How do you do 'meaningful' youth ministry?
After a long day of work in the Houston humidity and heat the nearly 100 middle school youth gather together back at the church. As I sat in the back of the room tonight I thought on this as I watched minute after minute of programmed time go by. First it was the video, then the skit, then more video, then a slide-show, then small group time. Coffee break for me. Now we're back together...testimonies (if you can even call them that), then a short talk--which tonight was actually just the reading of a devotional book (i'm pretty confused about that one)--then communion time. Now the kids are dancing and will be for a little while longer. They will sleep a bit tonight and then get on a bus and head for Dallas to spend the day at Six Flags Over Texas.
So is this youth ministry? I don't know what these kids leave with. I'm sure a lot of them leave with that warm, fuzzy feeling that we call 'God'. Granted, this is a Methodist church and who knows what anyone believes here anyway, but I still get this pessimistic feeling about the whole thing.
I have the day off tomorrow so maybe I'll try to write some more about this. I have to go play babysitter for a few more hours...
peace
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While certainly i like many others looked at the nature of production of the church and spiritually gagged (unknowingly) when i was younger and i think we might do well to rethink this whole process. Nouwen hit on it in our temptation to be relevant and popular and flashy.
I remember hearing a story from Craig Gross, one of the founders of xxxchurch.com, about something he had done with his kids. They would go serve some homeless folks in downtown L.A but he was getting bogged down and felt his ministry becoming tiresome and unsuccessful. Then one of the youngest kids in the group, probably 7 or so, saw a homeless guy off to the side who had no shoes on and really dirty smelly feet. The child was so moved he took his own shoes off and offered them to the man. Of course they were too small but tears ran down this mans face as he saw sacrifice. Immediately all of the homeless folks who had felt turned off by Craig's pseudo-pretension asked to go to his church if they served like that.
I think somewhere in there is where he need to take kids. Heavy doses of reality with practical gospel. Just a thought though
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