So here we are, already a month into
2011. In the next couple of days Milwaukee is facing what might possibly become the
"snow storm of the decade" which I am sure all of our students & their teachers alike are hoping amounts to a snow day. That said, I figure I will have some time over the next couple days to sit around, inside my warm house, and ponder such things as...
"What would I like to see in our youth group in 2011"
While I may add more later, I've come up with two goals for now:
Personal Growth
&
Growth in the Size of our Youth Group
Now, youth ministry and ministry in general should never be about having the biggest following (and I totally agree with that) but hear me out.
To begin with, personal growth is essentially always our goal. If we are not equipping the youth of the church with the tools they need and the experiences that allow them to put their faith into action, then we are failing them. In order for our ministry to keep from becoming stagnant, we need to continue to build off of what works while also being open to adding new elements that will increase our ability to foster growth. As "youth culture" changes, we need to be mindful of the effectiveness of our strategies. I truly believe that the introduction of LIFE Groups (in-home Bible studies) will be very instrumental in the growth of many of our youth. The key here is providing a setting outside of the church walls where our youth will be encouraged and lead to discuss the issues they are dealing with. Paired with these discussions and fellowship will be a look at the Bible's teachings and a focus on seeing the Word as a living thing, with great application for our lives today.
Here is a clip I found at - and give FULL CREDIT to - Bluefish TV
You may want to MUTE the music player
above left (by clicking it)
It speaks for itself. Feel free to check out their resources at:
BluefishTV
So now I've got to justify a desire for more youth in our youth group. If I said "just because" would that suffice?
No...eh?
Alright, well here's my thinking on this. I've found time and time again that wherever God is clearly at work, people will show up. Ministries that change lives and people who model God's love draw other people to them. Northwest has certainly seen both of these truths at work as we have been blessed with many godly men & women. Furthermore, so much of what we do is guided by a longing to reach our community that is rooted in a desire to see lives changed through God's grace and love.
Many of our youth are very vocal about their desire to reach others across the world and at home. I just wonder sometimes if they realize that they truly CAN impact the world ... not when they are older, or "more mature," or once they have it all figured out (whenever that is), but right now, EXACTLY HOW THEY ARE. It might take some work, some sacrifice, some struggle, maybe even some persecution. But how great of a pay-off it is to know that God is using you to bring others to Him. Even more so will that be the case when people will be drawn to our youth group not because of our video game selection or our cool room, but because they see God working in our lives and they want to experience that!
So, I s'pose I will sign-off for now even though I realize this post is not finished. Sure it sounds great that we should feel compelled to live out our faith in such a way that it is contagious, but what does that look like? What are some steps to take... an action plan?
My heart-felt prayer tonight is for wisdom and discernment for the steps ahead.
Jeremiah 29:13
