Our church just began Vacation Bible School this week, and each year we give out sno cones to the kids as they finish up rec time. It is always fun to watch them choose their flavor.
Each time the next kid comes up in line all of the flavors are repeated. Some already know exactly what flavor they want, others debate for awhile going back and forth between flavors, and others go with what their friend is having.
Everyone is getting a sno cone, but they are each getting them in their own flavor, grape, cherry, root beer, green apple, strawberry, etc. They are all getting the same thing, but they are also getting different things.
I recently took a quick trip back to Kentucky to be in a wedding of two of my friends. It was a great time getting to catch up with some friends I haven’t seen in long time. While I was there, I was able to discuss a topic that is very high on my interest meter (not literal meter, just figurative), youth ministry.
I had talks with four friends who are all youth ministers. All five of us are in different types of youth ministry in five different church/community environments. We are all doing the same thing, youth ministry, but we are all doing different things because we are in different places.
The first, we’ll call him cherry (no figurative connection between flavors and ministries, just a name), is in a part-time position located in rural Kentucky. The church is mostly made up of the over 60 crowd, but the community is made up of a complete range of ages. The church also has a view of youth as the church of tomorrow and not today. He is a single, Masters student trying to do youth ministry with the limit of 15-20 hours a week.
The second, grape, is in a full-time position in suburbia Lexington, KY. His church is mostly made up of the more well off socioeconomic class due to the community it is located. He is the high school minister and is recently married.
The third, root beer, is in his first month in a full-time position in a larger rural community. The church is located in a “downtown” area, but it is not an area that could be considered a “city”. There is a wide range of types of people, generationally and socioeconomically. His position also includes working with K-6 kids, and he is recently married.
The fourth, green apple, is in a full-time position in a larger rural community much like root beer. However, he has been at the church for over a year now and married for over a year. The church is made up of a variety of generations and socioeconomic statuses. His church also is much like cherry’s church in its view of the youth as a part of the church.
The fifth, strawberry, is in a full-time position in rural suburbia Oklahoma. The community has a wide range of socioeconomic situations, and the church is situated directly in the middle of them. There is also a wide range of ages involved in the church and community.
In each of these situations, the purpose is basically the same, but each looks different and has different environments. Applying the methods and ideas of cherry to green apple’s situation would neglect the true need of green apples community. Each has to have the uniqueness that is best for its environment.
Cherry needs to help bridge the generational gap while also nudging the entire church forward in its thinking of doing and not just saying.
Grape needs to challenge the church to be outward focused in its giving and doing and not complacent in its current situation in comfortable suburbia.
Root Beer needs to use the resources available to create a continual growth of youth from younger to older as active participants of the church today.
Green Apple needs to be patient with the church’s view of the youth ministry and continue pushing them away from the country club view of church toward an all are welcome to participate Kingdom view.
Strawberry needs to help bridge the gap between statuses while challenging the youth to be participants in the church now.
Each are different, but each are seeking the same Kingdom.
Only you are the expert on your situation. Therefore, we can’t force a model or method or idea in an environment, but they must come from the environment we are in while also keeping the Kingdom way in mind.
What flavor are you?
(I apologize if I made assumptions on the different situations or suggestions that are inaccurate. I was only trying make a connection with the point I was making.)
Last week I took 3 of my students to Super Summer Oklahoma. For those of you who are unfamiliar of the camp, Super Summer is a leadership based camp where churches nominate youth who have shown leadership in their church, school, youth group, etc. The idea is to place students with other students around the state who are being leaders where they are and walking this journey of following Jesus. Students are challenged in several aspects to grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus as well as living out a life that shows his love to the world. Overall, I would definitely recommend Super Summer to youth ministries as a way to challenge and push their youth leaders. I took a freshman, a sophomore, and a 2009 HS Graduate, all girls.
The constant struggle for youth ministers and other youth ministry volunteers is one of maintaining the excitement and enthusiasm upon retuning home and back to “normal life”. I remember attending camp, Super Summer, retreats, D-Nows, and many other events where I would be challenged and pushed with excitement to go and do, but as I returned home I would gradually lose the enthusiasm and excitement. I didn’t necessarily fall into a struggling life, but my push to “do” was gone. My enthusiasm was gone. My excitement for following Jesus was minimal. As a HS student, college student working with youth, and now a youth minister, I’ve searched and searched for a remedy to this gradual slide into complacency. The very idea of retreats and D-Nows was formed out of this issue of summertime “camp high”, but even those haven’t remedied the issue.
So what can we do as youth ministers and youth ministry volunteers to help keep the excitement and enthusiasm to follow Jesus through out the year and years to come? Here are some of my suggestions coming from my experience as a teenager as well as working with teenagers.
- Invest in the everyday lives of your volunteers (this one is mostly for youth ministers). If the very people who are leading your youth ministry are becoming complacent, then it is only a matter of time before your youth will. Challenge your adults to grow deeper. Send challenging emails and facebook messages. Recommend books and articles for them to read. Give them specific challenges to invest in specific students.
- Invest in the everyday lives of your youth leaders, probably the students you took to SS (for youth ministers and volunteers). Challenge them to go deeper. Ask the tough questions. Set up a regular time to meet with them. Give them specific people to latch on to (adults and youth). Find responsibilities for them to take on with in the church. Don’t be afraid of being blunt or straight forward with them. If you’re a volunteer, seek out one or two students who you can mentor, and don’t take that job lightly.
- Set up reminders of camp and Super Summer and refer to them often. We made a mosaic cross at camp this year. It is in my office currently, but I’m going to hang it in our youth cafe and bring it up throughout the year as an example of Christian community. The people in the OT were constantly setting up reminders of God so that they would always remember the event and God’s faithfulness.
- Discern excitement from emotional feel good experience. Promote excitement in teaching, bible study, missions, etc. Don’t let emotion be the only catalyst for transformation.
- Don’t let yourself become complacent. Do everything you can to maintain your own excitement. Keep growing deeper. Make sure to personally maintain you own relationship with God. You can’t lead teenagers to become followers of Jesus if you are being one.
These are just a few things that I would suggest. You may have others to add. Feel free to comment and share your ideas with me and others. Remember, following Jesus is a daily laying down of one’s life for Christ and is not summed up in a week long experience or single life event. The purpose for these onetime/annual events and camps is to challenge and push us to continue on in our journey. I hope that our teenagers and we ourselves would not fall into the trap of event based Jesus following.
One of our students participated in the youth led worship service at Summit Camp this year. She has an amazing voice and an amazing heart. I wish the video could do justice to what we were able to hear live. Thanks Sayra for allowing me to share in worshiping God with you. You are awesome!
In discussion with people, I often get asked about our church and our youth ministry at Snow Hill Baptist Church. Often it is hard to describe in a short conversation in passing. I recently sat down with our pastor, Todd Littleton, who is also a friend and mentor, and we discussed putting together a few interviews through podcast about different aspects of our church’s ministry. Recently I sat down with Todd for the first edition of the series. We are splitting up the youth ministry series into three parts, and the first has just been posted on our church website. Check it out and keep up with the series. Comments are welcome both on the church site and here as well. I’m always up for good discussion.
Interview Series: Youth Ministry – Brad (part 1)
My friend Jason who is a man of many hobbies recently learned a new version of Amazing Grace that is quite good. I thought I would share it.
Greetings to all Snow Hill Youth. Rachael says “Hi” and wants to come back.
I can’t help but be encouraged by the words of Shane Claibourne this morning. Grace goes beyond all violence, selfishness, and hate. Grace reaches down into the darkness and brings light. Grace is the Good News. Grace gives us life that shines. Shane reflected this morning on some stories of his life and journey with this grace, many of which are in his book The Irresistible Revolution. If you have not picked it up, you should. Check out some comments on Shane’s visit to WAC ‘09 and other experiences of the conference.
I’m currently spending some time out at Campbellsville University where I recently graduated back in May. I’m just spending some time with some friends I haven’t seen in a while, and I’m also planning on attending the university’s annual Worship Arts Conference this weekend. Last night I had the opportunity to speak at the university’s weekly BCM service. I also was able to reunite with my roommates and lead in worship for the evening. It was a great time of worship and fellowship with some good friends. I spoke on the subject of faith and thought I would spend some time writing about the topic as well as reflect on the response.
When I think of faith, it is hard to ignore the obvious concrete definition of the word: trust, hope, belief. All of these in a simple way give definition to the word. A girl in the audience quoted Hebrews 11:1 as a definition of the word as to say that it is “the assurance of things hoped for.” Another way the word is used is the description of someone’s set of beliefs or religion. Such statements would be, “that person is a person of faith.” This refers to their standard of beliefs or their religion. But I can’t help but farther that these.
When we read James’ letter in chapter 2, he makes the statement that faith without action or deeds or works is dead, as to say that it is nonexistent. In other words, without an outward expression there is really no faith. What most commonly think is that faith is the trust or belief in God and the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but I think it goes much deeper. Faith is an encompassing of this truth as well as the living out of the truth. To not live out this truth in response to the grace and love of God is to not truly have faith, and in some way it denies that grace and love.
So the question I ask myself is what is my faith? What is my response to God’s love and grace? And is my response in line with that of the example Jesus? Do I care for the sick? Do I feed the hungry? Do I clothe the naked? Do I love people as God loves them? Do I really have faith?
I spent the majority of this past weekend working on my wonderful homestead. So I pretty much “labored” on “Labor Day”. While I was working at the house I was visited on two separate occations by people of two different churches in our community.
The first was the pastor of a church near by my house. I welcomed him into my house where there was no place to sit, but we chatted anyway. He was very nice as we talked about the house and other things as music from my radio played a song that was definitely not a “Christian” song because the radio was on a “secular” station that I listen to quite often. I became aware that this was a pastor I was talking with just through brief information as we talked. As the conversation pleasantries came to a close, I could tell he was about to shift toward the “Are you involved in a church anywhere?” question. So it finally came out, and I informed him that I was the youth minister at another church in the community. He obviously new of the church (which we are known for several things around here). And like someone had a rope attached to him outside, he back pedalled toward the door saying goodbye and was gone.
The second was less shocking to the visiter, but the reaction was similar (but she brought cookies, always a good touch for a young single guy). This time I was not alone though. My mom and our music minister were assisting me on my house at the time of her visit. She was a neighbor who also attended a church in the community. Her response was much the same when hearing that I was a youth minister at another church.
Now I’m not trying to judge either one of these visitors and their motives, but the events caused me to consider the motive of church visitation. I think that so many times church visitation is looks much like recruiting a player for college athletics. There is alterior motive other than just trying to get to know a person. We take the authenticity out of the visit when our motive is strictly to recruit someone into a team or group and not actually get to know the person. The church is based on relationship both with our creator and people. Our motive should not be to recruit but to engage in relationship.
We’ve been leading our students through a series called The Seven Checkpoints by Andy Stanley, and this past week’s lesson was focused on the last chapter of the book titled “Others First.” As I was reading through the chapter in our leader book, Stanley brought up this issue concerning ministering to students:
“Is it any wonder that Christian teenagers are just as predisposed to self-centeredness as their secular counterparts? A student ministry that focuses exclusively on dispensing information in environments designed to attract students is contributing to the very problem this checkpoint is addressing! If our student ministries are all about them, then we shouldn’t be surprised when they walk away thinking, It’s all about me. To focus our attention on simply ministering to them is to reinforce the message that they are the epicenter of all that matters in life. But by appealing to their giftedness and their responsibilities to the the body of Christ, we create a healthy alternative to the me-first world they live in.”
I have to agree that if we want to understand why our students don’t live out what we teach them, it could be the environment within we teach it. If our teaching says that they need to love others, but our environment says that they are the center of what is going on, then we can only place the blame on ourselves. The temptation is there, however, because we love students so much to want to give them everything they want and let them have fun. Nobody wants to be the boring youth minister. We all want to be the cool youth ministers. But cool is a matter of opinion. To me, being the cool youth minister is being the one who disregards baseless criticism and guides their students toward truly following Jesus. That’s pretty cool! Besides, it’s not about us or the students. It’s about our creator (by the way He’s pretty cool).
