leaders see the value in mentoring students.” He recognizes that putting 10 students in a group for nine months through Fine Arts inherently creates a Christ-centered community. Force travels across the district teaching youth leaders how to utilize Fine Arts as a tool for evangelism, preaching at Fine Arts launch nights, and connecting larger Fine Arts programs with new churches to help develop coaches and students.

“I have always said it’s not about the medal, it’s about mentoring students,” Force says. “The level of talent in our state only helps students excel in every way.”