How it Works

The original FIRE Institute, created in 1985, was a product of Rich Wilkerson and his desire to see students reach a greater degree of commitment in their walk with Christ. He had a strong conviction that students didn’t need another fun activity night but deep down they wanted to be challenged with something that would change their lives forever. Thus, FIRE was born as a 13 week intense discipleship program divided into four individual “philosophies” – FOUNDATION, INSPIRATION, RESPONSIBILITY and EVANGELISM.

With Rich’s gracious permission, national youth ministries’ Student Discipleship Director, Rod Whitlock, has taken the core of FIRE and updated it into something today’s students can relate with and still be challenged by. According to Whitlock, “FIRE Institute may very well be the best all around discipleship tool ever offered for leaders and students.” This is not just another ordinary, mundane, run-of-the-mill resource for teens!

The four “philosophies” stretch students by taking them through in-depth Bible study, lessons in theology, a class project of their choice, sharing their faith, scripture memorization and more with every section growing in intensity. The program has been changed to four separate, eight week courses that will cause students to reach beyond themselves and experience a time with Christ like they never imagined. They will be asked to sacrifice things that have become all too familiar to their everyday lives with the reward being a life consumed by God’s fire.

At nym, we recommend that a youth leader do no more than two sessions of FIRE Institute in any given year. We also recommend that freshmen and sophomores only go through FOUNDATION and INSPIRATION while juniors and seniors are free to start anywhere. The reason for both of these recommendations is the intensity of the program, not only for the students but for leaders as well. Should you, the leader, decide to train up another youth leader, you could potentially provide all four sessions in a year, each of you taking a group of students through two sessions.

To order FIRE Institute, click here!