Small youth groups

I had the privilege of teaching a workshop during Warmth in Winter (our local conference winter retreat for youth) a couple of years ago. It was geared toward adult leaders and was a "new" experience for me! The title was "Single Digit YouthMinistries". My first statement was "If you came to this workshop to have me tell youhow to take a small youth group and build it into a large one, you're in the wrong place!" I'm glad to say that no one walked out! If you think about it, in large churches, the first thing they do in Youth ministry is to divide the young people into "small" groups based on age, grade or other criteria. Our small group is ready made.

Although the congregation of most every church would love to have a Youth group with 50 or 100 young people, my passion is for smaller gatherings. Having a group our size allows me (and the other adults) to be in relationship with all the young people...no one gets lost in the shuffle. We can know about what happens in their lives, what is important to them, what scares or hurts them...and we're in a place to help them address it.

There have been times in the past that I would fret about not reaching a larger group and questioned if I was the right person for the job. But then I realized, this is NOT a job to me, it's a mission, it's my way of reaching out and I am blessed to be in relationship with these people. It's our desire to reach the ones we have rather than be concerned about the ones we don't. Besides, when Jesus called His disciples, He only called 12!


Do you think numerical growth is the only indicator of a healthy Youth ministry? Numbers can be an indicator but it's not a decisive one. "Fun" youth group meetings can attract larger numbers but ministry is not all about games. It must include spiritual growth and spiritual growth is solely a work of the Holy Spirit in a person's life. If a healthy group is not growing, could it be because God's plan for us right now is to be diligent in focusing on the students who are already here? Perhaps there are ways He wants us to grow that would not be possible in a group where we can't truly know each one by name.

There is nothing we can do to force a young person to grow. The best we can do is pray like their lives depend on it (because they do) and seek the Lord's wisdom in creating environments that encourage their spiritual growth. Beyond that, we must remain open for the Lord to use us however possible in communicating His Truth and let Him be the one that makes the Truth penetrate their hearts and souls.


"We" means the entire adult congregation, not just the youth workers. Won't you add your prayers or pass along an idea to help us nurture them? We are blessed because this is a ministry that needs all of us.

 

OK Ladies...

You know we all love to have our pictures made standing (or sitting) next to the man in our lives...but you have to admit, once in a great while, it would be fun to pose like this:

 You gotta love Will Smith!

Francis of Assisi

Most people think of Francis of Assisi as a sweet, simple kind of guy who picked flowers and talked with animals. He was much more than that. As a young man he willingly went to war, and eventually was imprisoned. Once while on the way to a battle, Francis heard a divine voice inviting him to start serving the master rather than the servant. It was then he decided to live for God alone.
 
Decision by decision he stripped himself of attachments, to be more like Jesus. In his early twenties, Francis decided to become like the poor he met in Assisi's back streets. One day, while praying, he heard a voice say, "Go and repair my church." Thinking that he was to fix the dilapidated church of St. Damian, he set to work. This infuriated his father, who took him to the bishop's court, demanding that his son repay the money he had spent on repairs. Francis then stripped naked, returning his clothes to his father as a sign that he was letting go of his family and his inheritance. He spent the rest of his life until his death in 1226 preaching and healing, attracting followers by his unflagging devotion to Christ.

 Assisi is the birthplace of St. Francis, who was born Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone in 1182 and later founded the Franciscan Order and Women’s Order of St. Clare. Thousands come to worship in Assisi's magnificent churches, and to pray to Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of Italy affectionately called Il Poverello because he lived and preached a life of simplicity and poverty. Famous for its spectacular Basilica di San Francesco, built in the 13th century, Assisi is worth visiting even without the churches, extraordinary frescoes and associations with St Francis. Founded by the Umbrians, Assisi was prominent during the Roman era but achieved its greatest fame and importance during the Middle ages.

Explaining what some believe is unexplainable...

Although these 3 paragraphs come at the end of the article...I would suggest reading the whole thing. An interesting take on explaining Christianity to the Atheist...

And this, finally, is the answer Christianity gives to suffering. Since Christ became all sin, and suffering is the result of sin, Christ took upon himself all suffering. Since his act was for all earthly time, this includes our current suffering. If this is true, no suffering is apart from the suffering of Christ. All is his. I am a Christian because I can acknowledge the reality that my suffering is in fact the suffering of Christ, and thereby “offer it up” with him, giving it meaning and the most glorious of purposes: The end of all suffering.

As Paul says: “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” Our suffering, because it is Christ’s, saves the world.

This changes everything: To see the child with leukemia is to see Christ suffering in that child, suffering to bring the world back to Perfection. To experience agony is to cry out with the strain of lifting this fallen world to Paradise. We are called to recognize this, and to actualize this. This is why I am a Christian.

Most popular...

surnames that is. Interesting...mine is not shown!

Endorsements

The closer we get to November 7th, the more contentious the rhetoric seems to get. The question is, do you believe that pastors should endorse a candidate from the pulpit? The IRS Tax Code is set up to deny pastors that right...but is it truly a "right"?

This is a most interesting survey...

Meanwhile, in many mainline churches, the curious thing this Oct. 7 will not be Pulpit Freedom Sunday, but World Communion Sunday. In these churches, the day’s worship will not be centered on one man (because it is almost always a man who enjoy freedom to speak in a pulpit in most churches) at the podium, but on the body of Christ around the world feasting at a communal table.

The difference in how this Sunday will be marked seems instructive, symbolic even. In one, the focus rests on the importance of freedom and of an individual speaking out, fist pounding with righteous fury about a fleeting moment in one country’s political history. In the other, the focus will be on men, women, children, rich, poor, gays, lesbians, Africans, Asians, Australians, Europeans, and Americans, coming to a shared table with thanksgiving and solidarity, palms outstretched receiving a piece of bread, a sip of wine, eternal life. 

Read the rest...

Equipping Parents

 Spiritual formation begins in the home.  Well, that’s at least according to the way Susannah Wesley raised her children.  I believe that many of our U.M. Churches have relinquished this responsibility in equipping, encouraging and preparing parents to intentionally pass on spirituality and the language of the Christian faith to their children.  That’s not to say that there aren’t some churches have done a phenomenal job at equipping parents to pass on the faith, however, not enough leaders in the church are taking this very important responsibility seriously.

The article quoted above is called  Equipping Parents,  but I would propose that the title should include "and the Church". It should be an important read for each and every member of a congregation.

To make it easier, here is the link to the Spiritual Generativity Essay noted.

The work by Kendra Creasy Dean referenced in this article is "Almost Christian: What the Faith of our Teenagers is Telling the American Church". I have a copy of this book if anyone in the congregation would like to read it.