Re: Ragamuffin Soul » I’m That Guy

Jason — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:55:17 -0000

Hey Los thanks for being that guy. I am that guy too.

I have been stuck on philippians 2:12-13 for about 2 months now. I am so blessed to be in ministry since it definitely isn't because of me and what I've done. Those verses continue to kick my butt in reminding me that I am not finished yet and it is up to God on how I am used not me. It is my choice to follow Him though.

I would be honest and say that if someone asked me about you I would not have thought you were the guy you posted, but by doing so it means that if someone asks me who you are I can say it in one word "Real!" You've encouraged me to be more real with myself and others as I continue to "work out my salvation in fear and trembling".

Thanks Los

Re: 40 Things You Might Not Know About Me

Jason — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:55:33 -0000

You're a Browns fan!! Awesome!! Me too!

This is why we are in ministry I believe. God puts those into ministry that have already weathered the ups and downs of life and have lived so that they can tell others about them. Being a browns fan definitely has had its ups, but the past few years we have had way too many downs. This keeps my faith in God very strong, I am constantly in prayer! Lol!!

Re: For Young Men Only

Jason — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:46:58 -0000

Hey Chris, great post! I'd love to get a copy of this book for the older guy teens in our ministry. Thanks so much for your review. I haven't read any of the "Only" series, but I have gone through the "Every Man" series and also did a study of "Every Young Man" with a group of guys a few years back.

We are starting up small groups outside of Sunday night youth group this January. These will be especially for 11th and 12th graders and they wil be gender specific. If the book fits I could use this for the guys and the "For Young Women Only" for the girls. Have you read that one yet, or do you know someone who has?

Thanks Chris

Re: Youth Ministry 3.0

Jason — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:48:30 -0000

Thanks for the overview. Very broad overview I should say. You definitely kept it to just the facts and that intrigues me about it more. I am definitely more curious now then I was before about this book and it's sayings on youth ministry today and how we are handling it.

From some of your comments I am thinking I know where the book is going to go with the 3.0 ideas. If it is then I totally agree with your assessment of how do we get enough healthy Christian adults mobilized to do what is needed for our teens right now.

Can't wait to order it!

Jason

Re: Youth Ministry 2.0

Jason — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:54:44 -0000

Oh boy! Gutters filled with ice cream?! I know I loved to do it when i was a teen....20 years ago!!

Re: The Frustration

Jason — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 03:37:39 -0000

OK, this will be long I am sure, but bear with me since it is 2:30 AM and I have been struggling as to how to reply to this post for 2 days now. I flippantly replied to the original post of the email Chris received, but that reply meant so much more then what it said. So I wanted to make sure that my thoughts were better organized for this reply since I feel this post is important for all of us to truly understanding Chris's frustration as I believe we all feel this way at some time in ministry if not all the time.

I too have been struggling with the need to advertise for anything we do. I am a youth pastor at a growing church in a rural part of upstate new york. I have seen the attendance in our youth group go from 25 on a Sunday night for both Jr high and Sr high to 65 regularly in the past 3 years. That is also how long I have been the youth pastor here. I too was in the mindset at the beginning of my work in the ministry that we need to advertise heavy and make everything big in order to attract the teens to come out in hopes that a percentage would stick around a few weeks past the event in order to get hooked on why we really invited them out, to hear about Jesus. I have given away my share of i-pods, movie tickets, remote control cars, candy, and other items.

Here is my assesment of every time we have done something: They come because there is a friend that is there that asked them to come. AND: They come back because their friend was able to "convince" (for lack of a better word) them to come back. I have 14 awesome adult leaders who volunteer every Sunday night, and then some, to be small group leaders. They also are part of the reason for the teens coming and continuing to come. They have learned how important it is to be a person in their life that is able to connect with them and speak truth into their life when necessary. They did not come solely because of a giveaway or our fancy advertising. And they didn't come back because of it either.

This is why I do not advertise like I used to. Why spend all that money on a poster or flyer when the only way they will come is if a friend invites them? Does that friend need to have a card to give out in order to "close the deal"? I think not. If their friend is genuine enough, and their friendship strong enough, the friend will come simply because they will have someone there that they know and trust. And in order to get that already commited teen to know that they are inviting their friend to an environment they know will be able to reach their friend, they have to trust us. If we keep saying "Invite your friends, THEY COULD WIN AN I-POD!!", and then after that say"and hopefully they will learn about Jesus Christ", they will not feel comfortable about bringing their friend. This generation can smell inauthenticity a mile away. They want to hear the truth and be able to decipher it themselves. they want you to be honest and up front with them so that they can debate you and see you remain consistent in your answers. They want to hear and see the authenticity of your faith lived out. If you win them over with an i-pod, then I wonder if they will always wonder in the back of their mind if they were tricked. I think I would.

My in-laws are part of a time share conglomerate where they pay a fee every month and they can go on vacation practically anywhere in the United States 3 times a year. My wife and I have joined them a few times. And every time my in-laws will ask, "Hey go take the tour and see if they can offer you a deal". I won't do it. I cringe when they even ask me to since I almost feel compelled to since they invited us to go on vacation with tem. I am also starting to regret going on vacation since it has opened the door to say we don't mind going and it encourages them to try to get us to take the tour again since if we sign up it benefits them as well. Are they manipulators? No. Would it benefit us if we went on the tour? Sure. Why wont I do it? I hate being manipulated into something that I do not feel I am in control of. I know that they are going to show me how great the place is, what the benefits of having a prepaid vacation are, why they are the best company to buy from, they will even give me a free night and a meal if I sign up today. Then they sit me down with the cost. Why can't they tell me the cost up front? If it is worth everything they say then give me the cost first, then back it up with all the good stuff.

I think this is what teens are looking for. Most of them know about God, and even Jesus, even if they have not stepped foot in a church before. Jesus never promised people a new pair of sandals for listening to Him. He did however meet their needs and they in return listened to what he had to say. He fed them, and healed them. He met their physical needs in order to show them HIs understanding of where they were in life and in turn they listened to the truth He had to tell them. Why don't we try to do this? Why don't we put our money were our mouth is and get more involved where they are instead of trying to get them to come to us and our i-pods? What community center have you volunteered in lately? What school function of theirs have you gone to lately? When was the last time you talked to a teen whos homelife is so bad you are considering calling CPS, but you are struggling with that since you are afraid of the consequences of losing the teen if the family gets in trouble with the law?

The last point I think is vital as we move forward in youth ministry is the involvement and connection we have with the parents. If you have not talked with a parent about a teen you have been working with at least once this past week, then how far do you think your words will carry? We need to start helping parents understand how important they are to their teens growth as a Christian and coming into adulthood. We get 1 hour a week at best with their teen. 52 HOURS A YEAR IF YOU ARE LUCKY!! That is not enough time to mold and shape a teen to become the adult they need to be by the time they graduate High School and enter College or the working world. We need to team up with the people that see them the most: Mom and Dad! I send an email every week to parents to keep them up to date on what we are teaching and also announcements. I have seen attendance rise dramatically since I have done that since parents are now feeling involved with what is going on. They feel more comfortable with bringing their teen since they feel involved. I personally feel that there is more that I need to do to get those parents in a position to be the spiritual leaders of their home and of their teens. I feel that if we do that, then there will be a much stronger base of Christian teens that will be reaching their friends for Christ because they aren't just hearing the truth of the bible lived out on Sundays, but all week long. And their respect for God will be much stronger as they learn to respect their parents.

Lets start to work on the family as a whole. That is my next step. A friend of mine who is a youth pastor in the lower part of NY has the parents come in and worship and listen to the lesson with their teens. Then they have their own small group. I personally feel I would lose kids if we had their parents in the same room with them, so I am trying to come up with a way for them to be there, but upstairs during everything. Then we can live feed the talks up to where they are and they can move into smal groups afterwards. My senior pastor (very wise man) warned that one of the problems with that is an unhealthy parent driving home with their teen and verbally pounding the message they just heard into them. Kind of like our moms used to do to us on the way home from church:"Did you hear what the pastor said today about honoring your parents?" So there is some work to be done there.

Those are my feelings on the subject at hand. Feel free to disect it and respond with where you see flaws. Thanks for reading.

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Re: Ragamuffin Soul » I’m That Guy

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Re: For Young Men Only

Re: Youth Ministry 3.0

Re: Youth Ministry 2.0

Re: The Frustration