Mentoring Young People in Philadelphia

Mentorship often seems to be a lost art. We send our youth to school, to church, and to various programs so they can be taught everything they need to know. With the advent of the internet, there is more information available faster today than ever before. Perhaps that’s part of the reason that mentoring young people has fallen by the wayside.

In Philadelphia, Malik Boyd sees this problem every day. He sees youth that are being shaped by the messages the media sends out. People are addicted to sex, violence, drugs, and just having a “good time.” Because the information and the messages are everywhere, even youth in the church are exposed and often swayed by the secular worldviews that prevail in society. He tells his story this way.

My name is Malik. I am currently living in Philadelphia, a city located on the Northeastern section of the United States. Ministry in my county is quite the journey. Some ministries in many other countries may consider the perils in which they face to be quite a challenge. Physical danger, having to hide in order to worship… these things clearly deserve the respect they demand as a danger. I believe however, in a country where church membership is rising, yet discipleship is waning, there lies an equal and present danger. In a nation full of options, media messaging can serve as the worst threat to Christianity. Especially with youth and those who are budding as new converts in Christ. Addressing their needs is my passion… my ministry.

Malik Realizes His Calling in Mentoring Young People

Malik didn’t fully realize his calling until several years after his young adult life. When he did experience God’s calling, he pursued it without hesitation.

I grew up in a small church in Northwest Philadelphia, attending church 4 days a week all of my childhood life. It was my first experience encountering God and corporate worship, however it was my post college years that served as my true introduction to the power of God and His ability to save. It was my “Road to Damascus” of sorts, where I found Him…and found my purpose.I am the founder of Malik Boyd Ministries, a organization that works with Christian ministry leaders and youth groups to develop life-changing mentorship programs for youth, Bible-related products, and other Christian resources for empowering the next generation of leaders. I am honored to serve as the Worship Champion for First African Baptist Church, in Philadelphia under the leadership of Pastor Terrence Griffith. Active beyond the four walls of church, I founded a program entitled MENtors, a mentoring program for at risk male youth. To date, MENtors has been successful at pairing youth with qualified, and passionate mentors, educating youth on opportunities.

Malik founded this ministry as a layman, albeit a layman who has always dreamed of preaching. As his ministry progressed, he saw the need for some more formal training in the knowledge of God’s word. This need led him to Christian Leaders Institute, and he quickly discovered that the training could be very effective.

CLI is strengthening my ability to minister with a layman’s level understanding of the Word. After my first three lessons alone, I found myself in hour long conversations with peers, and non believers, gaining more impact in my conversations about Christ through some of the suggestions and methods that CLI presented. I am convinced that CLI is great tool to help sharpen the iron of ministries across the globe.

Christian Leaders Institute is privileged to take part in mentoring young people in Philadelphia.  We are privileged to have students like Malik Boyd who have a vision and calling from God to change their communities for Him. We pray that God will use this mentorship program to change the lives of young people throughout Philadelphia.

But there are many cities in the United States. There are thousands of cities in the world. Every one of those cities has young people in it, and most of those young people don’t have a mentor. In fact, most of them have probably never heard of a mentor! How great would it be if God raised up someone like Malik in every one of these cities! And just as great, every city in the modern world has some access to the internet. Soon, CLI could take part in mentoring young people in every city in the entire world for God.