Ministry in different settings

One of the questions I have really been pondering and analyzing since this CCC in San Diego, is in regards to how the needed changes in youth ministry would vary between small churches and large churches - if they would vary at all. I, personally, believe there would be some significant differences simply because the nature of those ministries are significantly different.

I am not sure I have any answers to my own question yet, but have really been examing these ideas. But something I want to throw out for discussion because I know we all come from different settings, and this could impact how much (or little) we need to change for effective Youth Ministry in the future!!!

It's not all about me.
I've been thinking that the biggest thing that needs to change is the way the ENTIRE CHURCH views the youth and the youth ministry. Here's where I get hung up. I hear how WE (as youthworkers) are supposed to connect kids more with their families and with the church. WE are supposed to get them integrated into creating and designing and owning the life of the whole church. I don't think that works. I'm busy building relationships with students. What I need is all the people who are the church to think of the students differently. Instead of approaching me and saying, "hey can you get a few youth to help with ....." they need to include, invite, approach, involve and relate to students just as they would to other adults. If I continue to be THE link between the youth and the church, nothing will ever change. People are happy with the one-eared mickey. They don't want that to go away, because then they will be relating directly with students that they may find unusual, annoying, or challenging. They want some token youth to be involved on their committee or join the adult choir so they can say they are reaching out to youth. They want to continue to pay me to run a great youth ministry program so they don't really have to spend much time thinking about young people. If new models and new ways are going to emerge, it can't be all about ME. I will need everyone in the church to start thinking differently. And how will that happen? Okay, maybe some of that does start with me, but not me just re-designing what I'm doing. In fact, I'm not even planning to re-design anything. I'm talking and praying and challenging and convincing and wondering. This could take a while.

So here is a topic

Since it has been brought up already here on online and it was a part of the Critical Concerns Course lets' talk about Inter-generational ministry. I think it is imperative for the genrations to be connected with each other and the one-eared mickey mouse approach really isn't working so what does inter-generational ministry look like beyond just having a group of adult volunteers but a truly inter-generational ministry.

Love to here your thoughts!

mark helsel

getting the ball rolling

being at the seminar was a good start to some deeper thinking for what will be a long term ongoing process to rethink what ministry to teens and their families will look like. it’s something that i’ve been chewing on for a long time and i’m glad to be in a group that’s thinking about it.

this would have been something good to do for the entire week because there just won’t be enough time to do more than scratch the surface. one of the biggest tools we were given is a lot of the background and thinking that can help us do our homework to shape new thinking. thanks for all the stats, history, student longings, culture and forward predictions. kinda info overload, but if we use these as the tools to evaluate and dream, then we’ll be closer to hitting our goal of helping kids liveCHRIST than if we keep doing the same outdated things.

one thing i’m thinking is not that we have to throw everything out, but have to be able to use, mix and tweak what we know with the new ideas we are learning and discovering about the new world in front of us.

another reoccurring theme has been inter-generational. how can we minimize the student ministry club and reintroduce them to their parents, families, grandparents and the breadth of ages and people in the church.

yet another thing is that everything will change with the current information and tech glut. the way kids think, use information and media, have technology and interact with each other makes for a brave new world that not many understand or know what to do with.

hard, but exciting and challenging. i know i’m SOOOOO HAPPY to be in the kind of church that
i won’t have to martyr myself in to see some of these new ideas be tried and take place.

so my question is, what kinds of things will we start doing differently based on some of this thinking an research?

here are a couple of mine i'm thinking through...

• more time on campus and at events with students where they are
• look for ways to reconnect students with their families in a setting they would be willing to try [mission trip, service day, sports?]
• connect our group to at least one group of a different culture/race/ethnicity
  

pax: ty

Welcome all Critical Concerns Course Visionaries

Hello everybody from Brock Morgan and Mark Helsel. We had such a great time with you all in our critical concerns course and we are looking forward to the dialogue it sparks up. We are looking forward to exchanging ideas with you and to see how God is working in your ministry. This blog is set-up so that you all can be authors, just send me an email if you would like to be added as an author so you can contribute material and not just comment. We want to decentralize. Remember the starfish!! It looks like between the three cities we are doing this in almost 200 people can engage in this conversation. Should be Cool.

Oh yeah check out the poll over on the right side!

Blessings,

Mark and Brock

"Whatever is not eternal is eternally useless" -C.S. Lewis