the intersection of life and grace

Here’s a bit of my review of Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors, published at Youth Ministry Exchange:

The central question of long-time youth minister and youth ministry consultant Mark Riddle’s book Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors – A Church Leader’s Guide to Staffing and Leading Youth Pastors asks “Why does your church want to hire a youth pastor?”  Touching on issues of community, leadership, communication, mentoring, and the value of youth in the church, Inside the Mind is foremost a tool for the local church to use in discerning how to build sustainable ministry to youth.

Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors is divided into two sections, the first of which, “Staffing for Youth Ministry”, directly addresses the questions surrounding the choice and reasons to hire a youth pastor.  This includes asking who should be involved in the process, what about the church culture needs to be taken into consideration (and potentially changed), and is addressed to both church leadership and congregations when discussing hiring a staff youth minister.  

Read the rest by clicking here.

I want to get my youth ministry and church leadership audience to chime in on something, if you will. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been reading Mark Riddle‘s new book Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors: A Church Leader’s Guide to Staffing and Leading Youth Pastors. I’m writing a review of the book for YMX, and Mark has graciously agreed to answer a slew of questions I sent him and make this humble blog a stop on his blog book tour.

I’ve been thinking a lot about one of the book’s shortest chapters (12), which addresses the elongation of adolescence and the resulting effect that should have on youth pastor hiring decisions. I asked Mark about it so we will eventually hear his input on this question when the blog tour interview appears.

Let me set the stage a bit. Mark, in Inside the Mind, cites research by Dr. Jeffery Arnett (Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from Late Teens through the Twenties) which makes a compelling case that, developmentally, the years from 18 to 25 should be considered late adolescence. The characteristics of this developmental stage, Mark argues, should be carefully considered in choosing to hire someone from this cohort as a spiritual leader for those in earlier stages of adolescence.

From Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors, Ch 12, p 82:

If, however, you choose to hire an emerging adult to lead your youth ministry, you must give significant attention to mentoring that person in leadership and discipleship.  Teenagers need their youth pastors to have a strong sense of who they are, based on life experiences.  They need youth pastors who have a sense of stability in their identities.

Certainly there are men and women in their early to mid-20s who fit the bill, but they are few and far between.  Church leaders need to dispel the myth that younger is better for youth ministry leadership.  It’s simply not true.  In fact, entrusting spiritual leadership of your teenage children to someone who’s still working through the five characteristics [of late adolescence] listed earlier [in the chapter] is irresponsible.

While there is a lot of that which makes good sense to me – considering that car insurance and rental companies have considered this age group less capable of responsible decision-making and judgment in general, and have run their businesses accordingly for, well, ever.  That doesn’t change the fact that the vast majority of youth pastors/minister/directors I have ever had contact with got their start in youth ministry as volunteers or staff as young adults in their early 20s.

So, I’m wondering what you think about this.  And, if you agree, what are your constructive ideas for ways to bridge the time from the end of college to age 25 for those who have earned ministry degrees, but are not yet “adults” by this developmental measure?

As I mentioned earlier, the live blogging gig was intense.  It was a lot of fun, but I paid attention to the session speakers in a different way that I would otherwise have.  One thing I did notice, however, was something God was doing through the people who independently listened for what the Spirit was saying to the Church, more specifically to her youth workers, and brought what I believe to be a prophetic message of gospel authenticity as one might display the facets of a jewel.  Or, maybe, a 15-foot disco ball sending The Light into every corner, every relationship, every conversation.

None of the general session speakers brought “fluff” – each came with a passion for Jesus and for sharing insight into a more authentic relationship with Him.  However, several brought messages that ought to be game-changing for the Church.

Soong-Chan Rah rocked the room’s perception of cultural and institutional racism and what the church might “do” with that.  I know this was a challenge for many to hear, especially on the verge of an historic election wherein race and gender were part.  In fact, an Asian-Irish-American comedian who appeared on that stage the following morning was dumbfounded by the lack of laughter at his poking fun at his own heritage and family.  Clearly, people heard Dr. Rah’s message.

Andrew Marin stood before a room full of mainly white evangelicals and spoke heroically of elevating the conversation between the Church and the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered community.  He repeated again and again his firm belief that the Bible is “the inerrant Word of God” while articulating in language largely unknown how all have sinned, how judgment is God’s and loving our neighbor is ours, and how those who have been cast out need Jesus too.  I also attended Andrew’s seminar about answering the most common questions same-sex attracted people, who are justifiably jaded by their community’s treatment at the hands of Christians, will ask of a believer willing to have the conversation.  Keeping those out of the realm of yes/no answers is the absolute key to changing the tide, and Andrew ably demonstrated how to do so without a single bit of compromise.  He wants to turn the ship away from certain disaster to a life-giving conversation.  Truly inspiring.  I had some time to sit with Andrew, and am in process of putting together an article for YMX to appear before the end of the year.  So, more on that in the future.

Francis Chan tackled us with a big pile of saltless salt, challenging the perception that more is better or more effective.  A new, and more authentic, message that “numbers aren’t everything” – but one that could be heard and applied right now.  One quote that hit me, “If you can’t make disciples, go make a big pile of Christians.” Ouch.  His scriptural point blew me away, using the account of Elijah and the prophets of Baal, and concluding, “I want people to walk away saying the Lord is God” (like the prophets of Baal did) “not that was a great message.” Total gut (or heart) motivation check.

Phyllis Tickle simply blew me away with a tsunami of information.  Her noteless presentation of 2000 years of church history, documenting the significant events in cultures that brought shifts in the life of the Church… astounding.  I’m going to have to read her book to do the talk justice!  It was precise, concise, relevant, and an important reminder of two things: 1. history repeats, 2. we need to look at the big picture.  And, the lady is just really funny, totally unpretentious, and really, really smart.  Her book, The Great Emergence, is waiting for me.

And, chronologically last, an amazing confession from Marko (Mark Oestreicher) that the Lord so disturbed him that he scrapped the talk he had planned, reworked from the earlier venue of the NYWC, and addressed this thread of authenticity in life and ministry that had been drawn throughout the weekend.  It was an amazing and raw talk that articulated a new intersection for ministry, that isn’t really new at all.  Ministry happens at the intersection of communion and mission.  He went on to give the characteristics of that intersection, that the intersection of communion and mission is small, slow, simple, present, fluid and Jesusy.  The quote that stuck with me? “You absolutely have everything you need to be wildly successful in youth ministry and the stuff you though you needed is an absolute deterrent to ministry.”  There was lots in this reletively short talk, including the world premiere of the text of an as-yet unpublished children’s story that Marko and his 10-year-old son, Max, wrote together… like it was tailor made for this very talk.  I hope someday to possess a copy of that beautiful parable of relationship, a story about learning, about learning together, and learning to live into our given abilities to be our whole selves.

If you’re interested, any of the general session talks, and a huge number of seminars, are available for download, and can be purchased at http://www.ysmp3andcddvd.com/store.

I love the YS Conventions.  The first time I attended was in Philadelphia in 1997.  The theme, Only a Fool, hit me right in the heart as I was in full-on ache to be in youth ministry full time, and attempting some discernment about how, when, where that could even happen, or even if it was supposed to.

I was already a “seasoned” volunteer (who really knew nothing!) of close to 10 years, had never once had a ministry budget.  I spent hours wandering around in the store carefully choosing what I could afford to buy with my own money to stretch the most Kingdom impact out of for the kids at the church I was serving.  I don’t know if the person who noticed my painstaking browsing was a YS staffer or a volunteer, but after a while that person started talking to me and (because it’s so difficult to do this) pulled my story out of me.  She was very encouraging, helped me make some choices and check out my purchases, which came in just a few cents less than what I had to spend.

I went on with my conference day, full of speakers and music and places where God spoke and I listened, places where I spoke and God listened.  None of those places was clearer than the sight I beheld upon returning to my hotel room to find the door decorated with handmade signs and streamers thanking me, by name, for loving kids sacrificially.  I stood in that hallway and cried.  I sat in that hallway and cried some more.  Once I could see again, I noticed the bulging white plastic bag of goodies.  Much of the resource material I’d considered but left behind in my deliberations was in that bag, along with a signed copy of Following Christ by Joseph Stowell.  His talk that weekend was a marker for me, and I’ve re-read or referenced that book a dozen times over the years. An incredible, supernatural bit of affirmation and encouragement, made possible because someone was paying attention.

No surprise, then, that each of the YS Conventions I’ve attended since – I’ve lost count, maybe 5 or 6 – have been with the firm intention of connecting and listening for the purpose of encouraging.  While that has looked a little different every time, that’s my heart when I go.  That moment of encouragement was pivotal for me in continuing the journey, and I’m willing to bet that YS staffer/volunteer had no idea it would lead to a 20+ year commitment to sharing the Seriously Ridiculous love of Christ with kids and youth workers.

PS – Oh, and thanks, God via YS, for that nice full-circle thing you did on the themes for me, I love it when you do things like that!

There have been so many wonderful speakers in the general sessions thus far.  Because I’m live blogging, I’m so focused on the word the speakers are saying to share with the blog audience that I lag a little behind on the personal processing experience.  Sessions that I’m definitely going to listen to again (of the ones that have taken place so far):

• Andrew Marin, author of the forthcoming book Love is an Orientation, founder of The Marin Foundation.  He speaks powerfully to the church about the inconsistent treatment we give to homosexuals, calling us to build bridges and love authentically.
• Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love, whose message was so powerful and authentic in challenging us to be more and more like Jesus.

You can see the stream of posts we made during the general sessions here: nywc.com/live

I arrived in Pittsburgh yesterday for the National Youth Workers Convention, as part of the team who will be bringing you live blogging – including photos, audio and video clips – from all the general sessions and many seminars throughout the event. You can keep up with all the happenings by going to nywc.com/live (pittsburgh archive), where you can interact with us while we blog in real time, and also see a feed of blogs and twitter updates (here are mine) from the folks at the convention.

Because I arrived early, I had the opportunity to hang around with some very interesting people who’s names I knew but I’d never met in person, to talk about youth ministry and the projects close to each of our hearts. There are some very cool things coming down the road, all with the absolute intention of serving youth ministers as they serve teenagers in Jesus’ name. It was an invigorating time, and hopefully the first of many such interactions.

In a little bit, I’m heading over to the convention center to check in, find a few of my YMX people and then head into the Real World Parents presenter training. I’m very much looking forward to getting to interact with the material, and meet even more people!

Apologies for the quiet; it tends to happen whenever there’s a whole lot on my plate.  I will get to the skribit suggestions soon (you can add to the list in the box in the first column to the right, or by clicking here).  But for now, I’ll share a bit of what I’ve been up to these past blog-quiet days.

YM Women

One of the work projects I’ve been most excited about is working with Carrie at YS to support the relaunch of the YM Women initiative on the web.  YM Women is “the ministry of YS that speaks to the personal, professional and spiritual needs of women in youth ministry” – it has existed for a few years, offering some resources and networking opportunities at the NYWC events and by sending resources out via email for use in local small group gatherings.

Last week was the official opening of a dedicated forum section nestled inside the YMX forums (click here to read more), but visible only to females who request access at registration.  Current female YMX forum members need only send me a message and their settings can be quickly updated.

The opening was fun, there’s a great core of users building, and I look forward to seeing the section grow as a resource to women involved in youth ministry.  If you’re a Facebook user, there’s a YMWomen page there to connect with, as well as a YMWomen twitter to follow.

One interesting reaction to the re-launch of YM Women came from some of the men of the YMX forums.  They made the point that men in youth ministry also have unique perspective, challenges and needs they would use some dedicated/private space to discuss.  Some cited known struggles/issues for men in ministry (like pornography), while others raised the much-less-dicussed concern of the feminization of the church/church staff with it’s related potential issues.  I hadn’t considered that in many (likely main line) denominations there could be a situation where a male YP is the only male on the pastoral staff, bringing the possibility of the inverse women in ministry have historically faced.  So, we’ll see what comes of that idea, but I hope it gets traction in a positive way.

Busyness

Irony is one of God’s favorite tools, isn’t it?  I’m working on a writing project on the general subject of busyness during the time period my son’s preparations for college and dorm living need to be completed, and lots of family activity is going on to boot.  He moves into the dorm on Saturday and even as I write is upstairs folding his clothes for packing.  In addition to those preparations, we’ve had a flurry of medical appointments, school shopping trips, the start of Cathie’s swim team practices, and lots more.  This afternoon, Cathie and I will head over to Albany High for her junior (!) orientation the primary purpose of which is advertised to be school pictures, IDs, locker assignments, and probably some rule stating as well.

Of course, none of it fits into my preferred “batch the trips” mode, and yesterday allowed me the frustrating privilege of driving 50 miles to and from these various necessary stops but never getting more than 5 miles from my house.  Mind-boggling.

David Crowder*Band Review

One extremely fun assignment in the past week was the opportunity to review the freshly released Remedy Club Tour CD/DVD set from David Crowder*Band.  A full-length live concert, a complete audio recording of the same concert, and some fantastic bonus features (like learning each part of the song from the musicians in the band, and having the ability to activate chord & lyric subtitles for the concert to play and sing along) made it a fun evening watching with Tim and Cathie (bonus time!).  You can read the complete review and see a promo video here at YMX.

What have you been up to so far this week?

I’m presently sitting with Tim and watching the Tonight Show with Jay Leno because Third Day is appearing on the program tonight.  This will make the second night in a row I’ve been up late related to Third Day!  Last night I was finishing up and publishing a review of their newest album, Revelation, which released today.

You can read that review here, btw.

Of course, I have another project due tomorrow, so I probably shouldn’t be staying up, but, hey, I’m already here!  In case you missed it, they’re singing “Call My Name” and it’s a part of this video about the making of Revelation.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=IJZgC_K5AYc]

As soon as Cathie and I saw the promo spot for the new ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teen, we put the show’s premiere date on the calendar so we’d remember to watch together.  That calendar entry now repeats for each Tuesday at 8 pm, I’m hoping that we’ll have many meaningful moments of dicussion about the real issues the kids at Grant High School will play out on the screen.

I wrote a review of the premiere episode for YMX, here’s a taste:

Amy has a problem.  It isn’t that she plays French Horn, either.

“I had sex, and it isn’t like what you think, all romantic and stuff.  I didn’t realize what was happening, until, like, 2 seconds, and it was over.”  The words, “It was just some guy at band camp,” combined with the pained look on her face is how her besties realize she’s not only done it, she’s pregnant.

So begins The Secret Life of the American Teenager, a new series from ABC Family, starring Shailene Woodley (The OC) as Amy, along with Molly Ringwald and Mark Derwin as her parents; Josie Bissett, John Schneider and a host of young talent.  It airs Tuesdays at 8 pm and began July 1.

Amy’s story is definitely Juno-esque, but Secret Life has a story all it’s own.  Secret Life takes the viewer into the social whirl that is Grant High School, complete with all the types (band geeks, athletes, rebels and even Christians) and struggles, sexual tension and drama that is the teenage world.

Read the rest here at YMX.

I can’t believe it’s been a week already since the closing on the acquisition deal for YMX to become a part of Youth Specialties!  Like all transitions, there’s been some working out of details behind the scenes going on (and continuing to go on), including my continued involvement (or not) with the content flow.  I’m happy to say, I’m looking forward to working with YS on some projects for web content.

I’m also happy to say that all this means I’m launching into self-employment!  I’m sure I’ll have more to say about all of this (including sharing my new “work” website) in time.  But for now, I’m still celebrating YMX joining the YS family, and that I get the opportunity to stay involved with the site both as a volunteer administrator with the wonderful team of forum moderators, and professionally as a writer and editor. 

It’s amazing how God worked all that out, and has pointed me toward some open doors I couldn’t have walked through before.