Yesterday Sherri took the time to write out a well thought out comment to my post here on a little of my frustration in youth ministry. There are a bunch of issues that she mentions so I thought that instead of trying to discuss all of them in the comments section, I would simply write a new post for today! So here goes, the indented, italicized text is Sherri’s comment. I’ll be breaking in between to inject some of my thoughts. Please don’t think that I am trying to beat up on Sherri! Far from it, I am simply trying to further the conversation and help us think through where many of us are, in a Youth Ministry 2.0 world, and where things are heading, a 3.0 world.

OK, I’m gonna throw my two cents in:

I volunteer in a youth ministry in a so called “mega church” where we average 500 kids on a regular Wed. eve. and 900-1000 on “big” nights.

In reflecting my pastor’s thoughts, the point is realizing where kids are, in THEIR mindset and THEIR culture and reaching into that realm long enough to get their attention.

First of all it is a great thing that Sherri has such a great understanding of where her church’s leadership is! It is really a rare thing and it means that her pastor is doing a great job communicating!

I do wonder about the idea of reaching into their realm though. Is it even possible? According to the research of Dr. Chap Clark for his book HURT, there really is no hope for any adult to enter the “subterranean” world of teenagers. Dr. Clark proposes that the best we can do is simply waiting at the stairwell and making sure kids know we are there for them.

A kid’s social life is their number 1 priority, whether they are willing to admit it or not and face it, if you give an average kid two event invitations and one is to a Bible study and another is to a cheese burger eating contest on the same night at the same time, which one do you think they would choose?

I am wondering if it is really beneficial to create event invitations, what does it communicate about the youth ministry? I am wondering if even the simple act of creating advertising for a youth ministry event is the beginning of consumerism in a youth ministry.

It would be wonderful if awesome worship and great teaching were enough to get unchurched teens interested in coming to church, but it just isn’t. (I guess that would be “the pull of community winning over the pull of consumerism.”) Maybe in a perfect world….

This assumption is made on the thinking that there is one way of doing effective youth ministry, a relevant worship band & an engaging teacher. What if there is another way? This mindset of ministry is focused on reaching individual students without placing full value on their “tribal” relationships. What I have noticed as of late is that students have more stuff than ever before, even the ones from lower income families, what they are craving is true community.

Anyway, is it really that bad (or “unspiritual”) to promote a drawing for a free ipod to get them in the door and then allow them to experience awesome worship, great teaching and an opportunity to hear the gospel that they wouldn’t have otherwise? (Or what you have dubbed, “Mary Poppins Youth Ministry.)

The idea that teenagers need to show up at our events in order to “hear the gospel” seems to me like a situation that would be very foreign to Jesus. When I read the gospel accounts, I read about Jesus and his disciples traveling from place to place, engaging with people on their turf without setting up a special circumstance (giveaways) to attract a crowd. If the adults and students in our churches are going to join in on the Missio Dei, we need to be going out.

(I’m really not trying to be contentious here, but) how do you get unchurched teens into church? If it irks you so much, what is your alternative solution?

Unfortunately I don’t have a solid solution right now, that is what bothers me so much. The very nature of following Jesus and attempting to actually live out that life means that the alternative solution is going to look a little different in every situation.

(And if I may add, if there is no follow-up discipleship of these new teen Christians to teach them how to live the Christ life, then yes, we are right back into a shallow Mary Poppins Youth Ministry.)

Jesus didn’t call us to make new Christians and then disciple them. Jesus gave the instruction that we are to simply make disciples. It is because of this command that I feel this idea of community is so important. If we can find a way to incorporate teenagers that are not following Jesus into a community of Christ-followers where they will experience Jesus in the flesh, will we be way further ahead in our mission than if we are great at getting kids to show up to an event where they simply hear about Jesus.