What would you willing to give up for Lent?

Understand this from the beginning: I don’t mean to equate what I’m about to do for Lent with real poorness, nor do I think that being poor is something touristy to do.

At a recent youth event I sat in a workshop on ministry with the poor as the youth were engaged in a discussion of what poverty is. As they talked, it became apparent to the group that when middle-class Methodists (among others) think about poverty, most of the time we’re thinking of it in terms of not having things that we want, not in terms of living without things that we need. It’s simply off of our radar, whether by design or default. We think of poorness as not having more than one TV or not getting a car when you turn 16. We don’t think of poorness as not having medicine when you’re sick or not having enough food to eat more than a meal a day, if that.

So within that workshop I realized how often we execute that same neat separation when selecting our Lenten practice of fasting. We give up things that we want; never do we give up things that we need. Seriously, why would you inconvenience yourself like that? It’s just Lent.

I’ve approached Lent a hundred ways with our youth. Sometimes we talk in the weeks approaching Ash Wednesday about what we’re giving up; sometimes we intentionally don’t, to keep the sacrifice private. We would engage that privacy with discussion throughout Lent, but only in general terms: How is your fast going? What are you finding to be easy about it? What are you finding difficult? Year to year there’s almost always some discussion about the purpose of fasting. It’s not meant to be outward, but inward; fasting should be between you and God.

My challenge this year is that my fast for Lent has outward ramifications. The kind that pastors and staff committees need to know about in advance. I’m fasting from the culturally perceived need of fashion and cleanliness to experience what it would be like to be suddenly homeless with only the clothes on your back. Throughout Lent I’m restricting myself to a single set of clothing and barring myself from the use of a traditional shower or laundry facilities. If I or my clothes are clean, it will happen in a sink.

Here’s what I hate about it already. It’s going to be public. I had to ask permission to do it from leadership. I’m speaking at the Ash Wednesday service this week so the congregation at large doesn’t think the youth leader has gone off his nut. And it’s going to be outwardly visible–I have long hair that will be a wreck in 3 days at best and I won’t be able to shave because I “don’t have one anymore,” as the exercise will dictate. Well meaning people will try to talk me out of it entirely or talk me in to violations of it: What about Feast Days? You could shower every Sunday. What if I offered to wash your clothes for you? During this youth event, you’ll be staying two nights in someone’s home; couldn’t you shower then? No. Because I’m not trying to live my life in poverty; I know how rich my middle-class life is and social surroundings are. If I were suddenly homeless, I’d have somewhere to stay in an instant. I’m fasting from those things to experience the poverty of someone else.

Here’s what I love about it already. Everything else I’ve ever done during Lent has provided instances of reflection and contemplation; at times, I would miss whatever I had given up and remember that missing was meant to draw me closer to God. I am more than certain that this year my practice will be ever before me.

There are rules; I’ll be detailing those this week on my own blog at www.kevinalton.com and updating the experience nearly daily there. I’m hoping that my transparency will be beneficial to others; I don’t in any way mean to hold myself up as an example of Lenten greatness or as a gauntlet dropped in opposition to your chosen practice of Lent. I don’t think that wearing the same clothes every day and being generally musty for a few weeks will change the world. I’m hoping it will change me.

I’m curious to know how you approach Lent with your youth. Do you wrap your programs around Lent between Ash Wednesday and Easter, or is it something that carries on in the background? How do you approach Lent personally?

Peace,
K

As the group studied the practices and the mindset of Wesley it weighed more and more on the hearts that the white elephant in the room. The white elephant being the “Call to Action” in contrast to what their seminary and wesleyan training were telling them. Instead of being a grassroots and young adult driven renewal that started the methodist movement, it could be said we have a top down initiative from our institution leadership to try and bring about change.

So questions arise. Where does change come from?

For this group of clergy friends they embarked on a spirit of exploration for themselves to answer that question. I was there for dinner as they started this conversation. They have over the months included many other people whom I hold in high regard in crafting what is their Missional Methodist Manifesto.

The hope is that the claimed statements (and you can sign onto the document if you like) will help guide us all to recapture that internal passion and grassroots fervor to reshape our church into the things that make it great, not the things it has sometimes become.

My personal note to you as a youth leader. This might seem out of your area of care. “This is something for clergy and bishops. I just am worried about what to do on Wednesday night.” I implore you to take interest in the faith tradition you have claimed and are serving within. Methodism started with leaders who worked with youth and young people in mission and study just like you & it will need leaders just like you to continue its mission. Read up on the ‘manifesto’ and the ‘call to action.’ One of these at the very least will affect you in the coming future, maybe both.

Take A Day Off Every Week

Want to know something crazy?  Normal people get two days off of work every week.  Youthworkers usually get none.  Don’t think I’m right?  Check your calendar.

You might be saying, “I get Mondays off” (except for those two hours of staff meeting…) Or you get Fridays off (except any weekends with a retreat or a lock-in.)  Same thing can be said for many of your Saturdays.  I once did an exercise on counting days off and realized I had done about 255 youth events in a year.

I’d like to blame the culture – that our culture rewards busy-ness and constant work.  I’d like to blame the church/employers – that there are expectations for me to be at every youth event and for the youth calendar to be completely full of weekly programs and special events.  I’d like to blame workload – that there’s just too much work to be done during a normal week.  I might even want to blame my desire for program perfection – as in, if I just do one more thing on Saturday morning, the program will be that much better.

I confess now that I am the worst at turning the “off” switch on work mode.

For the last few weeks we’ve been covering the seven promises in the We Love Our Youth Worker (WLOYW) covenant.  These are promises that churches make in order to care for their youth workers, and that youth workers promise in return to their employer/church.  So far we’ve looked at the importance of prayer support, retreat/reflection and training/development.

The fourth promise that a WLOYW church makes to a youth worker is “We will give at least one full day of rest each week.”

We believe that taking regular time off helps maintain our youth worker’s passion and energy for his or her work with young people.

We promise to require our youth worker to take at least one day away from his or her role each week and at least two weeks per year to do something different.

The youth worker in return promises “We will take at least one day off each week and vacation time.”

We promise to take time for rest and Sabbath as we invest in a family, spiritual and social life outside of the youth ministry.

Now, I know that taking time off is important.  The costs of not taking time off include getting burnt out, losing your sense of self and losing your relationships with others.  I had a reality check on this about a year ago.  As I sat in a training event for my volunteers, the teacher talked about incorporating your hobbies into youth ministry.  I realized that, as a professional, full-time youth worker, I didn’t really have any hobbies outside of youth ministry that I was spending time doing.  I had let my profession take over my personal life and define who I was.  (I know I’m not the only youth worker out there guilty of doing this, right?)

I realize now that how I was living was unhealthy and unsustainable long term.  In healthy youth ministry, in order to be effective long term, we need sabbath time.  A day off a week is a great start (did you know “normal” people get a weekend that is two days off?  Just thought I’d point that out.)  Hobbies and interests, friendships and fun OUTSIDE of youth ministry can all be part of your sabbath/day off time.

Remember, taking a day off isn’t about your being selfish.  You will be a better youth minister if you are refreshed and taking time to rest.  If you can successfully model the importance of sabbath time, you will be a healthy spiritual role model for your students as well.

You might also want to check out this article about why Sundays might not be a youth worker’s sabbath day.

We need a world with healthy youth ministries and healthy youth workers.  If you are interested in talking to your church about We Love Our Youth Worker, you might want to know that WLOYW in the United States will start taking applications for churches on March 1, 2012.  Click here to learn more.

Would love your responses:

What does a day of rest look like for you?

Does your church support your taking time off?

How do you make sure you have time off from work?  What strategies have you used to make sure this happens?  

How does the amount of days off of work compare between you and the rest of the church staff?

Be blessed,

Erin

High School Junior Abby Lewis on the 30HF Study Tour to Burundi, Africa

This past summer, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to travel with World Vision to the “Heart of Africa” – the small beautiful country of Burundi. This life-changing experience was brought about after I participated in World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine last year. The 30 Hour Famine is an event done by youth groups and schools around the country, where people fast for 30 hours to raise awareness about world hunger.

As many of you know, I also fundraised in the weeks leading up to the Famine. Last year, I raised almost $3000. This money changed so many lives as a kid can receive food, water, health care, education, and other necessities for just $1 a day. That $3000 was also multiplied 5 times by government grants!  This year, I will be fasting on February 24^th and 25^th, and that means it’s time to fundraise again!

Funds raised from 30 Hour Famine provide life-saving clean water to the people of Burundi

This year is also different though, as I have now seen extreme poverty, hunger and suffering firsthand.  When I was in Burundi, it became evident to me how much good the money that we send over there is doing. I saw health clinics, clean water projects, and school meal projects that had been created using 30 Hour Famine money. I saw the happiness on the faces of the mothers whose children 30 Hour Famine funds are saving. I saw so much progress… but I also saw so much pain and suffering. The fight to end world hunger is not close to being over. People are dying everyday from completely preventable causes that could’ve been avoided if they had just had something nutritious to eat.

I feel it has become my responsibility to be the voice for the 22,000 kids that die EACH day from hunger-related causes. I was truly changed by what I saw in Burundi and that is why I am asking you to please donate to 30 Hour Famine. When 30 Hour Famine started, around 35,000 kids died each day from hunger – now we have helped to 13,000 kids from dying each day! I hope to live to see the day when no child dies from hunger!

Thank you for you kindness and generosity,

Abby Lewis

To sign up your group or learn more about one of the most life-changing youth events available, go to 30hourfamine.org.

If your ministry is not already participating in 30 Hour Famine and you feel led to donate to Abby’s fundraising efforts, click here.

Does your group participate in 30 Hour Famine?  Any tips for success or stories to share?

In what other world hunger relief efforts have you participated?

Abby Lewis is a high school junior at Martin High School in Arlington, Texas.  She is a great student, active in school and an inspiring leader in the youth group at St. Barnabas United Methodist Church.  Abby can often be found speaking to large audiences as a student ambassador for World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine.

Supplies: Camper Book, Bible, Pens, Instructions for low-elements on the Bridgeport ropes course, a United Methodist Hymnal

Key Scripture:

“Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting….Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre.”  Psalm 147:1 & 7

Open with Prayer

As the opening prayer….sing a praise song or two that everyone knows.  Sing to God not to each other.  Sing until the Holy Spirit’s presence is felt by the group.

Flip the Light Switch

“….when I came into the silent assemblies of God’s people, I felt a secret power among them, which touched my heart.  And as I gave way to it, I found the evil in me weakening, and the good lifted up.” Robert Barclay

“To worship is to experience Reality, to touch Life….we have not worshipped the Lord until Spirit touches spirit.”  Richard Foster

“My whole heart I lay upon the alter of thy praise, an whole burnt-offering of praise I offer to thee….Let the flame of thy love….set on fire my whole heart, let nought in me be left to myself, nought wherein I may look to myself, but may I wholly burn towards thee, wholly be on fire toward thee, wholly love thee, as though set on fire by thee.”  Saint Augustine

“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”

William Temple

“In worship we engage ourselves with, dwell upon, and express the greatness, beauty, and goodness of God through thought and the use of words, rituals, and symbols.  We do this alone as well as in union with God’s people.  To worship is to see God as worthy, to ascribe great worth to him.”  Dallas Willard

“If you will not worship God seven days a week, you do not worship Him on one day a week.”  A.W. Tozer

The Main Idea is that one way we let out the “burning fire in our bones” (see Jeremiah 20:9, the week’s Theme Verse) is through worship.  We speak of God, we speak to God, and God speaks to us.

Look Around

Pick a leader.

The leader will say “God is good!”

Then just 1 group member should respond with “All the time!”

Do it again but this time have 2 group members respond, then 3, then 4, on so on until the whole group is responding to the leader.  Once all the group members have joined in, repeat the call and response about 10 times.

• What was different between the first response with 1 person and the response with all the group members?
• What was the difference between the first response of ALL the group members and response number 10?
• What conclusion can you draw as a group that might relate to worship?

“Hey!  What’s that?”

Worship is something we actually DO.  It is not a passive experience.  It is something WE actively participate in.  Worship is not like going to a concert with a lecture in the middle.  It is a time where we actively give thanks to God for WHO God is, for What God has done, for What God is doing in our lives.  We also expect God to show up and actively participate.  We listen for God, in music, in liturgy, in song, in Scripture, in the sermon.

Ever hear anybody say “I didn’t get anything out of worship!”???  John Wesley insisted that how we experience worship depends greatly on how we approach worship.  What makes worship meaningful is whether we come with expectant faith, openness to the presence and power of God.

Wondering how to grow in your worship experiences?  Richard Foster offers the following 7 Steps Into Worship:

1. Learn to practice the presence of God daily.  Find multiple times to pray, listen, remember Scripture verses, confess, etc.  You will find that these times will help you intensify your worship experience.
2. Have many different experiences of worship each week.  Worship God alone, at the end of bible study with friends, around the dinner table with family.  You will find that this help empower and impact Sunday morning worship.
3. Find ways to really prepare for the gathered experience of worship.  Go to bed early the night before, pray, confess, and examine your heart with God.  Go over the Hymns and Scripture to be used in worship.  You will find more meaning in worship as each of these components is used and your mind will be clearer.
4. Have a willingness to be gathered in the power of the Lord.  Let go of your agenda, worries, and distractions.  The language of worship is “We” not “I” so give up your wants for the needs of the group.  Submit to the ways of God.  Submit to one another in Christian fellowship.  Desire for God to rise up in the life of the group.

1. Cultivate holy dependency.  Be utterly and completely dependent on God for anything significant to happen.
2. Absorb distractions with gratitude.  Let go of noise or problems in the service.  If someone chatters, let go.  If a child cries, let go.  If the microphone makes weird sounds, let go.  Be willing to relax when the distractions come.  They will come!
3. Learn to offer a sacrifice of worship.  If you don’t “feel” like worshiping, worship anyway.  Maybe what you most need is to worship.  No matter how down you are, worship anyway.  One log by itself cannot burn for very long, but when many logs are put together, even if they are very poor logs, they can still make a huge fire!

Candle

In your journal, write of one of the most meaningful times of worship you have had in your life.  If you can not think of a meaningful time….write a description of what you would want to experience in a meaningful time of worship then write a short prayer asking God to help you experience meaningful worship soon.

Flashlight

Pick one of the low-elements challenges on the Bridgeport Ropes course.  (See Alan Hamilton for a list.)  Pick one that requires that the entire Family Group be involved in order to succeed.

Afterward debrief:

• How was this activity like worshipping together?
• Did it really take everybody to succeed at the challenge?
• What is worship like if everybody doesn’t participate?

Camp Fire

We can enhance our participation in worship as we understand how it is structured.  The basic pattern for worship in the United Methodist Church as found in the Hymnal is:

1. Entrance
2. Proclamation and Response
3. Thanksgiving and Communion
4. Sending Forth

Many churches follow this pattern yet have very different types of services of worship.  Most services include: Scripture, sermon, prayer, hymns or songs, doxologies, affirmations of faith, invitations to discipleship.

q  Discuss how these elements differ in your Church.

q  Which of the four parts is MOST meaningful to you personally?

q  Can anyone imagine a worship service that does not include at least worship and prayer?

q  What if music is missing?

q  Why is worship important or unimportant to you?

q  What can you offer to your worship service when you return home?

Extra Bible Stuff

Scripture is filled with references to the praise and adoration that God’s people are to enjoy.  Reflect on the following passages prayerfully.

v Exodus 20:1-17 records the giving of God’s Law to Israel: the Decalogue, or the Ten Commandments.  See especially verses 2-6 for the primacy of worship.

v Deuteronomy 4:32-39, part of Moses’ great parting speech to the Israelites, calls God’s people to reflect on who God is and the miraculous nature of God’s deed.

v 1 Chronicles 16:8-36 and Psalm 100 are two of many recorded psalms of worship and praise.

v In John 4:24, Jesus describes the kind of worship that God desires us to offer.

v Colossians 3:11-17 provides instructions for the common life to which we are called; including the kinds of worship we are encouraged to offer God in the gathered fellowship.

v Revelation prophetically pictures the ultimate and eternal worship for which we were created.  See especially 4:1-5:14, 19:6-9, and 21:1-4.

Closing Prayer

Close with a circle prayer with each person filling in the blank: “Thank you God for other people because____________________.”

Bonus Brainstorm Ideas

How I can spend more time worshipping God:

What I can offer my Church in worship:

Rev. Gary Mueller
FUMC Plano, Texas
gmueller@firstmethodistplano.org

Gary shares some daily thoughts in the Notes section of his Facebook page.

YouthWorker Movement Questions to Consider:

When have you wished someone would pray God’s blessings upon you?

When have you prayed for God’s blessing upon another?

When should you have prayed for God’s blessing upon another but didn’t?  Why?

When have your prayers changed what you planned to do?

[You may find it helpful to spend a day on each question and write down your responses.  Write whatever comes to mind without judgement.  Then take some time to carefully pray through what you have written.  And take time to listen because God is talking to you.]

This summer, join the lead team for B3X (Beakers, Base Ten, and the Beat) Summer Camp!  Individuals and groups are needed from June 11- August 2, Mondays through Thursdays, 9-3 pm to oversee and lead this unique summer camp!  B3X focuses in the areas of science, math, and music/arts.  Microscopes, musical instruments, calculators, and paintbrushes are placed in the hands of elementary and middle school children- may be for the first time ever.  Volunteers are needed daily and weekly!

If interested in volunteering or bringing a group, please contact Shellie Ross at Shellie@wesleyrankin.org or 214-742-6674.

www.speakersconnexion.org

The Bishop was calling me in the middle of the Conference Sr. High Youth Event and I was shocked.  She said, “Amy, I received a phone call from a pastor attending the event and he was concerned about the message the young people were hearing.”  WHAT!??!!  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, especially since this was my first Conference Sr. High Youth Event.  I was embarrassed, frustrated and surprised by the whole experience.  Yes, the message he had been conveying to the kids did make me cringe at times, because it was often contradictory to the messages that I had heard growing up in The United Methodist Church, but being the new kid on the block,

I thought this was a part of this Conference’s culture.  After all, it was a team of leaders who had been in place before that selected the speaker, the band, and the workshop leaders for the event.  However, what I did not know was how diverse the opinions and attitudes were on types of speakers and the theology of speakers.  When they presented the speaker to me, he seemed harmless, an “illusionist” with a Christian message, but his background and understanding of the Gospel flew in opposition of our fundamentally grace-based faith.

The following years I searched far and wide for speakers/preachers who had a gift for captivating the attention of young people, while still delivering a message that fit with our Wesleyan understanding of Christianity.  When I spoke to colleagues in Conference Youth Ministry doing the same types of things, I discovered they, too, were challenged by the pursuit of good speakers/preachers for their events.  That is when my friend, Amanda Wrigley and I dreamed about a network of Speakers who could capture the heart and attention of young people and still deliver a message filled with God’s grace, love and mercy for all of God’s children.  It was our dream to start a Speakers Connexion of Wesleyan Speakers/Preachers who could share the Gospel far and wide and also provide event planners the peace of mind they needed when inviting new speakers to their events.

The Youthworker Movement has taken this dream and made it a reality.  I am thrilled that the Speakers Connexion is ready to be launched and delivered through the hard work and devotion of the Youthworker Movement’s team.  Our hope is that the Speakers and Preachers who come through this connexion (a play on Wesley’s spelling of connection) will be engaging and substantive for the youth and young adults who come to your events.  I believe that we have a wonderful and rich heritage in The United Methodist Church and I believe that the Wesleyan understanding of God and God’s grace should be shared as far and wide as possible.  It is a message that invites people into a sustaining and enriching relationship with the Divine in this world today.

If you are a trained speaker/preacher who can really engage young people, join the Speakers Connexion.  If you are an event planner, Conference staff leader or youth minister looking for a great speaker/preacher for your youth event, look to the Speakers Connexion.  This is a network through a movement that seeks to make a difference in the lives of teenagers.  The best way we can all benefit is if we work together.

Promise 3: Commitment to Learning & Development

This is part 3 of 7 exploring the We Love Our Youth Worker national covenant between churches and youth workers.  We Love Our Youth Worker (WLOYW), one of our partner organizations, and YouthWorker Movement both agree that healthier youth workers mean healthier youth ministries.  Healthier youth ministries mean more youth can know Christ.  The proposed WLOYW covenant commits churches and youthworkers to make choices that benefit youthworker spirituality and more.  So far we’ve discussed commitment to prayer and spiritual growth.  This week’s focus is the importance of learning and training for youth ministry.

When it comes to youth ministry training and development, I see two ways we could pretty much kill even a good youth program.  One situation would be a church’s failing to invest in their best resources, their staff – and that includes paid and volunteer staff.  The second situation would be when a youthworker is satisfied and quits trying to learn new things.

Our world and our youth constantly change and methods that worked for the past couple of decades don’t work the same anymore.  No matter the church size, if a church doesn’t realize the value of investing in learning new practices, the program likely stagnates or declines.

Let’s take a closer look at Promise 3.  Essentially, a church agrees to provide ongoing training and development.  What the church says here is:

We believe that learning the skills of youth work is an ongoing process and that it’s important to continually invest in professional development.

We promise to set aside time and money to provide training and development for our youth worker.

How invested in development and training is your church?  One of the craziest sounding best practices I’ve seen in this area was at First UMC, Mansfield, Texas.  For their youth ministry interns, the church finds college students interested in going into ministry.  The agreement from the beginning is that the interns, no matter how awesome they are, absolutely will not be hired to stay on after the first year.  The belief behind this is that interns will learn more if they are exposed to different ministries than if they only experience one church’s way of doing things.  The quickest way to learn new things is to be exposed to more experiences.  To me, this demonstrates a radical commitment to training and development on the part of the church.

The second way we could kill a youth program, is to have youth leaders who are not committed to learning and growing.  For Promise 3, youthworkers will commit to continued learning and growth.  The youth worker says:

We promise to have a teachable spirit and seek out ways to grow professionally.

The idea of keeping a teachable spirit is essential.  After a few years in the trenches of youth ministry, it’s tempting to put on your “veteran” hat and think you know all you need to know.  (This is especially dangerous if you’ve been part of a program that seems “successful.”)   What do you do to stay teachable?

Between the YS National Youth Workers Convention and its offshoots, Perkins School of Youth Ministry, Duke’s programs and more, there are quite a few professional seminars and conventions for youth workers.  (See also Charles Harrison’s article on trends about lifelong learning.)  When we as youth workers agree to this covenant, we agree to seek out training.  This can come in many forms – books, websites, seminars and, especially, from networks of youthworkers.  What does this look like for you?

In what ways has your church invested in your training and development?

What training resources have you used/would you recommend?

How do you commit to learning and professional development?

Be blessed,

Erin

“So, it seems like you read a lot of books?!”  Yeah, I get that often.  My college-aged son says he was raised at “the library” and he means our home not a publicly funded book depository.  And this photo below shows you what is on my reading pile for today.  What is wrong with me anyway that rehab for bibliomania won’t cure?

Before I got serious about listening to God and answering the call to a lifetime of Youthwork, I was in sales and management (in what I like to call “my other life”).  What I learned at an early age while I was still navigating the learned halls of high school and then eventually community college was that there was a ton of stuff to learn in order to excel outside of traditional “school” in the classical sense.

It all started when I trained to be a “Master Paint Specialist” for Montgomery Ward Corporation at the ripe old age of 17 (at the age of 14 I was working weekends as a logger, so working inside in AC was a great step up!).  I Think minimum wage back then was like $2.10 so if I became a Master Paint Specialist I would get a .50cent bump up in income.  I had to learn about chemicals, siding, weather, etc. and I had to do it all with a bunch of cassette tapes and one well-worn VHS tape.  Then I had to take a long test and mail it to the Home Office and wait about two months to find out I had the glorious new title.

As I aged, so did my training.  I learned sales techniques, management techniques, and I became a frequent participant at Stephen Covey Seminars.  Sometimes I learned things hands on.  Sometimes in small practice groups.  Often I would read a book or two and pick up new skills.  This was all outside of formal education.

I was certified or received a certificate in a number of things related to business.  So, when I took that first Youth Ministry job, I started asking where the training tapes were.  Where is the seminar?  The first thing I found was that my annual conference had something called CAFÉ, which stood for Conference Academy of Faith Education.  I met Duffy Robbins there among others.  Then I went to Perkins School of Youth Ministry and picked up several Rev. Walt Marcum handouts (which back in those pre-Power Point days were about 100 pages each).

I learned a ton.  And I avoided a trend I saw.  The trend was for Youthworkers to get fired in 3 years or less.

The next step caught me off guard.  This was primarily because having put only about 3 years into my new craft of Youthwork I knew for sure I didn’t yet know enough to really help Young People in their faith journeys the way I wanted to.  The next step for me was being asked to teach now that I was a tested veteran of Youthwork.  What???????  No way I thought!  But my ego said, “hey take a chance”.  So I did.  It sent me back to finding books and working on what I was to teach: Spiritual Growth in Youth Ministry (something I was sure hat I didn’t know enough about).

In conclusion (I like when the pastor says that about ½ way through a sermon) I am moving quickly toward having 30 years in as a Youthworker and I find myself constantly trying to learn.  I consult, I teach, I coach Youthworkers all over the place.  And I still work with a Youth Group every week.  I have to keep learning.  But, along the way, I have found some terrible practices in Youthwork.

#1 pet peeve: Youthworkers who are not life-long learners.

You know who you are: you have about 18 months worth of tricks in your Youth Ministry kit so you start looking for your next gig about month 11.  Or, you are still doing 80’s fun and games yet you have not paid attention to Christian Smith’s research (and plenty of others) showing that much of what we have been doing in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s in Youth Ministry hasn’t seemed to help mature faith development.  Or you think Safe Sanctuaries is a fad.  Or……you get the idea and I know that you know who you are.

The last 3 decades has also seen a drastic DECLINE in the number of training opportunities for Youthworkers.  When Perkins School of Youth Ministry started 25 years ago there were about a dozen other similar training events around the country for United Methodist Youthworkers including a national event held every two years.  Now they are all gone except PSYM.  There is the National Youth Worker’s Convention by YS and Princeton Forum on Youth Ministry and a few other smaller events.  Many annual conferences have eliminated their monthly training events and even their yearly events as budget cuts as well aseliminating veteran Youthworkers on staff to resource, coach, mentor and train conference Youthworkers for the long-haul.  So that leaves para-church organizations to do the training, which is not always very Wesleyan in orientation and often expensive.  And each one seems to be selling products as much as teaching youthworkers.

So what does that leave?  You and a pile of books.  Or several blogs to read.  Or maybe you have a network covenant group you go to.  But how formal, disciplined, and consistent is your learning?  How cutting edge is your thinking?

I am not 100% sure what to do.  So my goal is to help train the next wave of trainers.  And maybe that is you.  But it is only you if you are committed to life long learning.  Maybe you will only train a dozen or so other folks in your network to be better Youthworkers.  That is GREAT!  My BIG idea is that we can actually train more folks for the life-long calling of Youthwork that way.  As opposed to a national event or even a 1 day regional seminar.  We can reach the people who don’t have a $1,500 Continuing Education budget to go to a 4 day event.  We can reach the people who hold a full time job so that they can do Youthwork for free on the weekends.

What do you think?  Are you in?  I mean, what if it starts with us just sharing what we are reading?  Will you join the conversation?  I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Charles W. Harrison
charles@mcyouth.org

That’s probably why across Methodism there’s such a clear understanding of what that process looks like in the local church. What it means. Who leads it. Equally sarcastic fourth descriptor. You get the idea.

Many if not most churches are making this up as they go. Does it need to be clergy led? What materials do we use? Are we supposed to make up our own? When is it supposed to take place, and for how long? And what does “confirmed” mean, anyway? Is that just a fancy way of saying that they’re joining the church? Or making a profession of faith? Most churches eventually arrive at some version of their own answers to all of these questions; at the end of the day, somebody cares about it enough to mash it into definition.

At my own church we’re still getting our heads around it. When I came on at my church confirmation was on pause, having taken a year off due to genuinely more pressing matters in the life of this local congregation. Most confirmation program efforts I’ve observed or talked with other youthworkers about come down to some blend of how-we’ve-always-done-it, what the current pastor thinks is important (if anything), and whatever opinion the youthworker might bring (if any). With two out of those three being brand new voices in the conversation (the pastor & I were in our first months at the church) and having come from a church with a relatively weak background in confirmation, I contacted the previous senior pastor here for some background on how-we’ve-always-done-it. There I found some surprisingly refreshing advice on how to proceed. He said, “Kevin, I could walk you through everything we did and why, but in a lot of ways you’ll be chasing ghosts that don’t matter. The most important thing you can do in your confirmation process is to do everything on purpose.” On purpose. On purpose is different than right or even well. On purpose gives room for trial-and-error, room for making a mess to find a few treasures.

So we blew it up.

One thing I’d never liked about confirmation in general was the feeling that some families seemed to think they were getting their kids “stamped” for the kingdom. When does it start, when is it over, when does grandma need to show up and dab at the corners of her eyes with a tissue as Sally gets baptized (or accepts the baptism of her infancy, if she’s a lifer). Many families would emerge from the woodwork for this time and then vanish again as soon as their kid had completed the important bit of business known as confirmation. It’s always troubled me that in a denomination forever emphasizing journey and relationship through grace and community our confirmation efforts seem to have such a distinct beginning and ending. Here we begin, here we end; I hope you got it, because we won’t mention it again.

So we’ve stretched our process over three years, and that’s where things get a little weird. What is confirmation? Is it the education that leads to or edifies a profession of faith? Is it the moment of joining the church? And when do the Methodist Men get to give out bibles in a 3 year process?

For our purposes, we’ve stopped asking that question and, in the spirit of on purpose, have begun addressing things like this: each year of middle school for 6 weeks in the spring, our youth will experience an intentional discipleship effort guided by the official UMC confirmation resource Credo (not a commercial; just telling you what we’re using) in 2-hour sessions on Sunday night. Through individual conversations then and throughout the year, we will work to come alongside our youth in their spiritual journey. At whatever point a youth is ready to make a profession of faith, they will be encouraged to do so publicly before the congregation and enter into that beautiful covenant relationship of community. If they make a decision during the six weeks of confirmation, we’ll celebrate with them at Easter, our traditional confirmation Sunday. Any who have made professions of faith previously in the year will return on Easter to be held before the church again. If any wish to join the church (or their families with them), that will also take place. Oh, and the Methodist Men will give a bible to any youth beginning our confirmation process–that just makes more sense to me anyway.

This year we’re also adding a camping trip that serves as a confirmation retreat–open to middle & high school youth, reemphasizing the importance of community in faith development and making sure that we don’t let a middle school process be the end of that kind of intentional conversation. Sure, spreading out our confirmation process over three years has created some wrinkles. But we’re doing it on purpose. Even if we can’t tell you what confirmation is.

How does your church process confirmation? What do you love about it? What concerns you?

Peace,
K

Sr. High Bible Study:  1 Samuel 5:1-6:12

Illustration

Use an illustration from your own experience that captures this sentiment.

“In the summer of 2006, I had the privilege to travel to Montreal, Quebec in Canada. I was there for two weeks with a group of college students. One of my favorite days, we rode the bus to St. Andrew’s Basilica. You would not believe the magnitude of this place. In front of the Basilica, there were about 150 steps leading up to the base of the church. These steps were divided into three sections. On the outside were the regular concrete steps that everyone used and the middle section was made of wooden steps. The wooden steps were used by certain devoted groups of believers. The people would get on their hands and knees and go one step at a time saying prayer at each step, all the way until they reached the top of the staircase. I saw people of all ages on these steps. I even saw a lady with a walker ease her way to the base of the staircase, only to fold up the walker, get on her hands and knees and begin her long trek up the steps. My mind raced with reasons why anyone would find it necessary to put themselves through this kind of agony. What was the point of it all? My mind rested on one thought. Humiliation. As a sign of repentance these people were willing to humiliate themselves by going up these steps one at a time, day after day. What they failed to realize is that God does not wait until we are exulted to use us. He uses us through our humiliation. We worship God most when we are feeling worthless not worthy.”

Prayer

Father in this time, show us the sovereignty of your will for this world. Show us our place in building your kingdom. Show us where we truly stand in light of you. Use your word to penetrate hearts, tear down preconceptions, and most importantly Lord, change our lives. We thank you for the one you sent as the word made flesh to dwell among us. We pray in his name, Amen.

Context

1 Samuel begins with the birth and calling of Samuel. In Chapter 4, we are told that the Israelites are locked in a battle with the Philistine’s. The Israelites are getting beat pretty badly. The reason for their failure in battle is disobedience. They could no longer call upon the name of Yahweh because of their sin, and they could no longer receive his help in battle. But the Israelites are desperate. They go and bring the Ark of the Lord onto the battlefield hoping that Yahweh will protect them. Look at chapter 4:5-9. When the Philistines hear about the ark, they are petrified yet somehow they work up enough courage and go into battle. Now look to 4:10-11. The next few passages tell of the news returning to Eli, Samuel’s father. The message goes from bad to worse. Look at verse 17-18. Eli’s main concern was for the Ark. Later when a pregnant woman hears the news she is so grief stricken that she immediately goes into labor and dies because she is “overcome with labor pains.” You see in the Jewish mind-set the Ark of the Lord was the presence of Yahweh. If they lost the Ark they essentially lost Yahweh.

Transitional Statement

This is the ultimate humiliation for Israel. The God that brought them out of Egypt and into the promised land has seemingly been defeated and taken away into captivity. Without their God the Israelites were worthless. They were a small nation. It was only a matter of time before they were overrun by imposing forces. But was their God really defeated, or were they the only ones that tasted defeat? Let’s look at chapter 5.

Commentary and Text - 1 Samuel 5:1-5

* The Philistines carried the Ark of the Lord into the temple of Dagon. Dagon was the Philistian God of War and the Ark was offered to him as a sacrifice for his apparent victory.

* It says when morning came, the people of Ashdod found Dagon fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord. It’s interesting to note that the people had to pick up Dagon and put him back in his place. Their God could win battles, but apparently could not lift his own face out of the dirt!!

* The next morning, the people of Ashdod entered the temple only to find Dagon fallen again with his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord. This time, though, his head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. So what’s the big deal with that? In that time, when kings were captured they were often executed in this grisly manner. The loss of their hands was symbolic of their loss of power and the loss of their head was symbolic of their loss of authority. Not only had Dagon fallen on his face in the presence of God, but now he had been ritually executed as a fallen king by an overpowering invading force.

Commentary and Text - 1 Samuel 5:6-12

* The text continues by stating that the Philistines began to be afflicted with tumors. Death and destruction quickly began to spread throughout the cities.

Illustration

Use an illustration from your own experience that captures this sentiment.

“It’s funny how fast things can spread. I was recently talking with a couple of friends that had traveled down to Louisiana to help with the Hurricane Relief Effort. Well, apparently all of them contracted poison ivy. One of my friends was actually hospitalized twice because his rash was so unbearable. After he got better, I asked him about it. He started talking about how it had spread in his apartment through things he’d touched. He said it started with an itchy neck and pretty much just spread all over his body. Well, as he was telling me this I began to itch around my neck. As he described the rash on his ankles, my legs begin to tingle. By the time we finished with the conversation, I was itching all over. It was ridiculous. You know, I bet when word got out about these tumors, people went crazy.  Look what the text says. When they moved the ark from Ashdod, the entire city of Gath was thrown into a great panic. Not only were they being stricken with physical illness, but it terrified them psychologically and for good reason.”

* This greatly frightened the Philistines and they began asking some of their religious leaders what to do with the Ark of the Lord. They decided to move the Ark from Ashdod to Gath to Ekron.

* If you look at where the Ark travels it looks very similar to how a military campaign would look with a real army. Yahweh begins by desecrating the temple in Ashdod. Then travel south to Gath, only then to make his way back north to Ekron, all the while leaving a path of destruction in his wake.

Commentary - 1 Samuel 6:1-9

* The text says that the ark of the Lord remained in the Philistine territory for seven months. In the Old Testament, the number seven signified completeness. Not that the number is purely symbolic, there’s no reason to think that the ark wasn’t there for seven months. But in this context of judgment, the number seven can carry the notion of completion while still being historically accurate.

* The Philistine leaders decide to make a guilt offering for the God of Israel. Five gold tumors and five gold rats are fashioned and placed in a box beside the ark. The ark is then placed on a new cart with two cows that have calved and never been yoked. This is significant. Cows usually do not pull yokes right out of the womb. They have to be trained to carry the yoke and work together to pull the cart straight. The Philistine’s idea is actually a good one. If two cows can work together and pull the cart straight down the road, even though they’ve never done it before and their calves are crying for their attention, then the Philistines will know that it really was the God of Israel that caused their affliction. And if not, well then I guess they just needed to start eating their vegetables or something because it was obviously not the work of Yahweh.

Commentary - 1 Samuel 6:10-12

* The Philistines put their plan into action. They load up the cart and turn it loose down the road. Look at the statement the narrator makes. Read V 12. Not only did the ark make it back home, but the cows never turned to the right or to the left. They went perfectly up the road.

* So we see here, the ark of the Lord, the depicted as Yahweh himself, returning home victorious in battle. He marches into town being pulled by his mighty war cows with the spoils of victory filling his chariot.

Application

Although Israel was defeated by its opponent, God uses this humiliating experience as a chance to exalt himself. This story ends with the humiliation of both Israel and the Philistines. They are both defeated by their enemy but only one is restored with the presence of God. It is important to realize that God does not always use us when we are exalted. He often times uses us when we are humiliated. We should not feel helpless in our faith whenever we are humiliated, that is when we should feel the most useful. We should not fear humiliation.

Illustration

Give an experience that illustrates a time that you willingly endured humiliation for a greater cause.

It’s the same way in our walk with God. Humiliation will happen in your life. We should not be surprised when it does. So what kind of things can we do? We can associate with people that maybe we would never want to be seen with otherwise. We could sacrifice our schedule to do something for someone else. When someone humiliates us we could not retaliate to save our reputations. The best example that God has given us in this world is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to earth to do battle for us. But when he needed his followers the most, they were defeated. He was dragged off, and to his captors, he was a humiliated prisoner of war. But something glorious happened. Something that his captors did not expect. The humiliation that was endured on the cross soon turned to exultation. Christ arose on the third day and returned to his throne victorious. We are his spoils of victory. He has destroyed his enemy and has left him devastated. Humiliation and exultation. Are you willing to be humiliated for God? Are you willing to exalt God in every humiliating situation?

End with Prayer

This is one of several sessions in the Soul Fire curriculum that has been posted for YouthWorker Movement use.

Supplies: Camper Book, Bible, Pens, a recent newspaper & a recent magazine, poster board, (1) glue stick, scissors

Key Scripture:

“I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”  Isaiah 42:6-7 NRSV

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.” 

Matthew 5:14 NRSV

Open with Prayer

Open with a prayer of Thanksgiving for the Church of Jesus Christ.

Flip the Light Switch

“It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects- education, building, missions, holding services….the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ….if they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time.”  C.S. Lewis

“The first goal he set forth for the early church was to use his all-encompassing power and authority to make disciples…”  Dallas Willard

The Main Idea of this session is that the Church is GOD’S light in a world of darkness.

Look Around

Sing a song together like “This Little Light of Mine” and add as many verses as your group can think up to say how to let God’s light shine on everywhere all the time.  Be as creative as you can and have fun!

“Hey!  What’s that?”

The Church has often been described in five basic ways:

1. As a formal institution
2. As a community of the Holy Spirit
3. As an outward and visible sign of God’s invisible grace
4. As people who believe in Jesus Christ assembled in one place
5. As a fellowship of those liberated from the world

Talk about these 5 descriptions:

q  Which one do you like best?  Why?

q  Which one sounds least like the Church you go to?

q  Which one sounds the most like the Church you go to?

Candle

In your journal describe or draw your version of the perfect Church.  What would it have?  What would it do?  How can you help to build that Church when you get home?

Flashlight

Cut out pictures and headlines from a recent newspaper and magazine those show the world as a place of darkness that needs God’s light.  Glue these onto a poster board in scrapbook fashion.

Talk about how the Christian Church could be God’s light in these situations.

Camp Fire

Have a discussion based on the two Key Scripture verses:

q  Who is the Scripture talking to?

q  What is the Scripture talking about?

q  What can you learn from the verses that come just before and just after each Key Scripture?

q  What do these verses say about God?  About people?  About the relationship between God and people?

q  What are some action steps each Family Group member could take to make this Scripture come alive for their Church?

q  How would the Church have to change for these verses to become real?

q  How would people (us) who call themselves “Christian” have to change in order for these verses to become real for the world?

Closing Prayer

As a form of closing prayer, have one Group member speak for God the passage from Isaiah to the Group.  The group should respond with a rousing “AMEN!”

Rev. Gary Mueller
FUMC Plano, Texas
gmueller@firstmethodistplano.org

Gary shares some daily thoughts in the Notes section of his Facebook page.

YouthWorker Movement Questions to Consider:

What is on your plate right now that you feel like is “all up to you”?

What have you done lately (that you wish you would not have done) to prove your value and worth?

God loves you unconditionally- can you really accept this? Why or why not?

[You may find it helpful to spend a day on each question and write down your responses.  Write whatever comes to mind without judgement.  Then take some time to carefully pray through what you have written.  And take time to listen because God is talking to you.]

Looking for a GREAT summer Mission trip in the Dallas, Texas area?  Check out www.c2kDallas.org

Register before April 1, 2012 and enjoy an all-inclusive mission trip for just $199 per person (if paid in full and on-time) and spend more time with your Youth and less having to plan and run the daily grind of mission trip logistics, cooking, supply runs, etc.

C2K specializes in Junior High Mission trips (but we take groups of all ages) with a well trained intern staff to lead your group for the week.  C2K is an all-inclusive experience of urban mission in Dallas, Texas.  Teams can choose to work on housing, churches, and reading with inner-city children.  Home-cooked meals (with vegetarian options) and most supplies are included in a Sunday night through Friday morning experience.  Staff led worships, curriculum for daily devos, indoor games, wacky water Wednesdays and more!  We also welcome mixed groups and High school and/or college groups!

For more Information e-mail: heather@c2kdallas.org with your group size and preferred dates for summer of 2012.

Mention The Youthworker Movement and receive a $20 per person discount (if paid in full by April 1, 2011).

More About Us

C2K provides an incredible mission experience for youth and adults!  Are you interested in a meaningful mission trip but not interested in planning one from scratch? You’ve come to the right place! C2K can create a schedule to meet all of your needs with customized trips and dates.

Meet the staff.

The schedule packing list and all the forms you need to register are here.

Early Bird Rate (if registered and PAID IN FULL by April 1, 2012) - $199/person

*Returning groups from Summer 2011 will receive a $20/person discount if paid in full by April 1, 2012

$229/person if registering and/or payment is received after April 1, 2012

A $200 non-refundable registration fee and a 50% per person deposit will be due at

time of registration. Your deposit will be refundable until May 1, 2012.

Your remaining balance is due by June 1, 2012. If registering or completing your

payment after June 1, 2012 your per person price will be $255.

*******************************

Only looking for a place to stay overnight on your trip to Dallas?  Check with us about our nightly rates.  You can even add in a meal or two.

Looking for a mission experience or a place to stay in non-summer months?  just e-mail heather@c2kdallas.org to schedule your time.

Just like any good youth worker, the other day I found myself researching American youth culture by watching an episode of King of the Hill (yeah, that excuse doesn’t work on my wife either).

In the episode, Bobby Hill asks his parents a pointed question about the faith they proclaim.  ”What is a Methodist?”, he asks.  The next scene we find the Hill family in the office of the pastor at Arlen Methodist Church.  The first thing the pastor says is, “Methodism is simply a rejection of Calvinism.”  At this explanation, the Hills look at themselves as if to say, “Really?  Isn’t there more to it than that?”

Surely we’re more than that.  Too often we define ourselves by what we aren’t.  We identify ourselves in the negative by saying things like, “We don’t rebaptize like the Baptists” or “We don’t believe in predestination like the Lutherans”.  But these really aren’t helpful in providing a positive foundation for identity in Methodism for our young people.

Like a lot of United Methodists, I was not raised in the United Methodist tradition.  I was raised in a small Southern Baptist church of about 250 people.  I even attended a small Southern Baptist University.  But unlike many of my fellow ex-pats, I did not leave the Southern Baptist tradition out of disgust or anger.  I was never treated inappropriately or told that I was going to Hell for believing differently.  In fact, I think back fondly on my spiritual heritage and count it as being pivotal in providing a foundation for my spiritual identity as an adolescent.

As I think back to my upbringing, I can’t remember a time when I heard Southern Baptist defined as not being Methodist.  My church was clear on their identity and the theological task they contributed to the Church at large.  There was not overt bashing of other denominations like I hear in some United Methodist churches.  There was not an effort to somehow discredit the practices of other denominations to somehow lend validation to the practices of Southern Baptists.

So why did I become a United Methodist?

Believe it or not it was because of my own study, discussions with trusted mentors, and much guided prayer.  As I began to articulate my faith, I realized that the lens through which I viewed the faith was very much United Methodist in nature.  The United Methodist denomination gave structure to some inner struggles that I have with the Faith.  It provided a framework to view the Faith in a way that was beneficial to my own spiritual formation.

It is important as youth workers that we give our young people the positive identifying markers of United Methodism.  We should take every opportunity to affirm our unique gifts as a denomination.  We are more than what we’re not.

Below are some positive identifying marks that attracted me to United Methodism.

We are committed to our Connection.  Though theoretically all churches are united under the Banner of Christ, sometimes we don’t act like it.  I appreciate the commitment the UMC has to staying connected.  For better or worse, we are one family of faith.  Our Connection forces us to literally put our money where our mouth is and live together in covenant with one another.  I know sometimes we like to gripe and complain about the hassles that come with doing life together but on the whole I believe this is an extremely positive identifying mark of the UMC.

We are committed to a wholistic approach to the Faith.  One of the biggest buzz words in the UMC is the “Quadrilateral”, that is Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience.  One can debate how “Wesleyan” the Quad actually is but the truth is that this gave me a framework with which to guide my understanding of the faith.  ”Think and let think” was another phrase that I came across a lot in my studies.  Though many United Methodists take this to mean that we can believe whatever we want, in actuality this phrase commands us to think for ourselves but never by ourselves.  Good theology always happens within community and the UMC works from this model.  With that said…

We are committed to Christian Discipleship.  Though many of our churches may not reflect this reality, Wesley believed that small groups were essential for true Christian discipleship to take place.  For more, read this article about small groups in our United Methodist Heritage: Small groups are in our DNA.  The UMC is built upon the local church and our local churches are encouraged to be self-sustaining regardless of pastoral changes.  There is a responsibility for every Christian to grow in their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.  Christians are also encouraged to let their faith affect all areas of their lives including their ideas regarding economics, ecology, politics, social justice, etc.

We are a denomination that emphasizes God’s Grace.  Ask congregants in your local UMC and many of them were probably not raised United Methodist.  Our church is one that makes room for those from all faith backgrounds.  We also offer an open table for communion which is actually a unique opportunity that many churches do not provide.  Our slogan for the UMC is Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.  I think one of the most meaningful things we did for our perception as a denomination was when we changed the word, “Open” from an adjective to a verb.  Now we’re talking!  That’s the type of faith I want to proclaim!  The UMC is a welcoming denomination that encourages action from all of its members.

Why are you United Methodist?  What aspects of United Methodism are most attractive to you?

What is your spiritual heritage and how does your upbringing affect how you view other denominations?

“To have a conversion experience is nothing much.  The real thing is to be able to keep on taking it seriously; to retain a sense of its plausibility.” ~Peter L. Berger

My guess is that many good folks in Youthwork simply don’t take Conversion seriously.  I don’t mean that as a slam.  I am pretty sure I did not take it very seriously either until I start working on a small team to develop a truly Wesleyan model for Youthwork.

We met for many weeks in the late 90’s talking about how few resources there were for doing “Methodist” Youth Ministry in the United Methodist Church.  Sure, there were program books put out by the United Methodist Publishing House.  That is not what I mean.  We were asking the question: “What would John Wesley do in any church we have served, big or small, rural or urban, liberal or conservative, if he was the Youth Minister?”  What was his praxis and could we still use it today?

We came up with three framing concepts that were so interconnected we were convinced we were on to something. 1) Identity- Young People are asking “Who Am I?” and “What is my purpose?” 2) Conversion- was there more to it than an altar call added to the end of every youth event in an obligatory way or worse yet an altar call always shunned and never used because it felt like manipulation? 3) Community- were young people going to learn faith as a solitary religion or as a social religion?

I drew the short straw for researching Conversion.  And I felt pretty darn happy about it.  I mean, to understand Conversion you just need to know Paul’s story and then maybe you read William James and then (most likely) a good Baptist theologian has written a book that explains it all.  I figured I would be done in 6 weeks tops!  Well, not only was that 12 years ago (and I am still not done with all the primary source reading) but I found my intellectual life’s calling: to really understand what is happening to the person in the lifespan, at any age, in the moment of Conversion and in the life long process of being Converted.  You could even say I was Converted to Conversion!

You see before I started, I thought the typical altar call was just simply…..ummm…..well I didn’t really think about it but I was sure determined to never allow it because I had decided in my 10+ years of Youthwork that it was only emotional manipulation to get Youth “saved” and to report Monday morning how many salvations I had recorded in a praise report on the old Youth Ministry list serve that I belonged to.  I could not have been more wrong.  But, in some ways, I also could not have been more right.

John Wesley took the life cycle seriously.  Now, he certainly didn’t think about the life-cycle the way we moderns think about it post-Erickson and post-Fowler.  But his praxis (I was told not to use this word which means “practice”) was to meet people exactly where they were in their salvation journey.  He had a plan of what to do and what each person should be a part of prior to New Birth and post-New Birth.  He saw what was happening to the good people Whitfield was Converting and that they had no follow up plan and said something like: it would be better if they had never been converted at all because a year later they are in worse shape than they were before Conversion!  Now that is harsh.

Isn’t that what we do?  We work and work and work, to move Young People to a certain point of faith, and then we get so busy moving more Young People to the same certain point of faith that we don’t have time to really go deep with a planned Sanctification ministry for each person as an individual and meeting them where they are in their Life’s Journey with God.

Don’t get me wrong; working with Young People beyond the influence of the Church (Prevenient Ministry) will always be a Vital Driver for any Church; and working with Young People to help them make a serious commitment to the God of Jesus Christ (Justification Ministry) should remain at the center of what we do.  But do we take the Wesleyan call to grow in Grace and move on toward Perfection (Sanctification Ministry) seriously in our ministry with Young People?

I simply don’t think we hold these 3 things in balance in a typical Youth Program.

If you asked John Wesley “Is Conversion something that happens in a moment or a life-long process?” he would answer “Yes!”  My thought is that in general we do not really take the moment any more seriously than we take the life-long process.  Sure the whole thing can happen in a moment like it did for the thief on the cross next to Jesus.  But didn’t he miss out on the full lifetime of sanctification that 99.1% of our Young People have the potential to enjoy?

If you doubt my theory, that we don’t take the Conversion process seriously you only have to look at the research out now about Young People’s understanding of God and what God does in our lives and in the world.  To ruin the ending to many of these great books out, Young People have a shallow faith primarily because their Families have a shallow faith as well.  This cuts across all religious traditions but seems to have had an effect on Mainline Denominations like the United Methodist Church the most.  Maybe, we were never really doing the right things in Youth Ministry even back in the heydays of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s if both Parents and Youth have not yet experienced the full Glory of Sanctification?

Maybe it is time we start?!?!?!

Peace and Grace,

Charles W. Harrison
charles@mcyouth.org 
www.charleswharrison.com 

“You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
Psalm 91:1-2

Once upon a time the church’s responsibility was to raise moral beacons in communities throughout the world.  In fact, Christian Formation in the early church was aimed at nurturing, producing and guiding young people and adults as they moved towards, what Methodists have termed “Christian Perfection.”  In other words, Christian Formation’s primary purpose was helping people discover a life grounded in the perfect love of God.  Augustine interpreted Jesus’ words as four forms of love:

1)    Temperance: Love giving itself entirely to that which is loved;

2)    Fortitude: Love bearing all things for the sake of that which is loved;

3)    Justice: Love serving only that which is loved;

4)    Prudence: Love distinguishing between what helps and what hinders love.[1]

However, this task did not come easily and was rather complex, time-consuming and required a great deal of participation from the entire community.  Training young people in the four forms of love was a task that began with the first and most fundamental investors in the process; the parents.  Not only was there value in the one-on-one relationship and coaching but, there was an expectation that parents would be the moral beacons for their children, living examples of faithfulness and virtue.  The early church had a system of Christian Formation that prioritized faith as a way of life rather than as an accessory to the good life.  Faith formation permeated their way of living and being and was ingrained in them from early childhood and nurtured through every stage of life.  So, what happened?  Why did faith formation go from the front seat – VIP priority in the lives of Christians to the back seat, if not the back of the pick-up in our virtual cultural American truck?  Now, we are lucky if any type of faith formation even sticks.

Some say the demise of Christian Formation began with the introduction of the first Sunday School in 1780 when Robert Raikes, a journalist and editor of an England paper started it as a social experiment to take care of the so-called “bad boys” who had been skipping out on church.  (LIFE Magazine, June 1941)  Sunday School has had its high moments and its low moments, however the current trend is low with little sign of recovery.  Some say it is because in the fruition of Sunday Schools, we released parents from the responsibility of Christian Spiritual Formation in the lives of their children.  It became easier to believe as a parent and say that, “I don’t know enough about church and God, I’ll just leave that to the ‘experts.’”  Now, as youth leaders, ministers and more, we are fighting an up-hill battle, trying to convince parents and other adults that their role and responsibility in the Spiritual Formation of their children is essential to the development of moral beacons for this world.

If identity of the human spirit is a fragile, yet beautiful gift from the Divine, then why have we relinquished this formation piece to a hope-filled, one-hour a week event that has rarely affected every other day of our lives?  As youth ministers, directors, volunteers and people who care about youth in general, our job is to gather the village and remind each person of their role in raising and nurturing these moral beacons in our world.

Step 1 - The first step is with YOU.  Do you believe that your role is important and valuable to the faith formation process of young people today?  Do you believe that by God’s grace and humility, you can be a part of this very important work?  Do you also believe that you cannot do this alone?  GOOD – now move on to step 2.

Step 2 – Gather the village.  Youth ministry cannot be a single person approach.  It takes every person in the village (IE: your church community) to nurture these young people in the faith.  Go back to the baptismal vows, study them and remind the people of God about the covenant they make to these children of God, both in their baptism and in their confirmation.

Step 3 – Gather the parents.  Encourage, equip and empower parents to lead by example.  Invite them to lead with confidence and nurture their children in the faith by modeling their own faith development and journey.  It’s OK if they don’t have all the answers, no one does.  However, it is NOT OK to relinquish their responsibility in the Christian Spiritual Formation of their children to the Sunday School teacher, youth leader or minister of the church.  Be their advocate!  Do all that you can to partner with parents and invite parents to pray with their children, study scripture with their children and even discuss the tough questions with their children, at every stage of their life (both parents and children.)

Step 4 – Be intentional in practicing the “Means of Grace.”  In the Methodist tradition we believe that there are means by which we can grow closer to God and learn to love and serve our neighbor.  These “Means of Grace,” invite us into a relationship with our Creator that is strengthened through daily practice and intentional habits.  (some of the Means of Grace are: Prayer, Communal Worship, Fasting, Bible Study, Communion, Visiting the Sick, Imprisoned, Serving the hungry, Clothing the Naked, and more.)

Step 5 – Pray, Pray, Pray…need I say more?

It is not a perfect process, however it leads to a “perfect” outcome.  When we grow in our relationship with God, then out of that faithfulness comes the good and right relationship with people all over our communities and our world.  Discover the gift of God’s perfect love!

By Amy Valdez Barker

PhD in Christian Education and Congregational Studies

Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary

Last Friday I talked with Frank for just over an hour on Skype. We recorded a portion of that conversation with the hopes of passing portions of it on to our readers here, as well as creating some promotional material for the festival this year. The pounding sound that was heard across Catoosa County late Friday afternoon was my forehead repeatedly meeting my desk as I realized that my recording software had decided that the audio was superfluous data. I have a fine digital memoir of what Frank looks like when he talks, if you’d like to see it. The best part is that Frank is a writer. Writers write because they like to say things once, not twice. There’s no recovering that conversation. So I shall sum.

Our conversation was all over the map of spiritual thought, but one of the main things that has stayed with me was our discussion of how poorly we listen to each other. Not Frank & me; “we” in general. We were talking about the difficulty of moving toward interfaith conversation when we can’t even seem to get our heads around interdenominational conversation within the Protestant church. Frank was quick to point out how rarely we listen well on any subject. As an example, he offered that if he believed that his next appointment was more important than our conversation, he’d be thinking about how to wrap up with me–basically listening with one ear. (He began that point by assuring me that it wasn’t the case.)

When it comes to spiritual discussion, he suggested another perhaps subconscious practice that distracts us from really hearing. I mentioned the frustration of trying to find a adult community of conversation that was unafraid to unpack any of our spiritual foundations–it seems like I’m always running into someone’s a bridge too far, the point at which the conversation balks or becomes heated in defense of a core belief. Frank suggested that if we enter a spiritual conversation with anything that we are unwilling to let go of that we enter it unwilling to truly listen–instead, our mind will be working to defend what we already believe against what we’re hearing. For some, it’s matters of scriptural interpretation; others fall apart on doctrine. Few Christians would be willing to sit and genuinely hear out a well-spoken atheist. What are we afraid of? Losing an argument? Being proved wrong? Shining a light on holes in the fabric of our own belief?

Obviously, context matters; clearly I wasn’t really listening to the speaker at the event I wrote about last week. I do think it’s just as important to speak well from your traditions. I’m not entirely thrilled with the apparent contradiction there any more than you are: how can I be steamed one week about insulating our kids in a Wesleyan experience and in the next breath advocate interfaith conversation? Because I’m not saying you bring the well-spoken atheist to the first week of confirmation classes. And as outspoken as I was about intentional Methodist discipleship last week, I suppose it’s worth noting that I’m equally intentional to expose our group to different practices of faith. But I tell them in advance when I’m doing that–last week’s article was rooted in the start of being theologically surprised.

I hope the difference is clear there. I do want our kids to hear other voices in other rooms. And I want them to learn how to listen as well as they speak.

I’ll have more here from my conversation with Frank in the coming weeks. And eventually I’ll approach him again, hat in hand, and confess the errors of my audio-muted ways. Not-listening-well perfected.

Peace,

K

It’s an agreement between two parties – both sides have to give something for it to work.  So last week I introduced the first promise from the We Love Our Youth Worker (WLOYW) covenant – the church’s promise to pray for its youth worker and the youth ministry.  I don’t want to overlook that the covenant works both ways – the youthworker also promises to pray for the church, its leaders and members and members of the community.

This week covers both sides of the second promise – the promise from the church to give the youth worker space for retreat and reflection as well as the promise of the youth worker to make own spiritual growth a priority.  

With this promise, the church says:

We believe that taking time to think and pray is just as essential for our youth worker as organizing events and meeting young people.

We promise to encourage our youth worker to use part of his or her schedule to give space for retreat, reflection and personal development.

What does this look like in your ministry?  Do you have time set aside each year for your own retreat and sabbath?  You plan retreats for young people – when was the last time you went on a retreat for yourself?  Does the staff of your church have spiritual retreat time?  If you don’t do this already, I encourage you to find someone in your congregation this week  that will make your spiritual development a priority.  Maybe you need someone to hold you accountable or to be your advocate for retreat time, maybe you need to join an adult Bible study…do whatever it takes so you can connect with God.

The other half of the promise is that we have to make our own spiritual growth and health a priority.  By agreeing to this covenant, the youth worker here says:

We promise to spend time reading God’s Word, take time for retreat and reflection and find ways to keep our faith fresh and growing.

This is a tricky one for me – because as much as I’d like to complain that I work so hard in youth ministry that I don’t get a chance to take a break, I’ve got to own that it’s my fault if I don’t take control of my own schedule and make my spiritual health a priority.  Our culture honors and rewards busy-ness.  Being busy all the time planning events, leading events, rescuing youth from  problems, sending texts, writing Facebook messages – all that never made me a hero.  In fact, it’s fruitless to be caught up and busy pouring your life and heart into others if you’re not getting spiritually fed yourself.  You can’t give what you don’t have, right?

Here’s the deal - There is only one you.  God called you with your unique gifts to where you are in ministry and you are qualified to be there.  So how are things between you and God?

I am in youth ministry because I discovered Christ’s love and wanted to share that with young people…maybe we all are.  If we don’t hold on to that love and make time to connect with God, how do we know that what we are doing is God’s will?

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How does your church support your spiritual growth?

Have you had success or struggles in this area?

What strategies have you used to make sure you have your own spiritual health taken care of?

What keeps you from spending more time with God?