I think I finally realized this distinction one Sunday as we hosted a whole series of messy group games in the church parking lot. There was no spiritual content to this event. It was simply a way to attract a lot of teens. It worked. I knew that on Monday morning I was going to be able to give a great report to my senior minister about what a successful youth program I was running (because, of course, it really was all about me, after all).
One particular game involved having teens chug-a-lug as much soda as they could out of plastic tubing connected to large soda bottles held over their heads. In my naiveté, I failed to realize that I was really teaching the teens a tamer version of a college drinking game. Two youth volunteered and began chugging away. One teen simply allowed the soda to pour out of her mouth and all over her clothes, to the great amusement of her peers. But the boy insisted on trying to actually drink the entire two liters. Thirty seconds later he turned green and proceeded to regurgitate all of the soda, and his lunch, onto the church parking lot. As I drove home that night, I paused to consider what exactly I was trying to accomplish with this ministry. Was attracting large numbers of youth with entertaining activities really what God was calling me to do?
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Brian Kirk on Youth Ministry Leadership
I wrote an article for this month's edition of Immerse, a youth ministry journal. One really cool thing Immerse does is to publish on their website companion "response" pieces to their feature articles. Brian Kirk wrote a response to my article. In fact, I think his response is far more poignant than the original piece. Here's an excerpt, but please do head over to the Immerse website to read Brian's entire response:
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