What is the mission and purpose of the church? To be brief let's just say it is to aid God in the restoration of humanity and creation. Apart from creating a space for believers to fellowship, worship, and be ministered to individually or as a family.
But as a church have we lost our focus to restore what has been lost or broken? Or in other words do we emphasize "outreach" in our decisions, vision, or programming within the church body? Has the church lost touch with culture so much that we have no idea how to "make disciples" anymore? Or is it the fact that for too long we have been trying to reach others with only part of God's great story and plan.
Let me explain the philosophy of outreach or evangelism has solely revolved around the concepts of salvation and resurrection of Christ. So we tell those who are "lost" that because everyone is a sinner we need to be saved, because sin separates us from God. They only way that one can be saved is if they believe God sent his son as a sacrifice, taking our place of punishment and death. So because Christ died for us and then rose from the dead he conquered death, thus giving us eternal life.
This is a very compelling argument and is great news even wonderful for humanity, but we are only sharing the pinnacle part of the story. We tend leave out the beginning (creation) and the end (restoration) of God's narrative. It is frustrating or confusing to say the least when you only know or hear part of a story. Or say the climax of any movie would not be that exciting if you did not watch it completely from beginning to end.
Hearing or watching a completed story allows you to be more involved emotionally, gives you a better understanding of why, and therefore you gain a better sense of what that story could mean or how it applies to your life. If the church changed its approach to making disciples of all nations by sharing the whole story of God, would we be more effective? Have more of an impact on culture? Would new and old Christians have a better sense of mission and purpose with a "whole/complete story" mind-set?
Showing posts with label Missional Youth Ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Missional Youth Ministry. Show all posts
10/20/2009
After 1 Year As A Youth Pastor This Is What I Know
Part 1: I MUST BE A SHEPHERD THAT LIVES AMONG THE FLOCK
I recently went to a youth training seminar held by Barefoot Ministries at which Chris Folmsbee spoke on the roles that we play in the lives of students as youth leaders. He created a diagram of three circles that all intersected in the middle, which he called the sweet spot or a good balance between all the roles coming together. The three main roles in which we have are Advisor, Advocate, and Guide, but you can substitute another synonym for any words if you happen to like them better.
My point in all this is that those three main roles, I believe fall under the title of Shepherd. I as youth pastor must be a Shepherd to the youth in my ministry. I must give advice to the flock, I must advocate for the flock, and I must guide the flock. But to do this effectively I as a Shepherd must live among the flock.
Of course I am not saying that I need to be with students 24/7 because that would be unhealthy for both of us. But the relationship must transcend and be more than hanging out for 4 hours a week during Sunday School and Youth Group. I must be more than just being an acquaintance who teaches from the Bible twice a week. I must be in authentic relationships with students, by which we share our lives together, that can be defined as a healthy fellowship community.
Jesus is the great shepherd the best example of what it means to be one; he spoke in John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-" There is no way that I can know my students for who they truly are and have them know me, unless there is a deep meaningful relationship taking place. This can only be done if I am living among the flock under my care.
If I am not living among the flock, I will never know who is lost or who has wandered off the path. I will never be able to bandage those who are injured, or give strength to those that are weak. I won't be able to have compassion for those that are being harassed or might be helpless. I will not understand the idols that are deceiving my sheep and making them go astray. I won't be able to give food and drink to the ones in my flock that are hungry or thirsty. But most of all I will not be able to lead my sheep to Christ, who is the ultimate provider of all these things.
I still must remember that I am a sheep in the flock of Jesus, which is sharing a journey towards knowing and serving God with other sheep in His great flock, including my students. Not only am I a Shepherd for my students, but a sheep standing right next to them grazing in the Lord's plentiful pastures and receiving His awesome grace.
I am not going to sit here and explain different ways that I as a Shepherd live among my flock. For one I believe that every "Shepherd" posses skills and gifts that allow him to do this differently than the shepherd down the street. And secondly every "flock" or group is different and has special needs or ways that one can live among them. Instead pray and ask God to reveal how you can be or do this with the students in your ministry.
However I am saying that there is a major difference between a youth pastor that lives among his sheep as opposed to one who does not. I very much believe the one who lives among his flock, will have the more effective ministry. Be a sheep and a shepherd that listens to the voice of Christ, that knows him, and follow him.
I recently went to a youth training seminar held by Barefoot Ministries at which Chris Folmsbee spoke on the roles that we play in the lives of students as youth leaders. He created a diagram of three circles that all intersected in the middle, which he called the sweet spot or a good balance between all the roles coming together. The three main roles in which we have are Advisor, Advocate, and Guide, but you can substitute another synonym for any words if you happen to like them better.
My point in all this is that those three main roles, I believe fall under the title of Shepherd. I as youth pastor must be a Shepherd to the youth in my ministry. I must give advice to the flock, I must advocate for the flock, and I must guide the flock. But to do this effectively I as a Shepherd must live among the flock.
Of course I am not saying that I need to be with students 24/7 because that would be unhealthy for both of us. But the relationship must transcend and be more than hanging out for 4 hours a week during Sunday School and Youth Group. I must be more than just being an acquaintance who teaches from the Bible twice a week. I must be in authentic relationships with students, by which we share our lives together, that can be defined as a healthy fellowship community.
Jesus is the great shepherd the best example of what it means to be one; he spoke in John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-" There is no way that I can know my students for who they truly are and have them know me, unless there is a deep meaningful relationship taking place. This can only be done if I am living among the flock under my care.
If I am not living among the flock, I will never know who is lost or who has wandered off the path. I will never be able to bandage those who are injured, or give strength to those that are weak. I won't be able to have compassion for those that are being harassed or might be helpless. I will not understand the idols that are deceiving my sheep and making them go astray. I won't be able to give food and drink to the ones in my flock that are hungry or thirsty. But most of all I will not be able to lead my sheep to Christ, who is the ultimate provider of all these things.
I still must remember that I am a sheep in the flock of Jesus, which is sharing a journey towards knowing and serving God with other sheep in His great flock, including my students. Not only am I a Shepherd for my students, but a sheep standing right next to them grazing in the Lord's plentiful pastures and receiving His awesome grace.
I am not going to sit here and explain different ways that I as a Shepherd live among my flock. For one I believe that every "Shepherd" posses skills and gifts that allow him to do this differently than the shepherd down the street. And secondly every "flock" or group is different and has special needs or ways that one can live among them. Instead pray and ask God to reveal how you can be or do this with the students in your ministry.
However I am saying that there is a major difference between a youth pastor that lives among his sheep as opposed to one who does not. I very much believe the one who lives among his flock, will have the more effective ministry. Be a sheep and a shepherd that listens to the voice of Christ, that knows him, and follow him.
1/08/2009
Missional Youth Ministry
When I got home from the office yesterday I parked my car in its usual spot on the street right in front of my house. As I exited the car I noticed about 8 to 10 junior high students on the porch across the street talking and hanging out. Mind you there was not school that day due to a snow storm and I have never seen any of these students before.
As I was walking into the house I told God that it would be cool if I got a chance to meet and talk with some of those kids or make small connection with them. Now I live in a pretty rough end of town and I could tell that right away that they were up to no good and or need some sort of healthy adult influence in their life. Still thinking about the situation I keep walking into my house and greeted my wife, and we begin to have our typical small talk like always about our day. Quickly I forgot about the group of youth across the street.
No longer than 20 minutes later as my wife and I were playing a heated game of scrabble I hear the doorbell ring. So I opened my door and my Landlord who lives in the apartment downstairs is standing out on the porch screaming at the top of his lungs. So I said "What's going on, is there a problem" he said "Yeah some punk kids are throwing snowballs at your car and I thought you might want to know."
Now I have only been living in my apartment for less than 3 months and already know that my Landlord despises the neighborhood that we live in. And it is not the first time that I have heard him yell profanities at our neighbors while threatening to call the police. Immediately I thought to myself "big deal it's just a snow ball, its not like I drive a Lexus or BMW," but to humor him I went out to investigate.
When I finally got my shoes on and made it to the front porch I found myself in a very awkward scenario. There on the porch with me is my Landlord a 40 something year old man talking trash to the same group of students that I mention earlier. While across the street a couple of the kids are yelling back at my Landlord and through their body language are suggesting that they want to fight him. Which was pretty much what they say on the street as "all talk" due to what takes place later in the situation.
Obviously God has a sense of humor, because I quickly remembered my request for the chance to meet and talk with those same students. So standing there with my prayer answered I pondered to myself my next move or at least something to say, but due to the situation I didn't really know how to proceed. I wanted to calm the anger that was being said back and forth across the street, while also be an example of Jesus to my Landlord and the group of students.
While all this is going on in my head my Landlord quickly runs across the street because one of the boys in the group in a very threatening voice says "why don't you come over here and make me stop." Now the fact that my Landlord actually did it is pretty funny, but the scared face on all the kids as he is running towards them was even funnier. Some more yelling takes place and eventually he pulls out the police card and says if they don't leave he will call the cops. Which to my surprise worked and the group ends up dispersing.
Now I tell you this very long story because as youth worker we need to be missionaries to the youth culture that surrounds us. I missed my opportunity to make a connection with those kids, I missed my opportunity to be a healthy adult influence. I did not walk through the door that led to their underground world that God opened for me, to talk and meet with that group. Afterwards I was pretty upset with myself for not taking advantage of what was before me, and kept replaying in my head other scenarios that could of unfolded.
I thought to myself I could of helped make a difference in one of those lives, I could of started a new relationship that would offer authentic life-on-life sharing to a desperate teenager who just needs someone to listen. Or quite simply I could of had a few new friends to play X-box with in my house on a regular basis. I wish I could go back in time and walk through that door instead of just look in from the outside.
Having a missional mindset in our church, youth group, or just daily lives is what God calls us to do as his "Sent People" to help him redeem his creation. As Alan Hirsch writes in his article called Defining Missional, "to be missional means to be sent into the world; we do not expect people to come to us." To create teenage disciples that are passionate about Jesus Christ we must as youth workers go out and meet them, we have something to offer that is worth sharing.
I know youth ministry opportunities like the one I missed, usually don't pop up on a regular basis. Therefore we have to choose to missional, we have to choose to go out and find where God is already working and help his cause of saving the world. Spend time discerning how God wants to use you and your youth group in a way that best fits your context.
As I was walking into the house I told God that it would be cool if I got a chance to meet and talk with some of those kids or make small connection with them. Now I live in a pretty rough end of town and I could tell that right away that they were up to no good and or need some sort of healthy adult influence in their life. Still thinking about the situation I keep walking into my house and greeted my wife, and we begin to have our typical small talk like always about our day. Quickly I forgot about the group of youth across the street.
No longer than 20 minutes later as my wife and I were playing a heated game of scrabble I hear the doorbell ring. So I opened my door and my Landlord who lives in the apartment downstairs is standing out on the porch screaming at the top of his lungs. So I said "What's going on, is there a problem" he said "Yeah some punk kids are throwing snowballs at your car and I thought you might want to know."
Now I have only been living in my apartment for less than 3 months and already know that my Landlord despises the neighborhood that we live in. And it is not the first time that I have heard him yell profanities at our neighbors while threatening to call the police. Immediately I thought to myself "big deal it's just a snow ball, its not like I drive a Lexus or BMW," but to humor him I went out to investigate.
When I finally got my shoes on and made it to the front porch I found myself in a very awkward scenario. There on the porch with me is my Landlord a 40 something year old man talking trash to the same group of students that I mention earlier. While across the street a couple of the kids are yelling back at my Landlord and through their body language are suggesting that they want to fight him. Which was pretty much what they say on the street as "all talk" due to what takes place later in the situation.
Obviously God has a sense of humor, because I quickly remembered my request for the chance to meet and talk with those same students. So standing there with my prayer answered I pondered to myself my next move or at least something to say, but due to the situation I didn't really know how to proceed. I wanted to calm the anger that was being said back and forth across the street, while also be an example of Jesus to my Landlord and the group of students.
While all this is going on in my head my Landlord quickly runs across the street because one of the boys in the group in a very threatening voice says "why don't you come over here and make me stop." Now the fact that my Landlord actually did it is pretty funny, but the scared face on all the kids as he is running towards them was even funnier. Some more yelling takes place and eventually he pulls out the police card and says if they don't leave he will call the cops. Which to my surprise worked and the group ends up dispersing.
Now I tell you this very long story because as youth worker we need to be missionaries to the youth culture that surrounds us. I missed my opportunity to make a connection with those kids, I missed my opportunity to be a healthy adult influence. I did not walk through the door that led to their underground world that God opened for me, to talk and meet with that group. Afterwards I was pretty upset with myself for not taking advantage of what was before me, and kept replaying in my head other scenarios that could of unfolded.
I thought to myself I could of helped make a difference in one of those lives, I could of started a new relationship that would offer authentic life-on-life sharing to a desperate teenager who just needs someone to listen. Or quite simply I could of had a few new friends to play X-box with in my house on a regular basis. I wish I could go back in time and walk through that door instead of just look in from the outside.
Having a missional mindset in our church, youth group, or just daily lives is what God calls us to do as his "Sent People" to help him redeem his creation. As Alan Hirsch writes in his article called Defining Missional, "to be missional means to be sent into the world; we do not expect people to come to us." To create teenage disciples that are passionate about Jesus Christ we must as youth workers go out and meet them, we have something to offer that is worth sharing.
I know youth ministry opportunities like the one I missed, usually don't pop up on a regular basis. Therefore we have to choose to missional, we have to choose to go out and find where God is already working and help his cause of saving the world. Spend time discerning how God wants to use you and your youth group in a way that best fits your context.
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