http://sundayschoollessonconnection.com/

Unforgettable Christlike Character: The key to successful youth ministry.

2011-10-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

Kids, for the most part, won't remember your lessons much. Oh, one might remember something you said around the campfire if it happened to be a pivotal moment in their spiritual lives. One of my kids, now in college, recalled a weekend retreat as the funnest time of her life. Not actually a lesson. Actually a group did remember that a lesson entitled "Hippo-grits" was about hypocrites because I served them grits for a snack. They did not remember what the lesson was about.

What they all remember, however, is me and that I cared about them. In ten years how will your kids look back and remember you? Will your memory bring back warm feeling of acceptance and love or alienation and bitterness? Will they remember youth group as a place of loving support or just another thing they had to do to please someone? Will you be remembered as a person who had an authentic relationship with God or will they realize the person they remembered was just modeling surface Christianity?

How is your heart? Steve Camp has this great song called "Don't tell them Jesus loves them, till you're ready to love them too." Good song. Worth a listen. You can download it through this link.

Don't Tell Them Jesus Loves Them [Music Download]

By Steve Camp / Emi Cmg Distribution Download

Motivation to do youth ministry varies widely. Parents will often times become youth leaders out of necessity. Their kids are in the age group and no one else is stepping up. They marshal their fears and plunge in to do their duty. Their fear becomes evident as they take steps to ensure class discipline and maintain control. They get angry when kids act up. Sometimes they yell at them.

Professional youth ministers, those schooled in the art, may be motivated by nothing more than using youth ministry as a stepping stone to a senior pastor position. They design a program that displays their skill but has minimal personal relationships with the kids.

Some youth pastors who experienced an adolescence filled with aches and pains are determined to save other kids from the same fate. They would have enjoyed having someone care about them during that stage of their lives. However, their ministry might dangerously be more about meeting their own heart's desire for love than actually helping the kids. It's a short step to an improper relationship with a teen.

So what is the proper motivation for a youth leader and how do we know if we have it?

The mature Christian youth leader is deeply satisfied in their relationship with God and has no unconscious demands that the child returns their affections. An effective youth leader looks at a child and sees the enormous potential that child has to affect their relationships with sincere God-centered love. This youth pastor wants nothing more than to help that young person learn to love God and others. This motivation grows out of their own deep personal love for God.

If you are this kind of youth leader I applaud you. You will strive hard to teach your kids about God and the reasons he is worthy of their love. You will model for them a heart that is profoundly touched by the Holy Spirit. Your lessons, though they may not be remembered, will change the core of who they are. They will listen attentively because the want what you naturally display: joy, peace, patience, and love.

Effective youth ministry certainly requires accurate doctrine and sound Biblical knowledge. But it also requires a depth of maturity attained only by those who are honest with themselves. Dr. Larry Crabb, in his book Inside Out, says this requires a deep honest look inside ourselves to reveal what's really going on in our hearts.

Inside Out

By Dr. Larry Crabb / NAV Press

"Why do things go so wrong when I'm trying so hard to be right?" If you've ever asked yourself this question, Crabb has a few answers. "Far too many Christians do not deal honestly with their lives. The pathway to change is more often discussed and debated than displayed." In his warm, engaging style, Crabb helps you venture inside yourself where Christ is waiting to heal, restore, and fulfill. Real wholeness and real change are possible---if you're willing to start from the inside out.

Besides the Bible, I have benefited more from this book than any other. I highly recommend every Christian who is serious about an authentic faith reads this book. You will be able to model Christlike character that is unforgettable.

Discernment

2011-06-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't believe what the pastor said in his sermon today. Well, maybe you would. Everyone else seemed to be buying it just fine. I'm starting to wonder if discernment is dead in the church today. Paul foretold of this age in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

Discernment has been defined by some as "the ability to decide (right or wrong, true or false) concerning a testament or statement." Some have mistakenly thought that discernment is a Spiritual Gift bestowed only on chosen individuals. However, the only place discernment is mentioned in the Bible associated with Spiritual Gifts is 1 Corinthians 12:10. Here it is the "ability to distinguish between spirits (NIV)." Websters dictionary defines discernment as "showing good, or outstanding judgement and understanding."

To me, discernment is far more than an ability. Discernment must be a willingness to look deeply into a subject and make a sound judgement. The question then is, "Do Christians care enough to be willing to become good at discernment?" We see that people can be very enthusiastic about a variety of topics. Fantasy football is a good example. Participants will eagerly study and learn statistics about teams and players to create the best pseudo-football team. From my view, concerning churchgoers, I'm not seeing that kind of enthusiasm for sound doctrine these days.

Paul gives young Timothy an important directive: 2Timothy 4:5 "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." Are you teaching your kids to be able to discern truth from error, to be good judges, or have you rushed with the lemmings to embrace Rob Bell's heretical teachings. Are you of more noble character, willing to "examine the scriptures" to see (Acts 17:11) if what he's saying is true?

You Mean That Isn't in the Bible? 10 Popular Beliefs That Simply Aren't True

Believe it or not, the saying "God helps those who help themselves" is not found in the Bible. This and several other popular beliefs that emerged out of Christian culture are examined by David Rich. Looking to the Bible, Rich explores the Scriptural basis for where these ideas began, and leads you to the true source of God's wisdom for your life.

Just as dangerous a course is to try and shield or protect our young ones from the tough questions. They will be confronted by false teachings all of their lives. "Keep your head." Work hard to reach your kids with doctrinal truths and build their faiths to withstand the tricks of the enemy. Middle school age kids are quite ready to tackle the tough stuff of faith.

Parents expect us to cover topics like sex and drugs with their kids. "Enduring hardship" might, however, include a tongue lashing from a parent for discussing death, hell, circumcision, meditation, and other religions with their kids. Teaching your kids to question what they hear can appear as though you are advocating rebellion against their parents and other authority figures. Teach my lesson, "Judging v.s. Judgmental."

Who Are You to Judge? Learning to Distinguish Between Truths, Half-Truths and Lies

By Erwin W. Lutzer / Moody Publishers

Making wise judgments in an anything-goes world is the Christian's mandate---and it's not easy! Lutzer chastises the church for its tolerance of secular values and lifestyles and challenges believers with their responsibility to be a force for what's right. Learn how to make godly decisions concerning doctrine, entertainment, miracles, conduct, character, and more.

If you do decide to become a discerning Christian you might bump into Biblical knowledge that actually contradicts something your senior pastor has taught. Will you dare ask him questions about it or will you keep your head down and avoid it? You could be accused of "stirring up dissension." You could loose your job if it's handled poorly. Are you noble enough to defend truth even when it's terribly unpopular? Give it some thought.

To help you teach your kids this essential faith element I have added a new page to Sunday School Lesson Connection website with three free teen Bible lessons covering Discernment, Spotting Counterfeits, and Judging

Encourge Families and Kids to Hit the PAUSE Button.

2011-02-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

Last week I taught a lesson a lesson to help kids when they doubt that God really exists. Unfortunately the guy who had actually expressed these doubts leaned up against the wall and promptly fell asleep. Why? He had competed in a sports event the day before in a neighboring state driving there and back in one day.

Last summer I had one of my volunteers cover a Sunday school for me. He had the kids lie down in the grass, look at the sky and think about how big God was. Most of the class, including the teacher, fell soundly asleep. Everyone actually really enjoyed the class that day.

Quite often the kids who show up for Sunday school, or "Youth Church" as we call it, look totally whipped. There is very little energy to participate in an activity let alone concentrate on the lesson. A large percentage of the kids of the church families are only frequent attendees preferring to sleep in. Some go skiing (can't blame them for that).

Being too busy is not a new issue. Feeling like we actually need to do something about it is. We've covered the subject of "systemic abandonment" before. It's the idea that kids live in a performance-based society. The only way they feel loved is by meeting someone else's expectations; their parents, coaches, teachers, even youth pastors. Kid's are willing to run at this frenetic pace because they believe that their performance is our chief concern and the way they earn love. They also begin to believe this about God. They feel they need to earn God's love and earn salvation by their Christian performance. In our rush to give our kids every opportunity we have left their hearts bereft of a love that sustains. The heartache has given rise to songs like, "Who will Love Me For Me."

Many adults, concerned with the over committed fast paced lives of our kids, quickly suggest that parents par down their kids schedules. Youth pastors will easily encourage parents to ease off on the after school activities. Unfortunately the underlying motive for the youth pastor is to increase attendance to his midweek youth group event.

In fact what is really needed is just plain "down time" with people, like their parents, who love them unconditionally. They don't need to be doing anything.

My son and I had a regular habit of camping on the weekends. There are a lot of things you can do on a camping trip. However my budget didn't allow for much. No ATV's, no dirt bikes, no boats, just resting. I'm sure that if we could have afforded the toys we would have played with the toys but we couldn't. Our camping involved good food, reading by the camp fire, an occasional hike, some fishing, and a lot of talking. It was also understood that Saturday or Sunday morning would include a time for quiet personal reflection, Bible study, and prayer. So, unintentionally on our part (or by divine design on God's part) we built relationships. Deep relationships of love, caring, and mutual respect with each other and with God.

Relationship with God is most important in our home, an attitude that was passed from parents to children. Our kids may not have gotten all the toys or opportunities the kids up the road in Aspen get but they got the "one thing" that made all the difference.

Our daughter was killed in an accident when she was fourteen. On her computer we found over thirty poems she had written to God. She'd spend many evenings in her room reading her Bible. We could hear her singing praise songs through the door. She wasn't an awesome student and didn't participate in many extracurricular activities but she had a faith that was real. We are certain she is in heaven enjoying her creator and we will see her again. We had a solid relationship of which I have no regrets.

At nineteen our son is shooting for a Masters degree. He is an awesome student and developed his own missionary job to inner city kids in Denver. (Ya, we're pretty proud of him) His relationship with God is foundational to who he is.

If, as a parent, your desire is to give your kids the best of everything carefully consider what the best actually is. Most kids do not end up as professional sports players but do carry sports related injuries to body and soul through adulthood. Some do get into excellent schools by merit or talent. The reward might be a higher paying job than I have. But what of their relationships? Have they learned what real love is? Did they get to enjoy you (you are enjoyable by the way)? Did they see you enjoying your relationship with your heavenly father? Will they learn how to love their spouse from your example?

Well, I can see that this note has taken on a definite parental tone. As a youth pastor, you might not even be a parent yet. So what can you, as a youth leader, do to help over-committed teens? Omitting your mid-week meeting might be one thing. Discuss it with the powers-that-be before shutting it down of course. Carefully consider if the benefits of attendance outweighs the negative side effects. Perhaps the time could be better spent for a "family night," a time set aside each week for families to put everything else away and play a game, watch a movie, or simply lay out under the stars. It would be good to get your master Pastor on board with the plan. He can encourage the parents to pursue a family night so the time doesn't just get swallowed into a hectic family schedule.

Take a look at "The Pause" lesson plans (shown below) from Simply Youth Ministry. These are lessons designed to help kids develop a deep relationship with God. There's a sample to download free.

Check and see if the parents actually have a daily quiet-time of their own. I've heard it said that you can't lead anyone farther down the road then you've been." How are you doing with your quiet time? Do you have a love relationship with God? It's hard to model what you don't have. It might be time us, as youth leaders, to hit the pause button too.

Violent Video Game: The Downward Sprial

2010-11-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

I was not very popular when I took the Halo game out of the youth room the day I started running the youth program at my second church posting. The previous youth pastor, a green 20-something jock, had been playing it with the boys. He would host Halo tournaments and other events featuring the game. He was oblivious to the damage this violent game was inflicting on his youth group. Not only had he alienated all of the girls, one boy was actually seeing a counselor at school because of violent anger related issues. The suggestion that this students issues might be exacerbated by playing violent video games was met by scoffs and excuses.

Dude! You really don't have to look very far on an Internet search to find the headline of ghastly crimes blamed on mimicking video games: In 2004 a British boy murdered a friend with a claw hammer emulating the game "Manhunt". In 2005 a man in Alabama killed two police officers and three other people simulated by his video game "Grand Theft Auto." In September, 2006, a man beat his 17 month old daughter to death after she disrupted his six hour marathon playing of "Ghost Recon." I could go on and on but what's the point.

Holy smokes! Are you not horrified by these headlines? No you're not.

Gamers and developers of video games will pounce all over anyone who makes such allegations claiming that anyone can say anything on the Internet. It's true. I found a story posted June 9, 2004 on the USA Today website by Mike Snyder, saying, the video game, "Full Spectrum Warrior, which grew out of Pandemic Studio's creation of an Army training simulation, is "technically, tactically very real," says retired Army captain James Ytuarte, who served as a consultant on the game." The same system the army uses to desensitize soldiers to killing is being sold as video games.

In his book, "On Killing," (shown below), another soldier, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman "argues that the breakdown of American society, combined with the pervasive violence in the media and interactive video games, is conditioning our children to kill in a manner similar to the army's conditioning of soldiers: "We are reaching that stage of desensitization at which the infliction of pain and suffering has become a source of entertainment: vicarious pleasure rather than revulsion." This was written in 1996 and the downward spiral continues unabated.

On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society

By Dave Grossman / Hachette Book Group, Usa

This was a problem even in Jesus' time. He said, "For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes" (Matthew 13:15).

The Apostle Paul says, "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the
faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron." (1 Timothy 4:1)

Warnings from the distant past. It sounds like Jesus and Paul were aware of someones directed efforts to bring man to an evil end. Someone a lot older than video game makers.

Want to wake up your kids? I spell it out in my teen Bible lesson, "Calloused Hearts."

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

You are training tomorrows church. Re-sensitize them. Awaken their consciences to God and His love. If you must, first convince yourselves, then convince them of what is happening. Do everything you can including standing against violent video games. "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes" (Ephesians 6:11).

Helping teen's deal with bullies.

2010-10-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Having once again become alarmed and saddened by the reporting of suicides due to bullying I set about to provide a Bible lesson for teenagers on How To Handle Bullies. While investigating internet resources I found a wide variety of suggestions including luring the bully into a wooded area and attacking them with a sword (no kidding).

The Bible does have many examples of bullying. The story of David and Goliath come quickly to mind. David dealt with many bullies. Sometimes he fought back, sometimes he ran and hid but he always "strengthened himself in the Lord." (1 Samuel 30:6) David wasn't perfect but he had a strong relationship with God to whom he regularly cried out to for help and understanding and frequently forgiveness.

A single Bible lesson will not provide the necessary silver-bullet to vanquish the problem of bullying in the adolescents life. The real answer is to envelope the kids in a caring supportive community that provides them with real-time help and advice for each situation as it arises. This must included "listening ears", wisdom from trusted counselors, and a strong sense of their identity in Christ .

Parents must keep an attentive eye on their child's situation. They must provide the empathetic "listening ears" and occasionally go-to-bat for their kids. Sometimes kids are dealing with additional issues like guilt or depression. The bulling exacerbates these problems, may become the straw that broke the camels back, but isn't necessarily the main thing that needs attention. Inform parents to watch for clues and misbehavior on their child's internet social pages.

School's must be more vigilant and foster a safer environment. This may need to include getting involved in the bullies life to determine why this child feels compelled to act out this way.

We must also provide the kids with workable coping mechanisms so they don't think that suicide is their only option. I have a lesson on suicide but this might not be the best context in which to use it. Kid's will be dealing with angry people and unfair situations all of their lives. Sometimes a little understanding of the perpetrators will help them not take insults too personally.

In any case, bringing it up in your youth group or Sunday school class is always a good idea. It helps the kids feel that you are connected in a relative way to their everyday situations and gives them one more supportive adult they might turn to for advice and wisdom.

In addition, your students might not have even realized that they could be playing a part in bullying when they join in the laughter at another students blunder. Watching their own behavior might help them become more sympathetic to the one being bullied and encourage them to become part of the solution. Part of adolescent maturity is realizing that their actions can have profound effects on others. Talk about what is personally at stake for them if they befriend the uncool person. Consider Jesus' interaction with Zacchaeus (Luke 19). Talk about your youth group being a safe place for the "down-trodden" and oppressed.

You should also be aware of students that shy away from participation in activities and games. This may be an indication that they have felt personal distress due to normal teenage awkwardness. No one likes being laughed at especially if they feel alone. This is a great opening to become a friend and supportive adult. Give these kids many opportunities to enjoy social interactions. Value their input whenever they participate in class discussion.

Some great professional advice is available from this book:

What Do I Do When: Teenagers Encounter Bullying and Violence?

By Youth Specialties, Just $5.49 from Christian Book.com

Explore bullying, violence, and aggression from the perspective of the victim and the aggressor. Discover how theology informs the issue, and what practical actions you can take to help stop the violence and heal the pain. Paperback.

I have a rich past of being bullied. The childish locker room heckling made being on the skins team (of shirts vs skins) totally beyond my comfort zone. At one time I was also a bully. In fourth grade I picked on the weird looking kid with the speech impediment until he beat the tar out of me. Then I was given the title of being the weird kid. This social standing made me the butt of jokes and frequent beatings all through middle school. It had a profound effect my on whole life. How I wished there had been someone there for me. Just a few words of wisdom or encouragement would have helped. Even the youth group leader was a source of belittlement and exclusion. Did he even know? Did he even care to know? Thanks be to God who came to me and told me I was His son.

Try not to be thoughtless. Do your best to help kids through these hard years of early adolescence.

Multi-part Sunday School Lessons

2010-09-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I did a lesson about Spiritual Warfare. I had heard that some recently Baptized kids were having trouble sleeping and others had shared their worries with their parents. As I was teaching the lesson they kept bring up Spiritual Armor (Ephesians 6). They were pleased with themselves for at least knowing this Spiritual Armor existed and exhibited an interest in knowing more. I determined that that would make a good follow-up lesson and spent many hours preparing over the next week.

The next Sunday I walked into the kids room all set, with a matching activity, great snack, the works. However, instead of the fifteen girls and one boy I had the week before the class now consisted of six boys and only one girl who attended the week before. I felt like I was in a completely different church. Where was my class?

This had happened about a year ago too. I taught a lesson on Spiritual gifts one week and had them fill out a Spiritual Gifts Questionnaire the next week. Unfortunately the kids that got the questionnaire were completely different kids, unprepared and not interested. But that was the only plan I had for that weeks class. It was a bust.

As memories of that miserable day flowed through my mind I remembered that I had two other Sunday school lesson plans in my bag. One lesson plan was tailored more for boys, and the other more for girls. I put away my lesson on Spiritual armor and taught a different lesson. As jarring as that unexpected change in direction was to me, the class was not a disaster. The boys were engaged in learning and the lessons goals were successfully realized. The next week the girls returned. The original lesson was taught to the audience it was intended for with success.

Dan Folgelberg warned in a song, "Changing horses in the middle of a stream gets you wet and sometimes cold." Luckily he wasn't talking about a Sunday school class. I'd rather be wet from sweat than drowned by disaster any day. From now on I will always come to class with several options ready to go. I write my Sunday school lesson plans clear enough so I can teach them even if my old brain locks up half way through. I fear "brain freeze" in front of an expectant group of middle schoolers. It happens. These Sunday school lessons can be taught cold. I could even hand one to an untrained parent or volunteer in an emergency and it would work.

Games can be easy too. I always keep a bag of balloons with a list of balloon games. A bag of rubber bands and some paper cups can amuse boys. Grab a couple rolls of toilet paper from the bathroom and have the girls make bridal gowns. Keep candy or "Zany-Bands" for prizes. Cash will always work for a prize in a pinch (actually that was a real hit one day).

I can't fix the inherent problem of uneven, sporadic Sunday school class attendance. But being flexible and prepared for several lessons helps.

How to Make Your Youth Group Grow.

2010-08-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

I have a page on my website that lists 10 easy things you can do to ensure a great youth group. The second suggestion is: "Create a party atmosphere with Christmas lights or other party lights as your budget can afford. Have activities like ping-pong and video games ready to play."

This advice seems to be dismissed as nonsense by many in Sunday school ministries but now Josh Hunt has survey data that proves groups that party together "are 104% more likely to be growing than low-fellowship groups."

In his new book, Make Your Group Grow, Josh Hunt succinctly delivers many practical, easy to implement strategies and tips to help your small group grow...that is , if you want your group to grow.

Make Your Group Grow: Simple Stuff That Really Works

By Josh Hunt

Grow your volunteer base with tested principles that really work! Based on discoveries from three surveys, Hunt shares statistics, anecdotes, and real-life stories that will equip leaders to develop healthy groups; offers hands-on suggestions for how to put findings into action; creates a model that's easily reproduced and passed on; and more. 160 pages, softcover from Groups.

Of all the tips I give on my website this one seems to be the one that generates the most skepticism and disagreement. It seems that in many Christians eyes you're not being a serious Christian unless your being...serious. Well, if you know kids you've learned that being serious only lasts about five minutes at best. Coincidentally, these are the same folks who think teaching middle school age kids is hard.

In reality, teaching this age group can be really fun if you create a fun, party like, atmosphere. Hey, I'm the first person to encourage youth leaders to teach at every opportunity. I teach serious Christian lessons. Just take a look at some of my Sunday school lessons for proof. But, my kids love coming to class, and invite their friends, because they know it's also going to be fun.

Josh's book is an easy read and you can skip right to the stuff that really makes a difference if you want to but it's full of useful nuggets to help any group grow.

Spiritual Retreats for Recharging Youth Leaders

2010-05-31T09:19:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've already got plans to take your youth group to an amusement park, raft trip, outward bound camp, and/or a mission trip this summer. Summer is only about twelve weeks long so you want to pack in as much as you can while the weather is nice and the kids have the time. It is also important to plan a few spiritual retreats for yourself.

My favorite activity is camping. I go by myself to a favorite spot. Two nights is enough for me. That allows one whole day for prayer, reflection, and relaxation. The prayers are frequently "listening" prayers. The hikes, fishing, reading, napping are things I do for refreshment feeling that God is doing them with me. It's great to be surrounded by things God created.

I am able to do this because our church traditionally does not do Sunday school on the first weekend of every month so I can be gone. I also have a team of practiced helpers who can step in and cover the days I miss.

My wife also does spiritual retreats...alone. She usually has her spiritual retreats in a condo she gets through a travel club for just $99.00 a week (e-mail me and I will refer you to this club). That's cheaper than camping. It gets her away from the distractions of home. She also feels safer than being in the wilderness. Plus, it gives her the opportunity to go in bad weather or the winter. She takes her favorite music, devotionals, and easy food. She goes for a week at a time, comes home really refreshed.

Whatever you can do, plan to do it before a hectic schedule crowds it out.

If it's already too late for that you can still get a little time for yourself and be a great example to your kids at the same time. Jesus frequently left his dusty band and went off alone to pray. When you're on an outing with your kids just let it be known that the first thing in the morning, for about an hour, you'll be walking a little ways from camp to do your own "quiet time." Suggest they do the same (safely). My son actually does this when we go camping together. What a witness it has been to me. A pastor friend also does this. He goes camping every week, invites guys to join him, but it's understood that he will be doing his quiet time every morning and highly recommends those who join him to do the same.

It's commonly know that "more is caught than taught" in youth ministry. The kids will remember seeing you making your time alone with God a priority.

I can't stress enough how important this has been my for continued spiritual health and vitality. When ministry starts to feel overwhelming it's usually a reminder that I need to get alone with God to pray, listen, even cry and complain. Burnout is one of the most frequent topics in the youth ministry forums I participate in. There are many reasons youth pastors and leaders give for feeling burned out. These reasons are just symptoms of the underlying cause. The real cause is lack of spiritual nourishment.

You can't remain a healthy branch of you're not constantly sucking nourishment from "the vine."

Innocence and addiction, one messed up package.

2010-05-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

We had an interesting "Youth Church" lesson today. Youth Church is what we call our junior high group that meets during the sermon time. That helps identify it from the Sunday school that meets before the service. Anyway, I always give the kids a snack and let them socialize for awhile before we start. This week the talk centered around a drug bust in which one of the kids they all new was arrested for selling pot out of his locker at school. The school was locked down, dogs were brought in, and lockers were searched with a heavy police presence. Then the boy was led away.

Their discussion was very animated. Everyone was intensely interested. I had a lesson all prepare but I chose to let this conversation continue. They were dealing with an issue that confronts them everyday and pushes against their faith and choices they make. The boy arrested is from a church attending family. Why had he chosen this path? How does the enemy entice you into destructive behavior? How will you react when offered the seemingly innocuous joint at a party? What if...

I could not have planned a better lesson. Near the end I asked them if they wanted to hear my story. I revealed to them a less-than stellar past of addiction and how God saved me. It was a little more than I had intended to reveal about myself but may have given me a little for credence for knowing what I was talking about. I was able to clear up a lot of misinformation that had been voiced, like the addictiveness of pot and it's role as a "gateway" drug. I shared my battle and the path back to relationship with God. They listened intently. I felt like I was speaking to adults.

We still had a little time left, it was a nice day, so I suggested we end with a game. Their choice: Duck, duck, goose. They played with child like abandon. This is understandable since they are still children, yet the jump from a serious conversation about drugs to the innocence of a children's game left my head spinning. As students, they deal with this incongruity everyday. Is it any wonder that they seems dazed and confused sometimes? My sympathy for their situation has intensified even more. Kids really need us to be good role models for them. They need us to be involved in their lives, to teach them what we know (when their ready to hear it).

I remember when I was offered my first joint. I was twenty. They are twelve. As a twenty year old Christian I made the wrong choice. How can we possibly expect them to make the right choices. Frequently they do make the right choices. That is a time to marvel proudly. We talked about how the enemy will attack when we are at our most vulnerable at a point where we are at our weakest. They got it because they had just seen it in real life.

I'm glad I was there. Hadn't planned it. God must have. Right place at the right time. Ok, what will happen this week? Stay tuned.

Shiny Penny Kids and how to reach them.

2010-03-13T08:25:00.000-08:00

The kids in my current Sunday school class are all great kids: Good grades, well behaved, two parent households, attend church regularly, lots of after school activities. So what's wrong with that? For one thing, they are actually harder to reach than the so-called fringe kids. They take in the Biblical knowledge I teach them but it's hard to tell if their hearts are being touched. I was a bit miffed about what to do until I read Chap Clark's book shown below.

Hurt: Inside the World of Today's Teenagers

By Chap Clark / Baker

Contemporary adolescents seem confident, well-adjusted, and happy. But beneath the surface, they're often lonely, insecure, and empty. What's going on? Claiming that adults have "abandoned" teens just when they most need support, Clark's ethnographic study examines today's changing youth culture from the inside out and suggests five strategies to "turn the tide of systemic abandonment." 236 pages, softcover from Baker.

I also took a class from him at this years Simply Youth Ministry Conference. Now I know that even these "shiny-penny" kids feel abandoned and alone at times. The shiny pennies are just really good at covering up the hurt and conforming to adults expectations but they still hurt. After much thought and reviewing my own middle school history I see that this loneliness can actually be used as a "God -provided" entry point into a teens heart.

In my case, walking home from school one day in the eighth grade, I strongly heard God's voice or the Holy Spirit bringing up verses, that reminded me that I was His son. "You are my son, " I heard over and over. I felt the presence of God strongly. "Look straight ahead not down, you are my son." I knew I had heard the verses in Sunday school about being adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 1:5) and being heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17) but now it was real.this realization changed everything for me. My self-esteem went up, even my grades went up. I have operated with that knowledge in my heart ever since.

We, as teachers, need to be mindful of the faith we are leading our kids to. Is it one of performance, cleaning up their act to be shiny pennies or is it adoption into the family of God. What a solution to the loneliness once they realize, "He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6). My father is with me all the time. What an opportunity we have to make the connection between the head knowledge and the hearts understanding.

Balanced Youth Ministry

2010-02-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

Over the years I've met and worked with many youth pastors and leaders. Each one had different strengths and spiritual gifts. One guy was a musician and could get the kids into a worship mindset better that most I've seen. He's great at leading worship but his teaching ability is lacking. Subsequently many of the kids that stick around his youth group also are talented musicians. His youth group meetings generally center around an awesome jam session. Unfortunately the kids who aren't musically inclined are mostly left out.

My spiritual gifts lie in the area of teaching and discipleship. I can get even the most reclusive kids into a lively discussion, digging into a spiritual concept for an hour easy. But I just can't lead a worship time and I really don't get excited about taking the kids on a mission trip at all. Just leave me home in my comfy youth room teaching kids to deepen their faith and understanding of the Bible. I console myself by focusing on how admirable this goal is but I know in my heart that the kids need to be exposed to all of the aspects of their faith.

Another youth pastor acquaintance is an evangelist, and he's really good at it. From his perspective youth ministry is all about evangelism and mission trips. In fact he believes that we should "Burn Our Youth Rooms." He see's little value in having a safe place to call home. We should all be out bringing our faith to the unchurched. The rest of youth ministry is a waste of time and resources.

In one worst case scenario I witnessed a youth leader decide that to learn outreach the youth group would do a worship service at the local nursing home once a month. This was really motivated by her desire to provide a Christian worship time for her mother who lived there. At the end of the worship time it was suggested that the kids wheel the old folk back to their rooms and engage in conversation along the way. Doing as directed, two teens headed down a long corridor and into a room with one senile resident. It turned out to be the wrong room and the old woman freaked. I found the girls later in tears hiding in the church van. Even though the nursing home was staffed by many lovely service minded young adults these two teens had been forced into a situation way outside of their comfort zone. They stopped attending the youth group. These two girls could not be accused of attending just for the fun and games. I knew them to be true Christians and they had some magnificent spiritual gifts. Just not the kind needed to be good in a nursing home.

There must be some balance in youth ministry to avoid a lopsided focus on just one aspect of our faith. In researching just what a balanced youth ministry is I've found that every authority I investigated has different ideas. I was hoping to find a well excepted, bullet point list of five or so things with which to insure that my ministry is well rounded. Well, it doesn't seem to be that easy. Oh, there are bullet point lists alright but they too are weighted to support the focus of the particular ministry from which the list comes.

In general I've come to believe that any well rounded ministry should have an element of worship, service, relationships, evangelism, and giving. Some have stated this as: knowing, relating, growing, serving, and sharing. Another ministry lists: emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and social as their aspects of a balanced youth ministry. Still another, in it's mission statement, gives these points: evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, worship, and ministry. At least they all have five points. All, not surprisingly, were well Biblically supported.

Perhaps there really isn't the golden bullet point list that will apply to all youth ministry. The problem of an unbalanced ministry might stem from the unrecognized self-centeredness of the leader. If we apply only our spiritual gifts to our ministry we are giving no real thought to the needs of the kids we are ministering to. In addition, it might be more advisable to focus on the needs of the specific kids in our particular youth group than to think that all young Christians everywhere need the same balanced approach.

There are many varied spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit gives them out as He determines. No one gets them all but some get more than others. Within a body of believers all of the spiritual gits needed for the continuation of the faith will be present. See my teen Bible lesson: Spiritual Gifts Or Super Powers for a more complete understanding of spiritual gifts. Giving a Spiritual Gift Assessment to the kids is a good idea to understand the talents of your group. I think that a youth ministry should be tailored to support, grow, and encourage the gifts of the kids in the group. If you do not have the necessary talents within your particular set of spiritual gifts chances are that someone in your churches body has the gifts and talents you need to get the job done.

As I get to know the kids in my current youth group I am consistently amazed by their talents. While planning next summers camping retreat I have found a worship leader within the group. I will look at the parents to fill some other needs as well. I am confident that I will find all of the talent I need to pull off the ministry this group of kids need. It might not be exactly balanced but it will be exactly what they need to grow into the best Christian adults they can be.

Discussion style youth group lessons.

2009-10-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

Discussion groups are more likely to grow and least likely to decline.

A new poll by Josh Hunt reinforces my belief that Sunday School, or children's church, based on discussion type lessons like mine are far more interesting to teens than a sermon or lecture done poorly. Josh finds:

"If your class is not growing, we have an easy solution: change to the discussion method. It is the single most likely group to be growing AND the single least likely group to be declining. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by going to the discussion method." Read the entire article.

Subscribe to Josh's Lesson Vault. Use coupon code 4478 for a 10% discount. Free 170 page e-book from Josh Hunt in .pdf format. Download here.

You Can Double Your Class in Two Years or Less

By Josh Hunt / Group Publishing

You Can Double Your Class in Two Years or Less is a revolutionary concept based on tried and true principles of church growth. Hunt shows us that Sunday school isn't a dinosaur headed for extinction, but a dynamic tool that can be used to reach many people for Christ. Relationships is the way to reach people for Christ and the Church and Josh Hunt tells how to do it. This book breathes excitement and passion. The purpose of doubling a class is not just numbers or to have a bigger Sunday school. Hunt appeals to the NT purpose of evangelism and outreach.

Get Down with the kids:

I don't mean "get down, get jiggy". I mean get your body down to the kids level. Join them. Do not stand above them or preach from the stage. They get enough talking to at school and home. Get down with them and talk with them. Your body position and posture subconsciously indicates your feelings about the kids to the kids. In the typical youth setting the leader is separated and above the kids. What does this indicate about his feeling towards the kids? Is it any wonder we get the blank stares and poor participation in a setting such as this? If the leader is sitting with the kids, actually a little lower, the kids are facing each other and the conversation is lively.

The Survey Says:

2009-09-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

Despite innumerable surveys and research on the subject of why young people are leaving the church pastors and leadership boards still sit dumbfounded as to what to do about it. By twisting the avalanche of research data available ministries can reach just about any conclusion they want to support the claim that their particular ministry is the answer to the problem.

Many recent articles are referring to research done by LifeWay.

Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research is quoted as saying this: "There is no easy way to say it, but it must be said. Parents and churches are not passing on a robust Christian faith and an accompanying commitment to the church. We can take some solace in the fact that many do eventually return. But, Christian parents and churches need to ask the hard question, ‘What is it about our faith commitment that does not find root in the lives of our children?’"

Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches That Reach Them

By Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley & Jason Hayes / B & H Publishing Group

Lost and Found presents comprehensive research about and in-depth interviews with young men and women ages twenty-five to thirty-four who have never really been churched. The findings, such as how open this generation is to spiritual things, will surprise church-based readers and break some long established assumptions and opinions.

Expert church culture author Ed Stetzer (Breaking the Missional Code) also examines the congregations that are effectively reaching the younger unchurched and how they are doing it. Any church that is concerned about outreach to this generation will discover principles and methodologies to learn from and adapt into their own ministry.

A new book by creationist Ken Ham of Answers In Genesis gives data from a commissioned survey from Britt Beemer of America's Research Group.

Already Gone:
Why Your Kids Will
Quit Church and
What You Can Do
To Stop It

The survey data is important but Ken Ham falls off the deep end, leaving the data far behind, insisting that the root of our problem is that we don't teach creationism. But not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, as they say, here is a brief synapses of part of Britt's data (The data that supports my own twisted conclusions naturally. Hey, why should I be any different that anyone else?):

90% of people who've left the church made the decision to do so in in the junior high school years.
The reasons given most often: boring church services, legalism, hypocrisy of leaders, too political, self-righteous people, not relevant to personal growth.
Both surveys point to data showing that the 20-35-year old's have a deeply felt need for spirituality. They want a relationship with God. They don't think the church, as an establishment, has the answers.

Why has this happened and what to do about it:

I'm sure you've noticed the blank looks on the kids faces as they suffer through another church service aimed completely at adults. Lets face it, adults give the money. We want them satisfied. In this time of tight budgets the first thing that's cut is the youth guy. "Lets get an intern, they're free," I've heard elders reason. The lack of resources aimed at our children's spiritual development is shameful.

On the other hand, parents attending churches that do have youth programs have completely abdicated the responsibility of discipleship of their kids to the 20-something youth-dude or the Sunday school teacher. In fact the data seems to show that Sunday School and youth group is having a detrimental effect.

On this point the researchers and data seem to agree. Ham says, "If you, as a parent, have been putting the responsibility for the religious education of your child on the church's Sunday school, you need to realize that the statistics say the job isn't getting done. As we have seen, in many cases and for many different reasons, it's not helping, it's hurting. This is your job. Do not totally delegate it to someone else -as, sadly many parents seem to do."

OK, digest that. In the next blog entry we'll talk about what to do and what resources are available.

Summer is slipping away.

2009-08-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, youth camp, lock-in, movie night, putt putt golf...a lot of activities happening. But how many teaching moments have you had? I'm actually starting to see leaves changing here.

I met a 35 year old woman who told me all about the great youth group her church had when she was a kid. Lots of fun stuff and the youth pastor, a great fun guy. But when I asked if she believed in Jesus she said no. Further conversation showed she had little knowledge or understanding of the gospel message.

She rated her youth group as great because of the fun activities. How do you rate your youth group? By activities or by teens life changes. Don't assume your kids are Christians just because they attend. A regular clear statement of the Gospel message should be on the agenda.

Keep teaching as a top priority. Activities should be supportive of teaching moments. They can find activities many places. What you offer is the Gospel message and Biblical teaching. Stay focused.

2009-06-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

My daughter never got to experience the love of a husband. She never knew what it was to love any other man but me. Catherine was killed in a tragic snowmobile accident January 23, 2000. She was fourteen. As parents often do in these cases I could punish myself with regrets, but, one thing I will never regret: I loved my daughter well. The unusual thing about it though, is that it was her idea.

When she was little we wrestled and hugged a lot. But as she began to mature I became hesitant about physical contact between a man and a teenager. She would have none of that. Somewhere Catherine had heard that a girl needed at least eight hugs a day from her dad and she declared her intention to get them. She was the kind of self-confident kid not to be dissuaded by her father’s hesitancy. She practically accosted me from the time I came home from work until bedtime. She made me carry her on my arm like I do her mother, and even liked to hold my hand in public. How rare is that for a teenager? After awhile, I became comfortable with my daughter’s affections and it was not uneasy to watch TV in the evening with her in my arms. My son Jesse would sometimes enthusiastically jump on top and a giggling dog-pile ensued. My wife was always encouraging and willing to put herself aside when Catherine wanted my attention. I found an outstanding source of love and adoration in my daughter. Suddenly it’s gone, and I’d give everything I own to get it back. What a phenomenal loss.

During the days following her death many came to offer us comfort. I expressed my loss to numerous men and asked them how their relationship with their daughters were. I was disheartened to hear that many fathers (most unknowingly) suffer estranged intimacy from their daughters. They felt the same pious unease about physical contact and a lack of understanding about what is and is not appropriate contact between fathers and daughters as I had. They also had no idea what they were missing. So, I’m writing this letter hoping to reach as many dads as possible with this message: Get over it.

There is a lot of normal, moral, non-sexual physical contact and affections that can and should be shared between fathers and daughters. Maybe an over reactive self-concern to appear above reproach by Christian men in an immoral society has solicited and unwarranted restraint. Perhaps we have given in unwittingly to biblically conjectured but self-centered righteousness.

Please don’t think that I am so naive to not have considered that their may be insurmountable extenuating circumstances in your case preventing a loving father/daughter relationship. There might be. But, short of death, you still have a chance to make sure that the trouble between you does not lie with you.

I have seen daughters resist unaccustomed affectionate advances by their dads if the estrangement has been going on for several years. Like the man who worked day and night through all the growing years to give his family “the best the world has to offer”. He doesn’t have the years of a daddy/child foundation from which to begin. He must grow it afresh, and this can take years of persistence. The place to start, however, is with an in-depth soul-searching to see if repentance and apologies are in order for a deeply hidden self-centered motive. Was work easier and more gratifying than the stresses and chaos of family life?

It could be that she has done something hurtful to you for which you are withholding your love until an apology is received. “While we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) Is there forgiveness required? You are the older and supposedly wiser one. Fathers can be very intimidating to children, young or old. Somebody must take the first step. It’s you.

I hope you are fortunate enough to have a wife like mine who gently encourages you (like rolling this letter up and whacking you over the head with it). Women are relationally gifted. You can believe what they tell you. What... divorced? Was it self-centered pride that did you in? Was it yours? You can go on stubbornly insisting that you don’t need these loving mushy relationships to exist quite well. You may have convinced yourself that it’s somebody else’s fault. But, you may be letting the devil trick you into giving up the best parts of life.

Self-centeredness is easy to do. Pride is easy to overlook in one’s self. It’s just plain human nature. Fallen human nature. I was helped tremendously by Dr. Larry Crabb’s books, "Inside Out", and "Men and Women, Enjoying the Difference". Maybe that’s a good place for you to start too.

Wherever you start, let me assure you, the benefits of loving others has a huge payoff for you. I can’t guarantee that it won’t end up with terrible grief and loss like I am experiencing. You really get attached to someone with whom you’ve invested years of relationship building. But, relationships last forever. You can take them to heaven with you. Plus, you might discover a gigantic source of love to help get you through the time you have to spend here on earth.

If you know you have a relationship with your daughter that needs patching, or this letter has stimulated a new awareness in you, I can’t recommend that you wait until tomorrow to begin.

I found this poem along with thirty others Catherine had written and stored in her computer a few months before she died entitled “When God Calls”:

When God says “Hello.”
I say “How are you?”
When God says, “Jump.”
I say, “How high?”
When God says, Go.”
I say, “Where?”
And when God says, “Come home.”
I say, Right away Sir.”
But, I will not go quietly.

Spiritual Retreats -Refresh yourself

2009-05-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

For those of us in the Northern hemisphere it's becoming summer. The end of the school year, longer days, warmer temperatures. This initiates some changes and creates opportunities in the way we do youth ministry.

Think of summer not as an ending of this school year but as the beginning of the new year. I'm sure your head is filled with opportunities for the kids now that the weather is nice.The schedule can get packed fast. However, when you are planning, make sure you add some time for your own spiritual renewal.

While some churches and leaders recommend taking the summer off from any Sunday School or youth activities I completely disagree. Summer has always been a time of growth for my groups. Stopping your ministry will mean restarting from ground zero next fall. Hopefully, you have developed many volunteer leaders who are sharing the responsibilities of the ministry so it's OK for you to take some days off (make sure they do too).

Plan a few spiritual retreats for yourself. My favorite activity is camping. I go by myself to a favorite spot. Two nights is enough for me. That allows one whole day for prayer, reflection, and relaxation. The prayers are frequently "listening" prayers. The hikes, fishing, reading, napping are things I do for refreshment feeling that God is doing them with me. It's great to be surrounded by things God created.

My wife, however, usually has her spiritual retreats in a condo she gets through a travel club for just $99.00 a week (e-mail me and I will refer you to this club). That's cheaper than camping.. It gets her away from the distractions of home. She also feels safer than being in the wilderness. Plus, it gives her the opportunity to go in bad weather or the winter. She takes her favorite music, devotionals, and easy food. She goes for a week at a time, comes home really refreshed.

Whatever you can do plan to do it before a hectic schedule crowds it out.

Back from the Youth Ministry conference

2009-03-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome back from the Youth Ministry conference. You're undoubtedly psyched up with great new ideas, energy, and direction for your youth ministry. This is great.

Here is an analogy of what might happen when you put these new ideas into practice: If you've ever gone cross-country skiing on a prepared track you know it's easy to glide along the ruts the snow machine has prepared for you. Occasionally you come to a trail intersection where the snow machine lifts it's rut-maker. This is a scary spot because as you know cross-country skies don't have the steel edges and awesome bindings of down hill skies. You need to be really cautious about your stance and balance and the moves you make or there's a painful landing in store.

Coming home from a conference is a lot like cross-country skiing. You could just fall back into the ruts you've been in, complain about the long hours and low pay, or you could take the risk of leaving the ruts and taking a new direction. I encourage you to take the risk but be cautious.

One first impulse is to drop everything you've been doing in favor of the new ideas gleaned from the conference. This, however, can cause mass chaos and result in a nasty fall. It's better to choose one or two new ideas you've picked up at the conference and implement them slowly into your ministry. Stop doing one or two things that have not shown results.

There will be a time of uncertainty as you pick the new trail but soon you'll be gliding along safely in the familiar ruts....wait, wait, wait. Familiar ruts? Oops. Better build in a check point a couple of months out with specific goals as bench marks of the new trail to make sure you haven't just fallen into the old ruts. Post the new plan on your office bulletin board to check against (like a trail map) at a glance to see if you're still taking the new direction.

Good luck to you all. Let me know how your new ideas work out so I can pass them on to others.

Don't underestimate the value of old folk in youth ministry.

2009-02-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

The common thought that youth leaders or youth pastors must be youthful is causing Christian churches to overlook or shuffle aside a large group of qualified volunteers for youth ministry. While it is true that it takes a youthful body to keep up with kids on outdoor trips and some physical activities is is not true that older folk have nothing at all to contribute to the discipleship of young Christian kids.

A lot of pastors argue that kids will be drawn too or have closer relationships to younger adults because they have more in common is also not true. Many kids are suffering the loss of a parent through divorce. These kids yearn for a caring relationship with an adult viewed as a surrogate parent or grandparent.

It is true that a young aged youth leader brings some abilities to the group that older folk don't but the younger leaders lack the wisdom and experience that comes with age and a life already lived in faithfulness to God.

A smart youth leader with gather a group of adults of many ages, genders, and occupations to bring the strengths, spiritual gifts, and life experience he (or she) lacks.

This was never more evident than during a teaching time using the book, "Every Man's Battle". The younger leader was great at identifying with the teens about the struggle for sexual purity. In reality he was very much in the midst of the battle against his hormones and fleshly desires as the middle schoolers were beginning to be. What he lacked was the experience of winning (and sometime losing) the battle and the wisdom that had come from a life long struggle to be pure. I supplied that. We had a good combination of experience from both ends of the age spectrum that the boys benefited from.

I have also observed that the closeness in age of a twenty-something leader to the teen girls in the group presents a lot of problems in itself. The girls are naturally attracted to the "hot" youth leader. This may be the main reason they attend the group. While the pitfalls of sexual attraction are obvious other issues also interfere with the goal of a youth group in discipling kids. These kids will never enter into the same depth of conversation with a hot guy as they will with a trusted parent or grandparent figure. I have actually overheard kids wondering aloud at how much they had opened up in conversations with me.

Older volunteers also add a high degree of accountability to the younger leader. We all understand the fine line of propriety a youth worker walks as they relate closely to kids on deep issues of the heart. It's not that the older person is there to always be looking over the shoulder of the younger but that they both provide a witness for the other if any impropriety is suggested and each provides the other a confidant in discussing situations and strategies in dealing with the youth.

Every youth pastor or volunteer should be encouraged to build a team of people to assist in the ministry. Unfortunately this is rarely the case. They don't know where to begin and assume the adults want nothing to do with the kids. The adults wrongly assume that they are not wanted in the youth group setting. To bridge this gap prayer is required. Next a simple bulletin announcement seeking volunteers to simply pray for the kids. If anyone shows interest the youth pastor should encourage them to simply attend the Sunday School or youth group to see if their spirit is drawn to the kids. This generally flushes out most of the curious do-gooders but the one or two individuals that do attend will quickly form relationships with the kids and be drawn into the ministry quite naturally. Parents can always be tapped for the chores like bringing snacks and driving but one or two "ministers" is all you need to greatly enhance your effectiveness in your discipleship goals.

Even if your group is small and the adults outnumber the kids the group will grow as the kids see the value of the relationships you're offering. This is the way to go.

Here is a link to another great blog on the value of adults in youth ministry.

Fun parallels between youth ministry and building a building.

2009-01-30T09:42:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I was asked why I do youth ministry. I gave a quick answer and went in to the sanctuary. As I was sitting through the sermon I gazed out the window at the current building project just beginning. To me the area looked icky, mud from one end to the other. Large dirty tarps covered the newly poured foundation protecting it from the cold as it cured. I discovered many parallels between this work site and youth ministry.

Early teens are just beginning to build their personality and faith apart from their parents. You can't really see what's happening but foundational decisions about who they are going to be and what they are going to believe are taking place.

Kid's brains are actually still developing. They don't think like adults. They do not act like nice adults. They can be rude, boisterous, and irreverent. Just like a dirty job site if you wade in you're going to get dirty. I noticed that the church members all stayed in the finished part of the church where is was clean. Only a certain few paid contractors and workers would venture into the job site. Some youth workers understand the importance of laying a firm Biblical and Spiritual foundation in teens. They wade in fearlessly, knowing that there won't be many acknowledgements of the work they are doing and few will see any real outward signs of progress being made in the lives of the kids. They roll up their sleeves and get dirty anyway.

Few church people will help, preferring to stay in the clean finished church building working on their own stuff. They would rather pay someone else to do this unpleasant chore. Unfortunately, while the foundation is the most important part of any building, the youth worker is the most poorly compensated, and frequently the most inexperienced person in the Christian community. Usually the highly paid master pastor stays in the warm clean church helping the adults paint and decorate their lives with niceness. Churches seem content to let middle school age kids flounder with the elementary grades or dump them into the High School groups -as long as their quite. Teens are often left in the care of "interns" with little experience and impoverished budgets.

Is it any wonder that today's church is suffering from lack of depth and poor attendance? But anyway, back to the original question, why do I do youth ministry. I wish I could say it was Isiah 6:8 "Here I am send me," but it's nothing so noble. I just like teens better than grown-ups. They're more honest, sometimes brutally so, they really want to know the answers to the questions they ask, and they make major life changes when they decide to believe something.

It's like the remodel I'm doing on my house. The major work was done in about six weeks but the finish details are dragging on. It's been four years and I still haven't finished the baseboards. I should be working on that right now.

So there you have it. I just started spending time with kids (hiding out from grown-up church actually). I began to value them as real individuals. They in turn responded by trusting me. I feel like I was given the right set of spiritual gifts along the way to be worthy of that trust. It just grew from there.

Here's another fun parallel: We have "hydro-compactable" soil here. If it gets wet it turns to soft goo. Anything built on it better have a proper foundation with pylons driven down to the bedrock or the building will be unstable. I actually attended a church that has sunk 18" inches on one end. It was literally an up hill climb to get to the alter. We should be building strong Biblical foundations in kids lives with pylons rooted on the rock of Christ. I think our major focus in church should be the kids. How's your church doing? What do you think?

Using my Free Sunday School Lesson Plans

2008-02-29T14:03:00.000-08:00

From Kevin Ophoff at Sunday School Lesson Connection
for the complete resource visit my website at http://sundayschoollessonconnection.com/

Leading a Middle School Sunday School Class
Here are my tips for leading a great Sunday School or Youth Group Bible lesson time. These methods are specifically for Middle School (Junior High) age kids.

Using my lesson plans: On the "Lesson Plan" page you will find many pre-made Bible lessons to choose from. These are not the usual "bubble-gum" lessons that you normally find offered in curriculum books. Rather, they are foundational, doctrinal issues. These kids are ready to learn more detailed answers to questions like, "Where do you go when you die?". Plus they want answers to hard questions like, "Can you go to heaven if you commit suicide?". Kids will ask you these loaded questions. If you give them the same old route answers they will turn you off and mistrust whatever you're teaching. If, on the other hand, you prepare a detailed, Biblically supported answer, weather it's a tough answer or not, they will grow to trust you and appreciate your lessons. The point is to tell the kids the truth.

Age group differences:My lesson plans can be adapted to both Junior High and High School age kids but the teaching methods are quite different. Middle school kids are just starting to realize that they can make their own decisions. They are just now beginning to grow their own faith apart from their parents. It's an exciting time to teach them.

Here's a tidbit from "Frontline": "As the prefrontal cortex matures, teenagers can reason better, develop more control over impulses and make judgments better. In fact, this part of the brain has been dubbed "the area of sober second thought."

If your class is primarily 6th-7th graders I recommend having them fill in the blanks on the lesson plan worksheets. This helps them begin to be able to create a "life application" sentence drawn from reading a Bible verse. Have them sign their names, and hand them in at the end of the lesson (I let them select one item from the "treasure box" as a reward {more on that later}).

At the end of a season we spend a class making cover pages and assemble the Lesson Plans into a booklet for them to bring home to their parents. I add pages of pictures of the class that we have taken throughout the year. The booklet becomes a valuable treasure and accomplishment for many of them.

For older kids and High School age filling in the blanks is more like a tiresome chore. They're ready for a free flowing discussion debating the finer points. Just use the questions on the Lesson Plan for discussion starters. Use the verses as Biblical support for the issue being discussed. Guide the discussion to the main point the verses are conveying.

To download actual lesson plans visit the web page below:

For the rest of the story visit my website: http://sundayschoollessonconnection.com/