Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Growing The Church

What do you do with kids who are coming to your ministry programs, but do not go to church anywhere on Sunday?

This can be a difficult question. In the past I had been happy with the fact that they were attending one of my programs. I thought that was my job. Over the past few years I have become less satisfied with that. There are several reasons:
  • Students that do not become involved in the church on a deeper level usually are the ones who leave the church completely once they leave high school.
  • Students who have parents that are committed to Christ are more likely to continue there own commitment.
  • One student may give us an opportunity to minister to an entire family.
  • God is a jealous God, and we should be jealous as well. God wants all to be saved not just students.
Getting this done may require creativity and more work, but it seems irresponsible to ignore this opportunity. Working with other staff or having different kinds of events that include the whole family are a couple of ideas to accomplish this.

Grow the kingdom and your own church at the same time.

Friday, June 29, 2007

Authority and Youth Ministry

Have you ever been told to do something you didn't want to do? How about something you didn't believe would work? I sat down with a friend recently who has been asked not only to do something they didn't want to, but something they had significant doubts about. In youth ministry this happens often. How should we respond to this kind of request?

There is not one right response or one set of rules that will help you determine how to work your way through this kind of situation. The advice I gave my friend was specific to that situation and would likely not help you. Instead of offering some kind of broad advice I would like to ask some questions that might help you when you face this kind of a situation yourself. I hope these questions will help you work through the difficulty you face.

  • If you were to do what you are being asked would you have a clear conscience? Is it morally acceptable to God? I would hope the answer to this question would always be yes, but perhaps it is too much to assume.
  • Has the program or action been thought through well?
  • Does this fit with the mission and values of the church?
  • Is this something you knew you would have to do when you signed on?
  • Is there a way to change the program or action so that it would work better for all involved?
  • Most importantly have you been honest and respectful in communicating your opposition?
  • Is it worth losing your job over?

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Missions is Here and Now

I guess I can understand how we ended up in a place where missions is understood as something you do when you go to another country. Missions is perhaps the most important thing a church participates in, but it is too often misunderstood. Fortunately things are changing.

Now we talk about being missional. Of course being missional is simply being a missionary wherever you are. It is about time we begin to change how we talk about the mission of the church. It is unfortunate there has ever been a time when missions was considered something you do in other countries.

We must continue to work on changing not only the perception of missions, the language we use to talk about mission, but most importantly the attitude people have about missions. Being missional has a prerequisite of understanding that the mission is every one's mission! It is the responsibility of the church to do missions every day wherever they are. This attitude change must start with two and three year olds and it must be hammered home in the teenage years. God's mission is every Christ follower's mission.

I wonder what kind of perception we create about the mission of the church? What do the words we use communicate? What to our ministry events communicate about missions and being missional?

Friday, June 01, 2007

Marketing Jesus?

It just sounds wrong doesn't it? Marketing Jesus seems almost sacrilegious. I must admit this is contrary to my nature. Jesus doesn't really need me or any one else to market him, to "sell" him. There is a real sense in which we do need to market Jesus.

When Jesus is mentioned people begin to have a certain perceptions about who he is and what he stands for. Mention the word church and people may have a whole new set of perceptions. Let's be clear, we need to market the Bible, the church, and even Jesus because we need to change peoples perceptions.

Marketing isn't just brochures, TV commercials, and print ads. It is everything from the logo we use to how we preach the word of God. It is how we worship, how we speak, and even how we dress.

In reality every ministry must market Jesus because we need to help people understand what is true and remove false perceptions. It isn't necessarily about crowds or numbers as much as it is about truth.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Helping Students Think Well

Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'N Roll seem to be the things a lot of youth ministries spend their time on. Certainly there is good reason to be concerned about the kind of decisions students will make regarding these real life issues. The question is not whether we talk about these issues, but in what context.

Too much of the time ministries focus on telling students what the right decisions are. We use verses and passages to back up our points about why sex outside of marriage is wrong and we speak of God's intentions in creating sex. All of those things are fine, but there is something more we must consider. What will these students do when they no longer have their youth group or their parents to help them make decisions?

We must help students think well about life and about scripture. The way we do this is not by telling them what to do, but helping them understand how and why these are the best conclusions based on both God's word and general reason and logic.

I might suggest that teaching through books of the Bible will help them do this very thing. If they can understand God's word and how to think clearly then they will be able to make good decisions long after you are out of the picture.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Helping Parents Communicate

As the parent of an 8 & 1 year old I have already begun to see many shortcomings in my parenting ability. Perhaps one of the most difficult ones to overcome is my own arrogance. Certainly my life experiences along with my years of working with youth have given me significant insight and wisdom ( I say that only somewhat fasitiously). I have 33 years of experience on this planet, some good and some bad, but all have influenced who I am and I have learned valuable lessons from many of them (probably not as many as those who are less stubborn). Certainly my daughter and my son know this!!

It is that last sentence that shows my arrogance! The truth is they don't know this. They don't know my life experiences (thankfully), they don't know the pains and the disappointments, and they don't know the joys. Part of my job as a parent is to communicate the lessons I have learned!! The problem is I sometimes forget and even when I remember I don't know how to communicat these things. Most of the time I simply expect my kids to know how much I know and trust me.

So what does this have to do with youth ministry? Youth pastors and workers must work with parents and help them as much as possible. I don't know that you have to have the answer to this quandry (remember parents have a lot of life experience and probably some problem solving skills). I would suggest you remind them (the parents) that their students think the world they live in is so different from the world their parents lived in, that they often don't know how much their parents know. In some ways they are correct. Technology and media has certainly changed. That said, the human condition hasn't changed. Parents have valuable insight, but they need to figure out how to communicate with their students.

The struggle of communication between parents and students is difficult. I would suggest a book by Kent Julian How to Get Your Teen To Talk To You.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

How To Be A Man

The title of this post is also the title of a book I am currently reading. As the father of a 19 month old boy I recognize the importance of teaching my son how to be a man. As a result I am working on some book ideas. The above book is part of my research. Although it is dated, the ideas and thoughts in it are very helpful. This would be a great book to share with parents.

The book is by Harvey Newcomb. The language is dated as well as the cover, but the info is at the very least challenging.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Are Students Prepared to be Persecuted?

The sky is not falling, yet. The world is not coming to an end tomorrow (at least it doesn't look that way). I don't intend to cry wolf, unless I see one. Unfortunately there are many wolves in this world we live in. Are we preparing students to live in a world where Christians are persecuted for living out there faith.?

In Canada it is illegal to speak out against homosexuality. In the united states we are getting closer and closer to that point. Christians are told by culture to keep their faith to themselves. Prayer in public could even be a dangerous prospect. It was not that long ago that rumors were being floated about the airport putting in a "meditation room." The consequence would be prayer would not be allowed outside of that room.

I don't mean to sound alarmist, but I can see the writing on the wall. It seems more and more likely that today's students will experience persecution for living out their faith at some point in their life.

I leave you with this question, how do we prepare students to follow Jesus in a world that doesn't particularly like what Jesus taught (some of them just don't know what he taught and wouldn't like it if they knew it)?

Monday, February 19, 2007

Near Sighted Youth Ministry

Driving is on of those mile markers in the life of students. Every time someone got their license or their Learners Permit I heard about it. If it wasn't the student is was the parent who told me the news. Of course I usually had some kind of smart alic remark about how people should stay off the sidewalks or the streets are no longer safe. It is amazing the amount of preparation students must go through in order to drive a car.

Cars are dangerous and can kill. There is good reason to make people go through a lot of training before they are given the license to drive a car. The mind and the spirit are equally as dangerous and fragile. It is amazing to me how little we prepare students to use these and understand these powerful things. A life is a terrible thing to waist. We will often challenge students to avoid waisting their life, but do we really prepare them to use there life well?

This is a daunting task one in which youth ministry plays a small role. The question for any ministry is, "How does your ministry help accomplish this in students lives?" and "What is the Biblical basis for this?"

Monday, February 05, 2007

Retreat Mussings

This weekend I was in Ohio speaking at a retreat. I was at some old school that is being turned into a youth center(www.soncenter.org). My phone didn't work, there was no way to check my email, and it was freezing cold even inside the building. I am not complaining, it was great. Actually it was good for me not to be so "connected" all the time. Over the weekend I was reminded of several things:
  • Those who give their time and money to minister to students are amazing people.
I made some new friends this weekend!! The youth pastors and workers who were there were amazing people. They were servants who gave up sleeping at home in a nice bed for a weekend of freezing (even inside) and sleeping with a bunch of high school students. I would be hard pressed to find higher quality people anywhere.
  • Youth pastors are more often than not passionate and qualified people who are sacrificing much in order to do what they love.
The youth pastors who I spent time with love what they are doing. More than anything they want to serve God. They are not less qualified than "Senior Pastors." They are often younger, but not always. They have chosen a career that does not pay lucrative salaries (though it is much better than it used to be) and it demands odd hours along with frequent travel. Why? Because they have been given a passion by God to reach students for Christ.
  • Youth ministry is difficult and tiresome work!!
Many who have not done youth ministry think it is just a bunch of games and gimmicks. They could not be further from the truth. Sure there are those who rely on such things to give the appearance of success. Good youth ministry, on the other hand, requires much more. The youth pastors I talked to this weekend were tired because they want so much more. They want students to become men and women of God. They want them to learn to follow Jesus with every aspect of their life.

As a former youth pastor and someone who loves students, I want to thank every youth worker who reads this for your efforts. I would also like to encourage you to keep it up. Galatians 6:9 reminds us to persevere with good works. Don't allow yourself to grow tired of doing them.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Understanding Adolesence

Adolescence as it is understood today is relatively new. Of course the word "understand" may be a little presumptuous. Adolescence has changed over the centuries, especially in North America. It is not only confusing for those who are going through it, but their parents, their friends, and for youth leaders.

Over the past 150 years adolescence has begun at an earlier age and ended at a later age. Boyfriends, girlfriends, and dating have taken on a new meaning (not that any of us know exactly what that meaning is). The only thing we know about cool is some have it and some don't of course that seems to change on an almost daily basis.

The question becomes how do we help students navigate this difficult time? Teaching about abstinence, peer pressure, and being willing to go against the grain are all good things. Still there may be a more simple and effective way to help these student. Perhaps instead of telling them what they should and shouldn't do we should give them an anchor.

Jesus Christ is the anchor. Students who stay attached to the anchor will never wonder too far away. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish."


As leaders who work with youth we must not forget that the best thing we have to offer is not our wisdom about sex, drugs, or avoiding the peer pressure . The best thing we have to offer is Christ himself, the gospel story. If we remember this we will do well, if we get sidetracked (which is easy to do) we will not be serving the best interests of the students or the kingdom of God. We need to stay focused.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Does Exigetical Teaching Have a Place in Youth Ministry?

When I was a kid I would visit my Grandpa and Grandma in Wisconsin. My Grandpa served as the pastor of a very small church in a small town called Comstock. On Sunday mornings I would accompany my grandparents to Sunday school and church. You need to understand Sunday school consisted of pretty much the same people who attended church. There was only one class and it was not intended to be friendly to kids. My grandpa taught the class and the people (all 7 or 8) interacted.

As far as youth ministry is concerned, this was not the best environment to help a young boy(maybe 13 or 14 years old) grow spiritually, but for me it is one of my most important spiritual memories. I don't know what it was, perhaps I was intimidated by all the gray hair in the room, whatever the case I paid attention. I even took notes. I learned about God and about my relationship with Him.

Perhaps youth ministry needs to take a closer look at teaching the Bible in more of an exegetical fashion. I wonder if teachers and preachers get in the way of God's word when we try to make it "relevant" or we worry too much about keeping students attention? Maybe students are capable of more then we think. Maybe we should be challenging them to partake in "big church" with the intent of learning and growing in the same ways adults do.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Understanding Adolesence

Adolescence as it is understood today is relatively new. Of course the word "understand" may be a little presumptuous. Adolescence has changed over the centuries, especially in North America. It is not only confusing for those who are going through it, but their parents, their friends, and for youth leaders.

Over the past 150 years adolescence has begun at an earlier age and ended at a later age. Boyfriends, girlfriends, and dating have taken on a new meaning (not that any of us know exactly what that meaning is). The only thing we know about cool is some have it and some don't of course that seems to change on an almost daily basis.

The question becomes how do we help students navigate this difficult time? Teaching about abstinence, peer pressure, and being willing to go against the grain are all good things. Still there may be a more simple and effective way to help these student. Perhaps instead of telling them what they should and shouldn't do we should give them an anchor.

Jesus Christ is the anchor. Students who stay attached to the anchor will never wonder too far away. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish."


As leaders who work with youth we must not forget that the best thing we have to offer is not our wisdom about sex, drugs, or avoiding the peer pressure . The best thing we have to offer is Christ himself, the gospel story. If we remember this we will do well, if we get sidetracked (which is easy to do) we will not be serving the best interests of the students or the kingdom of God. We need to stay focused.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Consequenses of Consumer Driven Youth Ministry

I love the technological advances of the world we live in. As I sit here listening to my ipod while I type on my laptop that is connected to a wireless network at the local sports bar I wonder if it is all worth it. Those who know me well know how much I love techno-gadgets. I want to be able to communicate in every way possible at all times. I know, it is a little ridiculous.

I wanted it all as a youth pastor too. In many ways I had it. I had a great student worship team, cool games, and freedom to try all kinds of new and cool ways to attract as many kids as possible. When it was popular I had student led cell groups, fancy videos, and very cool and hip staff. In many ways there was nothing I didn't have except the biggest youth ministry in town (I think it was the second biggest, and I was working on the biggest). Was it all worth it? Did that mean I was successful?

I don't want to give you some speech about numbers and success, but there seems to be something in us that makes us operate that way. Instead I want to ask a different question. In a society where teenagers will camp out overnight to buy the latest video games should the church try to work through culture or offer something counter cultural? As I reflect, it seems like Jesus did both, but the gospel message itself is counter cultural.

As I reflect on all of my youth ministry experiences most of them were very man centered, very culturally relevant. I wonder now if I should have focused less on the needs of students and more on the desires of God. Maybe instead of asking if what I was doing was relevant to students I should have asked if I was helping students become relevant to God.