Thoughts from Youth Pastor Summit '11
It has been a powerful two days at the youth pastor summit. It is a free event put together by numerous sponsors but spearheaded by Jay Strack and the SLU ministry! I was able to take my friend and small group leader, Chris McCall to the conference. It is my third time attending and it is the best student pastor conference. It is more evangelical, biblical, and relevant than other conferences I've attended (and others cost a lot!) Here are some highlights and thoughts from the conference:
Francis Chan brought a powerful message from God about the struggle of "American" Christianity in comparison to the persecution happening in China and India. The mention of the ministry called "Gospel for Asia" highlighted the leader, KP Yohannan who has led many to Christ. The message helped me realize that the "American cultural Christianity" is not biblical. The Christians who are persecuted have a better understanding of Christianity than we do! I pray this truth leads me to action in my own life to be counter-culture for God's glory.
Dave Edwards Questions to ask yourself in student ministry: "What are you doing in student ministry? Be specific." "Why am I doing with it?" (Motivation) "What do I want them (students) to know?" (Focus on the cross, Identity in Christ, Scripture and the church). If I don't know the answers to these questions, how do I expect my leaders to know. Equip people with a growing understanding of scripture! When God's Word is taken out of Student Ministry: (1) We get scammed. (2) We rely on our senses (it turns into mysticism, emotion based, universalism, slippery slope of liberalism). (3) We reject following the Holy Spirit's leading from Scripture (results in constant trouble).
Jeff Lovingood (Long Hollow BC) had some great insights into balancing events and incarnational ministry. It was interesting to hear the responses from the people in the room. Some were critical of events but the session helped us understand that events help reach the lost but relationships are how the person comes to know Christ and grow to become like Christ. It is to move away from the "extremes" of hyper-fast paced student ministry and on the other hand the "us four no more" and "holy huddle" mentalities. It is all about equipping leaders to invest in students! "Don't undersize your youth volunteer leaders." Lead the volunteers to buy into the "why" more so than the "how." It is to help the volunteers see themselves as shepherds of their small group and to continually pour God's Word into their lives.
Dave Ferguson emphasized the importance of helping students understand the heart and person of Jesus. "Always ask the question, how has this passage of scripture changed me before I teach it." Wow! How many times have I finished a message and have not truly wrestled with it prior to teaching the students to apply it. Always point students to the heart of Christ so that they see His compassionate, patient and loving character in scripture. The question was posed, "Do people still encounter the person of Jesus." We all replied, "yes!" But how many students see Jesus interceding on their behalf (Romans 8:34) and has compassion for us! (John 11:35). It is much more than believing the right things, but having a deep and close relationship with Christ.
The movie "Courageous" was promoted and I am excited about having a family movie event in September when it comes out!
Overall, God confirmed in my heart that His Word must be the foundation, filter and formation of student ministry. God's Word is alive and active! My role is to help students become "Self-feeders" that will continually grow and make disciples. Relationships are what provide the anchor for God's Word to impact lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Invest through relationships and equip them to be leaders for Christ!
Pure Life Recap!
Love is one of the deepest human needs of all, yet it is also a misunderstood and misused. People everywhere are “looking for love in all the wrong places.” The Purity Code is more than just waiting to have sex until you’re married. It’s about choosing to live a lifestyle of honoring and loving God. Sexual abstinence part is just one of the byproducts of this lifestyle. Christian students experience pressures to trade purity for popularity. The most important decision of life is to follow Christ, the second is who you will marry! We just finished an amazing weekend of learning about what it means to live a pure life. We had over 65 students commit this past Sunday evening to remain pure before entering the biblical marriage relationship. We began planning this weekend because of the lack of teaching on God's way with relationships and morality. It was much more than a weekend focusing on "what not to do" but upon practical and biblical steps to put Christ at the center of everything.
Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." We challenged and encouraged students to make a conscious decision to be radical in their obedience.
We had special breakout sessions for guys and girls. The girls had specific teaching upon being a daughter of God, modesty, and not giving your heart away. Guys focused upon embracing the battle of lust, fighting temptation as men of God and practical ways to show honor to women. It was a blast and at times pretty awkward! The church has become too quiet in regards to sexual purity and relationships. If the church has no answer for the rampant sexual immorality, pornography, "sexting", and ultimately divorce, we are missing the mark. I challenge more churches to help teach biblical truth to students and their families in order to help them make the direction of their life to be pure in heart.
One of the most important ways to remain close and clean to God is to:
Renew your mind on a daily basis with God’s truth
Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Pure Life 2011 from Refuge4Students on Vimeo.
Lessons Learned in Student Ministry
Over the past 6+ years of student ministry, I have learned many lessons. Here are a few below: Invest in Parents - Students grow and become like their parents more often than not. Find parents that love students and plug them into leadership and continually encourage them. Parents are the main spiritual influencers in their children(s) lives, whether they want to be or not! Pray with parents for their student(s) and you will not only gain a friend but a ministry ally!
Give away the Ministry - A student pastor should consistently look for ways to plug people into ministry. Learning to delegate responsibilities to adults and students builds a team mentality and creates excitement. I had to take a "humble" pill in order to get to this point in my ministry. It is not all about me! Equipping people to become better in their lives must be the priority. Always keep a "stop doing" list and find people with the shared passion and watch them thrive!
Pour into students who want to grow - I cannot make students want to grow! At the beginning stages of ministry I focused upon the "cool" kids that could care less about God while neglecting students who were teachable. At the same time, students who are far from God are a priority as well but the majority should be discipling students who can go out and disciple students. It is the principle of addition or multiplication. Multiplying is much better and biblical! (Matthew 28:19-20).
Teach the basics consistently - Students must learn to develop their own walk with God. Teach them to pray, read their Bible, teach God's Word and how to share the gospel! Basic growth in Christ will far outlast their high school years and will rocket them into mature adults that love Jesus! Students must learning to follow Christ is not an event ("camp high anyone") but a daily journey.
Relationships beats "Hype" - Student ministry should be creative, exciting and passionate! The "hype" should never be the main measure of success. Relationships are what keep students engaged and growing when they are based upon the love of Christ. Students will remember a heartfelt conversation years down the road over a messy game played at an event.
Challenge the Status-Quo - Lead students to go on mission with their life! Teach them how to share their faith through example and training. Go on foreign and local missions in order to help them see the world that needs Jesus. Equip students to preach, lead worship and be creative in ways to share the gospel. Students are currently the church and not just the future! Students must learn that they do not get a "free pass" from obeying and following Christ just because culture expects mediocrity out of their adolescence. Life is short, don't waste it!
Be Teachable - You can always learn something from someone at any time! Seminary is a road I have taken in order to be more equipped but it does not end there. Leaders must be lifelong learners. Read, write, study, listen to advice, ask for input and simply be humble enough to never get to a point where you have "arrived."
Just a few thoughts that are on my mind. What have you learned in your journey in leading students and families?