Canadian Youth Worker Interview with Brett Ullman

Canadian author and speaker Brett Ullman joins us this week to chat about all things Canadian, youth ministry, his personal journey and so much more. Share it, like it, comment on it. We'd love to hear from you!

REVIVE US SERIES No. 3: The Youth Church For The Poor

The views and concerns addressed in this blog series are bigger than our youth. It is a reflection of how Christians young and old view the church and what we feel we need to do to make Jesus look cool.  To expose how we got here, each blog in this series will describe a church concept that students came up with, followed by a personal challenge from myself or one of the other panel members in hope of a personal revival in God’s people.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Revelations 2:7)

Revive Us O Lord.

For a Quick Recap on the Series Click Here

James 1:26-27

26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

There were six students in this group from a completely different background; Dutch Reformed, Alliance, Pentecostal and a couple of students who didn’t know what their church was. For their class project they created ‘The Church of Hope’ with a primary focus on ministering to the poor. Their church was located right in the downtown core of the city where the poor could easily access it. On staff they had a pastor and associate two counselors and a social worker. One of the ministries they provided was a residence to the homeless. For those who didn’t have a place to stay, housing would be provided along with a place of worship that had a soup kitchen attached to it.

With this group of students the physical needs of the poor would be met but after hearing their presentation I had to ask, is that all that Jesus and the church has to offer the poor?  

One of the members of the panel was a gentleman who worked for the Salvation Army. He inquired, “So how will you sustain, the counselors, social workers and full time pastor with a church that is ministering to the poor? Where will you get your money from?” A male student slouched over with dark brown hair and answered with an apathetic voice. “That was not a part of the assignment. We were not asked to figure that out. Money was not an issue.”

A teacher from the school was also sitting on the panel and asked the students, “Why do you want to do this? What was your motivation?” She was having a hard time getting a clear answer from them. So she asked another way,  “What are the beliefs of your church?” The same student responded, “We’re not suppose to have denominations.”

I helped rephrase the question, “What is your church philosophy what do you want to see happen with the poor?  What do you want them to believe?” Silence. Then the boy with the monotone voice replied, “We weren’t told to do that.”

As frustrating as these responses were, I realized that the students’ views are a refection of what we as Christians and youth workers have instilled in our students. They are our disciples, following us. But something has gone wrong in the discipleship process. What I heard from these students doesn’t reflect my heart for the poor, or does it? The students have the actions down pat, but the motivation, the heart behind why they do what they do is lacking. Their attitude towards the poor is...We do what we are supposed to do.

James 2:14-25 talks about a Faith with no action or deeds. James uses the example of seeing a brother or sister in need and offering them nothing. He says that kind of faith is useless. This message is so clear in my head, faith without works is dead. I believe it is a passage that guides so many of us Gen X’ers and older Millennial’s because of what we have seen the past generation model.

We organize mission trips, we collect offerings to support work overseas, we hand out sandwiches, collect school supplies, we have food or clothes drives and we have a sponsor a child to make sure we do not forget the poor.

This is all great but what are our students picking up? What kind of disciples are we making? Have we swung so far to the works side that we’ve neglected the faith element when it comes to ministering to the poor?

Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God. ,
to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.

In Luke 4 Jesus reads this passage of scripture and says it is being fulfilled. Jesus was empowered to preach, to heal, to comfort, to set prisoners free.

Luke 7:22 John’s disciples asked Jesus are you the Messiah, the one we’ve been waiting for. Then Jesus tells John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” NLT

When we set up mission trips what is our purpose?  Do we build houses to demonstrate Jesus nice-ness?  Why do we have students share their testimony? To give them ministering opportunities? Is that all Jesus can offer the poor?

Our students are mimicking what we do and from our example they have learned that it is good to give to the poor. But Jesus offers so much more. Fellow youth worker, do you believe that the word of God brings Good News to the poor?  What is that Good News?

He is Jehovah Jirah. The provider. I remember my first miracle at the age of 5 when God miraculously provided $100 for my family after I cheerfully gave a dollar. As a single woman starting my speaking business with nothing, Jesus walked with me through extreme low places but I’m not in that place anymore! Jesus is hope. For the person on disability who is just scraping by but can never get ahead, Jesus can heal them. For the parent struggling with mental health, Jesus can bring comfort to their heart, the street kids in your town or city that are regularly in trouble with the law and are on probation, Jesus can set that kid free! Do your students know that the gospel of Jesus Christ can help bring the poor out of their poverty? Do WE know that?!

Do WE believe that God can break the cycles of poverty in our society? God is a champion for the poor He can bring change to social structures that keep the poor poor. He can remove corrupt leaders, break a pattern of addiction in a family line, God is in the business of salvation for us all and that salvation creates transformation and restoration in our lives and in the world, that is the Good News we have to offer the poor.

Youth worker, my prayer is for revival in our hearts, that you would seek and catch God’s vision for the poor in your sphere of influence. What does Holy Spirit want to do? How can it be brought about?  Once you’ve caught it, live it out and share the vision with those that you are discipling so that the next generation of Christians are not apathetic monotone doers but are people of faith and deeds.

To Follow the Revive Us Series  
Houston We Have A Problem: The School Project
Disciples of the "Buddy" Church
Youth Speaker & Founder of the Young Woman of Power (YWOP), Alison hosts conferences and develops programs that are designed to build the confidence of youth such as the YWOP PivotFWD workshop which she delivers in Calgary’s Youth Judicial System and the citywide Young Women of Power Conference. She considers herself to be a pastor to those who don’t want one or don’t know they need one. For more info or to book Alison as a speaker visit www.ywop.ca 

Leadership Posture and Tone

Photo Credit: texasgurl (Creative Commons)

If you have a piano, take a minute and pick out two keys, one black and one white directly adjacent to each other. Pound on those keys as loudly and quickly as possible. You'll probably give yourself a headache from the painful sound emitting from the keyboard. You've just created auditory tension. 

Now, keep one finger placed on a white key, then shift the other to the key exactly one octave higher. The harmonious sound will ring true in your ears (as long as the piano is in tune!). This has been a basic lesson in tone and harmony, and there's a ministry leadership lesson to be learned in this:

How I speak matters as much as what I speak. McLuhan put it this way: the medium is the message. 

Colossians 4 puts it another way: 

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. 

My communication should be wise, patient, and full of grace and empathy. 2 Timothy 4 speaks of correcting, rebuking, and encouraging with great patience and careful instruction. (Key phrase: with great patience.) James 1 tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

If what I am saying to you is 100% true and beneficial for you, but my tone and posture are ones of judgment, condemnation, or self-centered frustration, then I am adding the static of arrogance to my message. I come across as quick to speak and anger, while forgetting the patience required for listening and being present. On the other hand, if my posture and tone are gracious and gentle, yet I cannot speak without conviction or truth, then perhaps my message isn't worth hearing in the first place.

Think about how you're communicating with fellow leaders in your church / ministry / team. Tone matters. If the medium is the message, then how we approach a fellow leader in our communication is just as important as the information we're sharing. A sarcastic, whiny, or passive-aggressive vocal tone is creating unnecessary relational withdrawals. Leaders of organizations don't need whiners; they need people who can communicate the truth in a humble-yet-confident manner. Communicate verbally with a tone of grace and clarity, finding a healthy balance between boldness and subtlety.

Healthy communication also includes physical presence. Slouching in staff meetings, walking brusquely by offices without greeting, or avoiding eye contact all send a negative message. If I'm chatting with someone and they've positioned their body away from me, looking like they want to leave at any moment, I'm less apt to share with them. Shift your emotional state by shifting your physical state. Being physically and mentally present with fellow leaders fosters trust and healthier communication.

Ask yourself: what messages am I sending through my tone and posture? Even if the content of your message is filled with grace and love, your tone and posture might be communicating something entirely different.

--

B.C. Youth Workers: Open Vancouver is coming to Trinity Western University on September 26-27. Check out the Open manifesto, send a proposal to be a presenter, and contact the organizing team with any questions!

Anatomy of Effectively Planning Ahead

Planing ahead at the end of June is always hard. Who wants to start thinking or even planning strategically about September through June for next school year when the summer this year has only just begun?

Effectively Planning Ahead can be broken down by using a simple template. I've used this template for years and each year I tweak it a little bit more or a little bit less based on the upcoming year. Get you calendar out for 2014-15 and lets get going.

My planning template consists of six components.

1. Non-negotiable: weekly programs and seasonal events that always happen every year go right into your calendar without any hesitation (e.g. winter retreat, mission trip car wash fundraiser in May, fall kick off event, Friday night you or Sunday school). Make sure you have the church calendar for the next year so you don't double book stuff on missions weekend etc...
2. Curriculum: you need to be praying about this and writing notes down about where God what you to go with curriculum and then evaluate the curriculums to get the right one. This can be done by yourself or in a group setting with your leadership team.
3. Journalling: through out your past year, you must be taking notes about everything. Key questions parents have asked, how can we prevent someone from breaking their arm in our pillow fight night, what worked well at your Christmas banquet, what failed when kids got on the roof and the a neighbour called the cops. These are then applied or thoughtfully consider for the next year. 
4. Next Steps: what are those next steps that you need to provide for your students or volunteer leaders to challenge them to go to that next level? Do you need to start a student leadership team or recruit more volunteers? Do you need to focus on Spiritual gifts this year or plan an overseas mission trip?
5. Share the Plan: after you have everything planned out you need to go through several beta tests (3-4) with three groups of people; 2-3 key volunteers and students from your leadership team, church staff, 2-3 key parents.
6. Publish: send out a basic 2014-15 calendar that only marks out key dates ad has no details. You don't need to list your Friday night theme from September through June but you should have you Friday nights in the calendar.

Two key things you should have on every basic calendar is this: 1) youth ministry schedule subject to change without notice. 2) Friday night youth will not be on these four dates: ____, ____, ____, _____.

@jeffsmyth

Time for Some Prayer Games ...

Do remember that Christmas song about Rudolph?  You know, it's the one with the lyrics about 'all of the reindeer' bullying a poor red-nosed under-dog by calling him names and not allowing him to join them in their reindeer games.  Sounds like they may have been middle school reindeer!

Although I actually have no idea what the 'Reindeer Games' actually are, I have spent time playing 'Prayer Games' with students over the years and if Rudolph would have been around, I'd have invited him to join in too.

Seriously though, if the teens you get to serve and minister to are anything like the youth where I live, they love the concept of prayer and may even enjoy practising it in private, but when it comes to approaching the Lord with words in a corporate setting with their peers, the walls go up and the eyes immediately look down at the floor.  This is especially true for new believers or students who are pre-Christian.

So how do you get teens to get better at coming before their heavenly Father?  I've found that the best way to learn to pray is by praying.  Here are some 'games' that might kick-start this essential spiritual discipline in your ministry.  If you have others, please leave your ideas in the comment area below.

Prayer Game #1: International (Korean) Prayer

What is it?
My friend Denise spent a year in Korea and mentioned that now that she is back home, she has her small group often spend time praying like the ethnic Koreans at the international church she attended. Basically, she has her group huddle together, pick a topic, and pray out-loud all at once.

Note: at this point many of my charismatic friends are going, "Um, that's not very original Dan", but the truth is, many churches would see this as totally new and out of their comfort zone. 

How to do it?
Get your small group, youth group, etc. into a huddle ... give them a topic as well as some basic information on how they might pray for it (this helps those who aren't very good at prayer).  Then, announce that you'll be giving them ___ seconds to pray out-loud about it (*I generally start with a 15 second time period and will increase it from there.)

Let students know that, if they run out of things to say, they can listen to those around them for a moment and steal lines from others as they overhear them.

This 'game' gets people comfortable hearing their own voice praying out-loud, and the benefit is that it doesn't embarrass teens by putting them on the spot with all their friends focussing on them.  Plus,  the time limits mean that it's a short enough period that people generally don't run out of things to pray. Finally, because 'everyone is doing it', teens who are not Christians don't feel "outed"!

Prayer Games #2: Divide and Conquer

What is it?
I remember speaking at a retreat once that was targeted at college students and focused on the topic of prayer.  The weekend involved 20-somethings from different churches and I wanted to do an "icebreaker" so that they could meet each other and move into some prayer time right away.  What I came up with was this fun little game that worked really well and is easily transferred to youth groups.

How to do it?
Handout pens and paper to everyone (we did this when they walked in the door) and have teens write their name on it and either a statement about how they are expecting to grow in their faith during the retreat / coming semester / evening event / etc.  As another option, students could write down a question they would like to ask God to speak to them about during the retreat / coming semester / evening event / etc.

Divide the youth into two groups (just call them group 'A' and 'B'). Collect group B's papers and hang onto them for a minute. Collect group A's papers and re-distribute them to group B.

Group B people must find the person from group A named on their paper, introduce themselves, and then pray for the item listed on the paper.

When completed, handout group B's paper to group A and repeat the exercise.

============
Dan King is a Pastor to Youth and Young Adults in Parksville, on Vancouver Island.  He's a 20+ year veteran of youth ministry and has worked in large and small churches across Western Canada.  He is a husband and father of two teenagers, loves skim boarding, collects Nike sneakers, and enjoys practicing the spiritual discipline that calls him to 'be still and know'.  Read the online "Leadership and Youth Ministry" magazine he edits and contributes to or follow him @danKing_live

Transitioning in your job? Finish what you came to do.

John 17 is Jesus' prayer just before his betrayal and arrest. In verse 4, he prays "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you sent me to do". Jesus hadn't gone to the cross yet, so what was it the he came to do? - - The rest of the chapter gives us a clue.

When you are called to work in a church, or an organization, or even volunteer, God has set you apart with a job to do. How do you know when it is time to go? How 'bout - when you are finished what he called you to do?

Last year I built a great two level deck with cool retaining wall and now we are moving... I don't even get you use it! Ever finish something for God and not get to experience the fruit of the labour? I moved to a new city for the sole purpose of ministry... why else am I there? Finish the work and leave when you are done.

Here are my ramblings for this week. Time for transition... here we go.

When you have completed what he sent you to do, you'll know - or He will release your heart - or your boss will 'inform' you.... either way, finish well.

Dave Brotherton was a youth pastor from 1984-2006 and now teaches youth ministry at Ambrose University College in Calgary. Dave is also the National Youth Guy for the Alliance churches in Canada, the director of Legacy Youth Conference, and a junior high volunteer in his church. Dave is married to Lisa and they share 2 of the greatest kids in the world. Fishing, camping, and cheering on the Leafs are some of his favorite things. 
This summer, Dave is transitioning to lead the ministry of Sauble Christian Fellowship, Sauble Beach, ON. 
twitter: @oldbrotherdave 

Swinging for the Fences

With pro baseball player Vernon Wells.

Last week, I was blessed to spend a week in Fort Worth, Texas for the second consecutive year.  I served as a trainer for YouthLeader and had the opportunity to help high school youth (and their youth ministers) develop their leadership skills (in a Christian context) through a week of sessions, prayers, games, socials, and more.  I was inspired by the enthusiasm and desire of the young people I met. 

When YouthLeader ended on Friday, I spent 24 hours with my good friends Marie and Mike and their 5 wonderful children.  On Friday night, we went to watch Andrew (the oldest child) play baseball.  It was a really fun night as we were treated to some decent hardball (especially for 9 and 10 year olds) and I got to meet and take a picture with ex-Toronto Blue Jay – and 3 time MLB All-Star – Vernon Wells.  He’s one of the coaches of Andrew’s team.

The game came down to the last inning and Andrew’s team was up to bat down 6-4 with 2 out and the bases loaded.  One of Andrew’s teammates walked up to the plate, and I just so happened to be standing next to the batter’s dad.

Pitch 1 was a ball.

Pitch 2 was a strike (the boy didn’t swing).

Pitch 3 was a ball.

Pitch 4 was a strike (once again, the boy watched the ball cross the plate).

Pitch 5 was a ball.

Now we had a full count of 3 balls and 2 strikes.  With 2 out.  And the bases loaded.  This had all the makings for a hero moment.

“Come on...you need to swing the bat!” the father implored his son.

Pitch 6 was a strike right down the middle. The bat never left the boy’s shoulder.  Game over.

“If you want to hit, you need to swing the bat,” the father mumbled to himself as we applauded the efforts of both teams.

Was the young boy intimidated by the pitcher?  Maybe.  Not prepared enough?  Perhaps.  Feeling the pressure?  Likely.

Often in youth ministry, we may feel intimidated, unprepared, or pressured.  We may withhold or withdraw because we don’t want to make a mistake. Or we’re afraid or failing.

But fear is not of the Lord!  In 2 Timothy 1:7 we hear “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.”

We must SWING FOR THE FENCES!

Here are 4 ways we can swing for the fences in youth ministry:

1.  Make the extra effort.  Youth ministry can be draining.  It can be disheartening when you put so much work into a night and only a handful of teens show up.  Teens can be high-maintenance, and they don’t always say thank you and they may not pray for the leaders.  But despite all of this, they will notice when you put in the extra effort.  It might be spending a bit more time making decorations for the next event, seeking out a costume for an upcoming skit, or devoting a few extra minutes to respond to emails, Facebook messages, and tweets.  The answer to the question of “Is this worth it?” is almost always an unequivocal yes.  Doing that little bit extra might make the difference between a young person coming back to your youth ministry gatherings or staying home.

2.  Don’t be afraid to make a mistake.  Now I’m not talking about careless and care-free mistakes here.  But I am talking about practical risk-taking.  Sometimes, we need to just let our imaginations fly!   Our volunteers should not feel bogged down by bureaucracy.  Without some freedom, volunteers will lose their enthusiasm quickly.  So if you’re used to delivering a talk or teaching from a script, next time use cue cards or memorize the whole thing.  Or maybe you could try some new and crazy icebreakers for the very first time.  Trust that the other volunteers and leadership will have your back and bail you out if necessary.  We all need to take risks, even at the expense of failing.  After all, the only person who never makes a mistake is the one who never tries anything.

3.  Aim high.  There’s is nothing inspiring or satisfying about reaching a goal that you set too low.  Thus, I’d encourage you to ask yourself questions like “What will success look like?” or “What’s something we haven’t tried before?” as opposed to “How can we get by?” or “What’s the safest route?”  When we aim high, we stretch out of our comfort zones and we often surprise ourselves with what we can accomplish.  When young people see us aiming high and not being complacent, they will want to do the same.  Our goals should be challenging, yet realistic and practical.  But as long as we aim high, we won’t get stagnant, and we – and our ministry – will continue to grow.

4.  Be confident.  If we are genuine in our intent, then we can be confident that God will work in us and through us.  After all, we are ordinary people in the hands of an extraordinary God.  If we are called to serve in youth ministry, then we must have confidence that we are making an impact in the lives of the young people we are ministering to and with.  It’s through our witness, our conversations, and our relationships.  We are their affirmers, their cheerleaders, and their advocates.  We must believe that if God leads us to it, then He’ll lead us through it.  Sometimes we may feel tired, lazy, and unworthy to serve.  But God asks us to look beyond our so-called “inadequacies” or “deficiencies” and trust in Him; that His grace will be sufficient for us.


When we make the extra effort, when we’re not afraid to make a mistake, when we aim high, and when we’re confident, then we will inspire and motivate others – young and old alike.  And in turn, they will inspire us right back.  Such was the case with the amazing young people of Texas last week. Their desire to strengthen their relationships with God rubbed off on me and made me want to do the same.

So the next time you’re up to bat in your youth ministry, make sure you swing away!

It’s the only way you’re going to hit a home run.


In what ways do/can you swing for the fences in your youth ministry?










Clayton Imoo is husband to Gail and father to sons Sean Isaiah and Jacob Isaac and daughter Kayla Marie.  He has served as the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver for the past ten years, helping parishes develop their own youth and young adult ministries.  When not doing ministry, Clay enjoys spending time with his family, playing music, playing sports, playing naptime, and writing blogs on topics such as family, faith, and the Vancouver Canucks.  Learn more about him at http://www.claytonimoo.com or follow him @claytonimoo

REVIVE US SERIES No. 2: Disciples of the "Buddy" Church

The views and concerns addressed in this blog series are bigger than our youth. It is a reflection of how Christians young and old view the church and what we feel we need to do to make Jesus look cool.  To expose how we got here, each blog in this series will describe a church concept that students came up with, followed by a personal challenge from myself or one of the other panel members in hope of a personal revival in God’s people.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Revelations 2:7)

Revive Us Oh Lord.

RECAP

If money was not an issue what type of church would you build? Who would come? What would your church look like? 

This was the final group assignment given to Senior High Students at a Christian school. The panel was comprised of various full time ministers. Our role was to give students feedback on their church planting project along with an opportunity to gain some insight on what the next generation is looking for in a church. Instead our findings were startling as students delivered their presentations on their church plant. I came in looking for a little insight, but instead Holy Spirit gave us youth workers a snap shot of bigger problem, one that we created. These students response to this project is a reflection of various mentalities in the church. I am sounding the alarm with other voices, because "Houston, we have a problem." (Blog 1 in Series)

LET THE PRESENTATIONS BEGIN!!!

The first church was located in a new development. This was the Connect Church. Their mission was to serve God and have fun doing it.  The Connect Church has services at 10:30am for the old folks and 12:30pm for the younger generation. I asked the students, “How old is old?” A student responded, “35 and up.”  Grrrr. Punk kids!! I decided not to ask any more questions until they were done.  The pastor of their church was a preacher who was interactive. (That was all that was said about the Pastor) For the offering, if a person desires to give they can do so on their own time rather than a group collection. Each week the offering would go to a different organization except once a month when it would be designated to the local church.  (Oh, the things your church could do with a budget like that! LoL. Cool idea though) For weekly programs they had Worship and Wings. And we are not talking Ezekiel’s wings, but chicken wings. They’d sing some songs, hang out after and go out for wings or cook the wings at the church. Another ministry that the Connect church provided was the Landscaping Outreach. In their church building they have a place where the lawn mowers, trimmers etc. were stored. Those involved in this ministry would go out into their community and help new owners landscape their property. This is how they would minister to their community in a practical way. Brilliant!! They also had a ministry to the poor, where they would have a massive potluck dinner in the foyer of their church that they designed that was big enough to host such social events. (Somehow the poor would find their way out to that end of the city and bring a meal to share with everyone). This church had a youth, women and men’s ministry. And for the seniors, well they didn’t really know what to do with them, “Maybe a craft night?” sheepishly answered a student.

Lastly on their calendar of events was Prayer ministry Thursday nights.

This is a church for the socially lonely. The student’s favourite ideas and concepts were the landscaping outreach and Worship and Wings. When asked about by a fellow panel member who works for Youth Unlimited an organization that focuses on Evangelism to youth, “What is your churches strategy on implementing the Great Commission?” Silence.  Now awkward silence. Then a student broke the silence, “Can you explain that in a different way, we don’t know what that is.”

What will help the church grow? Acts of service to the community and having fun!  

  

The connect church had great ideas to connect with people, but for what purpose? Relationships. As the students talked about the Worship and Wings ministry, their eyes lite up as they spoke about their churches main event! With a strong emphasis on the Wings they never described what the worship aspect looked like, but they went into details about the gathering after and where they would get their wings from and the relationships that could get started there.

What does this reveal?

One of my colleagues nicknamed this the “Buddy Church”.  Clearly this churches heart was to have fun but their head knew, they needed to have a prayer ministry and a ministry to the poor and something for seniors. But was their heart in it?  How many people from the Buddy church do you think would show up to prayer?  Would any of those students attend?  No, but they would be there for Worship and Wings.

I’m glad our students know the different elements that go into a church but I am challenged by this, have we as youth ministers made church a Worship vs. Wings contest?  Have we put an emphasis on WINGS over worship?  I’ve learned that what are students pick up is a reflection of our own belief.

In your own life, when do your eyes light up? Is it in the eager anticipation of many voices in unity singing one song in complete abandonment and passion to the one you are in love with? Or do the great sounds of praise and cheers come the moment Sunday/Sabbath service or Mass is over and you get to talk to ‘buddy’? Do your eyes light up knowing you get to go home and get something to eat? Mmmm…wings.

In my own life I have spent a lot of intentional time trying to connect with students, whether it’s through my message, in a school or at my girls group. I’ve always looked for the invisible one’s to bring them into the fold. Clearly, that’s not wrong. However, somewhere down the road this has turned into a habit, something that I do to build relationships and try and learn student’s names as quickly as possible. Disciples of Alison Springer would build a buddy church. A connect church. I didn’t see it before, but at some point the do became work, and the reason why I was compelled to learn names and build relationships was lost. I’m not sure when it happened but now I serve God by serving people reaching out to the community in practical ways. I do this for the sake of people, not the sake of Jesus. Do I have a plan to live out the great commission?  Silence. Awkward silence. What do my students see me doing?  Reaching out to the community in practical ways, but how is my desire to see people come to know Christ expressed in my actions? I don’t spend time praying for my girls group by name, have I pursed them and stayed in contact with them after they graduated from my course or attend the conference? No! Because that’s more work and there is only so much I can do!! My cry is for more helpers!!

Do you find yourself in a similar place?  Since these presentations Holy Spirit has been convicting me and showing me all the areas in my life that I do for people and not for Jesus. I’m weary and don’t have the same excitement or jump for going to church and attending Tuesday night prayer services because like Samson, I’ve been doing my own thing, not realizing I no longer have divine supernatural strength. Now when I teach in the world, I’m getting beat up, and I leave exhausted not seeing much fruit.

My love for Jesus is why I originally got involved in everything that I’m involved in. But my eyes were fixed on the doing that I forgot all about the being, being in love, being full of joy.  Every morning waking up wondering what Jesus & God had in store for me that day. The last three weeks, I started going to prayer meetings Tuesday night not because I felt obligated to, because that pull hasn’t worked for a long while now. I go because I want to; I’m looking for something that I know can only be found in prayer, a deeper relationship with Christ. When I’m tired, in the rain on my bike, whether there are other things I can do, or people who want to connect with me, I will go because I want to connect with Jesus. This past week as I pursue my desire to fall in love with him, I’m meeting my neighbours, and people in my community.  We stop and talk and I’m remembering their names better. I’m having more God encounters with students that I teach at my course as I bump into them outside of my program. What?  The connections are all happening naturally because I’m seeking Him first and desiring to be in right standing with Him. All these things/connections that I’ve wanted are being added or given to me. (Matt. 6:33) Jesus said, through the cross He will draw all people unto Himself. (John 12:32) As I fix my eyes on Him, Holy Spirit taps me on the shoulder and I notice the people are coming.

Is the Connection “Buddy” Church the type of church your students/disciples would plant? 

Are you actively involved in your community planting seeds of love, but people are not introduced to Jesus?  Please, I’m not endorsing you to develop relationships with an agenda to convert people, far from it. But do you remember why you got involved in what you are currently doing in the first place?  Remember the love and excitement of learning more about Jesus, and consecrating your life to Him?  Do you remember the zeal?  It’s that love that draws. That first love, Jesus is calling you back to that place. Where your eyes are on him and not the next event. Where the emphasis is on the Worship, adoration and admiration of Him verses the activities, the creative play and talks.

Are you weary from doing good?  Fall in love again and be in love.

Youth Speaker & Founder of the Young Woman of Power (YWOP), Alison hosts conferences and develops programs that are designed to build the confidence of youth such as the YWOP PivotFWD workshop which she delivers in Calgary’s Youth Judicial System and the citywide Young Women of Power Conference. She considers herself to be a pastor to those who don’t want one or don’t know they need one. For more info or to book Alison as a speaker visit www.ywop.ca