Moving...

What does it take to get kids excited about ministry? It takes them being engaged in ministry. Moving kids into action is where authentic life change will happen for them. We can't ask them to continually sit in class and listen without giving them the opportunity to be the church.

As we lead.... move the kids into action. Take a group to a homeless shelter; help them start a prayer team on their campus; remind them that no can look down on them because of their age (1 Tim.4:12). Move them into action.

They are a generation that wants to make a difference. They are a generation that has to have instant gratification. They seem to be impatient at times. They seem to be disorganized and chaotic. But in many cases...they thrive in that atmosphere. What can we do to harness their energy and abilities? How can we utilize their "everything at their fingertips" world, and mobilize them into community. They, more than any of us, interact with community on a daily basis. They enter into their schools and have the opportunity to reach hundreds daily.

The question.... what are we doing to empower them? What are we doing to engage them? It's not gonna happen with programming and classrooms.....it's gonna happen when they are challenged to move. Some may choose not to move, but so do some adults. Some may choose to complain. But so do some adults. We can't be afraid to lose some in order to mobilize others.

I love students.... and I'm ready to see them move!

Spring forward!

Spring forward! I don’t even like to think about losing an hour of sleep. What was Ben Franklin thinking when he came up with that idea anyway? But I guess it does have it’s advantages, and once the adjustment has been made it’s not all that bad. It is daylight until 9pm. And for you people that have to have space heaters under your desk and coats at your desk just in case the air conditioner comes on, it signifies warmer days ahead. For a few weeks, those of us with allergies suffer with the hope of summer waiting at the end of our suffering. But year in year out, the change of seasons creates adjustments in routine and we continue to move forward.

What about changes in seasons of ministry? How do we handle that? Our culture is constantly changing. Therefore, how we reach the people in our culture must change too. Students have everything they want at their fingertips. With the advancements in cell phones, game systems, etc...I mean that literally. So what is they want that they don’t have at their fingertips?.... to make a difference in this world. Our students want to leave their mark and know that they did something to help and improve the world around them.

What are we doing to give them that opportunity? In many cases, we’ve followed the model that says create more programs and classes, and that will fix it. That will teach them. Truthfully though, that simply gives them more information that, frankly, most are doing nothing with in the world in which they live daily. We have to move them from a sitting and listening mentality to a doing mentality. When students get involved with doing church, they will get excited about sharing Jesus with the people around them. I don’t know of a kid that gets excited about yet another class. But put them in an atmosphere of serving others, teaching others, working, and doing and watch out. The spiritual growth, and excitement about their relationship with Christ seems to explode and no one around them is safe from the impact.

Let’s work together to give our kids those opportunities. I am not talking about projects, programs, or events. I am talking about consistent service and using the gifts and abilities that God has given them to help draw others to Christ. When it becomes the norm to serve and do rather sit and soak, that’s when explosive spiritual growth will occur. Other students will be drawn in by students that are excited to be a part of something that is impacting the lives of their community. They’re in class 5 days a week anyway.... not much excitement there.

Kids walk out of high school, into the world, and out of church at an alarming rate. Why? I believe it’s, in part, due to not being engaged in ministry. When someone is engaged in doing ministry, and it’s just part of what they know to be ministry, they can do that wherever they are after their days in student ministry are done. When they’ve equated ministry to sitting in a class and being taught, they lose the application aspect and when the opportunity to stop going to class presents itself, they’re out. Understanding how God can use them..... anywhere, anytime, any circumstance helps them understand that their circumstances and environment do not define them, and the God wants to use them for more than just sitting in a chair and listening.