Are student leadership teams that offer seasonal commitments more effective at developing true missional leaders than those who require a total, year-long commitment?

Our culture has continued to become more and more demanding of our student’s time. Many student leaders at church also serve in similar roles at school; in clubs, sports, dramas and other extracurricular activities. During certain seasons students are so involved at school that they can’t make it to student leadership training or meetings on a consistent basis.

This has always been an area of tension. What do you do with a student who loves the Lord, but is so involved at school, that it cuts into their church time. The tendency has been to ask them to choose. If they want to be a student leader in our ministry we often ask them to sacrifice some of their other interests, so that they can be consistent with our group.

With the recent emphasis on missional living and leadership, which I believe in, the old philosophy of “choose or lose” seems contradictory to what I teach my students to live.

Asking them to sacrifice other areas of interest (clubs, sports, etc.) is asking them to let go of the very platforms that are most natural for them to reach their friends for Christ from. It could seem like a separatist mentality, to take our strongest students and dominate their time.

One youth leader I know of, Kary Oberbrunner, from Powell Grace Brethren Church, uses a seasonal leadership structure. Students have the option to choose to sit out a season of student leadership, if there is an activity at school that they have the opportunity to be a part of, and perhaps even be a leader in. The student is still welcome to come to the leadership meetings when they are able to make it. They are also encouraged to make it to as many youth group activities and gatherings as possible, but they are not held to the same standards as the student leaders who are signed up for that season. The students who are signed up are expected to be faithful for the semesters in which they commit. The seasons flow with the sports seasons of August-October, November-February and March-June, rather than trying to fight them.

I see great advantages to this approach as a missional youth pastor. Primarily, I see a great opportunity to send student leaders out during their off-seasons as “missionaries”. It gives them an opportunity to put into practice full-time what we have taught them in student leadership, and will continue to when they can come. It removes the unnecessary guilt trip of feeling like they have to choose Christ (student leadership at church) or themselves (student leadership at school).

The disadvantages that I can see begin with it’s inconsistency during the off-seasons. It could lead to a somewhat uncommitted core of students, who feel the freedom to take every other semester off. It could cause a lack of unity amongst the student leaders. It also seems to lack any true support system for those who are “sent out” for a season as missional leaders, which is probably when they need training and leadership the most.

If our goal is to produce students who live out their faith daily, then which method is more effective at doing that? Do the disadvantages of a seasonal leadership team overwhelm the advantages? Does it divide the team’s interests too much? Does it prepare students more effectively because of the opportunities it presents? Does it create tension among students who are committed year-round? Does this sound like a good enough question?

With the rising busyness of our teenagers schedules we must find new creative models of training and leading our students. Should students have to choose, and thus demonstrate their commitment to our cause? Should we offer options that make it more reasonable for student to be heavily involved elsewhere, in areas where they naturally impact the lives of the lost? Is seasonal leadership a reaction or an intentional, advantageous option? I believe this research questions can help answer all of these questions and many, many, many, many, many, many others, which I could not possible list them all because they are amazaingly vast, deep and wide.

What percentage of student leaders walk away from their faith/the church within one year of graduating high school as compared to the percentage of students who were simply regular attendees of a youth group that walk away from their faith/the church?

I have heard absurdly high statistics on the number of students who leave the church shortly after graduating high school, and I think it would be valuable to do research on this question to see what the common factors are for students who walk away compared to those who do not. It seems that this question would be most beneficial with extensive questioning over a broad and large number of students and would have greater value as a longitudinal study of several years.

I think the value in researching this question would be to give greater support to the value of student leadership within youth ministry. What might be of even more value is seeing the importance of building a culture of “student leadership” within youth ministry,

if the factors that help students form a solid foundation in their relationship to Christ are also

common or even unique to factors found in student leadership.

Some words that would need to be defined include “student leaders”, “walk away” and “the”. For students who respond to the research questions, student leaders would need to agree with a generic level of commitment to a student leadership program, and all students

would need to agree with a basic set of Christian beliefs. I believe this would keep the researching focused sharply on what we’re after.

Some questions to look to answer through the research include:

Why did these students walk away? Are the reasons for normal Christian students greatly different than those of Christian student leaders? Would the students themselves say that they have left their faith/the church, or have they simply been absent in attendance?

Regarding all the students who do not walk away, are there any factors that are unique to the student leaders that are not present in the other students?

For example closer relationships with adults, more extended time with youth pastor, more training in Bible knowledge…

There might also be added value in doing this study over a great length of time, like five to ten years, to examine such questions as: How many of the students who initially walked away eventually come back to the church?

Of those who eventually come back to the church, what percentage of these were once student leaders?

Do a great number of students walk away a year or more after graduating high school, and what percentage were once student leaders?

I don’t really know if this is a feasible research project or not, but it seems like one that could

produce results that would be extremely relevant to not only how we do student leadership, but even youth ministry! It’s probably not worded correctly and it probably has some major loopholes, but there it is.

What aspects of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s student missionary experience can be transferred into evangelical training of student influencers?

It’s no secret that our LDS counterparts get results. Roughly 40% of their 18-22 year olds commit to 18-24 months of missionary service. Each Wednesday, 500 new missionaries show up at the Missionary Training Center on BYU’s Provo campus.(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week449/cover.html)

Where the secret may be is the longitudinal effects of this intensely demanding time of learning about their faith, its history, and how to convince others to follow their footsteps. While a few walk away from their mission disillusioned, many more return solidly committed to this man-made religion.

What is interesting to me is not the numbers of students they get to commit to going on the mission, which is astounding, but what they do with these students over the period of two years. These two years are highly strategic in the development of Mormon disciples. There must be some areas of research and study that would be transferable to evangelical efforts to develop student influencers. If the LDS can get students to commit to and complete such incredible actions for a lie, how much more could we do for the truth?

My interest in studying the Mormon mission has been sparked, then kindled, then cooled several times over the past few years. It all started as a college student in Chicago when I would regularly run into the same Mormon missionaries on the bus to work. I would strike up a conversation with the companion couple and chit-chat until one of us had to get off. Generally, I discovered intense students who caught between a desire to succeed in the mission and being lonely for home. It was clear to me that they were struggling with the faith they were trying to proselytize. Repeatedly, I challenged them to question their mission’s rules and contact their parents on my cell phone. Politely they would take my phone and stare at it as I tempted them with, “Doesn’t it seem odd that for your whole life, your faith has been tied to your family and now you aren’t allowed to talk to them?” “Why don’t you call your mom? I’m sure she’d like to know you are OK.”

This question has been re-sparked in me as I’ve learned more about student leadership techniques in the church [which largely seem to fail] as well as some recent films. An independent (non-Mormon) filmmaker, Nancy du Plessis, spent more than 2 years following 3 missionaries from training, to Munich, and through completion. Her film, Get the Fire! provides incredible insight into the nuts and bolts of the mission. Another film The Best Two Years, by Mormon film company Harvest Films provides even more insight into the leadership development elements of the mission experience.

Some angles for this research would be: What are the effects of literature distribution? Does repeated rejection and failure weaken or strengthen their faith in the message? Why are the students not directly supervised by adults but based in small groups with one student in charge of day-to-day activity? Does social pressure keep them on the mission field? Does a work-based salvation contribute to their desire to share their faith? Why is the mission two full years without interruption? What happens to students who leave the field early? Is this merely a rite of passage and not about discipleship? Does the mission make them more influential in their peer groups back home? Does the disillusionment stage make the missionary more productive? What role does accountability play? Does the hierarchical leadership motivate students to succeed?

What specific contributions can “adult coaches” make in the lives of student leaders to increase their faithfulness & effectiveness to the mission of the group?

I chose this direction for the question because my coaches are always seeking the specific “how to’s” and “what to’s” of ministry. I can create the vision for them, get them inspired to work hard, but many still desire and need specific things to do. Rather than meaningless or less significant tasks for the sake of having something to do, it would be incredible to provide research-based action items that contribute to observable outcomes in the students that echo and materialize the mission our ministry.

The significance of the findings to the greater world of youth ministry is similar. Many adults are willing to give a certain block of time to invest in students and the ministry, and do so joyfully. However, having substantial ministry actions to carry out will greatly increase their own faithfulness and effectiveness. Perhaps the greater significance lies in the fact that students will have adults better equipped to invest and assist them in carrying our their God-give mission.

Although I’m sure the question needs a lot of work before research is ready to be formed around it, there is some intentionality to its structure.

First, I think concrete ministry action steps (contributions) need to be identified. Grant it, we won’t find a secret formula guaranteed to produce results, but specifics are still needed for focus.

I use the term “adult coaches” not just to kiss up to the professor, but because I think that is the clearest, broadest understood term that captures the role and heart of the adults we are targeting.

The “lives of the student leaders” is the subject of the contributions we seek, because we do / should value student leaders as people. Our approach must be holistic and value the student as a whole and not simply the tasks they do, no matter how Biblical they may be.

By choosing the word “increase” we capture the growing aspect of the student leader’s ongoing influence. There is no arrival implied. No matter the stage of faithfulness and effectiveness, it can be improved upon and increased.

“Faithfulness and effectiveness” reveals the impact my undergrad education has upon me. I buy into the essence of what we are after by using this phrase. We must be faithful to the One who has called us and effective in the task He has given us.

My final choice of words is the one I am most unhappy with, but can’t find a better way to say it. “The mission of the group” is intended to make sure that the findings of the research will be helpful to any youth ministry regardless of it’s ministry emphasis or niche. Whether I am in church or parachurch, affluent or poor, east coast or west coast, there must be some specific thing I can have adults do that will increase the student leaders faithfulness and effectiveness in the mission God has called us to.

With so much sidebar space available I’ve decided to add-on a couple of features which may be useful to all blogs go to heaven readers as well as increase traffic to the site.

• Links section: Located right on top will be useful ministry-related inks and well as silly links or links I just find interesting. I’ll try to keep them alphabetized or otherwise categorized as I add them.
• Blog links: As a blog reader, I am always on the lookout for blogs that interest me.

If you have a link you’d like me to post, feel free to e-mail me at mailto: mailto: adam@fbcromeo.org If I think the link is valuable to the readers, I will add it. But I won’t ad a link so you can profit… That’s what my ads are for!

Forget all the runamook about whether or not we should be calling this a harvest party or a Halloween party, tonight is the big night.

One of the few places where Romeo really shines is when we all pitch in to make a big event happen. Tonight’s outreach is one of those times. People have been working non-stop around the church for weeks in a constant buzz to get everything put together and organized. It is all coming together nicely.

We expect to have between 100-200 children on our grounds tonight. With them will be their parents for a total of about 350-400 people. We’ve got loads of candy, games for little kids and big kids, puppets, and 5 inflatable rides. It is supposed to be quite a nice evening weather wise as well… So you never know what could happen?

My role tonight is to help with all the inflatables and parking. I’ve got loads of middle/high school students who will be overseeing the bouncie rides as well as directing traffic. Believe it or not, my students are more excited about directing traffic than they are with the bouncie rides! You’ve got to love students!

Going back a few years ago, Kristen and I were very proud members of http://www.calvarymemorial.com. We still refer to Calvary as “our beloved Calvary.” (Though this has faded a bit as time has gone on. We actually don’t miss it too much anymore.)

Anyway, each week I get an e-mailed version of the Sunday sermon. I personally think Ray Pritchard is one of the best communicators of the God’s Word anywhere. (I’ve heard all the big names and he is at least as good as them.) Long story short, last week’s e-mail was from a sermon in 1989.

At that time, a young lady sat in the audience and heard this sermon about committing to missions. Later on, she did. She and her husband were sent from Calvary in the early 1990s to minister to military dependents in Hanau, Germany. A few years later, I moved there as a young, pissed off, and desperately seeking acceptance, 16 year old. Thankfully, they were there and accepted me for who I was. Under their care I accepted Christ and was discipled.

A few years later, as a student at http://www.moody.edu I began attending Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL. Unbeknownst to me, this was the same church that had sent out the missionaries that befriended me and led me to the Lord. Kristen and I joined there, grew there, served there, and I interned there. In a supreme irony Kristen and I took a seat on the same mission board who sent Dan & Barb out in the first place. I served the youth group who discipled the woman who discipled me.

I was excited to read that sermon. As I read it I felt like I must respond. I’ve never sent an e-mail to Ray and even though I was on staff there, we were never close. So last week I sent an e-mail to encourage him that his sermon in 1989 changed my life indirectly. I let him know that through God’s awesome vision, he had actually been a key part of bringing me to the Lord.

So, yesterday I got a nice response from Ray.

Adam,

Thanks for your note. It came at just the right time. This is World Focus Week at Calvary and it’s good to be reminded of why this week matters so much. I preached that message in May 1989, eventually Dan and Barb got married and headed for the mission field. Along the way they helped disciple you and you served on the Missions Committee. And now you are on the staff at FBC, Romeo. Thanks for reminding me (and the staff and elders because I forwarded your message to them because I know what you wrote will encourage them too) about why we do what we do.

God’s best to you always. Thanks for taking the time to write. You put a smile on my face.

Ray

As I’ve been taking this class at Huntington I’ve really wanted to study more about how the LDS motivate train and send out about 40% of their students for a mission of 18-24 months.

I recognize that there are significant differences theologically and practically between LDS and evangelicalism, but there simply must be something we can learn from their “success.” I’ve been doing a little research and even watch a mormon movie on the ups and downs of missionary service called My Best Two Years and am intruiged by the question “how can they get 18-22 years olds to commit that much for something which is actually a lie?”

• Is it all guilt?
• Is it because of parental influence?
• Is it because they are convinced that LDS is the only way know God?
• Is it a rite of passage?
• Is it done for fame?
• Is it because of a predisposed expectation that they would go?
• Is it because they really think they can change the world?
• Is it because mormonism is works based and they want to get to a higher level of heaven?
• Is it because of the high level of expectations and accountability?

More on this later as I further explore the prospects of “what can we learn from them?”

I rarely write about my children since I don’t want to be that guy who blabs all kinds of embarrassing things off about his kids. But this is begging to be told.

Megan is now 3 1/2 years old. She just started preschool a few weeks ago and she is generally easy to get along with. Recently however, this has been another story. Since she was an infant we knew that she was going to be strong willed and it has shown itself in bunches. We’d almost forgotten that she had this streak in her since we are pretty good about placating her desires… But recently we’ve hit a wall.

It started about 2 weeks ago we she had a tantrum over Paul. Who knows what was going on… But Megan freaked out for a while. She has since had tantrums at the church, in the car, and especially at home. One worth noting happened a few nights ago when Kristen went out shopping without her. Both Kristen and I asked her lots of times if she wanted to go and she didn’t. She wanted to stay home and play on the floor with me. So Kristen left without incident. For about 10-15 minutes we wrestled and played on the floor. Laughs and giggles galour. Then, as if she had suddenly been struck by a case of diarrhea, she says “I’m so sad. I’m lonely. I miss mommy! I wanted to go!” It was actually funny and I laughed about it since she so clearly changed her mind and mommy couldn’t possibly come back to get her. Her tears quickly turned into anger as she demanded that Kristen come home and get her.

I told her mom wasn’t coming back for a while and that “Megan” didn’t want to go. This was the turning point where she started kicking and pounding her fists. Her face was pure anger. After about a minute of this I decided I was going to take control since I was the adult. I put her on the couch and told her that she couldn’t get off the couch until she was done crying. About 10 seconds later she flopped on the floor kicking and screaming. So I put her back on… Long story short, after more than a few warnings she earned a spanking. Still wouldn’t listen and then got another spanking. From that point on, she listened but continued to rage.

After a few more minutes, and my anger level had risen… Oh to have a home blood pressure testing matching! I decided to go to the basement and remove her tantrum audience. I figured that as soon as I left, she would stop crying… Boy was I wrong. For about another hour she sat on the couch and screamed and kicked. I did my best to ignore her knowing that she was safe and didn’t need anything. An hour later I went back to the living room where I found Megan, still on the couch and crying. I said, “are you done?” She looked at me, said yes. Then we just played and had a good time.

I’m not claiming to be some sort of parenting expert. But I do think that I handled this pretty well. I regret having to spank her. No parent should like doing that. The biggest thing that Kristen and I have learned about Megan’s tantrums is that we have to remain in control. (It rarely ends in a spanking, this is just one case where it did… Almost all the time counting to 5 gets the job done!)

But this isn’t about spanking. It’s about tantrums. I can summarize it all by saying that we hope this stage is short-lived. Tantrums are something we are just coping with now.

This is just about the end of the road for my marathon of weekends. If you’ll remember, I had something planned either personally or with LF for every weekend between August 1st and November 1st. I can now smell the finish line with only two weekends left. (Crap, I just looked at the calendar and forgot we had the Superbowl on Nov. 6th. Make that 3 more weekends!)

Anyway, this weekend we are off to http://www.blbc.org for a junior high retreat. We have only 4 students going, but the 4 who have committed are all really cool. So I am looking forward to it. For the guys it is mostly a weekend of fable painting (meaning do crazy stuff since I am invincible!) and for the girls, it means endless trips to the bathroom in swarms. For me, the best part is that I can just show up and participate. I’m along for the ride and I don’t have any responsibilities other than to invest in these 4 students. (Kristen is going too) It’s so much fun to go to a retreat and not have to lead. It’s almost like a retreat.

We’ve never been to Bair Lake, but I’ve heard some good things about it from friends. I know they have nice facilities and all the jazz that junior highers will eat up. Climbing wall, high ropes, huge group messy games and that kind of thing. Mostly, it will be fun with high highs. But since they are 7th-8th graders, we will also have low lows.

More on this after the weekend!