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Why First Priority?

Mission:
To Take The Hope of Christ to Every Student

Vision:
To unite the local church with a plan of action to influence middle and high schools with the gospel.

Core Values:
Gospel Focused
Student-Led
Strategy Based
Local Church Engaged

    1. First Priority has a simple, effective strategy to unite the local church on public school campuses that is unique to any other youth organization.
    2. First Priority reaches students right where they are. 12% of America’s youth attend church weekly, while 95% attend school daily.
    3. First Priority works through the local church uniting the body of Christ while sharing the Gospel.
    4. First Priority engages local Christian business leaders to support the mission across denominational and racial divides leading the way for churches and schools to follow.

Why Now?

  1. 23% of America’s youth are raised in single parent homes.
  2. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among high school aged youth.
  3. Teenagers between the age of 12-19 have lost interest in church.
  4. Each generation has become less religious than the generation before them.
  5. Gen Z is the least religious generation yet.

Why Northeast Tennessee?

77K Students attending 159 middle and high schools, surrounded by 1944 local churches.

  1. First Priority is cost efficient, scalable and has a proven process for success.
  2. First Priority addresses an urgent and massive need leveraging people and resources at the local level to create a grass roots movement.
  3. The First Priority model has the potential to create revival in America’s middle and high schools.
  4. $125K Year One matching grant from First Priority of America.

Teenagers in Tennessee are 18.64% less likely to have used drugs in the last month than the average American teen. – drugabusestatistics.org

TN Mental Health Professionals predict Youth suicide rates will spike in the state – wkrn.com

30% of residents in the Tri-cities area are unchurched.

Violent juvenile crime increasing in Tennessee….wkrn.com

See First Priority's Impact

  1. 889 First Priority clubs established.
  2. 5,224 Student Leaders trained.
  3. 9.730 students began a walk with Jesus.
  4. 31,000 students attended a FP club monthly.
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