Comments on: Lies of Youth Ministry, Part One

By: Casey

Casey — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:59:21 +0000

I’m on board with what you’re saying. I agree, it’s great to be where the kids are and to be involved in their world instead of in the “hideout” of the office. However, though coaching and driving the bus is great and the kids get to liking you, isn’t your time better spent discipling your teens, multiplying yourself, teaching them your truths, and having them take the gospel to their friends, having them receive it from their peers? I’ve got 4 young me in three different schools gaining more ground that I could ever do alone.

By: scott

scott — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:28:32 +0000

i find it hard for a church to get online with being gone from the office that much. i’d love to be in the schools more, but i’d say a lot of other youth workers are like me and aren’t necessarily in a place that would be alright with that.

By: adam mclane

adam mclane — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 03:27:17 +0000

Jon, with all due respect to those kids… if they are apathetic in their faith as they’ve been exposed to the gospel all their lives, we should probably focus on those who have NEVER experienced or heard the Gospel.

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:46:54 +0000

I would go further and say that many of those kids in the church are trully not even in a personal relationship with Christ themselves. The challenge is reaching those Youth before they leave the Church when they come to an age where they are able to make a decision outside of Mom and Dad’s faith. I speak to this at http://evangelizetheyouth.com/

By: Debi

Debi — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:31:33 +0000

OK, here’s a Romeo person who’s answering your call to “pipe in” on this issue! Some background – my son was on the high school golf team and Adam had volunteered to help coach. To this day my son still talks about Billy (the nickname they gave Adam, don’t ask me why!) and how he would drive the team to events in the Beast (his 15-seat church van). I think the relationship worked because Adam was not there in an official pastor capacity, but rather as an adult who just wanted to be with kids. Not that ministering to kids isn’t important – it is. But sometimes I think it’s all about the way it’s done. Make yourself available to kids, get them to trust you, talk about the issues that matter to them, and before you know it your are ministering to them! Approaching kids with a “pastor agenda” will quicly turn most of them away. Sad, but true.
To this day my son’s face still lights up at the mention of “Billy”! He found a friend in Adam, not a preacher, and whether he realizes it or not, he was ministered to!
It’s all about the approach!

By: joe troyer

joe troyer — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:13:18 +0000

great idea adam. i have a “free pass” in my school anyways. i am in there once or twice a week. but while i am there, i am hanging out with “my kids”. tutoring or something like that might be a great choice for me. thanks for that.

By: adam mclane

adam mclane — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:53:13 +0000

joe– I think you do two things. If you’re serious about reaching kids in your community you need to block out the time. Get your boss online with 1-2 days per week where you’re “out of the office” doing face-to-face ministry.

Then you go to the school you want to reach and say… “Hi, my name is Joe. I’d like to volunteer a lot of my time doing something you need done. I can help tutor, grade papers, monitor halls, asst coach a sports team, or whatever you need. But our church loves this community and we want to give back in a big way.”

Seriously, schools are hurting to have volunteers come agenda free. If a principal says “no” to that… consider another school.

But just being at the school and serving their practical needs is the biggest open door to meeting kids and opening doors with the school.

In Romeo, I was NEVER told no to volunteering my time. Prove that your only agenda is loving/investing in the school to make it better and administrators should love you.

The “rub” is that it may not be direct enough to satisfy your boss. Just trust me… consistently investing in your school for THEIR agenda will get you a long way.

Hopefully, some folks from Romeo schools who still read this will pipe in too.

By: joe troyer

joe troyer — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:46:59 +0000

i agree adam. so tell me this, how do i reach lost students? i know it sounds like a stupid question for a youth pastor to ask. but so much of my time is with “my kids”, that i dont get to spend too much time with others. any thoughts?

By: Mykel

Mykel — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:01:17 +0000

I like what you have to say here. In fact I’ve been saying something similar for many years now.
Right now I am studying Max Weber’s rationalization theory and how it pertains to the church. I am finding that a lot of churches have become a glorified assembly line institution. We hand out God on Sundays in a very impersonal way in the name of efficiency.