Throughout my time spent in ministry and in seminary, I’ve done a ton of thinking about youth ministry. A key professor and mentor once asked me to jot
down what, for me, were the basic foundations of youth ministry. He asked the question, “If you stripped youth ministry down to its most fundamental aspects,
what would it look like? What follows is a brief description of what I feel are three essentials for youth ministry.
A youth ministry should be…
Students (developmentally) are not only asking the question, “who am I,” but they are also asking, “whose am I.” They are continually seeking a place to belong, a group with whom to identify. This is in addition to the fact that we are all created in the image of a God whose very nature is relational (Father, Son, Spirit). Youth ministry needs to create a context where students can connect in important ways with other people, both peers as well as adults. Christ set an example for us to use in ministry. He spent much of his time and energy with a group of 12, teaching them the true and important things of life in the context of community. He was their teacher but he was also their friend.
- Forming small groups
- Calling on the help of committed and passionate adult volunteers, holding them to a standard of being invested in the lives of students, rather than merely ‘chaperones.’
- As a leader, being a friend and mentoring presence in the lives of students
- Allowing gatherings to be a venue for genuine and Godly social interaction
As the author of Hebrews tells us, we are to “fix our eyes on Jesus” (in other words, keep focused on him). He is the “author and perfecter of our faith.” To me, this speaks of our origin as well as the journey we find ourselves on now. God has created all of us and his Son is the object of our faith. And Christ, through the Spirit, perfects this faith in a continual and ongoing process, walking with us all the way. Youth ministry must be Christ-focused. It is perhaps easy (and popular) to make youth ministry more about the programming we do, the numbers we attract, and the entertainment we provide. The world values all of these things. But Paul urges us to consider the things of this world “rubbish”, “compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ.” (Phil 3) Youth ministry must value the importance of having a personal, dynamic, and living relationship with the Savior who loves us.
- Not only using Bible-based teaching, but creating an ethos of loving the Word within our community.
- As leaders, practice what we preach. Live out a love for, and reliance on, Jesus in our own lives.
- Using all resources available (and every ounce of energy we have) to show how the Bible message is relevant in the lives of your youth.
The world is much bigger than our own little youth room. As students experience this, their own faith will grow. And I use the word ‘experience’ very intentionally. It is important that youth ministry provides opportunities for students to have real encounters with the world and with other people. This means more than showing a video about poverty or reading a fact sheet on homelessness. It means allowing students to interact with other youth groups, other neighborhoods, other cities, and other cultures. It involves opportunity for ownership of the idea that the church is to be extroverted, not merely existing for its own self. An outward-oriented ministry encompasses essential ideas like evangelism, outreach, mission, and service. And it continually re-examines Jesus’ command to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10)
- Mission trips and service projects, of course. But also…
- Providing opportunities for students to examine their own faith in relation to these important experiences.
- Teaching about Jesus’ compassion for the world.
- Allowing students to realize how they are connected to others
1 comment:
I need to do this as well as the youth..."examine their own faith in relation to these important experiences"
In our life enrichment class this SUndya we start a series of dicussions: "Jesus COnfronts Today's Controversies" by Mark Ashton. The first week is The Poverty Line. I will be thinking about how this relates to MY faith... thanks for the insight.
Karen B
Post a Comment