Youth ministry does not begin and end with the weekly youth group meeting. That being said, it is a significant piece of building relationships to make disciples of Jesus.
So my question is "What does Lent do to your youth ministry schedule?"
In my visits over the years (within the AFLC and outside of it), I get three general responses:
#1) No Change
The church season comes and the church season goes. The youth ministry schedule stays the same. Blessed be the name of consistency!
#2) Big Days, Big Changes
Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Easter bring some radical changes (i.e. Ash Wed service is in place of youth group, Good Friday cancels out youth group for the week, etc.) The youth ministry schedule celebrates the big church calendar days with the rest of the congregation. Blessed be the name of celebration!
#3) Complete Shift
A weekly lenten service replaces Wednesday youth group (if that's when you have it) for the weeks leading up to Easter. It's as if we ask teens to give up youth group for Lent. Blessed be the name of lenten services!
I do have some personal preferences, and from years growing up until now I have been involved in, understand the value of, and ministered in all three. But your approach is much more interesting to me.
So, what's going on? What's good and what's difficult?
Showing posts with label youth min. Show all posts
Showing posts with label youth min. Show all posts
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
7 Kinds of Visitors
After we had a wonderful time with some young adults from college in our home, our oldest daughter Susanna (age 9) penned the following words...
THERE ARE SEVEN KINDS OF VISITORS
1) Adults who you enjoy and are sad when they leave.
{This description fit who we had just seen.}
2) Adults who are fun for the first half hour and then get boring.
3) Adults who you have no idea what they are saying.
4) Kids who you enjoy and are sad when they leave.
5) Kids who are fun for the first half hour and then get boring.
6) Kids who you have no idea what they are saying.
7) Salespeople.
If I was smart, I would stop blogging right now and acknowledge that I will never be as good a writer as my precious preteen.
In addition to Jen and I laughing hysterically, I thought of how do students see me as a youth guy. Am I an adult that they "enjoy and are sad" when I leave? Am I building relationships or burning bridges (no slight to Project 86!)?
Should a person recommend a resource they've never read? I've always passed on titles that I've found especially engaging, i.e. "Here Am I, Lord. Send Aaron", so I won't stop now.
Jonathan McKee's book "Do They Run When They See You Coming?" came to mind after Susanna's insightful list. It speaks to this topic.
On the same note, how do you handle what one youth worker friend calls the "dance"? You know, the ways of speaking teen-ese without being seen as a poser. I especially remember about a year ago using "bounce" as in "I gotta bounce" (AKA "I see that it is time for me to depart" for my English major bride) with four teens and one of them didn't know me very well. The three that knew me didn't blink -- the one that didn't know me kind of smirked/laughed and said out loud, "He said, 'Bounce'."
Ahhh, the life of a youth worker...
THERE ARE SEVEN KINDS OF VISITORS
1) Adults who you enjoy and are sad when they leave.
{This description fit who we had just seen.}
2) Adults who are fun for the first half hour and then get boring.
3) Adults who you have no idea what they are saying.
4) Kids who you enjoy and are sad when they leave.
5) Kids who are fun for the first half hour and then get boring.
6) Kids who you have no idea what they are saying.
7) Salespeople.
If I was smart, I would stop blogging right now and acknowledge that I will never be as good a writer as my precious preteen.
In addition to Jen and I laughing hysterically, I thought of how do students see me as a youth guy. Am I an adult that they "enjoy and are sad" when I leave? Am I building relationships or burning bridges (no slight to Project 86!)?
Should a person recommend a resource they've never read? I've always passed on titles that I've found especially engaging, i.e. "Here Am I, Lord. Send Aaron", so I won't stop now.
Jonathan McKee's book "Do They Run When They See You Coming?" came to mind after Susanna's insightful list. It speaks to this topic.
On the same note, how do you handle what one youth worker friend calls the "dance"? You know, the ways of speaking teen-ese without being seen as a poser. I especially remember about a year ago using "bounce" as in "I gotta bounce" (AKA "I see that it is time for me to depart" for my English major bride) with four teens and one of them didn't know me very well. The three that knew me didn't blink -- the one that didn't know me kind of smirked/laughed and said out loud, "He said, 'Bounce'."
Ahhh, the life of a youth worker...
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
The Silent Trip
One morning traveling in to the office in the last month, I noticed in the rear view mirror a teen girl riding (likely to school) with her dad. A pretty common scene, right?
The dad appeared lost in thought -- thoughts about work, thoughts about money, and so on. The teen did her part, too -- the daze created by her iPod playlist with earphones cemented in place.
The traffic moved in such a manner that over the next four or five minutes I was able to periodically check in on my parent-student test case for communication.
Still silence.
My thought (probably rooted in being a dad myself) was, "Why doesn't he say something? Why doesn't he try to connect?"
The traffic shifted and my observation group was gone. I yearned for them to communicate. I hungered for them to connect. Why is it so hard for parents and teens to talk? Does it have to be that way?
The traffic shifted and my observation group was gone. I yearned for them to communicate. I hungered for them to connect. Why is it so hard for parents and teens to talk? Does it have to be that way?
A resource that I've found helpful is "How to Get Your Teen to Talk to You"
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/search?author=Kent%20Julian&detailed_search=1&action=Search
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/search?author=Kent%20Julian&detailed_search=1&action=Search
How do you engage in effective communication?
~ Jason
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