Think, Thank, Thunk...

Ok so for the last few weeks I have been racking my brain with these thoughts of a YM rethink and after going to the National Youth Workers Convention I am like a snow-globe that has been seriously shaken up! I am still waiting for all of the flakes to settle into place but one thing I can say for sure, they are not settling back into the same old places. I have been challenged to, among other things, to throw my dream of Youth Ministry up on the alter and kill it to see if I truly love and trust God more than I trust my dreams and ambitions. I also learned that I am not the only one thinking these things about changing the way we "do" ministry, in fact I am a little behind in the thought process. Nevertheless things have to change and they started last night. Middle School Youth Group met last night, all one of them, and the Spirit led me to do something a little different. Our lesson plan centered on the martyrdom of Stephen, the first Christian martyr and after listening to Acts 7 from "The Bible Experience," a dramatic reading of the New Testament, I had the student and student leader write down the five things in their lives which were most important to them. I then asked them which thing on their list would they be least likely to die for, in other words which thing would they be least willing to trade their life to defend, then I asked them to tear that item off their list and throw it away. Then I asked for the next one, and the next one until there was only one left. I then asked them if they were truly willing to die for Christ if they would be willing to be a little uncomfortable for His Church. With a little hesitation they said the would be, not really knowing what I had in mind. I explained to them that the church had done a terrific job compartmentalizing itself into neat little groups that had little in common apart from a relationship with Christ and for the sake of community within the Church we were going to go into the church building and sit down with the prayer groups in prayer meeting and pray with and for them, so we did. It was awesome. They were not afraid to pray with the adults and I know they adults, including me, were encouraged by their presence and prayers.

I guess the biggest lesson I learned is that there can no longer be a "big church" and a "youth group" anymore there is only one Church capitol "C."