Youth Ministry Nugget #7: Build from the foundation up.
This nugget is also known as “Your students may not be ready for Piper if they don’t know who Noah is.” This generation of youth ministers has become fascinated with brilliant theologians. I know, I’m fascinated with them too. And I’m not saying don’t teach your kids deep theology. I’m just saying make sure they know the gospel. Just because you’ve heard a story a thousand times doesn’t mean they have. Sometimes we get so excited about what we’re learning that we fail to ask what our students need to learn. Beautiful roofs are awesome, but a good house needs a foundation too. I don’t want to see a generation of kids who can explain Christian hedonism, but when they hear about Abraham, they assume we mean Lincoln.
Youth Ministry Nugget #8: Lead by example.
Lead by example. It’s a fairly obvious idea, but it’s a little more complicated to put it in to practice. It means that whatever you’re asking your students to do, they should have some way to see it in your own life. They need to see your reading your Bible. They need to know that you pray. They need to hear the verses you are memorizing. That shows them the path you are walking down, and maybe helps them to walk it themselves. If you are asking them to live in community, in openness and honestly, then they need to see you do it as well. It doesn’t mean confessing every sin to your youth group, but it may mean that they meet your accountability partner. That your community group, discipleship group, comes to spend time with the students some time. I know, I know. When I was a youth minister, I didn’t have time to be in community, to add another group to my week. But if I’m asking them to do it, I need to, too.
Thoughts?
Todd
“Make sure they know the gospel.” This applies to leaders too. I recently attended a memorial service where a seasoned pastor said he was asked by the family to preach the gospel. He truly thought he did that, but most of his message was that God looks at us in anger and condemnation because of our sin, that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins, and that we must choose to follow him. I kept waiting for him to get to the part about God’s reckless love that pursues us as his beloved, his great kindness that leads us to repentance, and his amazing grace that provides all we need. But those aspects were never mentioned. Love was not spoken.
If I had been an agnostic, I would have felt condemned as the “them” who don’t follow Jesus, and would have left thinking God was mad at me.
I understand that to appreciate the “good news” of the gospel you have to know the bad news about our human condition. But to make the bad news the primary or only message will not deeply touch the hearts of young people. If their response to this kind of message is guilt and compliance to rules, they may not fall in love with Jesus. Could this be why many do not stay in church after high school?
Im loving these Todd, please keep them coming! Im glad to see that Im on the right track. Our focus in our youth ministry is dual – teach the Word and Build Relationships! Neither of those alone will sustain/grow a youth group. 50 super-spiritual, bible nerds wont keep coming if they dont have friends. Neither will a group of 50 friends with no biblical foundation. Sadly in America, Youth Pastors have become “fun event planners”. I can’t tell you how many programs I’ve seen that are one fun event after the next – its all about the numbers. Im encouraged when I see groups that focus on spiritual growth and actually care about their students as individuals.