t-blog

Teenagers with a biblically grounded Christian worldview do not just happen, they must be built. “In the absence of biblical formative instruction, secular formative instructors take over. Our hearts are easily captivated by the hollow and deceptive philosophy of a godless culture.[1] The task of building a Christian worldview in the lives of our teenage children is a proactive one. It is not to be attempted passively. Before construction begins, parents and church leaders must have a blueprint. The powerful thing about a blueprint is that it allows the builder and the future residents to see how things should look from perspective of the architect.

If parents desire to build a Christian worldview in the lives of their teenagers, they must translate the dynamic truth of the Gospel into the daily trek of real life. Once again, we are faced with deciding to be intentional or reactive. One leads to building a Christian worldview the other leads to watching someone else build it.

But before construction begins, parents must take some time for a little personal reflection and lay out a strategy for shaping a christian worldview at home through what I call 8 Simple Rules for Shaping a Christian Worldview at Home.

In her recent book, Almost Christian: What the Faith of teenagers Is Telling the American Church, Kenda Dean states that “most teenagers are perfectly content with their religious worldviews; it is churches that are—rightly—concerned. So we must assume that the solution lies not in beefing up congregational youth programs or making worship more “cool” and attractive, but in modeling the kind of mature, passionate faith we say we want young people to have.”

The key to shaping a Christian worldview is this. You have to be a Christian worldview before you can teach a Christian worldview. Your kids will learn more from your life than your words.

With this in mind, here is Rule #1: In every situation ask, “Does this honor God?” Your teenager must see you evaluating every situation and decision with a concern for what will bring glory to God. That means that you have to ask (not just in your mind) if God will be glorified in this vacation to the Grand Canyon or how will God get the glory if you by a new car. The biblical foundation for this rule is centered on 1 Corinthians 10:31. Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.

Start today by seeking God’s glory in every day’s activities.

[1]Trip, Ted and Margy. Instructing a Child’s Heart (Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd Press, 2008), 15.

The last two days have been a blast! I love what I do and I am beyond grateful to god for the privilege to be a part of His plan to redeem the lost…globally.

Yesterday we had some outstanding class discussion. We didn’t cover as much as I had planned, but students are digging in and genuinely trying to grasp the transferable principles and how they apply in their context. Today, we were cooking. Great comments and questions plus we covered a lot of ground. The last two days of class looked like this:

• Develop a long term strategy for a campus ministry
• Key questions for assessing schools
• Restructure for a campus ministry(talked a little about Phil Rice)
• Becoming an Insider
• Understanding Contacting: To Be Seen, To Be Known, To Be Understood
• The Campus Meeting: Impact Meeting

Tomorrow we will wrap up the week by digging into student evangelism strategies. This is always my favorite part of this class. It will flow like this:

• The Campus Meeting: Insight Meeting
• Mobilizing Teens to Reach Their School
• Preparing for a Campus Ministry: The Youth Leader & the Students

Outside of class, we had even more fun. Mentoring can be the most fun you ever have in youth ministry. We left class and went to a mall for lunch at Chili’s.

What a great mall with unbelievable views of the city looking out over an infinity pool. My students (I mean Dennis’ students) really welcomed me to the group. (Did I say how much I love what I do?) It was their first time to eat at Chili’s, it’s a pretty new mall.

After lunch, we caught a movie. We saw Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It was my second time to see it, but this time it was in Spanish without subtitles. I really enjoyed it (probably because I just saw it 5 days ago).

To all the students in my class, “Thank you.” You have made this an unforgettable adventure this week. I hope I have another opportunity to hang out with you in the near future.

Okay, so I mentioned in my last post that Mexico City makes me feel at home, but I wasn’t quite sure why. Well, I think I know why.

PEOPLE:

Their Calling…God has so richly blessed this city with God’s people who love to see others hear about His wonderful grace. These people care deeply for their country and willing to sacrifice to see that happen in their communities. They have set aside the normal course of their lives to pursue “unsung hero” status. The ministry that they have been called to often presents great difficulties that would cause youth pastors in the United States to resign or announce that “they sense God is moving them to a new ministry.”

Their Hospitality…In the last 6 years I have the opportunity to teach youth ministry students at 3 of our international centers (Kiev, Kathmandu, & Mexico City), and without question God’s people have always received me like family. The people of Mexico City are no exception. But I want to express special thanks to my students and interpreter here this week. You are all brothers & sisters on the same mission and you make me want to love Jesus more.

Their Food…Okay, so this one is not very spiritual, to you. However, sharing a meal together is a very spiritual activity in the body of Christ. It brings us all to a place where we connect with each other in a heartfelt way. But here, that fellowship is accompanied with entrees that taste sooooo good. Thank you seminary kitchen ladies.

CLASS:

We had a very productive class today. We began the day with a review of our Youth Ministry Mission Statement and Philosophy and also reviewed the 5 C’s for Measuring Spiritual Growth. The rest of the day flowed as follows:

• Foundations of  Campus Ministry
• Characteristics of a Movement
• Ingredients for Growth
• Benefits of a Movement
• Goals of a Movement
• Basic Principles of a Campus Ministry
• Initial Steps to a Campus Ministry (part 1)

Students also worked in groups to develop a survey to use on a school campus (MS=Secondary, HS=Preparatory). They will continue with that project tomorrow.

I’ll post another update on Wednesday. In the meantime, if you happen to read or understand Spanish, you can check out YMI’s Latin American Site. If not, take a look at this promo video for the National Center for Youth Ministry-Mexico.

The “W” Conference at Southern Seminary.

God has called women to discipleship, evangelism and service to the church.

“But I feel pulled in a hundred directions? …Where do I find wisdom on which way to go?”

Being a woman is complicated, especially being a young woman in this mixed-up world. If the questions above enter your mind then the W conference was created just for you. W wants to help you apply the Bible’s teachings on womanhood to the situations that women often find themselves in. Being all that God has designed you to be isn’t always easy and without tribulation. W is intended to help and encourage you to live out your calling to make an eternal difference in His Kingdom.

W will encourage you to grow deeper in your faith and conference speakers will also address the biblical teachings on purity, relationships, dating, marriage, balance, wise spending, spiritual walk, making a difference, and more.

W is designed for young women, high school and college students and young adults. This Friday night and Saturday conference will be held on the campus of Southern Seminary on Nov. 19-20, 2010.

Conference Info:

The W Conference: Simplifying Womanhood in a Complicated World

November 19-20 at Southern Seminary
Worship Leaders: Mary Kassian and Heather Payne

Breakouts on multicultural relationships, girl-girl relationships, girl-boy relationships, balancing, time management, wise spending, spiritual fitness, God’s call, and the P31 wife.

Learn to minister to young women! Bring young women! Learn to be wise in a world gone crazy.

DISCOUNT CODE: SBTS for 15% off!

Register online now: http://events.sbts.edu/wconference

DISCLAIMER: This is a series of blogs on youth discipleship. Just give it time.

Discipleship is a process that must render a life that is transformed. The process must have a strategy that can be replicated in every discilping relationship. It must have attainable and measurable goals for that transformation.

Do you believe this statement? “Every teenager that believes in Jesus Christ deserves the opportunity for personal spiritual nurture and growth.” If not, then what is the purpose of local church youth ministry? Back in 1990, Duffy Robbins wrote that the goal for those who minister to adolescents is to “help them grow spiritually.” Those words are just as precise and vital in the 21^st century as in any time in the modern history of local church youth ministry. To develop the goal of youth ministry even further, we can turn to the following statement that we have been teaching for 3 decades.

The goal of youth ministry is to develop culturally appropriate programs, through which every young person, will hear the Gospel and have the opportunity to spiritually mature.

The goal of youth ministry must have a definite direction that leads to producing spiritually maturing adolescents in your church. But what do we really mean when we say “spiritually mature?” When I say that, I mean that the Christian life is a process of growth where every believer never finishes discovering, learning, and obeying what God teaches us in His Word. One of the greatest works on discipleship over the last several decades is that of LeRoy Eims’ Lost Art of Disciplemaking (1978). In that book, Eims defines what a disciple is in a very tangible practical sense. Listen don’t just read these words.

…people who knew how to win another person to Christ and then take that person from the time of his conversion and help him become a….mature disciple who could in time repeat that process in the life of another (Eims, 1978, 18).

That means that true discipleship is ultimately evangelistic. If Eims is right that the true definition of a disciple is that a Christian can lead someone to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ then walk with them, train them, pray with them, and model for them how to lead others, then discipleship is to always have evangelism as a primary goal. Believers reproducing believers.

So, does your strategy for youth discipleship include a a tangible objective? Do you have a discipleship map for the spiritual growth j0urney that you are leading your students on?