My soul always resounds with the late Mike Yaconelli:

The Failure of Youth Ministry
by Mike Yaconelli


What is the most important function of youth ministry?

A) Introducing young people to Jesus
B) Providing healthy activities
C) Involving young people in service
D) Abstinence pledges
E) Good theological training
F) Worship

Answer: None of the above.

The most important function of youth ministry is longevity. Long-term discipleship.

It's my contention that the vast majority of youth ministries focus all of their time and energy on the none-of-the-aboves and very little on longevity. How do I know?

Look at the results.

Attend any youth group in this country and notice the "ageing effect."

Attendance is directly proportional to age. The older the students, the fewer are likely to attend youth group. Typically, there are more freshman than sophomores, more sophomores than juniors, and more juniors than seniors.

I'm sure there are many reasons for this phenomenon. Older students are more likely to work, more likely to have a car, and more likely to be extremely busy. But the real reason is that older students are much more likely to lose interest in Christianity, lose the desire to stay close to Christ, or don't lose the willingness to pay the price of commitment. In the everyday battle for the souls of the older students, the lure of the secular is just too strong.

Almost every study out there shows that when it comes to moral behavior, there's no difference between secular and Christian students. They drink as much, screw as much, have oral sex as much, and party as much.

Why?

Youth ministry doesn't have any staying power.

Young people flock to Christian concerts, cheer Jesus at large events, and work on service projects. Unfortunately, it's not because of Jesus; it's because they're young!

The success of youth ministry in this country is an illusion.

Very little youth ministry has a lasting impact on students.

I believe we're no more effective today reaching young people with the gospel than we've ever been. In spite of all the dazzling super stars of youth ministry, the amazing array of YS products, the thousands of youth ministry training events, nothing much has changed.

Following Jesus is hard.

Faith is difficult.

Discipleship requires a huge investment of time. Most of us don't have the time. Or we chose not to take the time. Or our current models of ministry don't allow us the time.

So let's be honest.

Youth ministry as an experiment has failed. If we want to see the church survive, we need to rethink youth ministry.

What does that mean? I don't have a clue. But my hunch is that if we want to see young people have a faith that lasts, then we have to completely change the way we do youth ministry in America.

I wonder if any of us has the courage to try.

confess and be cleansed

Confess your sins.

In think the idea of confessing your sins so that Christ can forgive you has become a little bit skewed. I’m pretty sure God is not asking us to keep a mental tally or a notebook full of all of our “sins”. Rather, I think it would do us justice to simplify or dumb down the statement, “confess your sins”.

Confess – acknowledge
Sin – “missing the mark” (in general, not living in reliance of Christ as His follower)

Acknowledging that I haven’t been following hard after Jesus and that I need Him to refill my life, sounds a little bit more in step with the God of the Bible that I have come to know. He promises to never again remember our sins [new covenant]. That doesn’t sound like He wants to focus on the details or that He wants us to focus on the details! I think our confession of sins is a general confession of needing more of Jesus. I acknowledge that I need more of Jesus in my life.

Let’s stop trying to get people (kids especially) to remember how bad they are, so that God can forgive them. I think of Child Evangelism Fellowship’s teaching on how to get a kid to acknowledge a need for a Savior: get them to say they did something “wrong” (i.e. kicked my sister.) God’s bigger than that. God’s got a plan and a purpose for their lives! He’s got a position for them in the Army of the Lord, a place in the choir, a part of His Body, the Church to fill.

DUMB DOWN THE GOSPEL!!!

a regular transfiguring

Luke 5:16
Jesus often witdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Matthew 14:13
When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.
Mark 1:35
Rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He [jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed.

*apparently Jesus made it a habit to be alone and be with God. On these adventures He took no one (from what we can tell by what was written). But on the account of the Transfiguration we have 3 apostolic witnesses: Peter, James, and John. They witnessed what Jesus did when He wet away alone and prayed. Let's look at what happened:


Mark 9
Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain. No one else was there. As the men watched, Jesus' appearance changed, and his clothing became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly process could ever make it. Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus. Then a cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Suddenly they looked around, and Moses and Elijah were gone, and only Jesus was with them.

*Do you think that this is what happened each and everytime Jesus withdrew Himself, and the only reason we have it marked out as a seperate account is because this time there were disciples invited to join in on the event? We see here that as He set aside time to be alone and to be with the LORD He was washed clean, bathed in glorious light, received council, shared stories with those who have gone before Him, and received encouragement from the God Almighty, His dad!


II Corinthians 3:16-18
As we behold His face we are transformed from glory to glory.

*Is this Transfiguration avaialble to you and I today?

blow that canon.

The Bible is a collection of real people's stories. people that have (and have not) been redeemed by the power and love of God. people that have been RESCUED by the power and love of God. We've got to look at the Bible as a whole. The complete story of each and every person in the Bible and the way that God has worked in and through their lives. How God and that person interacted with each other. By looking at that, we can see more clearly how God interacts with us.
We have realtionship with a God who is living and active today, who intereacts with us in our everyday lives.
I think we've taken some of the major themes away from the Bible when we added chapter and verse divisons. It has transformed from a book of real people's stories into a manual or a puzzle of theological epic proportions, when it really is a life-changing epic.

Would the story of God's continual redemption that has taken place in my life be considered worthy of "the Bible"? God at work in me is truth. the word of God applied.

Is the "canon" closed? Is the God of the Bible alive in our lives even today working his mighty and majestic miracles?

Maybe our theology of the cononization of the Bible has encourgaed people to doubt God's power to heal, rescue, and restore today, now that the time of the Bible is long-gone.

Is your story a story of God's interaction in your life, continually healing and restoring you?

Do people get rescued from their old lives because they learned what a verse in the Bible says about themselves or God? Or do they become Christ-followers because of God's work in and around them?

I don't know the answers to these questions. I see the problems it causes when people add to what the Bible says that is apart and not in align with the qualities and characterics of God. God is bigger than I and you amke Him out to be.

a last thought:
the law brings death but the spirit brings life abundantly.

"your power and love are clearly seen throughout the earth"

"your power and love are clearly seen throughout the earth"
-Sir Jeffrey Williams

An amazing young worship leader at our church, and my friend, Jeff Williams wrote a song that has this line in the chorus. Jesus spoke to me through this.

God's "power and love" isn't clearly seen thorughout the earth in things like the mountains or sunsets or ocean waves crashing or big old redwood trees. sure, creation reveals God's invisible attributes (Romans 1), but even more so, His power and love are clearly seen in the people that have been restored and redeemed throughout this earth. God's amazing power doesn't lie in Creation, but in Redemption. I'm not talking about heaven vs. hell redemption either. i'm talking about His abundant life-giving power. He takes lives that are full of death, destruction, and decay and redeems them to have them spring forth life. that is the revelation of his power and love that is clearly seen in the people that are found throughout the earth.

paradigm shift

i'm sorry its been so long. it really has. and that sucks. it was a busy 2 months and jesus has shared a lot with me. i'm allowing the very core of my christian walk and experience to be challenged. i just haven't had any words for these thoughts and feelings. this may be a result of business. maybe. maybe not. but words are beginning to form and i'll do my best. for you. but mostly, for me.



Check out the 67's blog:

6IXTYSE7EN.blogspot.com

This is a blog that our sixth and seventh grade youth group [67] have put together and do all of the editing, posting, and commenting on! so rad! I'm really, really proud of these guys!