outside is better

Biblical Concepts in Youth Minstry: The Results

A couple weeks back I asked this question on facebook and twitter; "What do you think is the most pressing Biblical Concept for teens?" I have to say, I got an amazing response.  Below I have copied some of them in. Reading through them, what are your thoughts?

Facebook:

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  Maggie Mraz sex

  July 2 at 4:23pm · Like
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  D Lowrie True discipleship.

  July 2 at 4:25pm · Like
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  Bradley Davis Gosh, off the top of my head I would have to go with explaining and defending basic orthodoxy. If they are good on that front, then I would maybe go with the spiritual disciplines.

  July 2 at 4:27pm · Like · 1 person
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  Maggie Mraz love

  July 2 at 4:27pm · Like · 1 person
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  Austin Rinehart Inclusiveness

  July 2 at 4:28pm · Like
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  Daisy Work Forgiving others, respecting parents

  July 2 at 4:28pm · Like
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  Maggie Mraz money

  July 2 at 4:28pm · Like
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  Maggie Mraz JESUS

  July 2 at 4:29pm · Like
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  Felicia Whitman Pate I would definitely say purity and its importance. Also, what it means to be " in this world, not of it.".

  July 2 at 4:29pm · Like · 1 person
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  Jd Swartz Theosis. Good luck.

  July 2 at 4:37pm · Like · 2 people
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  Julie Martin wait.. you're the youth minister?

  July 2 at 4:38pm · Like
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  Maggie Mraz poverty, prayer, addiction, self-giving, fun, hospitality, self-care, sharing faith, worship, becoming invitational, Kingdom of God, friendship, knowing the stories of the gospels, song writing, stirring creativity, racism

  July 2 at 4:46pm · Like · 1 person
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  Adam Davenport Ask them what they want to study

  July 2 at 4:52pm · Like · 2 people
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  Christina Little Collinsworth judgement and standing up for what you believe even if it's not popular

  July 2 at 5:01pm · Like
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  Crystal Farmer Boyd I agree with Adam, talk to them. I have done that with my teens at work before. Every teen and every group is different and have different questions and struggles. It also shows them that you respect them to ask for their direction on topics! I am a big supporter of group collaborations and equal leadership for the direction of a group.

  July 2 at 5:11pm · Like
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  Adam Davenport Yes as the leader, you can direct the conversation, but asking for input from them shows respect and that you care about what they care about, not just pushing your own adgenda.

  July 2 at 5:13pm · Like
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  Barry D Cram Purity Matters, Understanding Spiritual Authority, "Following Christ In A Consumer Society Is Hard But Worth It," and "Shut Up Because Nobody Really Cares What You Think Until You're Thirty" (the last one is optional :-)

  July 2 at 5:15pm · Like
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  Crystal Farmer Boyd Just remember what it was like when we were kids and someone started trying to talk to us about something we were competely not interested in....we just talked to each other and didn't listen. Let them listen to God through you, not listen to you ON God..OK, that's my 2 cents!! You will do great no matter what you decide because you are approachable and have a heart for God!!

  July 2 at 5:19pm · Like · 2 people
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  Herschel French Why it all matters, as opposed to just doing what you want.

  July 2 at 5:21pm · Like · 1 person
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  Becky Wood Whalen Your body is a temple...

  July 2 at 5:22pm · Like
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  Justin Bronson Barringer I think the book Mere Discipleship is a good one for you to use...

  July 2 at 5:30pm · Like
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  Christopher Cameron

  I think the "why it all matters" question is very important, and I think many people (not just teens) don't really know why. I would suggest "After You Believe" from N.T. Wright on this topic as a resource book (not as a book to go through...See More

  July 2 at 5:39pm · Like
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  Bradley Davis A critique of David Hume's epistemology using only the works of Thomas Reed. Yeah, that's the one you want to do. I'm glad I figured it out.

  July 2 at 5:39pm · Like · 2 people
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  Christopher Cameron Bradley, I'm intrigued! Can I come?! ;-)

  July 2 at 5:41pm · Like
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  Matthew Johnson My philosophy has always been to challenge teens to become radical followers of Jesus. If that happens the other stuff comes into focus.

  July 2 at 5:51pm · Like
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  Barry D Cram For Seniors, "How To Survive The Godless Liberal Professor And Live For Christ In The College Classroom 101"

  July 2 at 6:18pm · Like · 1 person
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  Barry D Cram ‎"Why Genesis Chapters 1 Thru 11 Are Essential To Your Faith And Worldview" (if the Enemy can make you doubt the first 11 chapters of the Bible, it's over)

  July 2 at 6:20pm · Like
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  Barry D Cram ‎"The Controversial Five" (pick 5 shocking statements and teach on one each week). In one of those weeks host "Gay Day" at your church and have all the students invite their gay friends...

  July 2 at 6:24pm · Like
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  Barry D Cram ‎"Jesus and the Beattitweets"... (he was, you know, the original tweeter... Teaching and summing up life and parables with 140 characters or less)

  July 2 at 6:27pm · Like
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  Bradley Davis If chad did my suggestion, then I'm there too!

  July 2 at 6:30pm · Like
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  Teresa VanderMolen Authenticity. There are a million pressing topics for teens, but if they experience everything through a biblical lens, they'll be (more) prepared for anything.

  July 2 at 6:57pm · Like
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  Angela Dunnam Holston Wise decision making.

  July 2 at 7:36pm · Like
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  Sandy Douglass Discuss the Transformed Life!

  July 2 at 7:51pm · Like
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  Megan Peters few thoughts. one authentic relationship (true FACErelationship with others, with Jesus), also commitment as it ties into integrity. commitment sustains the love.. good luck bro. lucky kid

  July 2 at 10:19pm · Like
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  Chad Brooks I am excited about all these responses. Keem em coming-

  July 2 at 10:19pm · Like
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  Megan Peters

  also identity is huge. kids/ adults- have no trust in BEing WHO they are, only what others want them to be, or what is expected of them. crucial to journey through your own story with complete honesty, acknowledging the 'good,the bad, and t...See More

  July 2 at 10:24pm · Like
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  Jonas Aaron Hamilton memorizing the Leviticus but seriously Proverbs which is the book of wisdom to young folks or identity

  July 2 at 10:49pm · Like
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  Maggie Mraz creation care, outward focused living, spiritual disciplines, relating appropriately to opposite gender, healing

  July 3 at 8:02am · Like
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  Alice Ward anything to do with bodies - like body image and sexuality. Teen's bodies are changing so rapidly, that body stuff is really important - and can tie into themes of incarnational living.

  July 3 at 10:35am · Like
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  Alice Ward body stuff can also include drugs/alcohol, materialism, etc. Really, anything to do with the physical body and how it ties into spirituality. Our culture teaches compartmentalization, so teaching that incorporates the two is important.

  July 3 at 10:38am · Like
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  Charles L Christensen The whole Moral Therapeautic Diety question...

Camp Notes and the re-imagining of spiritual language

Well I (and my kids) survived summer camp.  It was 5 days of great fun, hard work, and  more orange drink than I think I have ever had.  In my previous post, I expressed how I was nervous about camp, but I felt it was a part of American evangelism that still had relevance.  Anytime you set apart time and allow people to be steeped in God good things can happen.  It was interesting to see my non-churched kids interact with a group of people from a different socio-economic and spiritual level.  After about 6 months of attempting traditional youth ministry, I threw it to the birds and started teaching them from the perspective that if they know who God is, they will be drawn to him.  They don't know any Charilie Hall songs, but most of them have a pretty good understanding of the Trinity and who God is. 

So at times camp was ackward.  Different kids responded in different ways.  I had one that would go to the back with the leaders and raise his hands and really involve himself in worship.  My girls did what most girls do, and had alot of fun with their friends.  I had another group of guys that just stood there, but I knew they were processing what all of this was.  Camp was a good thing, and all of my kids left with an idea of what it is like to meet with God.

I didn't have "problems", but I did have the time to make some notes.  Like I said earlier, my kids aren't from church, and I started to recognize the amount of language that had to be translated.  The Charlie Hall song "Oh God of Jacob", was filled with alot, mainly the line about "seeking his face".  That one really threw a couple of my kids for a loop.  I could write this post about how awesome it is to have these kids at this level, but thats not the point of the post.

How does our worship confuse outsiders?  People make jokes about "Christianese", but lets think about how much of our devotional vocabulary is based on revivialist spiritual experiences and the buzzwords that go around with them.  Could a non-Christian come into an average evangelical service and figure out what is going on?  Does our language speak of God in a way that is not esoteric, but instead speaks of his glory and actions?  Do we sing about us or Him? 

I have a professor that told me the best way to speak about God in worship was to use his own words, that scripture provides the pool of language and image to speak about God.  I know a common practice in alot of worship is to pull from the psalms, but by us picking up lines, do we break canonical ideas about the majesty and person of God?

What I have seen in de-churched settings, is that the language the brings people to understand and interact with God is not revival oriented and based on personal experience, but the classic words proclaiming righteousness and action on God's behalf.  I think this is because many older folk who aren't in church have experience with people talking about what "they think", but not enough about what God has said and what scripture says about God.  Instead of long sections of personal interpretation, extended communal scripture readings open there eyes to a new spiritual reality.

In regard to youth ministry, this means training our kids to not thrive on "mountain top experiences", but to develop deep roots of spirituality that will sustain them through times of doubt and need.  If they are never taught to worship themselves into a fervor, the idea of "bad worship" not bringing God in will never cross their mind.  Starting from a completely different point will hopefully allow the entire consumer mentality to be non-existent and instead a lifestyle of patterned devotion to God and what he has done will become ingrained.

These are alot of questions, but I think that they are the ones the church will have to asking itself more and more has our world turns away from Christendom and into a secular mindset.  But I don't think this is a bad thing at all.

Youth Camp for losers and evangelical drop-outs

I generally hated youth camp when I was a teenager.  It was cheesy and really hard to find a place to sneak and catch a smoke.  But tomorrow I embark upon the last fortress of my Youth Ministry career.  I am taking 8 kids to a holiness camp meetings youth camp.  I am also serving as a counselor.  As much as a chastise the current evangelical system, I really think youth camp is an important event.  Especially for kids that don't have a "church outlet", a comfortable worshiping body, it is important for them to see corporate Christian behavior.  I am slowly beginning to really love youth ministry, but to do it with the kids that most churches try to run-off.  So after next week, expect at least a post regarding camp...and follow me on twitter (@chaddbrooks) to get updates.  This should be a good week, and my prayers are for my kids to grasp the reality of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit this week.  I would appreciate your prayers as well.