Youth Ministry and Corporate Worship

I've already spent some time highlighting the fact that the church is losing young adults in great numbers as they enter college and beyond.  In reality, they probably lost them prior to them even leaving or they never really had them in the first place.  Yes, they never had them in the first place.  Even churches with strong youth ministries are making the same tragic mistake. They are allowing their kids to choose something other than corporate worship.

I've seen churches that have so many ministry opportunities for their children and youth that they can grow up in the church and never attend it.  In the current paradigm, they grow up going to children's ministry, then they get into middle school and high school and attend another program that takes the place of church.  The fortunate ones, end up finding a college/young adult ministry when they leave home, and the ones who don't probably won't be a regular attender of church for the rest of their lives.  The ones who go to college and find a ministry must make the same choice after they graduate.  In reality, it is possible for our students to have never been a consistent part of the corporate worship of the CHURCH until they are around 22 years old.

Why is it important for students to be a part of corporate worship?  When they have to make the choice for themselves, they won't have to choose the foreign and unknown.  If they've all ready been there and all ready developed the discipline of being there they will be much more likely to go again.  Right now the paradigm is to tailor everything to our students and then pull the rug right out from underneath of them when they graduate. There are some churches who are so stuck in 1995 (some in 2005) that they keep their students out intentionally because they know their services aren't designed for those kids. There are other churches who are knocking it out of the park during their services but still offer something else for teenagers thinking they are offering a necessary program.  If we want young adults to be active in the CHURCH in the future they need to be active in the CHURCH now.  CHURCH is the necessity.

to be continued...

What matters and what doesn't

As I look for a new church to serve, I've been thinking about the things that matter to me and the things that are important in finding a new church home.

What matters:

• The Gospel- it needs to be held in the highest regard, the gospel has to be plainly evident
• Simply philosophy and simple practice- i'm a simple guy, too many churches do too many things
• To be viewed as more than a youth pastor- I love the church, not just youth ministry
• Opportunity for my wife- she's got talent and personality and to contain those is...well...dangerous ;)
• Successful at reaching young adults-  we want a place that is reaching 20-30 somethings, rare these days
• Living in 2009
• Willingness to make changes
• Location- I love to be outdoors hunting, fishing, and shooting my bow, but my wife needs to be near civilization.  Has to be a nice balance.

What doesn't:

• Facility
• Weekly attendance
• Worship style- reverence and meaning are more important
• Salary- obviously I need one, but we don't live above our means and we want the right opportunity more than a certain amount of money.
• Budget- I've operated with no money and I've operated with tens of thousands.  Ministry happens under both.

Reading material...

Here are a few books that I've recently read, enjoyed, are on my "to read" list, or are my favs:

• No More Christian Nice Guy by Paul Coughlin
• Simple Church by Thom Ranier
• The Prodigal God by Tim Keller
• A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller