Adam McLane

Let’s Admit Some Things

  1. There’s not a church in America, that I know of, that could look me in the eye and say that they are doing an above average job ministering to the holistic needs of adolescents in their congregation, much less their community.
  2. We don’t have a clue how to minister to families, much less the rapidly changing definition of what it means to be a family in our society.
  3. At best, youth ministry needs hearing aids. At worst, we aren’t even trying to listen to what the 95% of teenagers in our communities want or need from a local church.
  4. I don’t know anyone who feels confident in how to best disciple a teenager.
  5. I don’t know anyone who feels confident in how to best do evangelism among teenagers in a post-Christian society, much less an adult who would claim to be any good at it or comfortable with it.
  6. No one is great at gathering local youth workers, offering relevant and timely resources, or creating meaningful collaborative relationships with churches in their community.
  7. Work/life balance is a struggle for everyone in our society, not just those in youth ministry.

I share all of this as an encouragement.

We– the tribe of adults who minister to teenagers— need your ideas, innovation, and experiments.

These are all open questions that we need help addressing.

We need your collaboration.

We need your partnership.

Do not be intimidated. There are people who look like experts. There are people who are more experienced. But the simple fact is that all of the things above are questions we don’t know the answers to.

It takes a diverse group of youth workers, with diverse interests, with a diverse set of experiences to even scratch the surface on these challenges. It’ll take all of us. 

All are invited. And all are welcome.

But let’s all start by admitting, right up front, that we need help.

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Adam McLane

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8 responses to “Let’s Admit Some Things”

  1. brianheninger Avatar
    brianheninger

    Here in Battle Creek, there is a group of youth ministers that meet twice a month, for no more than am hour, to sit down to talk about needs, events, but to get overall encouragement and to have a laugh at church life.

    It is a small group because many are too busy, some have day’s off, to take a hour for the event. I think it is important to have these meetings, though things are currently well at my church, to talk with people who do the same thing you are doing.

    Reply
  2. Ben Bartosik Avatar
    Ben Bartosik

    You should get in contact with Youth Unlimited in the Greater Toronto Area, particularly the North York branch. I’m good friends with a few of them and they are really heading in the right direction.

    Reply
    1. adam mclane Avatar
      adam mclane

      Right direction on what?

      Reply
  3. damonduehring Avatar
    damonduehring

    I talk with the wife about 3-5 items from that list nearly every Wednesday night when I get home from our youth meeting. It’s good to see it in “print”, as it’s a good list to dialogue with others about. Maybe that will ease the burden of praying for Christ’s return every Wednesday afternoon…

    Reply
  4. Carl Fuglein Avatar
    Carl Fuglein

    Damon – I so totally agree. I frequently pray for the Rapture, probably moreso on Wednesday, lol.

    Reply
  5. Kurt J. Avatar
    Kurt J.

    Concerning #6, do you think network organizations like NNYM etc would echo that sentiment? I tend to agree with you but wonder if my opinion is merely subjective…I’m not involved in those types of gatherings so assume nobody else really is, either.

    Reply
    1. adam mclane Avatar
      adam mclane

      @kurt – I’m sure there are some pockets and orgs who would say they do a good job in a specific thing. The people I know who are heavily involved with NNYM would be very quick to say that they aren’t doing a very good job of gathering, resourcing, or fostering collaboration. There are pockets of things that they do well in some areas, but it’s really limited. My #6 was based on not just my interaction with NNYM, but with a wide variety of local groups/orgs… I hear so many common frustrations, that’s why I used that big generality. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Gene Avatar
    Gene

    According to Garrison Keillor in Lake Wobegon all the children are above average. According to Adam McLane, when it comes to ministry with those youth, in America none of the churches are. What this tells me is that Garrison Keillor and Adam McLane share something in common — a misunderstanding of the actual meaning of the term “average”.

    Reply

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