News Item: : The Seasons of Youth Ministry. (Part I)
(Category: New Youth Ministry Articles!)
Posted by uthleader
Saturday 29 March 2008 - 00:02:13
As a young person growing up in Cleveland, Ohio one of the things that I could always count on was the changing of seasons. As a young person, I so enjoyed the fall and winter seasons. Now that I’m a little older I have a greater appreciation for any season which does not include snow. Although in northeast Ohio the only season where we are guaranteed no snow is summer.
Just as there are seasons of weather and climate, there are also seasons of life. Childhood is often referred to as springtime because of the growth that is taking place. Young adults are often considered to be in the summer season. It is the season where they are able to accomplish the most. They are in their prime. Those who have reached middle age could be considered in the autumn of life. Just as the leaves change into beautiful assortments of colors so their lives reach a beautiful state as well. Kids are reared and grown. New opportunities exist. They are free to do more than at any other time. But just as the leaves reach a gorgeous color, they begin the process of falling. With winter comes death or a stage of dormancy. The sun sets early, it’s cold and very few spend much time outside unless they have to.
While thinking on this subject I was reminded what my youth pastor shared with me shortly after I ventured into the youth ministry. Just as there are seasons in weather, and seasons in life, there are also seasons in youth ministry. As I have served in this capacity for over seven years I have come to realize that his words of advice were so true. I believe that God wants us to know that no matter what season we may find our youth to be in, that there is always another coming. These words bring great hope and comfort when in a difficult season. But they also ought to bring great warning to those who find themselves in an easy season of youth work.
The more I’m with teens there are three distinct seasons that I have come to be familiar with. There may be others, but these seasons have been distinct in our ministry.
With each class that comes into the youth group you will find them fitting into one of these three categories. Typically they will all be the same. You may have a class that is rebellious. In that class there may be a few teens on fire for the Lord, but usually they are in the minority. I believe that there are some things that we need to consider as we deal with the seasons of youth ministry.
I. Understand that there are seasons in youth ministry
You may be the world’s greatest youth leader. You may be a great youth speaker. You may be a great organizer. You may be a great soul winner. You may be any number of things personally, but there will be seasons of great rejoicing and there will also be seasons of great trial in ministry. I can hope that the winter will never come, but the simple fact is that I cannot stop its arrival. No matter what I do or say the seasons will change. The sooner I recognize the inevitability of the change the better prepared I’ll be when they do change. Long before the first snowflakes fall, many begin the process of “winterizing” their homes in preparation. The screen door comes down and the storm door goes up. Just as there are ways to prepare for the winter there are ways for us to deal with difficult seasons in youth ministry. But the truth is we must recognize that these moments will come and we must prepare ourselves for their arrival.
II. Intensify, during the Season of Indifference
If we’re not careful, each of us will go through moments of indifference. Satan is very good at lulling us to sleep. He’s a master at getting us to ignore the things that are happening around us.
We are a generation that is characterized by laziness and carelessness. Most young people today don’t care about anything. Those that do care are often too lazy to address their concerns.
We have so inundated ourselves with technology that enables us to do things with just the click of a button, that if something can’t be done this way, then it doesn’t get done at all.
This same attitude is prevalent in the church. Because we are influenced by outside sources, these things have crept their way into the house of God. Never is this more evident than in the youth departments of churches throughout America. Teenagers today, are far more concerned with how much money they can make in their lifetimes to consider the calling of God upon their lives. They’re more enamored with what car they would like to drive, and the college that they want to attend, and the home they want to live in. It’s a generation that is characterized by “Me, Myself and I.” If it doesn’t benefit or help me then I want nothing to do with it. As a result we are sending fewer preacher boys to Bible college fewer missionaries to the mission field, and fewer committed Christians into the world to impact it upon their arrival.
We have done a phenomenal job teaching teenagers how to shoot a paintball gun and how to drive a go-kart. But not enough has gone into training them to notice that there is a world that is lost and headed to hell, much less impacting them to reach this world. Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m all for fun and exciting activities, but if this is all we have then our accomplishments are few.
I believe that during seasons like this the pulpit needs to be hotter than it’s ever been. Instead of backing off we need to be stronger than ever in our preaching. It’s easy to preach when the youth group is on fire for God, but it’s not so easy to preach when there is a spirit of indifference and carelessness that abounds in the youth group.
Somehow we must convince our young people that there are others in our world that have desperate needs and that we as God’s people have the answers to meet those needs. I wonder if the reason why the youth group has become indifferent is because the youth pastor has fallen into this exact same trap. When was the last time that you reached a public school young person with the gospel? When was the last time you were broken over the needs of this world? Sometimes we don’t even realize that there is an indifference that abounds in us.
Check back for the next installment.
This news item is from UthLeader.com
( http://www.uthleader.com/news.php?extend.39 )
(Category: New Youth Ministry Articles!)
Posted by uthleader
Saturday 29 March 2008 - 00:02:13
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:1
The Seasons of Youth Ministry (Part I)
By Pete Folger
By Pete Folger
As a young person growing up in Cleveland, Ohio one of the things that I could always count on was the changing of seasons. As a young person, I so enjoyed the fall and winter seasons. Now that I’m a little older I have a greater appreciation for any season which does not include snow. Although in northeast Ohio the only season where we are guaranteed no snow is summer.Just as there are seasons of weather and climate, there are also seasons of life. Childhood is often referred to as springtime because of the growth that is taking place. Young adults are often considered to be in the summer season. It is the season where they are able to accomplish the most. They are in their prime. Those who have reached middle age could be considered in the autumn of life. Just as the leaves change into beautiful assortments of colors so their lives reach a beautiful state as well. Kids are reared and grown. New opportunities exist. They are free to do more than at any other time. But just as the leaves reach a gorgeous color, they begin the process of falling. With winter comes death or a stage of dormancy. The sun sets early, it’s cold and very few spend much time outside unless they have to.
While thinking on this subject I was reminded what my youth pastor shared with me shortly after I ventured into the youth ministry. Just as there are seasons in weather, and seasons in life, there are also seasons in youth ministry. As I have served in this capacity for over seven years I have come to realize that his words of advice were so true. I believe that God wants us to know that no matter what season we may find our youth to be in, that there is always another coming. These words bring great hope and comfort when in a difficult season. But they also ought to bring great warning to those who find themselves in an easy season of youth work.
The more I’m with teens there are three distinct seasons that I have come to be familiar with. There may be others, but these seasons have been distinct in our ministry.
- The Season of Indifference.
- The Season of Rebellion.
- The Season of Revival.
With each class that comes into the youth group you will find them fitting into one of these three categories. Typically they will all be the same. You may have a class that is rebellious. In that class there may be a few teens on fire for the Lord, but usually they are in the minority. I believe that there are some things that we need to consider as we deal with the seasons of youth ministry.
Pete Folger is the Assistant Pastor at Cleveland Baptist Church.
I. Understand that there are seasons in youth ministry
You may be the world’s greatest youth leader. You may be a great youth speaker. You may be a great organizer. You may be a great soul winner. You may be any number of things personally, but there will be seasons of great rejoicing and there will also be seasons of great trial in ministry. I can hope that the winter will never come, but the simple fact is that I cannot stop its arrival. No matter what I do or say the seasons will change. The sooner I recognize the inevitability of the change the better prepared I’ll be when they do change. Long before the first snowflakes fall, many begin the process of “winterizing” their homes in preparation. The screen door comes down and the storm door goes up. Just as there are ways to prepare for the winter there are ways for us to deal with difficult seasons in youth ministry. But the truth is we must recognize that these moments will come and we must prepare ourselves for their arrival.
II. Intensify, during the Season of Indifference
If we’re not careful, each of us will go through moments of indifference. Satan is very good at lulling us to sleep. He’s a master at getting us to ignore the things that are happening around us.
We are a generation that is characterized by laziness and carelessness. Most young people today don’t care about anything. Those that do care are often too lazy to address their concerns.
We have so inundated ourselves with technology that enables us to do things with just the click of a button, that if something can’t be done this way, then it doesn’t get done at all.
This same attitude is prevalent in the church. Because we are influenced by outside sources, these things have crept their way into the house of God. Never is this more evident than in the youth departments of churches throughout America. Teenagers today, are far more concerned with how much money they can make in their lifetimes to consider the calling of God upon their lives. They’re more enamored with what car they would like to drive, and the college that they want to attend, and the home they want to live in. It’s a generation that is characterized by “Me, Myself and I.” If it doesn’t benefit or help me then I want nothing to do with it. As a result we are sending fewer preacher boys to Bible college fewer missionaries to the mission field, and fewer committed Christians into the world to impact it upon their arrival.
We have done a phenomenal job teaching teenagers how to shoot a paintball gun and how to drive a go-kart. But not enough has gone into training them to notice that there is a world that is lost and headed to hell, much less impacting them to reach this world. Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m all for fun and exciting activities, but if this is all we have then our accomplishments are few.
I believe that during seasons like this the pulpit needs to be hotter than it’s ever been. Instead of backing off we need to be stronger than ever in our preaching. It’s easy to preach when the youth group is on fire for God, but it’s not so easy to preach when there is a spirit of indifference and carelessness that abounds in the youth group.
Somehow we must convince our young people that there are others in our world that have desperate needs and that we as God’s people have the answers to meet those needs. I wonder if the reason why the youth group has become indifferent is because the youth pastor has fallen into this exact same trap. When was the last time that you reached a public school young person with the gospel? When was the last time you were broken over the needs of this world? Sometimes we don’t even realize that there is an indifference that abounds in us.
Check back for the next installment.
This news item is from UthLeader.com
( http://www.uthleader.com/news.php?extend.39 )