A 4000 Year Old Reason Why I Love Youth Ministry

There is this verse in Exodus 33 that really sums up why I love doing youth ministry.  The chapter is talking about how Moses had set up a tent outside of camp and called it the "Tent of Meeting".  Anyone could go there at any time and pray.  It was a little retreat for anyone who needed it.  But when Moses went there, God showed up in a very special way.  Here's the verse I love:

"11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent."

Moses knows God and is known by God.  Remember, Moses was a wealthy trust fund baby who killed a man.  He was a coward who hid when there was trouble.  He was a wimp who argued with God when God directly told Him what to do.  He was hot tempered and volatile.  But He loved God, and God loved him.  So God would meet with him like one friend hangs out with another.

But catch that phrase at the end.  His young aide Joshua did not leave the tent.  This dude from his youth group lived out at the tent of meeting.  Why?  Because he wanted to be where God was.  Even though God only showed up from time to time, it was enough.  He didn't want to miss a minute.  So even when Moses left, he stayed.  


I love that about students.  They will do or give whatever it takes when they decide something is worth living for.  They are passionate, sacrificial, and dedicated when they set their mind to something.  I love this bit about Joshua.  It makes me love and respect him so much.  And it gives me hope.  What God was doing in him, He is doing in students today.  I see it.  God continues to work like this in our kids.  And it's just as exciting now as it was then.  


I love youth ministry.

Lesson Co-Op

Alright, I've got an idea. I've been writing lessons for years. I write them weekly. When I look at the stuff that is out there, both free and for sale, I'm rarely encouraged. What if some of us simply pool our stuff and make it available to each other. I've set up a Google Docs file and am uploading my lessons as I write them to the file. If we all did, and organized them, they would be permanently available to any of us at any time. We could even include video links, links to published curriculum (as long as we don't just post stuff we buy in complete form and violate copyrights), etc.

Just a thought. If you're interested, let me know, and I'll get you access to publish to and from the Google account.

Leadership Teams

Talking with Michael, our other youth pastor today. We were discussing how another youth ministry we respect in our area runs off of a student leadership team. Most of the youth pastors time and energy goes into the kids on this team. About 35% of his ministry is currently on this team. High commitment, multiple meetings, service expectations, reading, journaling, the whole nine yards.

I struggle to find the balance between calling kids to a higher level of commitment, and adding to their unhealthy schedules. I don't feel prayer, Bible study, and service are the problems. It's the extra meetings it takes to keep students motivated. We can say they shouldn't need these meetings, but they are developmentally not at a stage where they can do self-motivation yet. They need loving, regular accountability. Hence the need for meetings.

We discussed how we need to help parents change THEIR values so that the students will have support at home to do these things, even in the face of dropping other events. That's the tough sell. As I'm aging as a youth pastor, I can tell I'm going to need to spend more time mentoring parents. Sigh. I've turned down some beautiful opportunities to be an adult pastor, so I could stay in youth ministry. Only to find that youth ministry is going to require me to pastor adults. God is too funny that way.

Anyway, any thoughts from you guys who drop by here from time to time? Anything you're finding effective, or ineffective in these areas?

Priorities

Today has been one of those days. I had one meeting scheduled for this morning. The rest of the day was set aside for administrative stuff and lesson planning. It's noon, I'm on my computer for the first time, and I have had four meetings. I have two phone messages from people needing to talk with me. And yes, I'm aware I'm blogging instead of working. I have to talk it out somewhere, and this is where.

I'm not mad at these people. I am struggling with time management lately, I admit. But, at the same time, none of these meetings were pointless issues. They were real. They weren't chats.

I have to readjust my boundaries again it seems. I have gotten slack in how tight I am with my time, and I can't do it. I hate the in between land. I want to have time to listen to people and serve them as the needs arise. But I have admin work to do because of a growing ministry.

Give it away? We can't afford another staffer when Michael leaves. Our admin assistant is part time, and works mostly for our senior pastor. A volunteer just never seems to work out.

Hmmm......

It seems like I'll have to buckle down. I can do it. But it never lasts as a permanent solution. Pray for me, and share your ideas.

30 Hour Famine - Cover Charge Required

We've always done the 30 Hour Famine. Every year, without fail. It's a great event. If you don't know about it, check out the link for more info. Anyway, we've always done it. But the last few years, I've had students showing up with a $5 donation, or even $1 once. We are trying to raise money to save kids lives, and the kids just come for the event.

It has always bugged me when this stuff happened, but I let the students come hoping that being a part of the event would open their eyes to the needs around them. It doesn't. It just doesn't. So, this year, I snapped. I just can't do it anymore. So I got with Renee, our leader planning the event, and Michael, our other youth pastor. We agreed to put a base amount on the event. Any student can do it, and raise $5 if they want. But they can't come to the Friday night - Saturday event. To get in on Friday night, they have to raise at least $75. No admittance without it. And I told them that that was the bare bottom ministry. If they show up with $75, don't be proud about it. You scraped by.

I don't know if any one else would agree with this approach. I'm sure there would be a whole host of people in youth ministry who disagree passionately. That's the advantage of writing a blog that no one reads. I won't hear from them. But I believe it's a good move. I want our faith to mean something. I want following Christ to be a sacrificial adventure. These kids carry $150 dollar cell phones. They can raise $75.

It will be interesting to see how it impacts the famine. I'm actually looking forward to the Famine now in ways I haven't in a long time.

What do you do with the Famine, or events like this?

I Still Love Youth Ministry

Can I tell you, I love high school students! Last night was my first night back with out youth group in a couple of months. (December was worship, party, and time off. January was a four week series with the parents. Last week was super bowl, and I missed out on it.) Plus, I got to switch places with Mike Farnsley, and teach our 9th and 10th graders. They are amazing! I love how they want to grow, to learn, to reach. There is excitement in the group, and they are responding to where we are pushing them hard. Even had one girl who absolutely can't stand me (it's not a secret) who was tracking with the lesson by the end. Too fun! God is so good!

Silver Birch Ranch

maybe.
hoping.
too long.
excited.
wishing.
could it be?

Age Isn't All Bad

Last night, I had the opportunity to help out a couple of our middle school boys. It didn't look or feel like that is what happened, but I know it is. We have a couple of guys in 6th grade who want to be cool. I don't know these guys well, they are in the group lead by Mike, our other youth pastor. But I know them well enough. They are scared, hurt, and uncertain little guys, afraid of life. They choose to deal with it by being "tough", at least as tough as you can be when you're 12, 5'4", and 83 pounds. They roll in with attitudes that would make an NBA player proud. But they're broken.

They push everyone away. They argue with you, no matter what you say. They have no problem arguing both sides of a discussion, at the same time, and telling you how wrong you are. Needless to say, they can get under your skin.

We've loved on them all year. We've tried to help them. We've taken about 30 different steps to show them a positive way, a healthy way to act. They don't care. So, last night, they laid out their attitudes, and we sent them home early.

Man, the threats out of those two little mouths. The accusations. The feigned hurt. They are impressive, I have to admit.

Here is where my age is an asset. None of that matters. I know that if I don't speak truth and hold a line which requires respect, they will never get Jesus. They just won't. I 'm not mean to them at all. I won't argue with them. But I'm calling them to step up to a base level. I used to think if I did this, I'd lose them forever. Then I went through a long phase of "I'll sacrifice a few for the good of the whole" idea. But now, now I know better. I know that God works beyond and outside of my ministry. I've seen it. Over and over, firsthand. Emails and letters from former students, now in their 20's and 30's, telling me how 10 years after they left our group for the last time, God has gotten hold of them. They tell of His grace and forgiveness, and the power to change.

It's not that I think discipline and being "firm" changed them. I just believe in God. In His relentless love AND power. It is His to work in someones life. It is just mine to be faithful.

So, I don't know if my latest pair of tough guys will be back. If they are, they'll have to agree to live in community at a base level. If they don't come back, I know that God has wonderful plans for them, and that this is all part of His plan.

Age isn't all bad.

One Small Step at a Time

We are doing something in our youth ministry that is new for me, and I'm excited about it. We're doing a study series with all of our high school students combined (Beyond and Exit 112). We are doing a guys group on the Doug Fields study Guy Talk.
We have a girl's group going through the book Lies Young Women Believe.

We are doing a simlutaneous group for the parents of the girls, leading them through the book.

And we are leading a group for parents of the guys, teaching them the guys material.

All four groups meet on Sunday nights at the church at the same time.

This past week was our first week, and I loved it! We didn't see huge numbers of parents, but just the fact that we took a step towards doing more family oriented ministry has me so juiced! I'm leading the guys parents group, and we had the best discussion I've ever had in a parent's session. Parents are ordering the books we are teaching from, and diving in. We're providing discusison guides for them to use at home through the week with their kids. Students are seeing their parents come and invest in their spiritual growth, and feeling cared for. It's cool.

And since we're doing it during regular youth group hours, the kids whose parents won't come aren't left out. It just feels like regular youth group to them. The breaking along the gender lines is a creative twist we don't often do, so it adds energy to the discussions as well. We've got five weeks to go, and I couldn't be more excited.

Deep Justice in a Broken World

Recently, I've read Deep Justice in a Broken World. I've had my Taylor students working though it. Of course, I'm learning more from teaching it than they are. They are brilliant, I'm not. So, I have more to learn.

The core idea of this beast is that there are three levels of service. The first is physical, and it like giving food out at a food pantry. Excellent ministry, and one of my favorite service opportunities at our church! The second level is relational. This is more of befriending the folks who are hungry, and helping them learn to grow their own garden. You hang with them in the training time, and then stay with them afterwards. I am not nearly as good at this level. The third level is systemic, and this is the farthest from my current lifestyle. This is asking why the people are hungry to begin with, and then doing the long term work to fix the systems around them. Political, social, anthropological, etc. It's working to find what are the reasons working men and women still can't feed their kids? What is taking their money, and how do we help rectify that situation?

The book challenges that all three are the realm of a solid, Biblical youth ministry. Man, that hurts. We are barely scraping 1/3 of that calling. So, I'm looking at it and praying about it. I want to dismiss the whole thing as socialism run amok, and unrealistic for kids. But, I know better. We are called to defend the poor, the widow, and the oppressed. You can only help the oppressed by resolving the oppression. So it is with this that I am wrestling.

What does this look like in Shelbyville? What do we need to meet physically, then emotionally, and then systematically? We have a growing homeless population. I know we must do something. So we are. We will start with what we know, and trust that as we seek, ask, study, and look, God will show us the next piece.

What about you? Your ministry? What will you do?

Youth Ministry 3.0

When I was in Nashville for the NYWC, I picked up Marko's Youth Ministry 3.0. I've been reading a lot of the reviews on it, which you can find on his blog. They are pretty accurate with what I found. I was really surprised at how short it was. Don't know why that surprised me. I guess I thought "manifesto" and assumed a few hundred pages. Instead, it was 108 pages, mid sized print, with 27 pages of footnotes (that part I appreciated). I read it on three levels: first, as a lifer in youth min (17 years and counting), what is God showing me here? second, as a leader of a mid sized team of leaders, is this helpful for them? third, as a youth ministry prof, will this work for my college students?

In short order, it helped me personally to ask questions. It isn't a resource that I will put in my volunteers hands. They don't go this philosophical in their thinking of ministry. I'm not sure about my students. I'll re-read it for them again. It might hit, I'll have to see.

Overall, Marko has done a great job of asking questions. His retelling of how we got where we are is succinct, but helpful. For more of that thought, look to Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry by Andrew Root. (Deep, but excellent!) I think Marko's tone is one of the healthiest I have heard in an author wanting to question the church; he's honest it seems, owns his own contributions to how we got here, isn't advocating an "abandon ship" attitude, and wades in with ideas and theories, knowing they are not a "one size fits all" solution. I'm really impressed. Marko, keep writing in this vein, you're only going to get better at it. I need it, and we need it.

But, as a youth pastor at a large church in a small Midwest town, does it help? Yes. And no. I feel like Marko is pointing to the same questions I'm asking. He is giving permission to continue the ongoing conversation about "why is this not working?" He provides a model for humble AND honest dialogue. He reminds me that I am not alone. But I don't feel any farther down the road than before I read the book. I just feel like I have more companions on this journey to "who knows where?"

Don't misunderstand. I'm not discouraged. I know God is well aware of where we are going. He just hasn't shown me the greater picture. I'm not sure He will. I'm not sure He will give it to anyone to write a book about. That's the challenge of the 3.0 idea. Organic. Different. Marko makes this clear. It won't be another program we all adapt. It is simply a journey. The Way. Jesus.

I'm just glad Marko is on it with me.

NYWC follow up

I had the beautiful opportunity to be at the NYWC this past weekend in Nashville. A few of my leaders, Michael, Justin Douglas, and one of his students, Paul, all went together. It's always fun, it's always refreshing. But, God is continuing His discussion with me about youth ministry, and where we need to go. I really feel this year He has/is pulling me forward more than in years past. Pieces are beginning to gel inside my mind and soul about where we need to be moving towards. I'm excited for the changes, I'm grateful for his leading, but I'm mostly scared. I don't usually get afraid, but what I'm beginning to see in the fog seems like it's going to be costly to me personally. So, I'm scared.

I know He will take care of it. I know that.

But, I'm still nervous.

A 33 Year Old Teenager?!

In an article I just read on a site called Marketing Vox ("Youth No Longer Defined by Age; Consumers Stay Younger Longer"), it describes, from a business and marketing side, how adolescence is extending up to 34 years old. Yeah, you heard me, 34 years old! Good grief!

But, as this is bearing itself out to be true, whether we like it or not, how does this affect the church? How about youth ministry? What should we do to look forward towards this issue?

I'm not sure, but it's worth thinking though. If you have any ideas, please throw them in and let's talk about it.

(If you go read the article, don't look directly at the picture of Cher on the left side of the page. It will cause you severe physical and emotional pain!)

A little help from you guys.

I'm spending today working on "big ideas" stuff. I took the day, hid away at an undisclosed location in town, and am praying, reading, and writing for this fall. I want to get a better handle on where we are, and where we need to go. It's been good so far.

Just for some feedback, here is one of the things I've been working on. We're going to use Doug Fields Purpose Driven stuff as even more of a framework than we have before. We've always used the values that underscore his stuff, but haven't embraced the framework before, mostly from a lack of need. But I think we're going to need a better spelled out framework as the ministry continues to move forward from here. Here is one of the pieces I've been working on today.

Mission statement: We want students and families to be finding and following Jesus together.

Focus - we want everything we do to point people to Jesus, not to us or our church	evangelism	community
Fun - we want students to laugh more with us than anywhere else, finding acceptance and joy with God	worship	crowd
Family - we want to encourage healthy families, and model for those who may not have one	fellowship	congregation
Faith - we want students to grow their own faith, not live off of ours	discipleship	committed
Feet - we want students to learn how to go and serve the least of all people	service	core

The mission statement is an adopted version of our church's. The five f's weren't intentional, the first four flowed out, and I found a fifth to match. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. And yes, I am working on this in conjunction with my leadership teams. I am simply looking for as much feedback as possible.