Strategy of a Different Number (1)

As I strive to build relationships and seek to discover the DNA in my new ministry setting, I've discovered two things: (a) building relationships is job one--duh!--followed closely by this joy of discovery in my first year. And (b) part of this discovery is being willing to embrace a shift in strategy.

Mark DeVries wrote a great article that challenges the paradigm he and so many of us youth workers have held dear for years. Check it out at http://archive.youthministry.com/details.asp?ID=7436. In short, his premise is that "it's getting harder and harder to provide programming that has a singular focus on a clearly defined group of students."  In other words, an outreach level teenager is just as likely to connect in a deep Bible study or a high-commitment mission experience.

I've noticed this shift even in the ten years or so I've worked with young people. I've also noticed a need for a shift in our thinking about numbers. (I'll admit I DO play the number game because I think young lives count!) Youth Group is no longer the be-all-end-all program we MUST get kids too in order to be seen as a "success." Honestly, I was a bit bummed out to see 15 or so at my first Youth Group, 10 or so the following week, and then around 5 the third week.

So a few things to share here. Remember that any time you follow a well-loved youth worker, and even if there's a structure in place toward sustainability in youth ministry, there is always going to be a level of rebuilding. Whether it's rebuilding a youth program or building new relationships and trust, it takes time, and there may even be a drop in attendance initially. One new friend shared with me how hard it is for her to open up when she feels like people keep coming in and out of her life. She graduates this year, and my hope is that we can build a relationship into her college years even as she is "out from under" my direct responsibility.

So then, I've discovered the importance of tracking an overall picture of attendance. The week we had just 5 at Youth Group, we had 30 total participating in some capacity that week whether it be Sunday morning worship, Sunday school, a Sr. High small group, Youth Hand Bells, a Youth Ensemble, etc. All in all, 30 kids participating in various ways multiplied out to about 70 points of contact with our church in just one week!

We're still working out how to track this, but in some capacity or another teens are connecting in some way and "Expanding the Light by seeking, serving, or sharing the message of Jesus Christ" in some way each week. (Lakewood UMC Mission Statement)

More in "Strategy of a Different Color (2)"

How to Read...

This is an obvious thing to mention to fellow youth workers, but it is nonetheless important for us to all "learn how to read" youth ministry books and materials--there are a plethora of them out there. And yes, plethora was on my word-of-the-day toilet paper today.

I love so many books that it gets so confusing as to what kind of youth ministry I should strive for. Should we be Purpose Driven (Fields), Contemplative (Yaconelli), Sustainable (DeVries), Thriving (Mayo), or Jesus-Centered (Lawrence), and so on? I've even read Duffy Robbins' "Youth Ministry that Works" and heard him tell a group of us that we should avoid his lesser known book "Youth Ministry that DOESN'T Work." I don't know. Should we strive to "Dare 2 Share" (Stier) or help teens "Acquire the Fire" (Luce), etc.?

What is the be-all end-all approach to youth ministry? The answer? I dunno! You'll have to work on that for yourself, but be advised of the obvious. Take what all the great books, authors, and leaders have to say and the way God has uniquely wired you and make it work in your setting and in your unique calling. As long as you are focusing on God the Father and the Son Jesus Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in and through you, it's all good!

Already Gone...

As I interviewed and then accepted my new Youth Ministry position, I was able to talk through and come to a realization (a Duh! moment actually) with regards to the issue of why young people have a tendency to walk away from their faith and the church within their first few years after high school graduation as the staggering statistics seem to indicate.

And while the title of this blog alludes to a book that makes a convincing case for why the problem is, at its core, a theological one, I tend to put more weight into relationships being a big key as well. Doug Fields, Mark DeVries, Jeanne Mayo, and others have certainly been an influence in my thinking here, but Jeanne tends to put it best--if I can paraphrase--the desire is to build relationships between hearts that Jesus can cross over. What a beautiful image!

My duh moment comes in as I realize that the issue of young people walking away from their faith is likely directly connected to the issue many church parishoners and leaders raise about how they want to see youth more integrated into the life of the church. Rather, we often see the compartmentalized "one-eared Mickey Mouse" issue where the Youth Ministry is connected, somewhat loosely, to the church but largely doing its own thing. The simple realization is that if we want to see youth integrated into the life of the church (and not walking away from their faith), the church must become more intentional about being integrated into the life of the youth.

Mark DeVries puts this well as "architecting a constellation of relationships." Imagine a family based youth ministry--both the nuclear and broader church family--where this constellation or web of relationships means that each young person has at least 5 or 6 God-loving, Christ-centered, loving adults in the church that proactively connect with and care for them on a regular basis. These young people will then be less likely to fall through the cracks and more likely to feel connected, rather than disconnected from the church as they enter their young adult years.

Couple this with charging our youth with the responsibility to create a friendship epidemic in our youth ministries where youth are caring for, connecting with, and accepting other youth, and we have begun to construct powerful bridges between hearts that Jesus can cross over!