Where the rubber hits the road in ministry
Last night was our second week doing youth ministry with an entirely new format. I continue to love it, but have to accept the truth about what I'm doing in the process.
Last week we had nearly 60 students. Last year we averaged between 30-40, so I was pretty excited. This week we were down to the mid 30's. I have been spoon fed the idea that numerical growth is the way ministry works, and though I don't entirely agree, it is still in my head and was harshly yelling its painful reminders into my ear throughout the night. But I know that many students didn't return because the night wasn't "fun" enough, which means I have to be okay with it.
The good news, though, is that many students took on the challenge given last week, which meant personalizing the message and trying to live out the Gospel in their own context. Some succeeded. Some failed. But they all wanted to share about their attempts either way! Equally exciting was that many of them took the daily devotions I made seriously and read through the first 11 chapters of Genesis. They brought a bunch of great questions, some of which I was able to answer, others of which completely stumped me.
I don't know how all of this will be viewed by my superiors, my church as a whole, or other youth ministries. What I do know is that for the first time I feel like I am doing ministry in a way that is faithful to God and scripture, and leading in a fashion that matches the way God made me. I like it.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Radical Reformission, The : Reaching Out without Selling Out by Mark Driscoll. Although I have had a multitude of issues with this guy (and still do), it is a decent book which would probably do the average Christian a lot of good. I see him taking a lot of the big theological thoughts floating around these days and boiling them down into some practical ways of living for the average Joe. That's a good thing.
Currently Listening To: NOFX's White Trash album. It's their best by far.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Thanks for the report, Matt. Sounds like things are happening as they should. Better to have a group of 30 who get meat & potatoes than 100 who get mac & cheese.
kudos to you my friend. You need to always ask yourself, like the wise son of peter just said, would you rather have quality or quantity? You are teaching these kids some rad things that will help them, but they won't know it until they themselves are truly challenged in life.
Hey Matt,
It's Ray.
Yup, we all get bugged by the numbers game. When Pastors ask me how big my church is, my reponse is usually "about 8 or 10,000 sq. ft."
It's about a healthy body (read ministry)not a big one. I love the 'all by itselfness' of growth. Mk. 4:28... be the farmer bro,
Blessings,
Ray
Post a Comment