doing differently in order to make a difference?

i need to be honest about a fear i have. it is a fear i share with many other youth ministry professionals within the local church context. we wonder whether what we do is creating event-attenders or Jesus-followers. it is an important question because obviously the mission of the united methodist tribe is not to make event-attenders, but instead to "make disciples of Jesus for the transformation of the world". current data suggests that a great majority of adolescents, despite our hard work in youth ministry, are not continuing a journey of faith within the local church once they graduate from high school. According to statistics in Thom Rainer's new book Essential Church?: Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts, 70% of youth will leave church by the time they are 22. (Statistic from pre-release review by Steve Murrell)
According to Barna, 80% will be disengaged by the time they are 29. there have also been significant studies done which suggest that those involved in church youth ministries do not by-and-large make different decisions than their peers who are uninvolved, when it comes to issues of sexuality, substance abuse, self-mutilation, etc. i don't share this information because i am an alarmist. but i do share it because i believe it calls for us to ask some very meaningful questions, some hard questions, some dangerous questions.
This past Sunday afternoon our adult and student leadership teams met for some planning and conversation. We engaged in an exercise where we discussed the following questions: "what do teenagers think of our group, who are not part of it?" "what do we want them to think/believe about us?" and "if we were to shut down the youth ministry tomorrow, who would miss us besides those who attend our events?". This provided us with some great conversation about who we wanted to be as a group and what influence we desired to have in the lives of others and in the atlanta/decatur community as a whole. another prompt that was offered to generate thought was "i can tell students among us are becoming better followers of Jesus because i see..." When that question was asked, a student responded that they were disheartened that she saw a large gulf between the ways students acted while on church grounds, and the way they chose to live elsewhere. we talked a little about what it meant to have an integrated faith, to embrace the same values and life pattern in all areas of who we are. in nearly 14 years of being involved in youth ministry in either a volunteer or paid capacity i have had the same disheartening awareness. now i want to stop and say that while it seems to be the rule, there are exceptions. i do observe real life-change and do experience students passionately committing themselves to the way of Jesus. that element is not missing, just rare. next week i plan on sharing why i feel this occurs and what we need to do to change directions. my point in beginning a blog this year was to open up a wider dialogue regarding youth ministry in the local church and how we might more faithfully become followers of Jesus here at Oak Grove. i would love if those who are interested in this conversation would post their insights, observations, and questions as well. Master Jesus said that where 2 or 3 are gathered in his name that he would be in the midst of that gathering. he never said it couldn't be a virtual gathering...

change...the only thing that stays the same

It is amazing that we still believe that there is actually a time filled with stability, predictability, and a "halting". "Once this is over, then..." How many times do we say that? We should stop fooling ourselves. I'm not sure I know anyone whose life is that static. We live dynamic lives, in a dynamic culture...always changing and adjusting. We find ourselves in the midst of that cycle again as we adjust to staff and budget change here at Oak Grove. It is sometimes discouraging to see momentum begin to ease as you turn another corner, slowing down to compensate for the change in direction. I have been doing this for 10 years, but am still slow to learn. I begin each ministry year expecting that there will be no change in variables, and that we have total control with how the year will go. It does not take long for that assumption to become challenged. We have journeyed through years of incredible grief within the youth ministry, never expecting to be working through the loss of 3 parents within a semester, as well as several other family crises that have drained us of our tears and prayers. We have experienced the disbelief, disappointment, and bewilderment of finding someone we had come to look up to as a leader to be acting out his hurt in ways that were extremely hurtful. We have gone through staff transitions, finding the right fit for important roles within the youth ministry and saying "hello" and "goodbye" so closely together, while attempting to wear multiple hats in ways which stretched and grew us. This year has had its share of "change the game" variables. Going so quickly from the hopes grounded in a focused middle school and focused high school staff format, to a place where we feel we've had to take a step backward. Needing to navigate the financial side of "ministry with teenagers" and trying to decide what a slimmer budget would allow us to accomplish. I don't know if the perspective I have at the beginning of each year is an ignorant one, or a hopeful one. I want to believe that the things which we are excited about seeing occur, will really come to pass. The problem is, that's not reality. A wiser man would know that the work which we are called to do is transitional, uncertain, and ripe for surprises. It is in the midst of grief, disappointment, and shifting logistics that God calls us to be present...and to be ready. Not waiting for the time when the waters will calm and "life as usual" will resume. THIS IS "life as usual" and it beckons us into the wildness of it. Not to tame it, or resolve it...but simply to ride it. I don't know what 2009 holds...but I want to be present to it...Awake to the Spirit and ready to hit curveballs.

m@

bearing Christ

i am wanting more than what has become of Christmas for me. i don't think i get it. don't get me wrong...Christmas eve was memorable and so was Christmas morning, especially with 3 and 7 year old boys. We even got to shoot up to WV for a few days to hang out with my parents, brother, sister, and their families. But I always wonder right around this time of year, if Christmas really holds the power we want it to in the world. I mean, the news' gauge on the success of Christmas is totally based on the bottomline regarding commercial revenue. We know whether or not it was a "good Christmas" based upon whether sales went up, down, or held steady. We even ask each other the common post-celebration question "d'ya have a good Christmas?" I am not sure how to answer that anymore. I mean I got to spend time with my family and friends, and I go to express my love for them with some gifts (hopefully well-intentioned). However, I am not sure how good Christmas is for the world. At least, I think I can do better. I have a good friend who did something different this year for Christmas (check out this link for details www.adventconspiracy.org) . His name is Keith and I am proud of him. I want to be more like him and let Christmas cover me, ...and the whole world. May the breaking-in of God continue to overtake us and make us whole,

M@