A New Kind of Youth Ministry

Mike King, president of YouthFront and author of Presence-Centered Youth Ministry tagged me the other day to contribute to a list of the best books of theology published in the last 25 years.

This is the criteria:

Name three (or more) theological works from the last 25 years (1981-2006) that you consider important and worthy to be included on a list of the most important works of theology of that last 25 years (in no particular order).

I am not sure how to really gauge the ‘most important works’ but here are the three that had shaped my life in unspeakable ways…

The Open Secret, Lesslie Newbigin — The Christian Story, Gabe Fackre — Announcing the Kingdom, Arthur Glasser.

I tag Steve Argue …

The other day (Jan. 13, 2007) I posted about some surprising comments that I have recently heard about my book. A good friend named Jay Howver (he is actually my publisher) read the post and suggested that I might be escaping some of the real and practical issues surrounding the comment, “If I implemented what you talk about in your book, I would have to leave the church.”

Jay reminded me that there is an existent issue facing many youth workers today. Many youth workers cannot implement a new kind of youth ministry simply because they are in a particular ministry context that will not allow for change. Perhaps their senior pastor or supervisor is hesitant and resists change or the churches heritage won’t allow or lend support to redesigning what is currently being done or the leadership board has seen so much change without any positive growth. etc. Let’s be honest, some youth workers are in a place that is simply cautious of change or perhaps even deliberately opposed to anything “new”.

That could very well be the dilemma facing the youth worker who made the comment I posted about (Jan. 13, 2007). I suppose I jumped to the conclusion that this person was being overly critical and a bit unrealistic instead of just extremely practical.

So rather than leave my response where it is, I thought I would try to briefly give some support and maybe even guidance to those of you who find yourself in a ministry context in which it is extremely difficult to lead change.

1) As you attempt to lead change, lead with a healthy sense of submission. You must be willing to yield to the consideration and approval of those in authority. Chances are you have a boss or supervisor of some kind. I do not think that leading change with an attitude of rebelliousness will get you very far. Lead gently and with respect to the authority over you. The first mistake you can make in leading change is to think that you are “in the right”. Your thinking might be more effective but if you can’t get the consent of your supervisor then be very alert as to the consequences of proceeding with change.

At the same time I am not suggesting that you lie down and play dead either. You are the person that God currently has in the position to shepherd the youth ministry. Lead it! Just lead with a spirit of compliance. Be careful of your tone while in conversations. Watch your demeanor when challenged. Don’t be so defensive. Keep an open mind. Be patient. You know what to do… just remember that if you have a boss, they are ultimately in charge.

2) Don’t attempt to lead change by yourself. If you want to reculture the youth ministry you are leading then you need a team. You will need a team you can rely on, one that will support you, one that believes in the values and vision of where you want to go, etc. Even if your team consists of just one other person it is better than you going at it alone. Few people get very far when they lead in isolation.

3) Develop a plan and share that plan with optimism and hope not pessimism and despair. I confess that I some learning to do in this area. But here is the deal. As you cast the vision (your plan) for where you want to go, your best bet is to point towards the future. Don’t point at the ‘out of order’ past that might lie behind you. In other words, don’t project a negative vibe by explaining what didn’t work or what is obsolete, etc. Rather, be positive and speak to the subjects of greater change and expanded impact.

4) A mentor or coach can make all the difference in the world. If you want to lead change, get a coach or mentor from the “outside” that can help you. At best, someone who has successfully navigated changes or recultured a youth ministry before. At least, someone who has more ministry experience, wisdom and is willing to keep you in check. Bounce ideas off of your coach or mentor. You will not be sorry to have an honest yet supportive person helping you lead. As far as I can tell, all the great leaders I know had or have someone investing in them.

5) Be patient. Reculturing takes time. I think there are elements of leading change within something that already exists that makes it much harder then launching something new. To be effective, you must be patient. You must be able to endure the delay’s and answer the questions without becoming annoyed or disengaged. Persevere calmly as you lead change, no matter the pace of it and I believe you will have a better chance to succeed.

6) Make sure God is calling you to lead change in your ministry! (This should probably be first on the list!) If you set out to lead change within your ministry you will inevitably disrupt, confuse, upset, bewilder and potentially irritate a host of people. Reculturing is not easy. You had better make sure a) God is behind you and the Spirit is leading you, b) you are ready for criticism, skepticism and the sting sometimes associated to leading change and c) you are in it for the duration. Don’t start something without the intention of finishing it. That just makes us all look bad and it isn’t what is best for your students and volunteers either.
Here is the deal. Do I think in order to implement the ideas and practices in my book you need to leave your church? You might –it depends on your ministry context and a slew of other matters. However, I think with the right kind of leadership, with patience, with a coach or mentor, with a gentle spirit and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit reculturing your ministry can most definitely be done.

Let me know if I can help… chrisfol@mac.com.

In the back of my book there is an advertisement for Mark Yaconelli’s book entitled, Contemplative Youth Ministry. I confess that I did not know the creative team at YS was putting the ad in my book — I am totally cool with it. I think Mark is great (I do not know him personally, although I did meet him once) and I after re-reading his work I am actually honored to have the ad in my book.

Anyway, close to a dozen people who have read my book have seen the ad at the end of the book and asked me via email, “How is Mark Yaconelli’s book?” Since the first time I read it I skimmed it along with a stack of others I thought it would be good to read it again and pay closer attention to it. So, I have been re-reading it over the weekend in order that I can provide a more detailed explanation of it. I have to say, it is really good — really good. You need to buy a copy tomorrow (or now) if you haven’t already purchased one.

On page 79 Mark compares leading though fear or anxiety as oppossed to love. The first time I read the book, it was helpful. Today, it was deeply challenging, inspiring and convicting. In my opinion, pages 79-80 are worth the price of the book. I would list the comparison, sourcing Mark… but I think it is best understood and reflected upon within the context of the entire book.

You should read it. Seriously…

I have received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback on my book — A New Kind of Youth Ministry — since YS released it in the fall. I have also had some really sharp critical thinkers invite me to dialog about some of my thoughts and I am enjoying those conversations. I look forward to building on them and beginning others. I am learning a ton…

I have to admit though, I am a little surprised by two of the comments that I have either had directly stated to me or I have learned about through the ole’ “I know a guy and he said this…” kind of approach. I take great stock in the first type of feedback (direct and conversational) trying to listen intently to see what I can learn. The latter type of feedback is really not all that helpful since there is really no way to directly respond or begin a conversation that either defends my position or allows me to further explain. Anyway, I appreciate all of the feedback I am getting and it is really fun to be in dialog with so many youth workers.

So, here are two the comments that have taken me by surprise…

COMMENT #1- “You are a decontructionist and your writing is negatively influencing youth ministry because you do not present a model to construct.”

RESPONSE: Well, while I may look at the current state of youth ministry with a critical mind (and heart) it is not intended to be with a critical spirit. I have great hope for youth ministry. I confess that my hopes and dreams might even be categorized as a naive optimism at times– but I long to see us more effectively helping students find and follow Jesus. It sounds a bit defensive I suppose, but I certainly am not trying to express or portray an “all things negative” attitude about YM, the church, modernity or anything else. As far as not presenting a model in the book goes, well I think the model that any youth workers implements in ministry must be:

1. grounded in the mission of God and built on the entire biblical narrative
2. reflective of the life and mission of Jesus (Luke 4)
3. consistent with the early churches initial design (Acts 1-4 specifically) and
4. dependent on your ministry and community context

I believe in models (strategies). I do not think that there is a one, one-size-fits-all model that the Bible (the gospels or any other part of the text) presents and commands that we must obey. I believe there are commandments, values, virtues and principles that we must apply to our life and ministry but the model that you or I choose to employ will not be the same simply because our ministry and community contexts (theological traditions, capacity, starting points, learning methods, socio-economic status, ethic diversity, etc…) are really quite different– and I like that. So, I do not think it is as important or even helpful for me to present a model. I hope that helping people think through the major tenets of YM and thinking about biblical values will be more effective and lead to greater change and ultimately, greater impact.

NOTE: If you want to introduce yourself to the model I have developed (ENROUTE) and I am training through Sonlife, go to: www.sonlife.com/enroute and find out where there is one near you. We are constantly adding new locations so if you do not see one near you in the immediate future, check back in a week or two.

COMMENT # 2: “If I implemented what you talk about in your book, I would have to leave the church.”

RESPONSE: Ouch! That one hurts a bit. I was hoping to breathe life into the church when I wrote my book not take air out of it… Anyway, this is one of those comments that I heard from a guy who said someone he knows heard somebody say that another might have said, etc. so I do not take much stock in it– but I do want to respond and vent a bit (isn’t that what blogs are for!).

So for the sake of simplicity I say this, maybe if you feel that way you have a skewed perspective of what the church is (maybe I do?). The church is not something that you work at, attend, go to, or have an office at, etc. the church is who you are –no, it is who we are. I don’t think that the ideas and concepts I present in the book keep you (us) from being the church.

I love the church and I love being a part of the church. I contend that we have great room for effective use of our time and energy within the church as we join God in his mission to restore the world, but I love that he has called me into a beautiful people with a wonderful identity and purpose…

Thoughts?

I’m in Orlando today connecting with a potential employee for Sonlife. For some reason the hotel I am staying in had delivered to them the Sunday edition of the Orlando Sentinel today (Monday)! Somebody made a mistake somewhere down the line…

It actually ended up being cool. I found an article on brain-based teaching. I haven’t really heard much about brain-based teaching but it is very interesting. Click the image below to go to the online article…

The basic idea of this relatively new teaching technique is that teachers do their best to stimulate as many of the areas of the brain as possible in order to help the students better remember the lesson. Teachers also try to ensure they are stimulating both sides of the brain. The left side of the brain controls word formation while the right side of the brain controls abstract reasoning. So, instead of using a more rote method of helping a lesson stick with the student, teachers might lead the class in singing all 50 states and students might learn punctuation by running– slowing down at commas and stopping at periods. I guess that gives new meaning to run-on sentences, eh?  Anyway, I thought that the article was intriguing for several reasons. 1) I have a daughter in first grade and I am curious what type of new teaching techniques are emerging 2) we work with the children’s ministry at our church a bit and 3) I am always looking to the educational system to see what ideas I can rip for working with children and students within the context of the church.

I am not sure how different this method of teaching is then what most of us might simply call ‘experiential learning’ but I am sure there is a ton of help that the church can get from the educational system. Read the article…

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-brainteach

0707jan07,0,3186904.story

…you might find it helpful and it might stimulate you to think about new ways to work with your students. Let me know what you think. You can email me at chrisfol@mac.com.

This morning there was a very interesting article in one of the regional newspapers here in the greater Chicago area — The Daily Herald. I was intrigued mostly by the research from Barna found within as well as some of the comments from various staff at area mega-churches.

If this home church concept continues to emerge and becomes the primary model of faith communities gathering to worship as twenty somethings and those in their thirties age, what happens to the many modern youth ministry models out there? What does youth ministry look like within this ’simple church’ paradigm? Does youth ministry go away? What do we need to change now to be ready? What must we do to prepare ourselves for a new kind of church? I would love your thoughts…

DOWNLOAD THE ARTICLE HERE: daily-herald.pdf

Or go to: http://www.dailyherald.com/story.asp?id=263163

For quite some time I have been following some research on Youth Ministry that is being gathered and delivered by a very sharp group of people at www.exemplarym.com. I assumed that many youth workers already knew about this Study of Exemplary Congregations in Youth Ministry but as I have discovered in some recent seminars, conversations, etc… I assumed wrong. And we all know what happens when we do that.
Check out what the folks at Exemplarym.com have been up to. I think you will find it very helpful…

In order for a new kind of evangelism to emerge within youth ministry (or in the church for that matter) we must help our students have a fuller and more comprehensive idea of who Jesus is. In other words, rather than beginning with the gospels to understand who Jesus is, we need to provide a whole narrative perspective of Jesus. I believe that all of who Jesus is can best be understood through a theology of mission or missio dei (the mission of God). I also contend that one cannot accurately share who Jesus is or the “Good News” until they have an accurate context and meaning of his life, mission, etc.

So, to best inspire and equip students to ’share’ their faith I believe we must…

• help them see God’s plan and continuous pursuit of God to restore the world
• help them find and embrace their own identity and calling found from within the biblical narrative
• help them live out the narrative and act on their calling by being an agent of restoration (Scot McKnight — Jesus Creed) to the world around them
• help them articulate to others the major characteristics, attributes and movements of God found throughout the narrative
• and help them articulate that Jesus has accomplished the mission of God and that through him, we are invited and welcomed to experience both a new and eternal life

We must move away from a tidy yet incomplete perspective of Jesus found only from within the gospels and encourage students to see Jesus through the lens of God’s entire mission. I pray that through such an effort our students might gain a fuller context and meaning for Jesus and therefore reveal light to a darkened world with a greater sense of passion, commitment and generosity — in the same way God has revealed it to us.

I talked with a senior pastor from Kentucky today for about a 1/2 hour. I confess that I really feel for the guy. His church — a medium size, “but growing” church in a thriving suburb of Cincinnati, has been looking for a a youth pastor for nearly two years. He seemed a bit desperate and at a loss. His question to me was, “Where have all the top-notch youth pastors gone? We are looking for the guy that can come in here and lead a world class youth ministry. We’re poised for growth and major impact. It seems like they are all moving towards the emerging church movement.”

Interesting, huh? I am not sure if I can recall exactly how I responded to him but it was something like, “Well, I am not sure exactly what you mean by ‘top-notch’ and ‘world class’ but I think you are right, many youth pastors are interested in living their theology out in a way in which many of today’s churches are not.”

It is an interesting phenomenon. It seems as though the youth pastors that I bump into really are ready to find new ways to live out the theology that they are discovering or trying to practice. It also seems that in order to do that the youth pastor feels like she needs to move on to church planting, or working at a coffee shop or finding a job in the “real world” to live out their faith in an authentic way — or they will get fired anyway.

What is the cause of this and what do we do to reverse this trend? Should we reverse the trend? Do you feel like you can explore and experiment in your youth ministry? What are the trends you are noticing? I would love to hear your input. I get calls like the one I go today on a near regular basis. I would love to help out the callers with more informed data.