Many of may have noticed that over the past couple of years I have transformed the structure of the youth program, but you may wonder why. I feel that the time is right that I explain my mission and goals as being the interim director of youth ministry.
I am sure that many of you have thought, “What exactly does Josh do anyway? He has all these other people doing his job.” Looking at my role without being involved in the process, I can understand how thoughts may arise about what exactly I am doing since so many others are doing so many things. Hopefully I can answer some of these questions in this writing.
As Ray mentioned this past Sunday, we are all called to ministry. I want this thought to remain in your thoughts as you read this commentary.
In my ministry to the youth, I provide the direction for the group on the macro level, as well as leading and assisting various programs on the micro level. I orchestrate the scheduling and long-term planning. Fortunately, I am also blessed with great group of youth sponsors that carry out many of the details of the macro plan I lay out. For instance, Kasey has the movie nights and assists with the cooking lessons; Russ leads Sunday School every other week and assists with the trips; Caapi sponsors both the cooking lessons and the trips; Jason leads Sunday School at least once a month; and Sherry and Caapi work together in leading the Son Beamers.
With these sponsors, again, I can see how many may question what it is that I do. Am I present for all these events? No. Should I be? No, I don’t believe so. Not that I’m trying to pawn my work off someone else, I actually believes it strengthen the ministry. The ministry of the youth at our church is not, and should not, be contingent upon my presence. The focus of the ministry must be on spiritual growth of the youth.
Many of us have seen what happens when a minister, youth or senior pastor, leaves a church – the ministry of the church suffers. There is often a big impact to attendance and spiritual growth. This happens, in my opinion, due to members becoming too reliant upon one person for their spiritual growth, which can be very dangerous to those members. With this in mind, I have tried very hard to orchestrate a structure that removes this threat and promotes spiritual growth.
We are all blessed with various different skills. None of us have the exact same skill set. This thought has also been a driver in the structuring and direction I have sought out in this facet of ministry. For instance, as many of you know, I am not strong in providing emotional support and sympathy, but two of my youth sponsors are very strong in those areas. I do, however, exhibit other skills that I can effectively use to reach the youth with, as do all the youth sponsors (and each of you!).
Let me pause here to write in a side note to make sure one other topic is clear. I have no intentions of quitting the position that the church has hired me to do. I do plan to remain the interim youth director until the time in which a senior pastor is called and confirmed, and go from there. If the church congregation, senior pastor, and I decide that I should continue in this role, I will. I enjoy my position at FCC and believe we have done great things over the past couple of years.
With that said, please allow me now to explain the ongoing mission for the ministry of our youth. The programs that have been implemented are strategic in nature, encompassing a balance of fellowship, outreach, discipleship, and ministry centered around worship. It is in my belief that it takes a balance of the items in order to provide growth, both numerically and spiritually. It is also my belief that it requires many leaders to provide adequate opportunities for this growth. One person cannot do it all and be effective. Again, I am so thankful for the sponsors that aid in this ministry.
I often feel guilty about always asking for money so our youth can do this or that, but nonetheless I still make the request. I do so because any guilt associated with asking for more is wiped away by the understanding of what these funds do in our ministry. We are more than a group that just goes and has fun. We are a group that is outreaching, evangelizing and fellowshipping through our Go Somewhere/Do Something trips and Movie Nights. We are ministering and practicing discipleship through Sunday School and our SNY nights. We are fellowshipping, teaching, and discipling through our cooking ministry events. And through all of these activities, and the others that are not listed, we are joining together to worship, learn about, and build a relationship with God.
As I mentioned earlier in this commentary, we are all called to ministry. How are you ministering? Do you feel a call to aid in the ministry of our youth? If so, please contact me. We’d love to plug you in.
Josh
No comments:
Post a Comment