We are not as cutting edge as we think

June 18, 2013 — 1 Comment

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Our church leaders, my colleagues in ministry, and my circle of friends take ministry pretty seriously. We are always studying up, praying, and discerning in an continued effort to do the most effective, contextualized ministry that is aligned with the heart of God.

For the past few years those buzz words, I mean models, have been things like, missional, contextual, social justice, authenticity, and community. There is so much to be discussed, said, written on, and implemented surrounding these topics and values. I for one often think of myself as well read and on the early adopter side of ministry trends. So it is both refreshing and humbling to come to the hills of Guatemala and work alongside a church that is already doing all of this!

Here in Santa Apolonia we are partnered with Englesia del Belen (or something close to that) and this church, specifically the church leadership, embody many of the values and strategies that big wig church leaders and speakers are peddling as revolutionary at conferences like Thrive, Catalyst, Youth Workers, etc.

The head elder, a man named Julio, embodies who I want to be as a pastor, leader, and ministry leader in my context.

Hospitality:
Every day our entire team gets to eat at his home. He moved out beds and furniture from two of his rooms even, so we would all fit. He makes time to connect with our students and warmly embraces them. It his Julio’s hospitality that has inspired our students to work hard and practice hospitality themselves.

Outreach:
Julio is attractional in his ministry style by providing big and fun events for the community and for our students to engage one another. We played a huge soccer game with our students against some of the students from the church and their friends. It was a great night and at the end, Julio gathered us all together to bless us and pray for us. We are also opening up the church to have a celebratory dinner with the church and our team on Friday. This all by itself is great, but the students and kids that we have connected with throughout the week are welcomed as well.

Authentic and Deep:
The ministry at the church is also built around home groups. Just like you and I have small groups, they have those as well. It is these small groups that carry out ministry and care for each other and for the community. Tonight our kids get to go to 7 or 8 of these small groups and join the study, worship, and prayer.

Missional:
What this church, through the leadership of Julio, does that is the most impressive to me is that they are fully involved in their community. They are members who are involved in politics, even the mayor, who see their role as ambassadors for Jesus and to attempt to model their lives and government around the values of Jesus. They are also being a blessing to their community by caring for the least of these in their town.

The little village up the hill is one of the poorest in Guatemala, and this church has taken it upon themselves to plant a church their, to upgrade the houses, bathrooms, and kitchens of those homes, and care for the elderly. They use their own recourses to do this, and when we came rolling in with our big, American dollars to spend, they funneled it to work projects in this little community.

Always Learning:
I am pretty sure that Julio hasn’t been to seminar, been to a major conference, or even aware of some really inspiring podcasts. He is simply a man who knows and loves Jesus, who has decided to follow him for his entire life, to use his influence for the expansion of the kingdom and is modeling ministry that beats closely to the heart of Jesus.

Not bad for a grandpa!

I am glad that I get another picture of how church is done, of what godly women and men look like, and how we can continue to serve Jesus long after our early 20′s. Julio is an amazing man, and it is an honor to partner with him and his church. His example is significant for me and for our students!

Please keep praying for us:
Please continue to pray our students and for me as we finish up another great day of ministry. And please pray for Englasia del Belen, Julio, and the ministry they are doing in Santa Apolonia and the little village on the hill.

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How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

June 17, 2013 — 3 Comments

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Psalm 133

1 How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

With most of the first day under our belt, I found myself reflecting on Psalm 133. This is one of my favorite verses of all time, and truly the prayer of my heart.

The truth be told, I am actually pretty impressed that I have managed to be reflecting on a verse at all today. The first day of every trip, specifically a mission trip, is a complete 3 ring circus. There is such an incredibly steep learning curve that happens when 50 people have to learn to work and live together and the missions team that is facilitating our trip as to figure us out and what we are capable of. And do all this with cultural and language barriers.

Our students are barely running on 5 hours of sleep and are doing incredibly well considering every 5 minutes someone is telling them something different to be doing. With the lack of sleep combined with some fits and starts to our day, we are doing quite well!!

Even for someone who is OCD about efficiency, I have found enormous success with what our students have accomplished and their attitudes in it. Our students dug a foundation, moved thousands of pounds of construction supplies, and even crafted some rebar for foundations.

Now every team is off to connect with students and kids in the community. Our college students are teaching english today in three different schools, and our high school students will be pulling off 2 different VBS’ to cap off our afternoon.

But our day will not be over. After a little down time and a chance to change, we will be competing against the people of the church we are staying with in a somewhat friendly game of soccer. After being full from a full portion of humble pie, it will be time for a little team time and then off to bed!

Like I said at the beginning of this post, in all of it I have Psalm 133 running on repeat in my mind and my heart!

There is something truly amazing when God’s peeps live together in unity.
I could not have brought a more diverse team to a context that is more “other” then the hills of Guatemala. And in all of it we are living in unity. This unity is extended among our team, between our team and our Merge team, and between our team and the people of the church.

As we live in unity there is a stirring in my soul that that forces me to pray a prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude. Imagine how great it is when you and your closest friends are doing something deep and significant together. You are united as one, you are partnering in the movement of God, you are modeling the unity of the Trinity. When this happens among our closest friends it is amazing! When it happens with a group like this and a context like this it is pretty close to a miracle.

Even though I have absolutely no cultural touch points of how rad it would be to pour oil all over my head and have it drip down through my beard, I imagine that it is supposed to be pretty amazing and quite a celebration!

That is how I feel, overwhelmed with God’s goodness and grace. I am sitting back watching our students work so hard to bless everyone they come in contact with, and soaking up the oil through my beard. And my prayer of thanksgiving is that of David’s;

1 How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,

Amen!

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From leader to facilitator

June 16, 2013 — 1 Comment

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With all the hiccups that happen when traveling with 50 people, and most of them minors, we are finally all together getting dialed in for our arrival into Guatemala.

What hiccups you might ask?
Good question. In just the few short hours we have been traveling together, we have managed to get stopped in security for a student who “forgot” about a knife he had in his possession, a lost boarding pass, and two separate incidents of bags left behind. (You know, when you go to the food court, bathroom, or currency exchange and leave your bag behind.) Thankfully, God’s grace has been overwhelming and so far these little hiccups just make us adults smile. :)

But with these opportunities for grace behind us, we are now trying to make best use of this time so we are honing our craft skills, doing some team bonding, and praying together. And as our students meet up in their teams, I have come to the realization that my role is already transitioning from team leader to facilitating team.

What I mean by this, is that for the past few months I have been herding cats, wrangling paperwork, lessons, crafts, songs, games, and more paperwork from my students. I have been the person in the front with a clipboard moving students from point A to point B. Now that we are quickly approaching point B, I am handing the reigns over to my student leaders. This is now their car to drive!

I could not be more proud of my three sets of student leaders. They are keeping tabs on their people, managing the group dynamic, and leading their team into deeper dependance on God. It is so fun watching these students get after it.

As a facilitator, my job is now to meet regularly with these student leaders, communicate well, clarify expectations, and ooze non-stop, specific affirmation. It is incredibly intimidating leading high school students, it is exponentially more intimidating leading high school students when they are your peers. And this is the role that these leaders are living into!

I am so aware and thankful of all the prayers and support of our church and my friends and family. Now that we are one more plane flight to actually being in Guatemala, putting into practice what we have been learning over these past few months, I would ask that you pray specifically for my student leaders.

These students, Tommy, Samantha, Bix, Sarah, Jessica, and Tristan are amazing and carrying a huge burden this trip. Pray for God’s grace, wisdom, discernment, and guts. Pray that God would empower them and that they would live into the people that God so clearly has made them to be! And pray that they would love their team well, love them selflessly, with a servants heart, and find joy in empowering their peers for ministry!

It is an honor to be a part of this team, and a joy to fade into the background as our student leaders step up and step out!

Next stop Santa Apolonia.

PS: Please pray that God multiplies our rest as well. We arrive around 11:30 pm, and our day begins at 7:00 am on Monday! YES PLEASE!! #sleepwhenwearedead Thank you again for your support and prayers for this trip.

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All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go

June 15, 2013 — 1 Comment

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With my final count of passports under my belt and the last email sent to parents, all that is left to do is wait until my alarm rings at 3:00 am tomorrow morning to get this show on the road!

In less than 24 hours, I will be leading a team of incredible students and adults on a mission trip to Guatemala. This week we will be doing some construction projects, vacation bible school, and teaching english during the days and partnering with our host church in the evenings for all sorts of ministry, food, fun, and our annual soccer game. (They usually smoke us!)

It has been a long time since I have been this excited for a mission trip. For many reasons this has been one of the hardest trips to prepare for. The logistics were off the charts, the financial cost was quite high, and some of the personalities quite strong. Because of these factors I found it quite difficult to get my head and heart around this trip. I spent the last month having crazy dreams, and anxiety induced sessions at local buffets.

Truth be told, I was a little concerned that I was simply going to spend the trip spinning out of control about things I am trying to control, but know I can’t. I lowered my expectations to the absolute bottom as I simply wanted to return with every student I brought. (This is still one of my expectations by the way)

As I reflected on this, I had the awful feeling that maybe I am rounding the corner into the final stretch of my student ministry career. I mean why would I lead a trip of this sort to simply countdown the time for it to be over? And then this realization got to be one more thing to freak out about. But what I have found, is that as we continue to walk with Jesus we never stay in the place we find ourselves right now in this moment! This truth became a reality for me!

By continually wrestling with Jesus, I have died to my anxiety (most of it) and am anticipating God to move in huge ways in and through our group!

I am so thankful to God and his faithfulness and graciousness towards me. The preparation for this trip has again proven all the more how much I am in need of God in every area of my life! Because of God’s grace and because of the incredible people who have partnered with me, specifically Amanda, my right arm in ministry, we are ready to go!

But even more than being logistically prepared to go, I am finally spiritually prepared to go. My fear of having such low expectations for this trip has been exchanged for incredibly high expectations for God to show up in huge and awesome ways! I am counting on Him rocking our worlds, blowing our minds, and grabbing a hold of our hearts. I have a renewed passion for my students and for my call as a youth worker.

When we just get from point A to point B we only get to point B. No matter what, in a week this trip will be over and we will be home and accomplished our building projects, vbs, and english classes. But I am convinced that the real ministry that we are to do and the real work that God wants to do in our lives in not at point B, but is all along the journey to point B.

Today, I am looking forward to being present, to keep an open mind and heart, so see what God is up to in the individual lives of our students and my friends in Guatemala. I am looking forward to being sensitive to the subtle movements of God in all the individual moments that will make up this trip!

Please pray that I will practice the ministry of presence this week. I am convinced that getting to point B is not the purpose of this trip. It is the unknown ministry that will happen on the way there that is going to rock our wolds! Pray I don’t steam roll those moments in my knee-jerk effort to simply get to the end!

Time to pack!

bk

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We are taking a little detour . . .

June 10, 2013 — Leave a comment

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Dear faithful readers of this blog (i.e. mom),

In just under a week I am taking a team of students and leaders on a mission trip to Guatemala.  For the past few months we have been managing mountains of paperwork and endless logistics combined with team trainings and meetings.  And now, in just under a week we are hitting the road and going to do some incredible ministry alongside an amazing church in the little town of Santa Apolonia.

In an attempt to embrace this new world we live in where access to information and technology is no longer an option, but a way of life, I am coming up with an entirely new social media strategy for this trip.  I am going to intentionally use Facebook and Twitter to share pictures and updates throughout the day.  On top of those updates, I am planning on  using this blog to post a daily summary so that our church (and parents) can be encouraged by all that God is doing in and through our group.  My hope is that our church community would be able to pray specifically for what is going on within our group and in our village, and for me to reflect daily on the places where God is showing up.

For many of you who are younger youth workers, I know you are probably laughing and shaking your head with how slow I am on the uptake with these initiatives.  But for me, who cut my mission trip teeth on CB communication and mixed tapes, I am pretty proud of my progress. :)

All this is to say, that for the next week or so this blog space is becoming an arm of the student ministry of Marin Covenant Church.  So, if you were expecting some sassy blog post about the inner workings of youth ministry, have no fear, those will come back online on the 24th of June.  In the que are posts about over sharing, preaching like Francis Chan, loneliness in student ministry, and a couple of book reviews. Who knows, I may even re-post my epic blog on bikinis.

If you are a parent who is sending your child with me to Guatemala, this is the place for all the latest and greatest regarding the trip.  (Also, don’t forget to check out my Facebook or subscribe to my twitter.)

I could really use some extra love and prayers this week as we put together the final details and I find myself wrestling through my heightened anxiety regarding every and all things about this trip.  I do not want to get lost in the details or spin out about what’s next.  I long to be present with my students and my friends in the village of Santa Apolonia, and mostly to be present in my walk with God.  God is at work, and I don’t want to miss it!

Thank you in advance for your prayers and support!

See you in GUAT!

bk

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What can Graduation teach us about our calling?

June 5, 2013 — 1 Comment

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Guess What? It’s Not About You!

A call to student ministry is a special and unique thing. We have been called by God to participate in the spiritual development of students. For a very specific and often chaotic season, we get the privilege and honor of being adults who coach, mentor, disciple and journey with adolescents who are exploring their faith and making it their own. What could be greater? As we attempt to live this out in the real world with real students in a real context, this simple and yet profound calling gets blurry.

The students we work with have joys and concerns, victories and losses, growth and set backs. We attempt to be there for every student for every part of the roller coaster ride; and while we work our guts out, pouring our lives into these students, our vision becomes impaired. Because very slowly, without us knowing, the joy that comes from getting to be there for students and walk with them turns and starts to become about us. Instead of being an adult who journeys with students for a season of their lives, we see ourselves as the adult who journeys with them, who advocates for them, who loves them, who will get them through adolescence, who will solve their problems, etc…

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Want to speak at OPEN BAY AREA?

June 3, 2013 — 2 Comments

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One of the things I enjoy the most in this season of ministry is getting together with fellow youth workers and wrestling with what it means to be a youth worker, how to live into this calling, and how to get after it so that students may come to know and follow Jesus.

I have found that just about all the conversations wrapped up in, and around the topic of student ministry are life giving and soul filling.  So, any time I can get in a room with colleagues, I know I am going to leave charged up and ready to go!  Sometimes this itch gets scratched at large conferences, sometimes in smaller local network gatherings.  And sometimes, an event comes along that is just right!  Not too big so you get lost in the crowd, and not too small that the conversation gets dominated by that one “challenging” personality. :)  The Open Conference is that space that is just right!

The Youth Cartel has come up with a brilliant model to get youth workers into these conversations.  Instead of hearing from a few famous speakers from contexts very different from our own speak for 45 minutes at a time, wouldn’t it be great to hear from a number of speakers from our own context give their best 10 minute talk about their unique passion in ministry?  That is what the Open model is in a nutshell.

The Open model is genius and the people at the Cartel explain what it is much better than I can.  To get a better picture of what and why Opens happen, check out the Open Bay Area site!  This post is simply to wet your appetite :)

Would you consider participating in the conversation?

On November 16, 2013 we will be gathering youth workers and volunteers from all over the greater San Francisco Bay Area for a day training, equipping, inspiration, and fun!  We will be hosting an Open and are looking for people to fill the presenting spots.  We are looking for people who understand the unique context of ministry in the Bay Area and / or have something really compelling to share.  There will be two tracks, a volunteer training and a youth worker track.  So if you have something for either or both of these tracks, simply click on the “become a speaker” link and start the process.

We will be accepting proposals until July 15.

Would you consider having Open Bay Area be part of your fall calendar?

Whether you are a presenter or not, I hope that if you live in Northern California, you would consider being a part of this event.  The organizing team which has some really sharp people on it will be there, Adam McLane, from the  Youth Cartel, will be there, and hopefully you and your team will be there!

If we are going to be all that God has for us to be in ministry, then we need to each other’s voices and ideas.  And what better way to do that than with fellow youth workers who are all trying to crack the nut of doing effective ministry in the increasingly post-Christian context of the San Francisco Bay Area.

If I have any chance of keeping my head in the game for the next decade, then I need you!  I need your friendship, I need your voice, and I need your ideas!  

The Open Bay Area is on the books for November 16, 2013.  Would you consider submitting your A material for a shot to present to your peers your best stuff for volunteers and youth workers who do ministry in the Bay Area?    Would you consider bringing your team and joining us, no matter who the line up is for some mutual edification?

SAVE THE DATE!

SUBMIT THOSE PROPOSALS!!

Peace!

 

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For what purpose do you want to expand your influence?

May 29, 2013 — 1 Comment

tattoo_i__m_getting___he_is_greater_than_i__by_lovely735-d5nxhq1Who doesn’t want to be great? In fact it seems to be at the very core of our human experience. Ever since Adam and Eve wanted to to know more, to be more, humans have been plagued by this pursuit. It seems that when I am on line and in meetings among my peers, the conversation always comes back to this topic. While there are a million ways to couch it in spiritual terms, the bottom line is that all of us desire to be more than we are. We want to be great, we want to increase our platform, we desire recognition. And thankfully, Jesus already knows this to be our core desire and even has some generous words for his disciples, and for us. Check it out:

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

39 “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10: 35-45

As we strive to do excellent ministry, to reach the lost, to care for the broken hearted, to contextualize the gospel for the next generation, may we not lose sight of our true standing. For if we truly want to be great, then we must become a slave of all. Jesus who was great and deserved the largest platform, gave it up and took the form of a servant. Maybe there is something to be learned there.

May we continue to check our desire for greatness with modeling the attitude and actions our savior by placing that energy into serving our students and parents, pouring out our lives so that some may come to know Him.

Blessings!

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Water the grass that is growing

May 27, 2013 — 2 Comments

This last week I met with a parent who is having a hard time watching her son choose to build friendships with the hoodlum posse in our student ministry. As we talked, I tried to point out that this small circle of students who are consistently getting into trouble, ignoring all the rules, and disrespecting every adult around is not the core of our ministry. There is, in fact, a significant group of students who are pretty serious about their faith and their desire to grow into it.

As I began to list name after name of other students who would be great influences on her child, she began to list reason after reason why her child wouldn’t be able to connect as well with these students. She struggled with the ability to see the 90% of our ministry due to the 10% who are the “too cool for school” crowd who monopolize her child’s circle of friendships.

It was easy to point out how silly it is to be so consumed by the minority of students who are ruining her sons experience at youth group. The solution was quite clear, to simply see the larger group and maybe even build some new, healthy friendships. As soon as these words were coming out of my mouth, the Holy Spirit reminding me of this exact conversation I had with my wife regarding the health of our student ministry.

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What youth workers and Algebra 1 teachers have in common:

May 23, 2013 — 1 Comment

This post was originally featured at youthministry360.com

shutterstock_76826134As a youth pastor, one of my favorite times of the year is graduation. I love the pomp and circumstance as friends, family, and fellow youth pastors gather in the stands at the local high school celebrating this amazing milestone of our students.

Over the past few years I’ve been contemplating my job as youth pastor and the role that I play in the lives of my students, these soon to be graduates. And in my thinking, I saw the way these teachers went about their work as so different from the way I work as a youth pastor. These teachers would teach history, chemistry, or algebra and then simply pass-on their students to the next class. I looked at the way I went about my work as youth pastor in a completely different manner.

I had been tasked with the God given role of being spiritual mentor to these students for their high school careers, and maybe even for their entire lives! But the more I’ve reflected on the role of the teacher and the role of the youth pastor, I’ve come to realize that my desire to be the number one spiritual mentor for my students for high school and beyond is well intentioned, but not very realistic! Here’s what I’ve come to realize . . .

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The importance of appropriately differentiating your faith from your student’s

May 20, 2013 — 2 Comments

Most youth workers, including me, have been doing student ministry since they were students themselves.  Because of this reality, there is often an unchecked issue brewing just below the surface.  This is that we often fail to differentiate our spiritual development and needs from those of our students.

Individuality

Remember being a high school student?

There was a time, and maybe you are still in that time, when you remember being a high schooler and you remember the spiritual journey of that time.   This memory is one of the things that makes you such a great youth worker.  I remember how great it was when I first started out in student ministry.  Whatever I was learning, however I was growing, only added fuel to my growing passion for students and for them to encounter the living God who was rocking my world!  In fact, I have found that it is always best to teach from a place of authenticity and personal growth.

But as the years wore on, I began to realize that I was outpacing the spiritual development of my students.  I found myself trying on new ways of connecting with Jesus.  Lectio Devina, candles, solitude.  I found that the more I was growing spiritually, the more I wanted to share my new spiritual growth with my students.  But now realized, the more I shared with my students, the more I was losing them.

We have different spiritual needs than our students do:

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Providing an easy onramp back to the church

May 13, 2013 — 2 Comments

Oh, How Nice It Would Feel To Drop the Hammer of Truth!

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had high schoolers lay into me about how youth group doesn’t do it for them anymore, or about how they need something with more depth. Sometimes I lie awake at night, imagining all the ways I would love to give it right back to them; to actually be a straight shooter and tell them how it really is. But just when I’m about to explode and completely blow away some unsuspecting, verbally processing mid-adolescent, God gives me a gracious reminder of my unique role and purpose in the body of Christ.

I recently had lunch with a former student who was the thorn in my side during her time in my student ministry.  Everything I did wasn’t good enough, every lesson wasn’t deep enough, and every other adult in her life was smarter and wiser then I ever could be.  Now, while most of my students probably already believe this, this young woman decided to make it very clear to me how dissatisfied she was with my leadership of our group.

I distinctly remember a conversation we had at the end of her sophomore year, when she tried to let me down easy that she would no longer be joining us for sunday school because it was baby food, and she would be going to big church instead.  She then proceeded to invite any other students who wanted real spiritual food to join her.

Their Self-Righteous and Rebellion is Right and Normal:

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Volunteers: God´s strange plan for increased ministry:

May 9, 2013 — 2 Comments

Being The Hub of Ministry For most of my ministry career I have worked in smaller contexts where it was totally possible to connect with all the students in my ministry.  I was the logistical and relational hub for my ministry.  I don´t even think this was necessarily a bad thing.  I was my job, my vocation to love on students and help them connect to Jesus.  And with a youth group that was able to fit into my living room, it wasn´t that hard to walk with students in a very intimate way.

During this season, I did have volunteer leaders to help.  And for the most part, they did a great job of whatever I asked them to do. I read all the books about how we need volunteers and about proper ratios, and I did just that.  In fact, I had some of the best chaperones and drivers on the planet.  They even did  good job helping with crowd control and keeping things safe and in order.

When I reflect back on what I expected my leaders to do, I am saddened that I held the reigns of my ministry so tightly.  I allowed very little space for my leaders to truly connect with our students.  They were adults in the room, and that was about it.  And because I only had a handful of students, this didn´t seem to be a problem.

But as my ministry  has grown and I’ve moved to larger contexts, I’ve found that my old ways are deeply ingrained in me.  I’m still trying to be the logistical and relational hub of my ministry.  And while I’m hitting the logistics out of the park (and should be because that is my job) I have noticed that I am struggling relationally.  There is no human way for me to be intimately connected to every student in my ministry.

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5 ways to thrive in a church bureaucracy:

May 6, 2013 — 7 Comments

It was finally here! It was the day I had been looking forward to ever since I started looking to be on a church staff as a paid youth worker. It was my first day on the job, and to make the day even better, we were going to have a staff meeting that day! If you have ever participated in a church staff meeting, you know how disappointed and disillusioned I was in just 90 minutes.

After just a month on the job I started to come to the realization that being a paid youth worker for a church is much more complicated than I first thought. What I envisioned as a job where I was going to be paid to love students and help them love Jesus was actually a job with expectations, politics, meetings, evaluations, and tasks to be assigned by pastor.

With 15 years of vocational youth ministry under my belt, I have come to realize that the great bureaucracy of the church is not the awful boogieman that is thwarting the advancement of the Kingdom. I have watched many of my colleagues get swallowed up by this bureaucracy and become disillusioned. I have seen others attempt to just survive in spite of the bureaucracy. But I am convinced that a youth worker doesn’t have to just survive the inner workings of the Church and attempt to have an impact on students despite all the red tape. Rather if you understand it, the bureaucracy of the church can actually be fertile ground to thrive in.

1) The Church is a Corporation and You Are an Employee:

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In Discerning your issues , , , , ,
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Should you take that job?

May 1, 2013 — 6 Comments

That is a question I regularly get asked by my friends in ministry.  And one I ask myself every time Doug (Fields that is) calls me and tries to talk me into working for him to help train his up and coming  youth workers. :)

The truth is, I am a paid youth worker and I love my job.  And even if I didn’t love my job, considering a move and all the dynamics involved in that decision seem to get exponentially more complicated.  Because of the secrecy of the process there seems to be little candid and open conversation about what sort of issues should be brought to the table when considering a job change.

The knee-jerk response is, “God is leading me.” While, I would concede that this is of utmost importance when considering a job change, this is almost always used as a spiritual smoke screen which conceals other factors that are vital to address in this process.

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Can we be honest for a minute and put our puffed up spiritual egos on the shelf for a minute and talk.

The truth is I am tempted to take every offer.  I love feeling wanted and valuable, who doesn’t.  When a church pursues you they make you feel like a million bucks.  (Even though they want to only pay you $25,000)  You know how great it is when a committee calls you up and wants to hear your story, your heart for ministry and are so impressed with your revolutionary model of ministry!

It is especially easy to have the exact opposite feeling when you have been in your context for a while.  Because, once you are hired you are in the machine, doing the down and dirty ministry that you love and are called to do.  But no one is asking for your sage advice, no one is impressed with your model of ministry, and students are as fickle as all get out.  Depending on how dry you are feeling, anything sparkly gets attention.  And the dryer you are, the greener the grass will appear.  The trick is doing the spiritual discernment to figure out if this of God or of your ego, of both, or of something in between.

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A post-Christian model for Discipleship: Spiritual Formation rather than Behavior Modification

April 29, 2013 — 5 Comments

My dear friend Erik Anderson is on the home stretch of adopting a 6 year old girl from South Africa. You should totally check out his blog and read about his story. Inspiring is an understatement! (If you are feeling generous, you should also help him out financially) Ok, are you still with me, because this blog isn’t really about Erik, but in some ways it is totally about him.

Here is what I am saying. If you can humor me and agree (for a moment) that the gospel that you and I grew up as our bread and butter in student ministry is actually no gospel at all to this generation. And if we need a new shaping metaphor that to communicate this good news. And in an increasingly post-Christian context, adoption can be that metaphor that truly is good news to an alienated generation who long to be seen, known, accepted, cared for, and mostly to belong. What is awesome about the metaphor of adoption for the gospel and for salvation, it also gets to inform our understanding of discipleship and sanctification.

First we must die to any and all forms of behavior modification:

The traditional model of discipleship as behavior modification must be replaced with a model of spiritual formation. Spiritual formation is by it’s very nature relational and implies process, and is cyclical in contrast to foundational, linear, and accomplishment versions we have today. If we can agree that behavior modification must die and want to invite this post-Christian generation to become formed spiritually, sanctified into the image of Christ, then we must start where they are, not where we want them to be. That is how we get back to adoption.

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In Discerning your context ,
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A post-Christian Gospel

April 22, 2013 — 11 Comments

It is overwhelmingly obvious that the landscape in which we do ministry has changed.  The values, morals, expectations, and biblical understanding have been completely turned on its head. If we continue to do ministry the same as we have always done it, with the same assumptions then over the long haul the Church is going to find herself in trouble.

Last week I wrote a little about how the gospel is really not good news at all this this current generation of students.  And while many of our students “play ball” for us while they are under our supervision or while they frequent our programs, who they are in the rest of their life has little to no reflection of traditional, Judeo-Christian, ethic, values, or understanding.  If this assumption is correct then the penal-subsitutionary atonement brand of Christianity with the discipleship bench marks of shutting down sexuality or not drinking have to change.

Here is a gospel message that seems to be actually be good news to my post-modern, post-Christian kids:

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What do you do now that the gospel is no longer Good News?

April 17, 2013 — 11 Comments

Most of us love speaking to students, sharing our wisdom, pontificating on spiritual realities and how Jesus wants to help them in their desperation.  But if we are quiet for just a second and allow space for students to share what they really think, what their true convictions are, what they really think of Christianity, I think we will all be a bit surprised.

My encounter with students, my students, my friends’ students, students from all over the country is that students’ worldview, self view, and moral view is in stark difference from yours.  Students know how to play ball in the adult world, they know what to say and how to get ahead in the verity of social contexts they find themselves.  When they are with their parents, coaches, every different teacher, and in our student ministries, they put on different hats in order to survive / thrive in each context.

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But what would happen if we took a step back and really listened, without our own agenda?  What would we find?  

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An easy way to love your students: SNAIL MAIL

April 15, 2013 — 1 Comment

Do you have piles of pictures from old youth group activities or trips?  Do you at least have them on your phone?  Well, here is the easiest way to use those old pictures for good!

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One of the most fundamental needs we have as humans is to be seen and to be known.  In an age of social media we can give a lot of love by simply “liking” a students status or pic, and we can get even more when we tag them on Facebook or Instagram.  But we all know deep in our hearts that doesn’t really cost you anything.  Did you know that if you simply print off that picture and mail it through the post office, that you have actually satisfied, albeit briefly, that longing to be seen and known.

Here is all you do to make your students feel seen and known:

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How do we advise our students who are dealing with those college rejection letters?

April 8, 2013 — 5 Comments

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For many of our students, their choices for what is next is starting to become increasingly clear. All of their hopes and dreams for life after high school are starting to mesh with the realities of G.P.A.’s, scholarships, and personal finances. It is one of the few times in their lives where they are objectively judged on their performance and work ethic, and are ranked, rejected, and accepted based on merit. And we as youth workers have an amazing opportunity to walk with students as they deal with this reality.

Or do we?

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