It's been a very interesting week. It is evident that our students are coming to Sunday school and youth groups ready to talk and listen. What have we been talking about?
Sunday School
We just finished a multi-week series through what are called the "General Epistles", 1, 2 and 3rd John, along with Jude. Each week we asked the kids to read the book or chapter for the following week. Also, we've asked them to paraphrase what they've read. We had mixed results at the beginning with the reading and paraphrasing, but many of the kids have really taken to it. At this point, more kids are doing the reading than not, and the number of those paraphrasing is increasing. Starting next week, we'll be reading and studying the Gospel of John and learning Jesus' life and ministry. Our hope is to introduce them to the Jesus they don't know.
Senior High Youth Group
We're in chapter three of Francis Chan's Crazy Love book. We had some amazing conversations and sharing going on. One of the main pieces that we talked about was how our human relationships affect our thoughts and relationship with God. Again, many of the kids are doing the reading (hopefully before 4:15 on Sunday afternoon), and this has really helped. Some of the questions are starting to change, revealing some depth that we hadn't seen before. A main struggle with this group is unity, we have several small groups of 2-3 kids, so we are working on group unity. Our upcoming SEMP service project will help with this.
Middle School Youth Group
We continue with our Grapple series. Last night we finished the first section of our semester, called "Who's the Man?" which dealt with the nature of God himself. Our Bible story last night was from the book of Jonah, and we grappled with the question "Isn't God just mean and cruel?", the main thought being that bad thing happen to people, and how can we trust God through them? We've also been doing a "Bible Scavenger Hunt" each week, asking the kids a question and then telling them which Bible book that it is in, and having them find it. So far, we've had kids read the ENTIRE book of Revelation, the book of Acts, and this week, their question is from the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament.
How you can help us help you
As you can see from above, at each weekly activity, we are asking the kids to do some sort of preparation, it might be reading, paraphrasing, doing a take-home sheet, or whatever. We are working hard to equip you to minister to your own kids. As a parent, this is truly one of the hardest things to do. If you're like me, you feel inadequate (I do...and I'm a minister!). We're trying to give out simple tools and things that you can do as a family. Regardless of what we may think, polls continue to state that parents are the most important influence on the faith of kids. If there are other things that we can help, please let us know. You can call me at 319-393-9570, email me at eccparents@gmail.com, or...better yet, attend our upcoming "Second Wednesday" on Wednesday night, October 13 at Eastview. It's an event just for parents and grandparents, we'll be talking specifically about building meaningful relationships with our kids. W'll be hanging out from 6-8pm. Would you join us?
Showing posts with label student ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label student ministry. Show all posts
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Student Ministry Recaps
I want to apologize for not getting these up. I simply have not made this the priority that it needs to be.
Senior High Youth Group-Sunday September 12
Senior High Youth Group-Sunday September 12
- We had 16 students and 2 adults.
- We introduced the "Crazy Love" series by reading the preface and chapter 1 as a group. We spent some time talking about our inaccurate views of God and how those false views affect our relationship with God.
Middle School Youth Group-Wednesday September 15
- We had 13 students and 7 adults.
- Our second week in a four week series dealing with the bigger question, "Who is God?"....we talked specifically about the gifts that God has given us now. Our bible story was from Genesis 15 and dealt with the promise that God made to Abram in the Old Testament that Abram would be the father of many nations. During our small group breakout, we had an awesome time of sharing with our students about the way that God has blessed us with the opportunity for eternal life. Several of our students got very personal about what's been happening in their lives and we closed with those students praying. It was a pretty powerful night.
- We handed out a "Take Home" sheet for this week's lesson. You can find it off to the right on this page, just click on the "Middle School Take Home" link and download the 9-22-10 sheet.
From this point forward, these will be posted by Thursday afternoons.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The New Sexuality
Dear Parents,
I spent part of my afternoon today viewing the video portion of the material that we’ll be using in February as part of our “New Sexuality” curriculum and all I can say is “wow”. To see some of the videos, hop on over here.
There are 16 discussion starters (topics) to choose from. Many are gender-specific; some are only for girls, some only for guys. Some of the videos are definitely for high school students only. Here’s a quote from Rusty Van Deusen, a 30-year youth ministry veteran and interlinc (the curriculum provider) writer.
“I’m for an honest face-to-face look at the ‘new sexuality.’ My input from students is that Christians are in total denial about the pervasive involvement of Christian students in a broad range of sexual activity. I believe Youth Leaders Only (the material) is the forum to address sexual honesty and in a way that says to students, ‘These guys get it.’ Let’s address pornography, same-sex issues, hooking-up, and the ‘gone wild’ culture head on. The kids are. Let’s engage them.”
This material will be a part of our annual parent’s meeting on January 17, from 11am-1pm. It is my hope that you’ll be there with us.
I spent part of my afternoon today viewing the video portion of the material that we’ll be using in February as part of our “New Sexuality” curriculum and all I can say is “wow”. To see some of the videos, hop on over here.
There are 16 discussion starters (topics) to choose from. Many are gender-specific; some are only for girls, some only for guys. Some of the videos are definitely for high school students only. Here’s a quote from Rusty Van Deusen, a 30-year youth ministry veteran and interlinc (the curriculum provider) writer.
“I’m for an honest face-to-face look at the ‘new sexuality.’ My input from students is that Christians are in total denial about the pervasive involvement of Christian students in a broad range of sexual activity. I believe Youth Leaders Only (the material) is the forum to address sexual honesty and in a way that says to students, ‘These guys get it.’ Let’s address pornography, same-sex issues, hooking-up, and the ‘gone wild’ culture head on. The kids are. Let’s engage them.”
This material will be a part of our annual parent’s meeting on January 17, from 11am-1pm. It is my hope that you’ll be there with us.
Monday, December 1, 2008
"Ethics of American Youth" survey
Courtesy of one of our parents, Mike Greene, comes a link to the 2008 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth. It is based on a survey of nearly 30,000 students in high schools across the U.S. "The results paint a troubling picture of our future politicians and parents, cops and corporate executives, and journalists and generals."
Sadly, there are few differences between students who attend religious-oriented schools and those who do not.
Excerpts from the summary:
"STEALING. In bad news for business, more than one in three boys (35 percent) and one-fourth of the girls (26 percent) — a total of 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year. In 2006 the overall theft rate was 28 percent (32 percent males, 23 percent females).
LYING. More than two of five (42 percent) said that they sometimes lie to save money. Again, the male-female difference was significant: 49 percent of the males, 36 percent of the females. In 2006, 39 percent said they lied to save money (47 percent males, 31 percent females).
CHEATING. Cheating in school continues to be rampant and it’s getting worse. A substantial majority (64 percent) cheated on a test during the past year (38 percent did so two or more times), up from 60 percent and 35 percent, respectively, in 2006. There were no gender differences on the issue of cheating on exams."
You can view the entire report here.
Sadly, there are few differences between students who attend religious-oriented schools and those who do not.
Excerpts from the summary:
"STEALING. In bad news for business, more than one in three boys (35 percent) and one-fourth of the girls (26 percent) — a total of 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year. In 2006 the overall theft rate was 28 percent (32 percent males, 23 percent females).
LYING. More than two of five (42 percent) said that they sometimes lie to save money. Again, the male-female difference was significant: 49 percent of the males, 36 percent of the females. In 2006, 39 percent said they lied to save money (47 percent males, 31 percent females).
CHEATING. Cheating in school continues to be rampant and it’s getting worse. A substantial majority (64 percent) cheated on a test during the past year (38 percent did so two or more times), up from 60 percent and 35 percent, respectively, in 2006. There were no gender differences on the issue of cheating on exams."
You can view the entire report here.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
You're Invited!
Next weekend, October 17 and 18, here at Eastview Christian Church, our ministry team is going to be considering that very question. In 2009, every single event, every meeting, every trip, EVERYTHING, that we do will be examined through the lens of that question.
The best part? You’re invited to the discussion. Here at Eastview, we believe that you love your kids more than we ever could. We believe that you have more sway in the lives of your kids than we do. You are the influencer. As a parent of two teens and one 10 year-old, I find that concept frightening. And because of the influence that you wield, we want and need your advice and input. So, come. With an open heart. With open ears. And most importantly, an open mouth. This is for any parent, church member or not.
We’ll start Friday night at 5:30pm with a meal. Friday will mostly be a review of 2008, a review of our events, meetings, material, our challenges, victories and struggles. You’ll also hear from our adult leaders, as well as a few students. We’ll end the night by 10:30 with s’mores around a fire pit.
Saturday, we’ll get started about 9am. For much of the morning, we’ll talk about the big idea, ““How can we get our students to examine their own understandings of Jesus?” Part of this conversation will be “dealing with difficult and disruptive students”. The balance of the day will be spent talking about our activities, our calendar, our budget as they relate to the big question. We’ll be done by 4pm.
In order for us to have the right amount of food, please let me know that you’re coming. You can call me at church (393-9570), my cellular (389-5384), or drop me an email (jmulholland@eastview.net). I sure hope that you’ll take advantage of this time to invest in your kids and our ministry here.
The best part? You’re invited to the discussion. Here at Eastview, we believe that you love your kids more than we ever could. We believe that you have more sway in the lives of your kids than we do. You are the influencer. As a parent of two teens and one 10 year-old, I find that concept frightening. And because of the influence that you wield, we want and need your advice and input. So, come. With an open heart. With open ears. And most importantly, an open mouth. This is for any parent, church member or not.
We’ll start Friday night at 5:30pm with a meal. Friday will mostly be a review of 2008, a review of our events, meetings, material, our challenges, victories and struggles. You’ll also hear from our adult leaders, as well as a few students. We’ll end the night by 10:30 with s’mores around a fire pit.
Saturday, we’ll get started about 9am. For much of the morning, we’ll talk about the big idea, ““How can we get our students to examine their own understandings of Jesus?” Part of this conversation will be “dealing with difficult and disruptive students”. The balance of the day will be spent talking about our activities, our calendar, our budget as they relate to the big question. We’ll be done by 4pm.
In order for us to have the right amount of food, please let me know that you’re coming. You can call me at church (393-9570), my cellular (389-5384), or drop me an email (jmulholland@eastview.net). I sure hope that you’ll take advantage of this time to invest in your kids and our ministry here.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Fall Overnighters
Our Fall 2008 Overnighters are right around the corner...
They both run from 8pm, and end by 9am.
The Gals' Overnighter is at the home of Kathy Thomas. Kathy and her daughter Laurie (she was a youth sponsor who's now attending classes at UNI are hosting. They'll be hot-tubbing, among other things. Just click on the "Calendar" link to the left for her address.
The Guys' Overnighter is at Eastview. Me, Josh Davis and Gregg Lunde, and maybe another adult or 2 are running the show. We'll be HALO'ing, shooting one another with our softair guns, watching some movies, and from 9-1130 we'll be...well, it's a secret. But, if you show up at 9, the doors'll be locked, and you ain't coming in, so make sure your're there on time.
We need a signed permission slip for all of those going to either Overnighter, and the cost per student is a wimpy $5. They'll need to bring the normal overnighter stuff.
Need a permission slip? Email me at jmulholland@eastview.net
They both run from 8pm, and end by 9am.
The Gals' Overnighter is at the home of Kathy Thomas. Kathy and her daughter Laurie (she was a youth sponsor who's now attending classes at UNI are hosting. They'll be hot-tubbing, among other things. Just click on the "Calendar" link to the left for her address.
The Guys' Overnighter is at Eastview. Me, Josh Davis and Gregg Lunde, and maybe another adult or 2 are running the show. We'll be HALO'ing, shooting one another with our softair guns, watching some movies, and from 9-1130 we'll be...well, it's a secret. But, if you show up at 9, the doors'll be locked, and you ain't coming in, so make sure your're there on time.
We need a signed permission slip for all of those going to either Overnighter, and the cost per student is a wimpy $5. They'll need to bring the normal overnighter stuff.
Need a permission slip? Email me at jmulholland@eastview.net
Friday, August 29, 2008
Parents...you're needed!
Here are a few highlights from an article in the August 31st Christian Standard. The article is entitled "Parents Matter" and can be read in it's entirety here.
"More than anyone—peers, teachers, youth ministers—the greatest single influence on a teen is his parents. That may shock some parents who feel like a discarded shoe when their children reach adolescence. Research proves parents have the greatest effect on their children’s choices, including their religious and spiritual practices."
"The alarming rate of teen church dropouts (61-88 percent depending on the research study) requires urgent attention. When young people leave the church, we lose the spiritual assets of fresh talent, spiritual gifts, and passion that the body of Christ needs to be complete."
"Fifty-one percent of teens in the study said they would like to talk more about religious matters with their parents. According to USA Weekend magazine, one in three teens say they rarely or never have a conversation with a parent that lasts longer than 15 minutes."
"LifeWay Research found that 57 percent of teens remain in church after age 17 when it is an established expectation. Teens need to hear that church attendance matters to their parents. Parents must also walk their talk. Parents who attend church regularly, and who genuinely like church and actively serve in church, are more likely to have teens who remain in church. Fathers actually have a greater impact on teens’ decision to stay in church after age 17."
Everything that I have read confirms the statements made in this article. Our ministry is based in large part on the concept that YOU are the primary influence in the lives of your children. One of the questions posed in another article recently posted on this blog, "Indoctrinated or Educated" is this..."Are there things we’re teaching kids in youth group that parents are undermining in the home?". Based on conversations that I personally have had with students about religious activity within the home, I'd say yes.
"More than anyone—peers, teachers, youth ministers—the greatest single influence on a teen is his parents. That may shock some parents who feel like a discarded shoe when their children reach adolescence. Research proves parents have the greatest effect on their children’s choices, including their religious and spiritual practices."
"The alarming rate of teen church dropouts (61-88 percent depending on the research study) requires urgent attention. When young people leave the church, we lose the spiritual assets of fresh talent, spiritual gifts, and passion that the body of Christ needs to be complete."
"Fifty-one percent of teens in the study said they would like to talk more about religious matters with their parents. According to USA Weekend magazine, one in three teens say they rarely or never have a conversation with a parent that lasts longer than 15 minutes."
"LifeWay Research found that 57 percent of teens remain in church after age 17 when it is an established expectation. Teens need to hear that church attendance matters to their parents. Parents must also walk their talk. Parents who attend church regularly, and who genuinely like church and actively serve in church, are more likely to have teens who remain in church. Fathers actually have a greater impact on teens’ decision to stay in church after age 17."
Everything that I have read confirms the statements made in this article. Our ministry is based in large part on the concept that YOU are the primary influence in the lives of your children. One of the questions posed in another article recently posted on this blog, "Indoctrinated or Educated" is this..."Are there things we’re teaching kids in youth group that parents are undermining in the home?". Based on conversations that I personally have had with students about religious activity within the home, I'd say yes.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Fall D-Group
For our Fall 2008 d-group curriculum, we'll be using Chuck Colson's book "The Faith". For details on the book itself, please go here. Here's the format, each week, the students will be assigned a chapter of the book, and then they'll answer questions from the companion study guide, available here. Each student will be responsible to purchase their own copy of the book. I'll buy them in bulk from Lemstone, where we can get them for just $13/each-regular price is $19/each. Students can give their $13 to me-I PREFER checks...no cash please!
I was asked last night if there was a particular Bible translation that was recommended for use in our ministry. My preference is the NIV Study Bible. The paperback from Amazon.com is only $16.49 and the hardcover is just $23.09.
This year for d-group, we as a group decided that we needed to have a "group covenant". The purpose of the group covenant is to lay the ground rules and expectations for our group. This past Sunday night, we spoke extensively to our students about this, and asked them what they thought our values as a group should be. What follows is the covenant that THEY came up with. We'll be meeting this Sunday night to confirm it, and then sign it. Once signed, these will be the expectations that our students will be under in order to attend d-group.
D-Group Covenant
Fall/Winter 2008
1. We’ll meet each Sunday night from 6-8pm.
2. We’ll meet at Eastview Christian Church.
3. Our Bible study will focus on basic Christian theology.
4. We will agree on the following primary values for our group…
Priority- While we are in the group, we will give the group meetings priority, and if we are unable to attend or are running late, we’ll call ahead. If we miss 3 group meetings, we expect to be confronted about our absence, and continued absenteeism will lead to my not being involved in the group.
Confidentiality- Confidentiality is expected. Gossiping about our group will not be tolerated. Anyone caught gossiping will be confronted and asked to leave the group, for good.
Preparation- All members are expected to come to our group time prepared. Prepared means:
• You have read a minimum of 4 days from your Bible per week.
• You have all required homework completed (notes taken, questions answered, reading, assignments, etc).
• You have your Bible, journal, pen/pencil and all assignments with you.
• A consistent lack of preparedness (3 times) will lead to confrontation, and if it continues, will lead to my not being involved in the group.
Respect- All members of the group are expected to respect one another. We need to be quiet and attentive when people are speaking, show maturity during disagreement, and love one another in thought, word and deed. Disrespect will not be tolerated, and could lead to my not being involved in the group.
An “in” for new people- The group stays open to new people as long as they understand the ground rules. The guidelines for filling the open chair are: Students wishing to come to d-group may come up to 3 times. After the third time, they will be asked to sign the covenant. Should they not desire to sign, they will not be able to participate.
Scripture memorization- Group members will be expected to memorize at least one passage/month. The text will be relevant to the current study.
I understand that the purpose of D-group is to deepen my relationship with Christ. I know D-Group is a commitment and will keep it a top priority. I understand that failure to follow our group covenant will lead to my not being involved with the group. In understanding all of these things, I commit to being a part of d-group for the September-December 2008 session.
I was asked last night if there was a particular Bible translation that was recommended for use in our ministry. My preference is the NIV Study Bible. The paperback from Amazon.com is only $16.49 and the hardcover is just $23.09.
This year for d-group, we as a group decided that we needed to have a "group covenant". The purpose of the group covenant is to lay the ground rules and expectations for our group. This past Sunday night, we spoke extensively to our students about this, and asked them what they thought our values as a group should be. What follows is the covenant that THEY came up with. We'll be meeting this Sunday night to confirm it, and then sign it. Once signed, these will be the expectations that our students will be under in order to attend d-group.
D-Group Covenant
Fall/Winter 2008
1. We’ll meet each Sunday night from 6-8pm.
2. We’ll meet at Eastview Christian Church.
3. Our Bible study will focus on basic Christian theology.
4. We will agree on the following primary values for our group…
Priority- While we are in the group, we will give the group meetings priority, and if we are unable to attend or are running late, we’ll call ahead. If we miss 3 group meetings, we expect to be confronted about our absence, and continued absenteeism will lead to my not being involved in the group.
Confidentiality- Confidentiality is expected. Gossiping about our group will not be tolerated. Anyone caught gossiping will be confronted and asked to leave the group, for good.
Preparation- All members are expected to come to our group time prepared. Prepared means:
• You have read a minimum of 4 days from your Bible per week.
• You have all required homework completed (notes taken, questions answered, reading, assignments, etc).
• You have your Bible, journal, pen/pencil and all assignments with you.
• A consistent lack of preparedness (3 times) will lead to confrontation, and if it continues, will lead to my not being involved in the group.
Respect- All members of the group are expected to respect one another. We need to be quiet and attentive when people are speaking, show maturity during disagreement, and love one another in thought, word and deed. Disrespect will not be tolerated, and could lead to my not being involved in the group.
An “in” for new people- The group stays open to new people as long as they understand the ground rules. The guidelines for filling the open chair are: Students wishing to come to d-group may come up to 3 times. After the third time, they will be asked to sign the covenant. Should they not desire to sign, they will not be able to participate.
Scripture memorization- Group members will be expected to memorize at least one passage/month. The text will be relevant to the current study.
I understand that the purpose of D-group is to deepen my relationship with Christ. I know D-Group is a commitment and will keep it a top priority. I understand that failure to follow our group covenant will lead to my not being involved with the group. In understanding all of these things, I commit to being a part of d-group for the September-December 2008 session.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Indoctrinated or Educated?
From "The Journal of Student Ministries" comes this thought-provoking article. Good stuff.
What’s the causing this detachment?
You and me.
I’m convinced we’re a major part of the problem.
Self-Evaluation Needed
From my perspective there are many contributing factors to this epidemic of detachment, but here I want to discuss one that relates to all of us: How we define educated. It’s a major issue needing attention in most, if not all of, our churches.
So, to start the process I invite you to take a step back and look at some questions I’ve been asking about the bigger picture of education beyond the home, Sunday school, or midweek youth group.
Educating Kids
We as church leaders know the information we want to offer, package it in age-appropriate ways, and then communicate that information. We stand firm on our beliefs and seek to invest in kids, hoping they’ll embrace truth as we have. We desire to give our kids an accurate picture of God and Christ-like living. We want them to understand a life of faith, please God in all of their pursuits, and live with authenticity regarding who they say they are as Christians.
Sound about right?
Okay, two opening questions to begin our thought process:
How do you define “educated”?
How would you define an educated high school senior?
For instance, I’ve noticed that most of the time adults teach adult faith concepts to young kids...and believe they’re educating them. For instance, we talk about pursuing “a relationship with God”—which is at the core of Christian belief—but have six-year-olds ever consciously and intentionally pursued relationships with anyone? How will they do that with God, an abstract being?
We adults know how to process “a relationship with God,” but not little kids who’re extremely limited in their abstract-thinking capabilities. The same kind of thing can be said (but to a lesser degree) about the ways in which we teach middle schoolers and high schoolers.
Questions
Is it possible that our students are hearing things other than what we’re trying to say?
If so, what’s their perception, and how does it affect their view of Christianity and the church?
Can this dichotomy in perception have negative effects? If so, what might they be?
Information Versus Education
We have to understand the potentially negative effect of just disseminating information, teaching classes, or buying better curriculums. We can easily believe that a way to help kids keep their faith when they go away to college is to just give them more information. However, reducing detachment after high school is not so much about giving more information as it is about helping teenagers embrace the knowledge they already have. Piling on more information through classes and bible studies doesn’t necessarily educate kids; this philosophy of education will actually repel college-age people.
A Question We Should All Ask Ourselves
Do I spend more time giving information and putting on programs than I do helping students embrace the information they already have?
If we answer “yes” to this question, we’re not truly educating our kids. We’re simply disseminating information and, I believe, contributing to the detachment problem.
Battling University Philosophy
Many college students who’ve grown up in church aren’t excited about the prospect of church now that they’re away from home—especially when they’re presented one-sided, overly simplistic information. They already feel as though they’ve heard it all (which, of course, they haven’t), processed through it all (which, of course, they haven’t), and want to explore other faith possibilities—or none at all (which, of course, they do).
Here’s the problem: They’ve been given some information from a Christian perspective—making them feel as though they’re “educated”—but they’ve never really thought through the implications of that information. More importantly, they haven’t been forced to think through these concepts outside of the Christian tradition. Consequently they go to college and are challenged in shocking and sometimes faith-shattering ways. They weren’t really educated on the issues; they were just given some information.
College professors intentionally expose gray areas, which the church tends to shy away from. So college is often the first place our kids are forced to think through faith at this level. Unfortunately this means most are doing so out from under the wings of loving Christian voices. On the contrary, college professors tend to embrace secular humanism.
A Question We Must Ask Ourselves
Do I teach solely from a Christian perspective, or do I expose my kids to opposing philosophies and then walk through with them the reasons why a biblical view makes sense?
Telling our kids about only one spiritual perspective doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve educated our kids; it just means we gave them biased, often overly simplistic information.
Information Minus Thought = Detachment
Generally speaking the educational philosophy embraced in most churches—i.e., disseminating as much information as possible through classes and Bible studies—doesn’t prepare kids for the intellectual challenges they’ll face in college. Plus, most churches don’t embrace college-age members with age-appropriate ministries. This is the time of life when they naturally reevaluate all the assumptions they grew up with. And we lose our kids when we leave it to college professors to guide their thought processes as they go through these reevaluations.
Questions to Consider
Once your students graduate from high school, who’s shepherding them as they reevaluate every assumption they grew up with?
Should we be the ones causing reevaluation—or should we leave this up to college professors? Why or why not?
When we simply spoon feed morality to our high school students and then let them drop off the earth after they graduate, we do them a great disservice. From a college-age person’s perspective, this philosophy of education is trite, unauthentic, and overly simplistic. On the contrary, when they’re forced to think about and evaluate important topics in new and exciting ways in classrooms versus our homes and churches, we lose. Every time.
Questions for Leaders to Ask
Are we teaching our kids morality? Or ideas that are faith stimulating?
Are we challenging thought or just repeating the information provided in Christian books without ever going deeper?
Some More Questions
There are so many questions we should be asking ourselves for the sake of evaluating our effectiveness—or lack thereof. Here are a few more questions vital for student ministry leaders to ask themselves:
1. Are there things we’re teaching kids in youth group that parents are undermining in the home?
2. If so, what are those things and how do we go about educating parents about these issues? (Note: If parents aren’t a part of our education equation, we’re in serious trouble!)
3. Do we really welcome and discuss questions, thoughts, and doubts, or do we tend to shut down questions with overly simplistic information?
4. Do our kids feel free to tell us about their questions and doubts? If not, how do we encourage this? (Note: In order to shepherd our kids, we have to know what they’re thinking.)
5. Have we ever really thought through our faith and embraced a Christian lifestyle beyond the knowledge of simple information? (Note: If not, our kids won’t.)
6. Are there different philosophies of education within our church leadership? If so, how can we work toward being on the same page?
One Last Musing and Some Practical Steps
Answering all these questions can take literally years. Unfortunately if we don’t take seriously the prospect of answering these types of questions, our ignorance will inevitably show itself in the continued and worsening detachment of high school graduates.
So here are some practical steps we can take:
1. Clearly define what it means to educate kids—and beyond giving information.
2. Unveil and be honest about different philosophies of education in your church.
3. Have biweekly meetings with your staff where all you do is discuss questions like the ones in this article. Too often our staff meetings are task driven; we need many more meetings that talk through our philosophy of education.
4. List characteristics of an educated high school senior and then structure your ministry around building those characteristics into your students.
5. Figure out a way to walk alongside college-age people. We can do all the right things up until their senior years, but if we drop them after they graduate, all of it was worthless.
6. This week in youth group, instead of teaching, share some questions or even doubts you have! When our kids see us being honest about these things and yet firmly holding to the truth of Scripture, we’re (and they’re) heading down the right path.
Thoughts and Questions for Student Ministry Leaders
Today church leaders have been bewildered about how detached high school graduates are from the local church.What’s the causing this detachment?
You and me.
I’m convinced we’re a major part of the problem.
Self-Evaluation Needed
From my perspective there are many contributing factors to this epidemic of detachment, but here I want to discuss one that relates to all of us: How we define educated. It’s a major issue needing attention in most, if not all of, our churches.
So, to start the process I invite you to take a step back and look at some questions I’ve been asking about the bigger picture of education beyond the home, Sunday school, or midweek youth group.
Educating Kids
We as church leaders know the information we want to offer, package it in age-appropriate ways, and then communicate that information. We stand firm on our beliefs and seek to invest in kids, hoping they’ll embrace truth as we have. We desire to give our kids an accurate picture of God and Christ-like living. We want them to understand a life of faith, please God in all of their pursuits, and live with authenticity regarding who they say they are as Christians.
Sound about right?
Okay, two opening questions to begin our thought process:
How do you define “educated”?
How would you define an educated high school senior?
For instance, I’ve noticed that most of the time adults teach adult faith concepts to young kids...and believe they’re educating them. For instance, we talk about pursuing “a relationship with God”—which is at the core of Christian belief—but have six-year-olds ever consciously and intentionally pursued relationships with anyone? How will they do that with God, an abstract being?
We adults know how to process “a relationship with God,” but not little kids who’re extremely limited in their abstract-thinking capabilities. The same kind of thing can be said (but to a lesser degree) about the ways in which we teach middle schoolers and high schoolers.
Questions
Is it possible that our students are hearing things other than what we’re trying to say?
If so, what’s their perception, and how does it affect their view of Christianity and the church?
Can this dichotomy in perception have negative effects? If so, what might they be?
Information Versus Education
We have to understand the potentially negative effect of just disseminating information, teaching classes, or buying better curriculums. We can easily believe that a way to help kids keep their faith when they go away to college is to just give them more information. However, reducing detachment after high school is not so much about giving more information as it is about helping teenagers embrace the knowledge they already have. Piling on more information through classes and bible studies doesn’t necessarily educate kids; this philosophy of education will actually repel college-age people.
A Question We Should All Ask Ourselves
Do I spend more time giving information and putting on programs than I do helping students embrace the information they already have?
If we answer “yes” to this question, we’re not truly educating our kids. We’re simply disseminating information and, I believe, contributing to the detachment problem.
Battling University Philosophy
Many college students who’ve grown up in church aren’t excited about the prospect of church now that they’re away from home—especially when they’re presented one-sided, overly simplistic information. They already feel as though they’ve heard it all (which, of course, they haven’t), processed through it all (which, of course, they haven’t), and want to explore other faith possibilities—or none at all (which, of course, they do).
Here’s the problem: They’ve been given some information from a Christian perspective—making them feel as though they’re “educated”—but they’ve never really thought through the implications of that information. More importantly, they haven’t been forced to think through these concepts outside of the Christian tradition. Consequently they go to college and are challenged in shocking and sometimes faith-shattering ways. They weren’t really educated on the issues; they were just given some information.
College professors intentionally expose gray areas, which the church tends to shy away from. So college is often the first place our kids are forced to think through faith at this level. Unfortunately this means most are doing so out from under the wings of loving Christian voices. On the contrary, college professors tend to embrace secular humanism.
A Question We Must Ask Ourselves
Do I teach solely from a Christian perspective, or do I expose my kids to opposing philosophies and then walk through with them the reasons why a biblical view makes sense?
Telling our kids about only one spiritual perspective doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve educated our kids; it just means we gave them biased, often overly simplistic information.
Information Minus Thought = Detachment
Generally speaking the educational philosophy embraced in most churches—i.e., disseminating as much information as possible through classes and Bible studies—doesn’t prepare kids for the intellectual challenges they’ll face in college. Plus, most churches don’t embrace college-age members with age-appropriate ministries. This is the time of life when they naturally reevaluate all the assumptions they grew up with. And we lose our kids when we leave it to college professors to guide their thought processes as they go through these reevaluations.
Questions to Consider
Once your students graduate from high school, who’s shepherding them as they reevaluate every assumption they grew up with?
Should we be the ones causing reevaluation—or should we leave this up to college professors? Why or why not?
When we simply spoon feed morality to our high school students and then let them drop off the earth after they graduate, we do them a great disservice. From a college-age person’s perspective, this philosophy of education is trite, unauthentic, and overly simplistic. On the contrary, when they’re forced to think about and evaluate important topics in new and exciting ways in classrooms versus our homes and churches, we lose. Every time.
Questions for Leaders to Ask
Are we teaching our kids morality? Or ideas that are faith stimulating?
Are we challenging thought or just repeating the information provided in Christian books without ever going deeper?
Some More Questions
There are so many questions we should be asking ourselves for the sake of evaluating our effectiveness—or lack thereof. Here are a few more questions vital for student ministry leaders to ask themselves:
1. Are there things we’re teaching kids in youth group that parents are undermining in the home?
2. If so, what are those things and how do we go about educating parents about these issues? (Note: If parents aren’t a part of our education equation, we’re in serious trouble!)
3. Do we really welcome and discuss questions, thoughts, and doubts, or do we tend to shut down questions with overly simplistic information?
4. Do our kids feel free to tell us about their questions and doubts? If not, how do we encourage this? (Note: In order to shepherd our kids, we have to know what they’re thinking.)
5. Have we ever really thought through our faith and embraced a Christian lifestyle beyond the knowledge of simple information? (Note: If not, our kids won’t.)
6. Are there different philosophies of education within our church leadership? If so, how can we work toward being on the same page?
One Last Musing and Some Practical Steps
Answering all these questions can take literally years. Unfortunately if we don’t take seriously the prospect of answering these types of questions, our ignorance will inevitably show itself in the continued and worsening detachment of high school graduates.
So here are some practical steps we can take:
1. Clearly define what it means to educate kids—and beyond giving information.
2. Unveil and be honest about different philosophies of education in your church.
3. Have biweekly meetings with your staff where all you do is discuss questions like the ones in this article. Too often our staff meetings are task driven; we need many more meetings that talk through our philosophy of education.
4. List characteristics of an educated high school senior and then structure your ministry around building those characteristics into your students.
5. Figure out a way to walk alongside college-age people. We can do all the right things up until their senior years, but if we drop them after they graduate, all of it was worthless.
6. This week in youth group, instead of teaching, share some questions or even doubts you have! When our kids see us being honest about these things and yet firmly holding to the truth of Scripture, we’re (and they’re) heading down the right path.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Eastview Parents Weekly-April 6-12
I’m out of the office this week to Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago for their Student Ministries Conference. It’s a great time of fellowship with other youth ministers and learning. Please pray for safe travel and a good conference!
Last night in d-group we have an excellent discussion about relativism and the need for truth and absolutes as Christians in the context of defending our faith. We’ll be visiting this topic for the next few weeks, especially dealing the nature of truth.
A few things coming up:
Fundraising Opportunities
Kernels Stadium post-game clean-up
This Saturday, April 12, 4:30-6pm. We’ll meet at Veterans Stadium about by 4:30, and stay until we’re done (hopefully by 6!). We need a few adults and about 5 students. Please let me know if your student will be there!
I was contacted by a church member of a need at their home-they need their eaves cleaned out. We need 2 students, pay will be $20/each and will take an hour or two. The have ladders and gloves. Please let me know by Wednesday if your student is interested.
Events
CIY Believe
Permission slips and $50 deposit due by April 16th, total trip cost is $90/student.
Mission: Kansas
For those students turning in permission slips/applications with $25 deposit by April 16th, the trip cost is $130/student.
For those students turning in permission slips/applications with $25 deposit by April 30th, the trip cost is $150/student.
Applications/permission slips not accepted for this trip after April 30th.
Mission: Mexico
Uno- Pre-trip meeting April 20th, 4:30-5:45pm. This is mandatory for all those going on the trip.
Last night in d-group we have an excellent discussion about relativism and the need for truth and absolutes as Christians in the context of defending our faith. We’ll be visiting this topic for the next few weeks, especially dealing the nature of truth.
A few things coming up:
Fundraising Opportunities
Kernels Stadium post-game clean-up
This Saturday, April 12, 4:30-6pm. We’ll meet at Veterans Stadium about by 4:30, and stay until we’re done (hopefully by 6!). We need a few adults and about 5 students. Please let me know if your student will be there!
I was contacted by a church member of a need at their home-they need their eaves cleaned out. We need 2 students, pay will be $20/each and will take an hour or two. The have ladders and gloves. Please let me know by Wednesday if your student is interested.
Events
CIY Believe
Permission slips and $50 deposit due by April 16th, total trip cost is $90/student.
Mission: Kansas
For those students turning in permission slips/applications with $25 deposit by April 16th, the trip cost is $130/student.
For those students turning in permission slips/applications with $25 deposit by April 30th, the trip cost is $150/student.
Applications/permission slips not accepted for this trip after April 30th.
Mission: Mexico
Uno- Pre-trip meeting April 20th, 4:30-5:45pm. This is mandatory for all those going on the trip.
Friday, February 29, 2008
This week's questions
Each week, we are asking the students who come to Wednesday night youth group to respond to 2 questions. Here are this weeks' questions and responses.
Question 1-What does God require of us?
-Believe in him and his word
-our everything 24/7
-obey him
-he requires us to do the Ten Commandments
-to obey your parents
-obey
-to be good people
-to listen to your older sister
-to live by his word and not to put no gods before him
-to believe in him
-love, glory and honor
-authenticity
-to do his will with him in mind
Question 2- What are your biggest temptations?
-seeing people happier than me
-peer pressure
-lust
-greed
-to be alone with myself and look at all of the horrible things I have done
-thinking everyone is prettier than me
-rebellion
-lust
-selfishness
Question 1-What does God require of us?
-Believe in him and his word
-our everything 24/7
-obey him
-he requires us to do the Ten Commandments
-to obey your parents
-obey
-to be good people
-to listen to your older sister
-to live by his word and not to put no gods before him
-to believe in him
-love, glory and honor
-authenticity
-to do his will with him in mind
Question 2- What are your biggest temptations?
-seeing people happier than me
-peer pressure
-lust
-greed
-to be alone with myself and look at all of the horrible things I have done
-thinking everyone is prettier than me
-rebellion
-lust
-selfishness
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