A True, Radical And More Than A Little Scatalogical Story About Forgiveness

the following post is from the blog Mockingbird which is is a ministry that seeks to connect the Christian faith with the realities of everyday life in fresh and down-to-earth ways. We do this primarily, but not exclusively, via publications, conferences, and online resources.

Whenever I’m in need of inspiration for a sermon, I re-read Judgment and Love – it contains the exact sort of true stories of forgiveness and its life-altering impact that always translate well in the pulpit. This past week I heard a doozy of a new one – this actually happened (ht Will Kulseth):

At a boarding school for troubled teens in upstate NY, something terrible happened. Someone defecated in a trash can, and then smeared the contents all over the walls of one of the living rooms. 

An assembly was called, and the headmaster, after voicing how upset he was about the incident, told the group that they were now going to sit there and wait for a confession. They sat for a long fifteen minutes, and then a student said: “I know who did it, and if he doesn’t confess soon, I’m going to tell on him.”

Finally a boy stood up and came forward. He said, “I did it”, not all that apologetically.

In perfect Luke-15-”While-he-was-still-far-off” fashion, the headmaster embraced the boy. He said: “Son, I’m proud of you for coming forward, and I want to tell you something very important: you are forgiven.”

He dismissed the assembly, and led the culprit with him back to the scene of the incident, where he had the boy sit in a chair facing the soiled wall. Then the principle cleaned up the mess by himself, while the boy sat there watching. 

written by John Zahl Apr 5, 2010 • 2:43 pm

The World's Half-Truths for Teens Pt.4: God Wants You to Be Happy

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Right in the middle of my talk on the exclusivity of Christ, a hand went up in the back of the room.  “Yes?” I asked.  The young man cleared his throat.  “How can you say that Jesus is the only way to heaven?  I mean, what about all the other billions of people around the world—are they going to hell simply because they don’t believe what you believe?

I started to answer his question when I realized that he had lots of questions.  I asked him if he could stay after the meeting.  He agreed.  As the other youth were filing out of the back door, I made a beeline for my examiner.  Among the many topics we covered during that conversation, one struck me.  I asked him, “What’s your ultimate goal in life?”  His answer (like most Americans would probably respond): “To be happy.”

As I reflected on his answer, I have come to realize that it’s a half-truth.  God does want me to be happy—in him.  It sounds like something from John Piper…and the Bible.  As Piper quips, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”  Many students see happiness and church-life as exclusive realities; happiness comes as a result of entertainment, not God, right?

The “I’m-bored” phenomenon plastered all over Facebook and Twitter suggests that teens are often living between one pleasure-high to the next.  In between Justin Bieber’s swoosh and the latest iPhone game lays the black hole of boredom.  The joy of serving others is lost in the sea of narcissism, which has led to a culture of depressed, self-centered, and unhappy teens.

Ironically, the endless stream of entertainment has not brought happiness or joy to the ever-wandering heart of the American teen.  Instead, it’s led to loneliness, disillusionment, and a sense of being let down.  As Ravi Zacharias has said, “The loneliest moment in life is when you have just experienced that which you thought would deliver the ultimate, and it has let you down.”

But in God’s presence there is fullness of joy; in his right hand are pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11).  God wants his children to be happy, joy-filled disciples of Jesus.  But make no mistake: the gospel of Jesus Christ provides the foundation and fuel for happiness in him.  That reality that you are chosen in Christ, born again by the power of the Spirit, justified in the sight of God, and adopted into his covenant family, ushers the unhappy to see the majesty of our gracious God.  That God is self-sufficient—complete in himself from all eternity—and therefore without need of you or me or any celebrity, draws the unhappy, self-centered teen, again, to see the majesty of our gracious God.  Such majesty cannot but make the redeemed heart long for his fame and glory—bringing with it a sense of satisfaction; indeed, happiness.

As St. Augustine once taught about the dangers of dis-ordered love, the same can be said of dis-ordered happiness.  If we seek first the happiness in the creature, we will never know that happiness which we seek.  But if we seek first the happiness in the Creator, we will know the fullness of joy.

While the young man I talked with wanted “to be happy,” his quest for happiness was too small.  He was, as C. S. Lewis said, “like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”  God is supremely happy in Himself and, by grace, offers the teenage soul happiness in Him through Christ our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit.  The black hole of boredom explodes with “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).  It is there that the self-centered, unhappy heart vanishes.  God wants you happy; don’t pursue lesser loves. 

Brian H. Cosby is pastor of Wayside Presbyterian Church in Signal Mountain, TN and author of Giving Up Gimmicks: Reclaiming Youth Ministry from an Entertainment Culture (P&R, 2012) and Rebels Rescued: A Student’s Guide to Reformed Theology (Christian Focus, 2012).

We All Need Jesus: That’s Why Youth Group Isn’t A Replacement for Corporate Worship

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In one sense, what we do as youth ministers is unique in the world of church ministry.  Our job definitely includes some of the most fun - and perhaps, also, the most heartbreak.

But in another sense, our calling isn’t intrinsically different than that of any other minister.  We are all called to shepherd the flock...it’s just that our flock is going through puberty and will eventually leave the confines of our specified fold when they graduate from junior high or senior high.

And perhaps it’s stating the obvious, but whatever our age, what all sheep need most is to be pointed to their True Shepherd, Christ Jesus the Lord.  He is the one in whom we are filled, and he’s the one in whom the fullness of God is found (Col 2:9-10). 

Not surprisingly then, according to Paul’s plea in Colossians 2:6-7, all Christians are called to “walk in [Jesus], rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

The the assumption Paul makes in this verse is that all Christians are being taught to walk in Jesus.  The means by which we do this with the youth (as others have writtenmore extensively about, such as Brian Cosby) are nothing less than the means God gave all Christians: Scripture, true Christian fellowship, the sacraments, and prayer. 

By faith the Spirit uses these means to graciously expose our sin, confirm our dependence on Jesus, and to remind us of our hope in forgiveness, redemption, and new creation.

Youth group provides one context within which to employ the means of grace in a targeted way to the youth.  But the means of grace remain the practices that are to define our worship as the local church - both young and old, men and women together.  As such, corporate worship remains an essential part--perhaps even the most important part--of our discipleship with the youth.

The beauty of corporate worship in the local congregation is that it provides the opportunity to weave together all the means of grace into one full-bodied experience in all our local diversity.  In fellowship together we read, meditate on, and preach from Scripture; we pray together in thanksgiving, with confession, and for one another; and we celebrate the sacraments as members of God’s family.

To segregate our youth from corporate worship or somehow treat them as if they need something different than the rest of the congregation seems to deny the sufficiency of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the means He’s given to feed and protect his sheep. 

Moreover, it implies that the youth are not yet full members of the family of God and must wait until they are older to fully participate in the ministries of the church.  Yet the reality is that any who are in Christ--whatever the age--remain a full member in the family of God.

So may we, as youth ministers, continue to encourage, equip and enable our youth to fully join in the corporate worship of the local churches in which we serve.  After all, the reality is that what the youth need is what we all need: more of Jesus.

Mark Howard is the Youth Director and Assistant to Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Covington, GA. Mark has a Masters in Theology from Wheaton College Graduate School. 

The World's Half-Truths For Teens Pt.3: If it Comes Naturally, it's Okay

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For all of it’s silliness, there is one thing the ubiquitous Twilight saga does well - it offers a powerful challenge to a popular half-truth in the world today: if it comes naturally, it’s okay. Since most of our youth have some form of Twilight mania (either loving or hating the series), it can be useful in starting a discussion

For those of you who have miraculously avoided knowledge of the basic plot-line of the Twilight saga, the main character, Edward Cullen, and his family (a coven of vampires) are caught up in an existential identity crisis: should what they now are determine who they are and what they do?

You see, Edward and the Cullens all used to be fully human, doing human things, eating human foods, and living by the human moral code that murder is wrong.

Fate, however, changed them into vampires without their consent.  Through no fault of their own they now desire human blood, and need blood to live.  They’ve been transformed into killing machines.  Murder has become fundamental to what they are.

Moreover, blood makes them stronger, it brings them intense momentary satisfaction, and it feels supremely good to drink.

Enter the moral dilemma: does being a vampire make killing humans and drinking their blood okay?  Does the fact that it comes naturally and feels good make murder morally permissible?

Here is where - despite his annoying hair and brooding demeanor - Edward provides a useful example for youth seeking to follow Jesus and live by the gospel in today’s world. 

Edward and the Cullens say no to their vampire nature, concluding that however “natural” and pleasurable it is for them to drink blood as vampires, it still isn’t right.  And here’s the great part - they come to this conclusion based on who they “really” are, not what they currently are.

There are many parallels between the vampires’ plight and a biblical understanding of human nature (theological anthropology).

The biblical narrative tells us that what we are now isn’t who we should be.  Scripture makes clear that there is something profoundly unnatural about the fallen human condition.  Like vampires, our desires are out of whack with the way things should be.

We may not want to drink human blood, but we too want illicit pleasure (porn, cutting, revenge).  Human blood doesn’t make us stronger, but we (along with our youth) naturally apply our cunning to cheat, lie, and steal our way to greater power and comfort.

Just because something comes naturally doesn’t make it okay for the Christian.  Our moral code and behavior aren’t determined by the desires of our current state of being, but are based on who we really are in Jesus.

Scripture tells us that our identity isn’t in our flesh, but in Jesus who promises to one day redeem and make new our flesh (Colossians 3:1-4 and 1 John 3:1-3 make this point well).

And so, like the Cullens putting off their vampire nature, we are called in Scripture to put off the “old self” with it’s fallen ways and put on the “new self” which is being renewed in the image of Jesus.

Perhaps, though, while encouraging our youth to follow Edward’s example in fighting his “natural” desires, we should encourage them to avoid (as far as is possible) Edward’s propensity for angst-ridden teenage pseudo-romantic drama.  Just saying...

Mark Howard is the Youth Director and Assistant to Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Covington, GA. Mark has a Masters in Theology from Wheaton College Graduate School. 

The World's Half-Truths For Teens Pt.2: If I Am Better I Will Be Loved

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The following article comes from our newest series, The World's Half-Truth's for Teens. Scott Douglass' article combats the message, "If I Am Better, I Will Be Loved" continuing an exposition of Ephesians 1:3-14. Click here for Pt.1

As we walk through what Ephesians 1, in particular v. 3-14, says to us, let’s remember first and foremost that our identity, our value, and our acceptance is based on Christ and our being found in Him.

Ephesians 1:3-14

  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

            In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Redeemed/Forgiven (v. 7) - If you are in Christ, you’re forgiven for everything you’ve done, and everything you’re going to do! Remember, this isn’t freedom to do whatever you want and take advantage of God’s grace. That’s like slacking off and banking on the smart kid to do all the work for your group project. The beauty of this is that God knows everything about you - your heart, your faults, your sin, and your shame - and in Christ He takes all of those things and erases them. Josh Harris has a great demonstration of this. In Christ, you are forgiven. The Bible uses this idea of redeemed to talk about who we are in Christ. Redeemed basically means that you have been set free by someone paying a ransom for you. A movie I loved in college was Proof of Life with Russell Crowe. In it he plays a kidnapping expert who works with a lady whose husband is being held captive. If they pay up the money, he’ll be set free. The cost is steep, and so it is with our sin. Romans tells us that the wages (what we have earned) of our sin is death. Hebrews reminds us that without blood there is no forgiveness. The problem is that the only way to pay for our sin is by blood shed. Jesus satisfies this because He dies for us, and with His blood our redemption is purchased.

Lavished (v. 8) - The description of God’s grace given to us isn’t one of a dripping faucet or even a glass of water. The idea Paul gives for us to understand God’s grace in our life is a fire house from Niagara Falls! God gives us so much grace in Christ that it covers us and swamps us and overwhelms us. John Mark McMillan describes it like this “if grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.”  We cannot fully understand God’s grace in our lives because of how overwhelming it is. And this is grace that God gives to you. Yes, you. You who were once an alien, stranger, and enemy of God. You who struggles with unknown sins to anyone else. You who has doubts, who struggles with performance expectations, and who wishes to just disappear at times. God gives you grace. Grace to live daily. Grace to persevere when things get hard. Grace to love and trust Jesus more. Grace to depend on Him for everything.

Purpose (v. 9) - Nothing happens by accident. One of the biggest lies that we’re told is that “stuff happens.” It’s simply not true. God is sovereign. Part of God’s sovereignty means that everything that happens is part of a purpose, a plan. History, your life, your friend’s life, your unborn children’s life, is going somewhere. There is a point to everything that happens in your life. You are part of God’s redemptive story, the unfolding drama of God’s activity here on earth. We entertain ourselves to death, living through social media which has redefined ‘friend’ to make it a verb, as in when you friend someone. We entertain ourselves to death by observing everything that happens around us rather than participating. God invites us to be a part of His work, not tweet about it. You were created for a purpose, for a task, for a reason. Three books that speak highly to this are Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper, Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung, and Radical by David Platt. Read them, be challenged by them, and do something.

Inheritance (v. 11) - When my grandfather died he had a provision in his will for my sisters and me to receive a sum of money. It was a great blessing because that money helped us buy our first home and provided the finances for me to begin my PhD. But in the grand scheme of things, it really wasn’t that much money. Another relative died and I got to pick out a sweater of theirs I liked. At times like that I wish my last name was Gates, but oh well. Can you imagine what kind of inheritance the God of the Universe is able to give? Do you think there’s any way to get your head around the amount? But that is what you are promised by God in Christ. We stand to receive an inheritance from the King - and Heaven, with all its promised beauty and splendor,  is only a glimpse of that.

Hope (v. 12) - I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched people chase after a hope that fails them. Whether it’s a scholarship, a leadership position, a spot on the roster, or even their driver’s license, so many times those hopes fail us. The reality is, everything we place our hope in apart from Christ will at some point let us down. But the good news is that Jesus is the hope that never disappoints, always delivers, and gives us far more than a scholarship or roster spot ever could. Hope gives us the motivation to go on. People who get lost in the wilderness cling to the hope of rescue. There are stories from disasters like wars that talk about how those with hope are able to endure the hardship and make it out - while those without hope often fulfill their own doom and gloom. You don’t have to worry or freak out over the scholarships, the performance, the need to be perfect on the field, or the need to be someone you’re not. Jesus has done all that for you. Your hope is in Him.

Sealed (v. 13) - Lastly, this passage talks about how we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. There’s a hymn with the line “no power of Hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand,” and that demonstrates the power of God to keep us. We buy into the performance lie whenever we tell ourselves that we must do something in order to keep someone or be accepted. That’s why so many teens become sexually active, because they’ve bought into the lie that sex = love. That’s why so many become addicted to drugs like Xanax or Adderol, because they’ve bought into the lie that performance or happiness = success. When we replace God with some other substitute, we realize how slippery a grip we have on that substitute. Do you remember the rope climb in gym class? I hated it. I never could get a good grip on the rope and so I could never make it very high. My hands would keep slipping. So many of us are in the same boat when it comes to our life. But the promise of God is this: in Christ, there is no way to break the bond between us and God (want proof? Read Romans 8:31-39). The Holy Spirit seals us with a stronger grip than we can ever break.

Child of God, my prayer for you is this: that you would find your satisfaction, your hope, your joy, your peace, your fulfillment, your acceptance, and your value in Christ alone. My prayer is that you would ignore the voices around you that tell you to substitute Jesus for something else that over-promises and under-delivers. My prayer for you, dear Christian, is to not base your life on a lie of performance but to take deep roots in the grace of Christ. My prayer, beloved, is to live a holy life but to recognize that there is nothing you can do to cause God to no longer love you. My prayer, brother and sister, is to see who you are through the lens of Christ, not the person next to you.

Scott Douglas serves as the Minister to Youth at Westside Baptist Church in Murray, KY. Scott has a Masters in Divinity and is presently pursuing a Doctorate degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.

The World's Half-Truths For Teens Pt.1: If I Am Better I Will Be Loved

The following article comes from our newest series, The World's Half-Truth's for Teens. Scott Douglass' article combats the message, "If I Am Better, I Will Be Loved."

“I wish I was better looking”

“I wish I was smarter”

“If only I could do…”

“If only I hadn’t done…”

“Why couldn’t I be…?”

“I guess I’m not good enough/smart enough”

“I need to get my life right before I can…”

One of the hardest parts of student ministry is to hear the despair in students. They are broken over things like past sins, current struggles, regrets, but most of all they are broken and distraught over the performance mentality that so dominates their life. It consumes them, because the smartest get the scholarships, the best athletes get the attention, the most active get the class superlative, and everywhere they look there’s someone prettier, someone stronger, someone faster, someone who’s more serious about their faith, someone who can do or know something they cannot. And in the performance culture, this quickly escalates to hopelessness.

Spiritually though, this can be more than disappointing, it can be devastating. When students buy into the myth that their performance leads to their acceptance or value before God, the result is a constant pursuit of “do better, try harder, be gooder.” Because performance is so tied to value, the system that dictates class rank, playing time, and community attention is carried over to their faith. Rather than seeing themselves rooted and grounded in the work of Christ, students substitute that for a Deceiver who whispers to them “you’re not good enough to be a Christian, you need to do better to be accepted by God, you know if you don’t do everything the way you’re supposed to then you’re nothing but a fraud.”

I love the book of Ephesians. I spent a semester teaching through it, and would love to dedicate longer to it in the future. I continually come back to Ephesians 1 as a tremendously valuable passage of Scripture in helping students see who they are in Christ. At the core of this myth is an identity problem. Students who buy into the performance mentality believe that their identity is connected to what they do (or, what they don’t do). As we walk through what Ephesians 1, in particular v. 3-14, says to us, let’s remember first and foremost that our identity, our value, and our acceptance is based on Christ and our being found in Him.

            Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

            In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

           

Chosen (v. 3) - God has chosen to have a relationship with you, yes you. The God of the universe, in grace and love, wanted to have a relationship with you and pursued you with the love of Christ. You are valuable to God in Christ. You don’t have to be a blue chip recruit or an All-American to be ‘drafted’ by God. He chooses you to be a friend and does so in His kindness through Christ. In verse 11 Paul uses the term “predestined” to describe us. Basically, that means that God, in wisdom and love, has decided to pursue you and draw you to Himself for His glory and for the blessing of others.

Holy & Blameless (v. 4) - In Christ, we’re no longer seen in our stains, guilt, and shame. Instead, God sees us as He does Jesus - in all His righteousness. You are made right with God. Romans 8:1 declares that there is now no condemnation for those in Christ. You are not the mistakes you’ve made, nor the things you’re able to do or not able to, you are in Christ and therefore you are holy.

Adopted (v. 5) - Don’t ever fail to be amazed by this. God not only calls us friends in Christ, not only does He forgive us and give us a new hope, but He adopts us. You, as a Christian, have God as your Father. He has brought you near to Him. No matter if you had a great family or if your family belongs on Jerry Springer, in Christ you are given a whole new identity and you have the God of the Universe as your Father. You are loved and valued and accepted by God because He has decided to adopt you and make you His child.

Blessed (v. 6) - We find our blessing in the Beloved (aka Jesus), in whom we have everything we need. Regardless of whether you grew up rich or poor, in a single-parent home or stable family, if you have new shoes or have to buy from consignment, if you go to a great school or to one that rewards you for not getting arrested/pregnant, you have everything you need in Jesus. When our needs/wants are shifted from what we think we must have to what God does, it changes our perspective. Psalm 37:4 says this “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” When our primary place of delight, joy, and satisfaction is in God, everything else falls into place.

(Thursday's post will continue helping us understand the lies we believe with The World's Half-Truths For Teens: If I Am Better I Will Be Loved Pt.2)

Scott Douglas serves as the Minister to Youth at Westside Baptist Church in Murray, KY. Scott has a Masters in Divinity and is presently pursuing a Doctorate degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.

Resisting the Urge to Do Cutting Edge Youth Ministry

In my early twenties upon moving to Birmingham, AL, I attended for three months a mega-church with an impressive growth rate. The pastor regularly boasted about the church’s increasing attendance in between opportunities to talk about the large audiences, to which he was speaking around the world. My last Sunday was capped by the pastor’s proclamation that the incredible prosperity of the church resulted from the “cutting edge ministry,” which they performed (and, oh yea, God too.) I exited with a bad taste in my mouth and a headache from the number of times I rolled my eyes that Sunday.

Fast forward ten years. I had been working for six years as a youth pastor at the Cathedral Church of the Advent. During a meeting with a business leader in town, where I explained our somewhat unique approach to reaching postmodern teens through a fragmented ministry of smaller, intimate clusters of students, the entrepreneur said, “Wow, it sounds like you guys are really working at the tip of the spear.” As I burned with pride, the voice of my ego whispered, “You might even say that we are on the....cutting edge.” In the one- and only one- potentially cutting edge moment of my life (which lasted ninety seconds), I felt this rush of pride as if my efforts made the difference and as if I had distinguished myself from other ministries. (These are ironically vain sentiments for someone who still uses a flip phone.)

In all spheres of ministry, the temptation lurks to be “cutting edge.” This enticement may exist more in youth ministry more than other sectors, due to the frequently evolving nature of teen culture, where the target seemingly moves every five to seven years. In a valuable manner, youth ministry people seek to keep a watchful eye on the most efficacious means by which to reach teenagers. It is part of what makes the field exciting and dynamic. At the same time, youth ministry can dedicate exorbitant amounts of attention to finding a magic bullet in our methodology.

The longer I work with students,
the more convinced I am that
there is nothing sexy or cutting edge about effective youth ministry. I have annoyed many a colleague with my penchant for repeatedly saying, “There is nothing new under the sun: if you want to be cutting edge, go into biomedical engineering or particle physics, not ministry.” Effective youth ministry boils down to pursuing relationships, teaching scripture, proclaiming the Gospel, worshiping, and praying fervently. That is it. Ministry revolving around these five components has endless possibilities. Other parts of ministry, such as missions, social justice, and fellowship, can have great vibrancy with such a foundation. Ministry that lacks relating, exegeting, proclaiming, worshiping, or praying usually evolves into an exercise in futility or a practice in “playing church.”

Such a minimalistic philosophy will not sell many books or land you on a panel at the next conference. Nobody has ever been impressed when I describe our strategy with a few participles: loving, teaching, proclaiming, worshiping, and praying. Perhaps, this is because effective youth ministry involves a healthy lack of confidence in our ability to effectuate change and transfers all hope upon what Jesus did do and what the Holy Spirit can do. Thus, our methods become less sexy and sophisticated and more simple and basic. What a relief! Thanks be to God.

Cameron Cole serves as the chairman of Rooted: Advancing Grace-Driven Student Ministry and has been the director of youth ministries for eight years at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, AL. 

False Reasons for Youth Ministry

In the past 10+ years of Christian ministry, I have been in churches where the expectation for youth ministry was nothing more than glorified baby sitting. There was actually one time I heard a parent talk about how much they liked having date night when they would drop their children off early and leave them at youth group late! I am not making this up, this really went down… It was interesting and eye-opening to say the least. Maybe you have never overheard that conversation, but I can assure you that in any given church, in any denomination there are many different reasons the people of your church think youth ministry exist for, and many of them are neither right or biblical. 

I figured in the midst of this series that is based around a discussion about what youth ministry is for, I would jump in and mention a few of the false reasons for having a youth ministry. Maybe they will simply be good for a laugh or maybe (hopefully) the Spirit will use them to confront pastors and youth workers with what not to have as the focus of ministry.

•                It will save the church - Having a youth ministry may be part of the growth of your church, but it will not save your church. It will not ever save your church. Only the gospel will save your church. No youth pastor, no matter how great they are, will be able to give life to a dying church.

•                To raise godly kids - Youth ministry is not the way to raise godly children in and of its self. Again, as above, it might be part of the solution, but it takes much more for a church to have godly students than simply have a youth ministry. So don't start a youth group with the thinking that, 'now the kids will be godly!'

•                Child care - As the story above points out, there are people within churches that look at youth ministry as simply a place to watch their children. Now hopefully you will actually watch the teens when you are on a missions trip to Africa, but this should not be the utmost goal of your youth ministry.  

•                Only for those in the church - Youth group has to be fulfilling the mission that Jesus gave to the disciples, reach the world for Jesus. This means that a youth group cannot be just for those good church kids. It should look more like Wal-mart than a country club.

•                Only for outreach - Just as above the church needs to also care for those in the flock, which means it cannot only be about reaching the skater kids, and troubled youth. It also needs to be about ministering to the pastor’s kids. 

•                Keep students out of the service - Often the leadership of a church sees youth ministry as a way to keep students out of the service and out of their hair. There is need for rebuke in this situation. Jesus welcomed children and teens into his life, and so should our church leadership!

•                Replace parents - Youth ministry will never replace the roll that God has given to the parent. Although some youth ministers may have thoughts along the line of, 'if only I could get rid of these parents, then these students would grow,' this is a lie from the pit of hell. Don't believe it for one moment. You are simply called to come along-side the family and the church to make disciples who love and serve Jesus. 

What false reasons for youth ministry have you either seen in your ministry, or heard about from another youth minister? Use the comment section to share! Humor us and help us guard against the pitfalls of false reasons for youth ministry.

Josh Cousineau serves as the pastor of Redemption Hill Community. He previously served as youth pastor at East Auburn Baptist Church. Josh leads the Gospel Alliance, a network of pastors committed to the Gospel in New England.