I had a recent phone conversation with a youth pastor who is new to his role and developing relationships with the students that he is responsible to minister to. As he is getting a pulse of what has been important to the students and evaluating changes that may need to be made moving forward, he asked his teenagers a simple question. “If there was one thing that HAD to stay on the calendar that we do as a youth ministry no matter what else changes, what would it be? Across the board, his students said that they would prioritize a week of community service and worship with Students Living a Mission in Nashville over everything else. In the immediate aftermath of a wonderful ski trip and upcoming winter retreat, he doubled-down and ask again. “You’d rather do a SLAM week even if it meant we didn’t do the ski trip?” His students confirmed that they would do a mission week over anything else.
As a former youth pastor and now advocate for the ministry of SLAM, I’m so happy to hear that we have empowered these students in such a way that they want to come back year-after-year to serve some of the most vulnerable people of our city. They have led kids camps for a low-income apartment complex with a large immigrant population for the past couple years and are eager to do so again. But beyond simply being encouraged that the partnership with Students Living a Mission has been a formative experience for these adolescent disciples, I am reminded that teenagers across the US and the world are hungry for moments to connect with their purpose and be stretched to think and act upon the teachings of Jesus in a tangible way.
I enjoyed (and still do) moments of fun and laughter to enjoy a game, sport, or other recreational activity with students that build community and friendships outside the walls of the church. At the same time, I am highly aware of the fact that the church must be distinct from the other venues that students have for entertainment and relationships. I’ve said many times that the church cannot “out-entertain” the world. We simply do not have the budget to keep up with the extreme options of bungie-jumping, social media, Taylor Swift concerts, and events like the Super Bowl (just two days away from my writing of this). And even if a church had the means to compete with these kinds of attractional events, I fear that students would be drawn to another fun option and would simply be conditioned to expect it to be bigger and better each week or they would become bored and seek it elsewhere. Another youth pastor shared great wisdom from a mentor when he worded it this way, “What you attract them with, you will have to keep them with.” If fun and games is foundational to what brings a student to our church, we risk the need to constantly offer more of the same to ensure they keep coming back.
In light of this, engaging students in community service gets them focused on serving rather than being served and connects them to God’s heart for prioritizing people over pleasure. And it turns out, they actually LOVE IT! When they have a chance to step out of the cycle of inward-focus, self-gratification, and mindless entertainment, they discover their God-given purpose of putting the needs of others before themselves. Learning to live out faith in practical and messy ways is hard work and yet our students are up to the challenge. Consider this: Young people are expected to meet high standards in areas of academics, athletics, music, dance, theatre, and more. They regularly achieve amazing results despite the challenges of practice, intense schedules, and heated competition. Not only do they perform well, they are proud of their role and often sign up to do so again for the next season or event.
If teenagers are so capable and eager, what mindset needs to shift within the American church to engage students in difficult challenges that will strengthen their faith muscles? Let’s not settle for them simply showing up for an hour at church but have a high standard of discipleship and believe that they will make progress even as they try, fail, and try again.
In this kind of model, mission trips serve as a tryout, pre-season practice, and championship tournament all wrapped into one. Youth leaders get the chance to see where each student is in their maturity and stretch them with new exercises in learning the Bible and serving. Plus, there are elements of teamwork, memory-making, and the highlights that fuel youth groups to return home and keep practicing selflessness in their own communities. Summer camps, ski retreats, and laser tag may have a place in developing friendships and even elements of teaching and teamwork but lack the kind of real-world ministry that Jesus was known to employ in preparing his own students for lifelong discipleship. Imagine how much we would lack in understanding the kingdom of God if Jesus had led his youth group without going to the poor and marginalized and taking the twelve with him. We risk students learning incomplete (or even wrong) lessons about God’s intentions for the world if we do not make face-to-face interactions with those who are struggling a priority in our youth group shared experiences.
So put it on the calendar. Look out over the next 6-12 months of youth ministry and carve out space for serving. Pick a local non-profit that aligns with your goals to stretch students. Contact the local nursing home and figure out how you can serve residents every month or two. Set aside a weekend or full week to travel to an area of need that is a bit different than your students usually see. Start dreaming about the steps needed to prepare your students for a future trip to an international community that will grow their heart for God’s people of every tribe, language, and nation.
Remember:
Students are up to the challenge.
However, we must first prioritize giving them the expectation of serving others before they will realize how much they love and crave it. They were made to be most fulfilled when they are putting the needs of others ahead of their own.
Don’t know where to start? ⬇️
Check out opportunities for middle, high school, and college students to be on mission in Nashville and beyond at www.slamweb.org
Comentarios