Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Intense Youth Staff Meeting-All Problems Resolved!

j/k - i think we found more problems than answers...
Today, we had an incredibly intense staff meeting (in a really good way!). A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to take our annual trip to the National Youth Workers Convention in Nashville, TN. This weekend was filled with thought-provoking speakers and workshops all designed to challenge and equip people working in youth ministry.

Well, today we finally got the chance to discuss what we learned...

Here are a few questions we wrestled with this morning:
1. Where is the Church headed? Is the megachurch movement over? Will smaller ministries that focus on connecting people (and may even meet in public or rented facilities) flourish in the future. Is the American Dream dead? How do we lead parents/students through this transition?
(thanks to Tom Sine's seminar: "Where is the Church Headed and What's our Response?")

2. As a youth ministry, what is our response to the gay/lesbian community? Andrew Marin's approach: quoting Billy Graham: "it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge, and my job to love." How can we effectively and intentionally balance love/acceptance and presenting biblical truth?
(Andrew Marin - General Session with Tony Camp0lo and Shane Claiborne)

3. If we only have a limited amount of time, energy, resources, etc. is it most effective to invest heavily in the "few" that want to go deeper or the "many" who need to hear? Jesus did both but obviously invested heavily in the 12 disciples and even more intensely in just 3 of the disciples. Are we doing ministry to students or with students?
(Mike Pilavachi - General Session)

4. Is a big ministry a good thing? Jesus' teaching was upsetting to people and many left when they found out what He was really calling people to. Are we setting the bar for commitment to Christ much lower than where Jesus would have?
(Francis Chan - General Session)

So, we asked a lot more questions than we answered this morning. I'm glad we're thinking - I'm even more excited that we are doing this together.

I'd love to hear others thoughts - comment away!
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