KIds - Show Up! Sit Down! Shut Up!

In the modern American church kids are often told to "show up, sit down and shut up".

That's harsh and outrageous!  Or is it?

Well, of course those words would never be said out loud or posted on a sign in the student ministry area. But let's face it, that attitude is projected by the way churches form their sermons, sing songs, do announcements, and create budgets. Much of what happens in church screams to kids "this isn't for you!"

Next Gen - Do You Have Common Language?

In a church ministry context it's always a challenge to create and implement consistency across children, student and young adult ministries.  We're trying to figure it out.  

Last Saturday ALL our next gen volunteers gathered for a time of training, encouragement and inspiration.  In our ministry context next gen includes...

children's ministry, 
middle school ministry, 
high school ministry, 
college ministry, 
young adult ministry and
parenting ministry.

Training All Next Gen Leaders Together?

What!?!  

Student Ministry and Children's Ministry actually working together?  That's kind of like the lion and the lamb hanging together.

Not just student ministry and children's ministry, this Saturday all of the leaders from children's, student, college and young adult's ministries are joining together for a day of training.

Of course there is a huge difference between a volunteer who rocks a baby and a volunteer who leads a small group of emerging adults.  Of course we'll have appropriate training for specific age groups but we're super excited to have all our next gen leaders in the same room.

Here are 3 reasons we're so excited...

1)  We want each leader to know that they're a part of a BIGGER story.

Sticky Faith Cohort - Taking a Sip From a Fire Hydrant

What an amazing 3 days!

Part of the next gen team from my home church attended Fuller Youth Institute's Sticky Faith Cohort.  We and other churches from around the country are learning how to be more effective in preparing children, youth and families for the challenges they face after leaving high school and college, specifically challenges to their faith.

My team is encouraged, blown away and ready to tackle some issues.  We have never been more passionate about seeing the faith of our children and youth deepen as they grow and are released into emerging adulthood.

As I'm trying to wrap my mind around all we heard and learned these are some realities we're facing.

We have a lot of work to do.

We're not leaving discouraged, but know this journey isn't a sprint, it's a marathon.  To begin the process we're going to sit down with other staff members, parents and church leaders and take time to listen.  So often we can make the mistake of moving ahead without fully understanding.  So the question for us is simple, what can we learn from others that will help us develop and provide opportunities for the faith of our kids to flourish.

We must continue this journey.

As a team we're convinced that if we don't work to build authentic, grace driven faith in the lives of our kids and families, the church will continue to loose emerging adults.  For far too long the church in general has taught a theology of sin management instead of a transformational gospel.  As we invest in the younger generation we long to see fruit that remains.  Not just fruit that lasts through high school but for a lifetime.

We (next gen team) cannot do this alone.

The responsibility of handing authentic faith to the next generation involves parents, youth workers, volunteers, senior citizens, all staff members and everyone who is a part of the church family.  Sometimes we (youth workers) act as if we have to do this alone.  When considering the work ahead there is no room for a "Lone Ranger" attitude.  We need to see ourselves as ambassadors to the rest of our church family.  Our message?  Jesus has a special place in his heart for the younger generation and each of us who are older share the responsibility of loving, knowing and declaring God's greatness.

By the way, there is so much more we're thinking about.  While we definitely feel like flies taking a sip from a fire hydrant, we're going to slowly process what we feel God would have us put in practice.

Here's the good news, God is already at work in our churches.  What a privilege to be used by him to accomplish his heart and passion for kids.

Let's be faithful, creative, humble and patient as we work towards our calling to teach and model a faith that sticks.

Sticky Faith Cohort - Day One

This morning it's my privilege to be writing from FREEZING Pasadena California.  That's right, it does get cold in Southern California.

A team from our next gen ministry (children's ministry pastor, middle school ministry pastor, high school ministry pastor, and myself) is attending the "Sticky Faith Cohort" at Fuller Seminary.  We're hoping to learn a little more of how we can have a next gen ministry that launches students into emerging adulthood with a faith that has "stuck" through college or whatever they've chosen post high school.

Your know the stats.  Many youth group kids are leaving the church after high school and not coming back even after they have families of their own.  As church leaders we want to do everything we can to create environments, relationships and learning opportunities that prepare children and youth for adulthood.

After spending a few hours with Chap Clark, Brad Griffin, and Kara Powell our team was relatively encouraged by what we heard and where we are heading as a next gen ministry.  Obviously we have a lot to learn and a long way to go.

At our post meeting party (party is a little strong) there were some great questions that surfaced from our time yesterday afternoon.  Here are 2.

How do we teach children / students what the Bible instructs without presenting them with a bunch of "to do's"?  

We know kids have a proclivity to take whatever we teach and sift it through a moralistic thought process.  They hear truth and immediately feel they should simply try harder.  Because we live in a performance driven world they often translate our teaching as things you do to get Jesus to love you more.  That's simply NOT what the gospel message presents.

Here is part of the struggle, the Bible doesn't just instruct us on who we are and what Jesus did on our behalf, it instructs us in how we are to live out our faith.

Many of Paul's writings flesh out this way.  Romans 1 -11 is about who we are an what Jesus did for us.  Romans 12 - 16 tells us how we should live.  Perhaps we should follow the same kind of model as we teach.

It seems the key word in thinking through this question is the word tension.  Paul captures this tension in Philippians 2.

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 

Work out your own salvation / God who works in you. 

Here's the reality.  WHY students do what they do is as important as WHAT they do.  We long to teach them in a way that helps them live out their life by faith not simply by trying harder.

We don't have the solution but we're willing to journey on and embrace this tension.

How do we encourage the rest of our church leadership to adjust for the younger generation?

Our church does a wonderful job supporting the younger generation and longs to see spiritual formation in the lives of kids.  But as you can imagine we have some opportunities for growth.

When it comes to teen's involvement in church it seems we've (not just IBC but church in general) told them to be quite, listen and smile as we adults do adult type stuff.  The way we preach, lead worship, give announcements, encourage service and provide opportunities for involvement must be prepared and led with the teen ager in mind.

It's time for the church to adjust to the unique needs of the younger generation.

No, Sunday morning doesn't have to become a "youth service" but if it is the church's calling to reach and embrace the next generation we need to start asking the right questions about intergenerational worship and service.

In this area it feels like a little adjustment could go a long way.  Hopefully today we'll receive some great thoughts on how to be catalysts for adjustments in our home church.

So there you have it.  In reality we have more questions than answers.  We're trusting God to give wisdom, grace and direction as we desperately want life changing faith in Jesus to grow in the lives of our kids.

Gospel Centered Next Gen Ministry - 3 Questions

To be honest, I'm not sure what it means to be "gospel centered", but it sure sounds trendy.  Doesn't everyone in ministry want the gospel?

"Gospel" is a word we Christians throw around a lot.  We have gospel music, the gospel coalition, gospel bumper stickers the gospel tract and all other kinds of gospel things.

Over the last few years it seems discussion about the true gospel and what it means has become stylish and sexy.  There are even conferences dedicated and focused on "gospel."  For those who have been "gospel centered" for a long time (I hope I have been) I'm so thankful this discussion has gained momentum.

So I was wondering, are the ministries I oversee at my home church gospel centered?  How do I consistently press upon us the importance of the gospel?  What does it mean for us to be more gospel centered and grace focused?  What do other ministries focus on to make sure they're consistently dependent on grace in their ministries?

First, we need to remember how simple but expansive the gospel is.  From my limited perspective it seems "gospel" is a word often only associated with salvation.  As it should be, people are taught they will be saved if they believe the gospel.  Jesus said "repent and believe the gospel."  Of course authentic belief in the good news of Jesus results in one's salvation.  Paul says the gospel "is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes."

So it's obvious, the gospel is about salvation, but isn't it also about sanctification?

In many churches the inference is you come to Jesus by grace through faith but you grow through works.  This results is moralistic and perhaps a legalistic approach to discipleship.  And by the way moralism is the enemy of the gospel of grace.

Over the last few years this has been articulated well by University of Notre Dame's Christian Smith and the team at the Fuller Youth Institute.  Each has done extensive research on how youth group students view their faith.

Part of what they've learned is that middle school and high school students generally believe that God loves them and accepts them based on their behavior.  Acceptance from God is a result of what they do or don't do, not on what Jesus has already done and is currently doing.  Students (and most adults in my opinion) have not embraced the truth that we are saved by grace but we also grow by grace.  The result?  Moralism not grace infuses the religion of our day.

On of my favorite verses about discipleship and growing in Christ comes from Titus chapter 2.

¹¹ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

So, the grace of God that "brings salvation" is the grace that "teaches" us to live godly lives.  This same grace that brings salvation is the grace that teaches us to live godly lives and grow in our faith and purity.

We must continually be in the process of thinking about ministry that is centered on the gospel of grace.  I'm not just talking about bringing hurting kids and families to Jesus but seeing them continually transformed from the inside out because of God's work of grace in sanctification.

This is what I've been thinking about lately in my church context.  Here are 3 questions we're exploring as we think about our Next Gen as it relates to gospel centeredness.  

1.  Is God Dependent Prayer Central?

If the gospel work is dependent on God it would seem our ministries would be marked by consistent focused prayer.  For us it seems like prayer may be in addition to the work we do, not at the center.  That wasn't true of the apostles in the Acts 2.  When Luke describes what they did, prayer is listed right up there with giving attention to the Word.

If change in the hearts of students is truly supernatural and from the inside out, prayer cannot simply be an add on in our ministries, it must be a central part of our work.

2.  Do We Use Grace Infused Language?

Focusing on virtues, behavior and character alone will never result in gospel transformation.  For students we should consistently speak truth like...

"there is nothing you can do to get Jesus to love them more 

and there is nothing you can do to cause Jesus to love you less".  

Helping them understand that Jesus did for them what they could never do for themselves is so important and cuts against their natural moralistic beliefs.  Consistently unpacking statements like this quote from Tim Keller...

“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”

This isn't something we teach kids once and they get it.  Remember, reward for performance is in the air they breath.  Speaking the gospel of grace must be an ongoing drumbeat in our communication with students.  Grace must infuse how we pray, how we relate and how we teach.

3.  Is There An Environment of Repentance?

When kids hear the teaching of the Word and it exposes areas in their lives that are not pleasing to God they will naturally respond by thinking they must try harder.  Unless we help them they will skip a crucial step that helps them tap into the grace of God; confession and repentance.

If they only respond by trying harder they will constantly fail but if we point them to repentance and help them understand their battle against sin is not natural but supernatural they begin to experience the grace of God "teaching them to live upright Godly lives in this present age".

To have an environment of repentance you must also have an environment where it's natural to admit one has sin.  This transparency must be wisely modeled by the leader.  It's important we as pastors appropriately share our own struggle, failure and need of repentance.

This is an ongoing journey and I know there are so many other characteristics of ministry that is centered on grace and the gospel.

What are a couple you might add and what are you learning as you lead ministry towards gospel centeredness?

Dear Parents... A Note To Cast Vision

Dear Parents of Children,

The heart of the Next Generations ministry at IBC is to “declare God’s greatness to the next generation, his might to all who are to come”. (Psalm 71:8)

This includes all ministries to children, students, families and young adults. Our desire is to see children and youth equipped to not only meet the challenges of today but to become world changers as they grow to maturity. As an older generation we share with them the greatness and might of God so they may pass His story to those who come behind them.

It’s exciting to have a staff team working together to look at the big picture, from preschool to launching young people into young adulthood those involved in next gen ministry are working together to serve you and your children on this journey.

What does this mean for you as parents? First of all, there is actually a spiritual formation plan in place. From birth to 5th grade, the children ministry staff carefully thinks through spiritual formation of children. As a church we are committed to partnering with you, the parent, to provide reinforced support in seeing your child grow in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

What does that mean specifically?

1. We’re committed to partnering with you the parent to teach children the “who” and “what” of Biblical truth.
As children are being prepared for middle school and beyond it’s important they begin to understand the simple and profound truth of who God is. It’s important they have an understanding of the big themes of scripture as well as the simple but life giving truth of the gospel. 

2. We’re committed to teaching in the context of relationship.
Did you know that your son or daughter sees the same adult leader every week consistently? Some of these adult volunteers continue to serve these children through middle school and high school. That happens because relationship is very important and true discipleship and spiritual formation happens most effectively in the context of relationship. 

3. We’re committed to providing principle driven support to parents
Last year parenting at IBC hosted two half-day conferences and three shorter seminars to provide principle based equipping for you the parents. To take a look at our “guiding principles” visit our Parenting at IBC page.         

As a parent, you are strategically placed by God to provide the greatest influence. My guess is most of us didn’t go to “parent school” to learn how to navigate parenthood. Parenting at IBC longs to serve you with core principles and practical tools to help you fulfill God’s calling.

Thank you so much for allowing IBC to partner with you in helping you and your children grow in Christ, connect in community and join the mission. We’re excited not only about what is happening in the lives of children today, but looking forward to seeing them continue to pursue Jesus and serve the world when they’re launched into adulthood.

Guiding Principles for Next Gen Ministry

This morning all our next generations staff is pulling together.  This would include all children's ministry staff, student ministry staff, young adult staff and our single parent coordinator.

A far as I an tell this will be the first time all of us have been in a room together.

Here's our plan.  We've been working on a list of guiding principles that will shape what we do and how we do it.  Our hope is that these principles will run like a common thread through all age groups as we hope to launch passionate Godly people into young adulthood.  It's also important to us that families know we're on the same page working towards the same goals.

As you know it's so easy to work separately and barely even know what's going on with other areas of ministry.  We're trying hard to work together, appreciate one another and compliment each other's ministries.

So, here's what we have so far.  These are in wet concrete and my guess is we will add something on outreach / evangelism.

Because every age group benefits from exposure to other generations,

we value thoughtful opportunities for intergenerational connections.

Because true life change happens primarily in the context of relationship,

we value life on life ministry driven by loving connection.

Because Jesus revealed moralism cannot save us,

we value teaching that centers on the transforming gospel of grace.

Because God’s Word is living and active,

we value Biblical Truth that sets us free.

Because growing in Christ results in compassion for others,

we value equipping children, youth and adults to serve our Body and the world.

Because a vibrant relationship with God is more often caught than taught,

we value leadership that models an authentic walk with Jesus.

Because parents have a major role in the discipleship of their kids,

we value partnerships with parents, including parental involvement and equipping.

So, we could use your help.  What would you add?  What would you change?  What seems to be 

unnecessary?