Done? Good. Now that we've heard a couple a views about the "attractional" style of youth ministry, I'm going to ban the word "attractional" from the rest of the post (and not just because my spell check doesn't like it). Instead, I'm going to use two important terms: method and Message (capitalized on purpose...you'll see why). Let me start by defining them (pertinent excerpts taken from www.merriam-webster.com):
meth·od n. (ˈme-thəd):
1: a procedure or process for attaining an object: as
a (1): a systematic procedure, technique, or mode of inquiry employed by or proper to a particular discipline or art (2): a systematic plan followed in presenting material for instruction
b (1): a way, technique, or process of or for doing something (2): a body of skills or techniques
mes·sage n. (ˈme-sij)
3: an underlying theme or idea
To put it more simply, as youth workers we have a Message, and we have methods. The Message is Jesus' message of redemption. The methods are the ways that we spread the message.
Allow me to offer a few over-generalized observations about the Message and the methods we (youth workers) utilize:
Too often, the methods get more attention in youth ministry than the Message. Up until recently, there were far more youth ministry resources about the methods than there were about the Message. (I'm not sure if we can get an exact stat on this--say, based on all YM books released in 2010--but if you're willing to give it a shot, let me know.) And I've been in far too many interviews for a youth ministry position where a pastor or interviewing team asked far more about my methods than they did about what my thoughts were about the Message.
It's far easier to have good-looking methods than it is to communicate the Message in a Spirit-led way. First, when it comes to teaching, youth workers spend far too little time preparing to communicate the Message. It doesn't matter what your style of communication is in your ministry--"talk," small groups, interactive worship, or an experience outside your church walls--when you do something with a point, you are communicating something. Take the time to know what you think God wants you to communicate. Second, the most fun, attractive methods in the world won't really mean a thing if you're not communicating the Message. More on that in part two.
The methods often drive the Message, when it should be the other way around. I'll harp more on this in part two, but let me just confess that I've been guilty of this way to much in my youth ministry career. We (youth workers) try so hard to copy other effective methods without even considering whether those methods go along with the Message. Even if a method is a great fit to communicate the Message in a particular culture or ministry setting, we often don't stop to think about whether it's a good fit for the students and families we serve.
Time to stop before I really get going. In part two of this miniseries, we'll look more closely at the relationship between the Message and the methods. Stay tuned!
Update:
You can read Part 2 here and part 3 here.
