Archive for April, 2009

God is doing something amazing around the world. He is stirring up men and women who love him and love teenagers to do the hard work of building disciples in youth ministry. Like the United States, most youth ministries around the world are small ministries made up of a youth leader (seldom paid very much if anything at all) and a small group of young people. In a recent study, 102 youth leaders from 27 different countries on six different continents agreed that there are seven things that are essential to youth ministry.

Over the next few weeks, I will share the essential youth ministry objectives identified in the study. These objectives are not in the order in which they were rated, but are presented in the order they make the most sense to me. The youth leaders included in the study were all evangelical Christians.

Essential One: Lead youth to repent and turn to faith in Christ for their salvation.

In small youth groups, we know the kids. We know their parents–even those who don’t have parents in the church. In many cases, we know their grandparents, their aunts and uncles, and their cousins. Many of our kids have siblings who are also in the youth group. Because of our familiarity with our students, we may assume they have a personal relationship with Christ. The Bible is clear. For students to experience salvation, they must turn from their sins and embrace Christ in faith. Our Bible study needs to include a call to a personal faith in Christ. It is just not enough for young people to show up at church every week. It is not enough for them to have a vague positive regard of God. They need to come face to face with the sin that has caused them to be separated from Christ, repent of their sin, and find forgiveness and grace through the full payment of Christ on the cross in the arms of their loving Father. That has to affect the way we teach. It probably needs to affect the fun activities we provide.

Challenging the students who come to our youth ministries to come to faith is not enough. We live among a generation of teenagers who will spend eternity separated from God in hell unless they come to experience the grace of God by faith. I was deeply affected by a prayer I heard Richard Ross (Youth Ministry Professor at Southwestern Seminary) offer up a few years ago. He prayed, “God, we deeply desire for you to bring sweeping revival across our land and to see teenagers by the thousands come to know your grace and your salvation. As we wait for you to bring revival, we commit ourselves to slipping teenagers one by one out of the hands of the enemy and into your kingdom as you give us the wisdom and the ability.”

Amen.

After years of topical Bible study in youth ministry, recent research has found that most teenagers cannot articulate what they believe as Christians. We want our Bible study to be relevant to the lives of teenagers, but are we teaching in a way that truly helps them to understand the faith and invest their lives in kingdom living? I’m afraid that too often teenagers can sum up their faith with a few moral teachings. Don’t lie. Don’t cheat. Be nice to people. Tell the truth. Don’t have sex until you get married. Is that really enough?

I recently read Vaughan Roberts book, God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible. Roberts says that we treat the Bible like it is a book of quotations. We teach teenagers that little bits of truth can help them to live healthier and happier lives. The call of Vaughan is to teach the whole story of Scripture. The Bible is a revelation of God’s work to reclaim lost humanity and restore the perfect relationship he had with people before we fell into sin. The overarching narrative of the Bible helps teenagers to understand who God is, who people are, what sin is, what the Bible is, who Jesus is, what salvation is about, who the Holy Spirit is, what the church is, and where history is going. In short, the narrative of the Bible helps teenagers to understand biblical theology.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t teach teenagers about sexual purity, honesty, integrity, and compassion. I am saying we need to teach those issues differently. We need to teach teenagers with an eye to the big picture. We need to help them to understand how a passage of Scripture fits into what God is doing in the world to accomplish his purposes. And we need to help teenagers to ask how their lives fit into God’s plan . . . instead of asking how God can fit into their lives.

I think God’s Big Picture is an important book for youth leaders in small churches, especially those of us who don’t have a seminary degree under our belts. In 150 pages, Vaughan will give you a good overview of Scripture and help you to see the central place of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation. (He offers several approaches to interpreting Revelation, though he keeps the focus on the big picture story of God.) I think this book will help you to teach youth with the big picture in mind.

You may know of other resources that approach the Bible with the whole truth of God in view. If so, please add your thoughts to the comments on this entry.

Lesson 13: Be Real!

Don’t be a Pinnochio. Don’t lie. Don’t be wooden. Don’t let anyone pull your strings. Be real . . . with real emotion, real mistakes, real life.

Real people make a real difference in the lives of students. Being the real you will foster real sharing between you and the students. Students are engaged and interested in authentic people who are open about their life and struggles. I love what a local church here in Birmingham prints on their literature. At the bottom of the page the words, “Preaching the gospel to ourselves, our community, and the world.” We have to preach to ourselves first.

I can’t stand gas fireplaces. I know they are more efficient. They don’t have the sound or the smell or put out the same amount of heat. There is no work involved. No hands on a dry log. No fingers wrapped around bark. No popping of sparks. In fact, I think we should rename gas fireplaces, “flameplaces,” not fireplaces. There’s no fire, just a blue-orange flame that smells funny. I’m not a fan of artificial flowers or fruit. Fluorescent lights aren’t the same as sunlight streaming in through the window.

None of the other 13 lessons I’ve written work without this one. If students can’t trust us to be real, they will never let us get really close to them. They will never be able to put confidence in what we tell them. Students don’t need to know all of the details of your past. They don’t need to know everything you struggle with. But they do need to know that you are real. They need to know that you failed . . . and God continued to show you love and use you. They need to know that you struggle to follow God just like they do. If students are going to have a genuine faith, they need to see a picture of genuine faith in you. Be Real!

Zach Skipper has spent over 12 years working with students. He has served as a youth minister, speaker, and bible study teacher. He is currently leading Bigtime Ministries while part-time coaching at one of the country’s leading Junior Highs in Birmingham, AL. To find out more about Zach’s ministry, contact him at www.bigtimeministries.com.

After Jesus’ resurrection, he met Simon Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (John 21). Three times, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” Three times, Peter responded that he did–one proclamation of love for each time Peter had denied knowing Jesus. Finally, Jesus told him, “Follow me.” Like so many of us, Peter looked around to see what everyone else was doing. “What about him?” Peter asked, pointing his thumb at John. Jesus told him to quit worrying about John. Then he affirmed again: “You follow me.”

Why does God have you serving in a small church when so much seems to be happening in bigger churches? Ever ask that question. It is so easy for those of us that God calls to serve in small churches to long for exponential growth that God grants in other places. We want to grow a youth ministry that can really make a difference in a lot of kids’ lives . . . and can maybe even change the community in which we live. Those things seem to be so much easier in mega-churches. It can be hard to reach teenagers in a small church. So many kids want to be where the other kids are. The size of our church can realy be a hindrance. And we lack the resources for impacting the school, community, and world that big churches seem to have.

Like Peter, we have our eyes on other people instead of on ourselves. For Peter, it wasn’t a matter of envy. I think he really wanted the best for John. It probably isn’t a matter of envy for us either. It’s just that we are looking at others–what Jesus is doing in their lives–rather than keeping our eyes focused on Jesus and doing exactly what he has called us to do when he said, “You follow me.”

Lesson Twelve: Their size is a big deal.

In Junior High sports, size plays a huge part in success. Many smaller players I have coached were depressed by their height because it limited their abilities. They are extremely self-conscience of their lagging growth. One player told his mom he wanted growth hormone shots. He told her he felt like a complete failure. I know players that are talented athletes. Their form and technique, their passion for and knowledge of the game out-shined many other players. Their hearts were huge. They worked extremely hard, but their size kept them from starting positions.

Students are trying to fit in. They are forming their identities. They want to be accepted and are trying to find success. Students who are early bloomers can stick out like Goliath in a kindergarten class. Late bloomers can look like Gary Coleman playing with the Lakers. Our society values bigger, stronger, taller young men. Tall, dark, and handsome is the measure of a desirable man.

Girls, too, can be troubled about their size. A girl can feel that she is too skinny or not slim enough. Her feet might be too big. Her nose may be to large. She doesn’t look like the magazine cover. News flash: nobody looks like that. It’s called airbrush magic. My sister has struggled with her image for many years starting in the awkward days of junior high.

Size is forefront to the thoughts of students as they strive to define themselves. Downplay the importance given to size and image. Highlight the size of the heart. Let students know that you are more excited about what can be accomplished with heart than size any day. Be sensitive to size issues but affirm big hearts!

Zach Skipper has spent over 12 years working with students. He has served as a youth minister, speaker, and bible study teacher. He is currently leading Bigtime Ministries while part-time coaching at one of the country’s leading Junior Highs in Birmingham, AL. To find out more about Zach’s ministry, contact him at www.bigtimeministries.com.

Jesus has been crucified and buried. His disciples had scattered, just as he had told them they would. Early on Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb. Her heart must have been full of grief, but what she found took her breath away. The tomb was empty! She found Peter and John and told them the stone that had sealed the tomb had been rolled back and Jesus’ body was not there. Peter and John ran to the tomb. Had Mary found her way to some small church, they might have formed a committee to study the issue. They might have argued about the things Jesus had said before and might have insisted on voting on the right course of action.

Peter and John ran to the tomb. That is really amazing. It would have been so easy for Peter to question himself. He had been rebuked for attacking one of the temple guards when Jesus was arrested. If that weren’t bad enough, he had denied Jesus to the people standing around outside the trial before the religious leaders. He must have been full of self-doubt, maybe even self-loathing. And yet, when there was a hint that Jesus had actually done what he said he would do–rise from the dead–Peter ran to the tomb.

A little later, Peter was fishing in a boat with some friends. They had caught nothing. Someone on the shoreline told them to cast their net to the other side of the boat. When they did, their net scooped up a huge catch of fish. One of the disciples said, “It is the Lord.” Peter didn’t hesitate. He didn’t patiently row the boat ashore. He jumped out of the boat and splashed his way to Jesus.

It may be that in your youth group, students approach Jesus with a hesitant Texas Two-step, sliding toward him, then backing away. Somehow, I think we have to instill in the students we touch such a passion for Jesus that they hike up their robes and run to him any time they recognize him.

How do we do that? I’m only sure of one thing. We can’t lead them to that kind of abandon if we don’t have our own sneakers on, ready to pursue Jesus wherever we see him lead.

Lesson 11:  You are who they see, not who you think they see.

If you have been in ministry very long, you have probably had a few days in which you questioned your success. Maybe you doubted your effectiveness. Maybe you doubted yourself as a person. I have those days fairly often. We give, encourage, build, teach, speak, love until we are dry and empty. We need what we give. We need to hear the words of affirmation. We need to know we are loved and valuable.

In those times, it is easy to put on a front. We end up trying to project a facade of someone spiritual, someone who has his or her life completely together. The funny thing is, students don’t really care about our super-spiritual projections of ourselves. They care about who we really are to them–personally.

This seventh-grader was assigned by his English teacher to write a poem about a hero of his choice. I am a big fan of Daredevil and Batman and I would have expected him to choose some bigger than life, fictional character like that. But this student wrote about me. I’m nobody’s hero, let me tell you, but it was flattering and affirming. How did he picture me? Not like I see myself. In one line he described me as muscular. I am grossly out of shape. He noticed my hairy arms and called me “part ape and part Arnold Schwarneger.”

Students view of you is a reflection of the relationship they have with you. And it might surprise you how they see you . . . the good, the bad, and the hairy.

Zach Skipper has spent over 12 years working with students. He has served as a youth minister, speaker, and bible study teacher. He is currently leading Bigtime Ministries while part-time coaching at one of the country’s leading Junior Highs in Birmingham, AL. To find out more about Zach’s ministry, contact him at www.bigtimeministries.com.