Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Thoughts on Youth Ministry

This summer I've been blessed to have lots more hours at church. Most of these hours have gone into spending time with students and hashing through my thoughts on youth ministry and setting up some short and long term goals and objectives for our youth program.

I've really been wrestling with what I see as a basic dichotomy between the need to provide a youth environment that is cool, exciting, engaging, etc. in order to attract students vs. the desire to be real, genuine, and avoid the pitfalls of feeding youth self-centered entertainment all the time.

On the one hand, I've seen from personal experience that one has a hard time growing a youth program without answering the question, "why would 16-year old so-and-so come here tonight instead of going out with his friends?" This leads me to believe that part of reaching students with the Gospel really does mean catering to their desire for entertainment, coolness, and excitement.

On the other hand, I look at "successful" youth programs at large churches in this country and all I see are glorified video arcades with a little bit of Jesus sprinkled on top. I do not believe it is good for youth to spend their lives plugged in to games, and I do not believe it is good for youth to believe that the world should cater to their desire for entertainment and amusement.

I also do not believe that unchurched youth are liable to attend a "boring" youth program and hear the Gospel.

Somewhere between these two extremes I think is a youth ministry model that offers students the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ, manages to excite their interest, and avoids teaching them that their entertainment is the chief pursuit in life.

3 comments:

Andrew said...

I guess the way you tailor your youth program is based upon what you're trying to do. I think many churches out there are content with having an fun youth group at the expense of being biblical because they're merely content to have the kids in the church, or they have compartmentalized church culture so much (i.e. there is a group for every kind of person, every age) that they just need a place for the kids so it doesn't matter so much what your content is.

Ashlie said...

I think you are right that it is a balance. However, it is easy to believe that kids won't come unless you "cater" to them, to use your word. And sometimes that seems to be people's experience. But God is the one who regenerates hearts to respond to the Gospel, and he is a powerful and good God. I would encourage you to trust Him that if you make the Gospel and the cross the center of your youth ministry, kids will come and kids will respond to the Gospel, because it is God who will save them. (Please don't think I'm trying to say you shouldn't have fun and build relationships with the kids - I'm totally not. We have games at youth group all the time and lots of fun hang out time, just hopefully conveying that the Gospel is our first love and our priority!)
Happy youth ministering!

Brian Moore said...

Eric...I think you know the answer based on your teenage youth ministry experience!
What you "win" the students over with is what you will keep them with. If you get them there on games and entertainment you will have to keep the entertainment going to keep them around.
There are so many groups out there that can give students a fun time, but there are very few (the church) that has the deepest satisfaction in life.
A youth ministry should be all about RELATIONSHIPS! First, a real relationship with Jesus and second, deep relationships with others who are in-Christ and seeking to reach those who are not.
Andrew has some good thoughts pointing out that there are too many, what I call, "youth groups" out there. These are groups that youth are a part of for themselves. I believe that we need to return to "youth ministry" where it is not about them, but about ministering to one another and reaching their campuses and neighborhoods and the continents with this message and lives of reconciliation. Students need to "own" the ministry, they must take responsibility for the spirituality of the ministry and their peers.
There is so much I could write here...I would love to talk to you more and hear how God is working through you these days!
Also, I read a great book that reinforces these thoughts and more. It's called Practicing Passion by Kenda Creasy Dean. a GREAT ministry book!