Many years ago I took a class at a community college to learn how to draw. I had always doodled but never could create a decent representation of the thing I wanted to depict. When I drew faces, they looked Picasso-ish with distorted features. So for a semester I spent the mornings of my day off in a drawing class. After learning basics, the bulk of our time was spent drawing whatever object the teacher had set before us. It was at times very frustrating trying to get a realistic result on a bowl of fruit or a vase. Then came the real challenge. We were told to bring a mirror to class and we began a project to do a self-portrait. I was not fond of spending time in front of a mirror – which is even more the case now with grey hair appearing and the loss of the athletic build I had in my twenties. The challenge of drawing a self-portrait was intense. I had to gaze for hours and study the details in the mirror to get any accuracy in the drawing. What I ended up with stunned me. First of all because of it’s accuracy. What I saw in the picture was the same person in the mirror! I never imagined being capable of such a drawing! Secondly because without thinking about it, I included the detail of the shirt I was wearing in class one day. It was made by the Canadian clothing company “Roots”. So as I proceeded to add a backdrop to the portrait, I decided to have it reflect the word ‘roots’ and I drew a large but subtle cross that appeared to be bursting with light behind me. Now when the course was over, the question remained what to do with my self-portrait. Not really wanting to hang it in my house, I did what I thought best… framed it and gave it to my mother!
I have long been convinced that what we do in ministry with teens or anyone must be rooted in scripture. It must be born out of a long deep look into Gods word or we will not produce an accurate representation of the God we serve. The more we study the Bible, the more we discover the truth about God. Those of you who have heard me preach in your churches have heard me speak of the need for us to get rooted in scripture.
Our vision for youth ministry is focused on looking deeply into scripture so that what we do fully glorifies God and produces lasting results. It would be far easier to continue to do ministry the way it has been done for the past several decades, but research has shown that the old ways don’t bear the fruit that we desire. We have been proclaiming this vision of working together, raising up a Biblically literate generation that is leading the church and changing the world, and we are seeing the fruit of it. The way we are moving forward on this vision is found in challenging leaders to make a transition from good to great ministry. This diocese has long been known for very good youth ministry. The challenge for us is to build on the past and develop a stronger future. This requires examining the details of what we do and how we do it, comparing that to the Bible as well as our theology and vision, then seeking alignment. The result is that most of our youth groups have moved from being activity driven to intentional ministry. Today’s youth ministers are working with a generation that is overly entertained and have too many activities provided for them – they are extremely busy. What they crave is meaning and substance, a real experience of the Christian faith and to enjoy it as well. We face a youth culture that seeks the extreme. That is a distinct culture shift. When many of us were teens, we just wanted to have fun. Today’s adolescent wants to experience life and experience it to the extreme. Youth ministry is catching up with the culture and at the same time returning to the purpose of the church. We are seeing youth groups shift from 45 minutes of games and 10 minutes of Jesus to an hour of engaging and interactive spiritual growth that is meaningful, enjoyable and fun. We have youth groups basing their weekly programs on teaching books of the Bible rather than hot topics and trendy videos. Some of our youth ministers have redesigned their confirmation programs and ended the trend of kids dropping out of sight afterwards. Our events are engaging students in the Bible, prayer, worship, and missions.
In our quest for helping leaders shift from good to great youth ministry, we have been sharing a simple idea. Our ministries must be based on Content and Context. The content is God’s word, the gospel is at the heart of it. If the Bible is our content, then naturally Jesus who is at the center of scriptures (and indeed is the word made flesh) is at the center of our ministries. This is our root structure upon which all growth depends. If we are properly rooted in scripture, we will remain centered on Christ. The context is what I call authentic Biblical community. Community is a buzzword that carries different meanings, so I would direct your thinking toward the question “what does it mean to be the body of Christ?” Youth groups, and indeed the church, must be a place where we learn to love one another deeply and experience an authenticity in relationships that surpasses anything we find in the world. If the content is the root, then the context is the fruit. We plant, water and fertilize according to what results we want. Authentic Biblical community is the context for spiritual growth.
The reality is that we are only ever one generation away from losing our Biblical roots. In the diocese of SC, these roots are growing deep! To that end we are continually grateful for the support and encouragement of this diocese.
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