Youth Ministry & Bigotry

I've tweeted several posts today that demonstrate some of the bigotry inherent within the Church which is finding its way into our youth ministry efforts. It seems to be the running theme of the day as I came across this post at the "Samwise the Brave" blog about Christian artist Derek Webb's soon-to-be-released album. Apparently the song in the video above, "What Matters More" has caused quite a bit of controversy. You can see why when you read the lyrics below (which seem to be, in part, inspired by a Tony Campolo remark. See below). If we had more Christian music like this, I might listen to it more often:

You say you always treat people like you like to be

I guess you love being hated for your sexuality

You love when people put words in your mouth

‘Bout what you believe, make you sound like a freak

‘Cause if you really believe what you say you believe

You wouldn’t be so damn reckless with the words you speak

Wouldn’t silently conceal when the liars speak

Denyin’ all the dyin’ of the remedy

Tell me, brother, what matters more to you?

Tell me, sister, what matters more to you?

If I can tell what’s in your heart by what comes out of your mouth

Then it sure looks to me like being straight is all it’s about

It looks like being hated for all the wrong things

Like chasin’ the wind while the pendulum swings

‘Cause we can talk and debate until we’re blue in the face

About the language and tradition that he’s comin’ to save

Meanwhile we sit just like we don’t give a shit

About 50,000 people who are dyin’ today

Tell me, brother, what matters more to you?

Tell me, sister, what matters more to you?


For more on the controversy between the songwriter and his label and what is happening with the album (they are releasing a censored and an "authorized" version), check here. So, what do you think?

Update: Don't miss this post about the above song with tons of responses, all debating the use of the word "shit" in the lyrics. I had to laugh, as it perfectly illustrates the point of the song: We Christians sit around debating and arguing the most pointless things while children are dying of hunger, the enviroment is being destroyed, and our own wars continue to kill the innocent. Where is the priority when it comes to what we teach our youth?

Update #2: Some friendly atheists have joined this discussion over Tony Campolo, cussing, and Christianity.

-Brian

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CREATIVE WORSHIP: Upside Down Jesus

Sometimes the only way to get a different perspective on Jesus is to force ourselves to see him a new way.

How often do we miss experiencing God or Christ in our midst because we can’t see past the routine of everyday life and our preconceived ideas? In this activity, youth are challenged to meditate on an image of Christ and attempt to recreate their own version of that image as a line drawing. The catch? They look at the image upside down and draw it upside down.

Rather than trying simply to reproduce the entire image “as is,” turning it upside down challenges the artist to focus on the various shapes and lines that make up the picture. Perhaps surprisingly, even those who claim they have no skill at drawing can create quite vivid images when they free themselves to focus only on line, shape, and shadow rather than the entire image. (This activity is based on an exercise in the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.)

Gather together a collection of images of Jesus (I just did a Google search and printed out paintings and drawings as well as photos of various actors portraying Jesus). Invite youth to choose one of the pictures that speaks to them in some way. Challenge them to turn it upside down and, using it as a guide, attempt to recreate on another sheet of paper the lines and shapes of the image just as they see them. Tell them to resist the temptation to try to turn the picture “right side up” in their brains as they draw. Just focus on the lines and shapes that they see. Doing so allows our brains to see things in a new way. When finished, invite the teens to look at their images right side up and reflect on the experience.

Discuss:

• What was it like to try to draw the image upside down?
• Why might we be stuck in seeing Jesus in only certain ways?
• What still surprises you about the life, ministry, and work of Jesus?
• In what ways do you think Jesus' own ministry was an "upside down" way of seeing the world and others?
• What might you do in the coming week to see Jesus in a new and challenging ways?
  

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Food, Inc.

I suspect Food, Inc. is a film that all youth ministers need to see and discuss with their youth ministry groups this summer. We can give a lot of lip service to appreciating God's creation and protecting the environment and yet the meals on our dinner tables are the product of all sorts of practices that harm the earth, promote horrific mistreatment of animals, and encourage us to eat food that is ruining our health. No time like the summer, when everyone is out in the fresh air and the natural world, to invite our youth to reflect on how the simple act of eating at a fast food restaurant may be disrespecting all we claim in the Genesis creation stories.

--Brian

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7 WAYS TO GUARANTEE A LOUSY CHURCH CAMP

I'm off to church camp in a few days and, as my staff and I put the finishing touches on our planning for the week, I thought I'd pass on a few nuggets of wisdom for any of my fellow church camp leaders who are interested in doing things that will guarantee your youth have a lousy time:

1) Play games the first day that force physical interaction. Nothing will ensure that your shy teens and introverts have a terrible start to camp like making them participate in icebreakers and community builders the first day that force them to do things like getting tied into a human knot with a bunch of strangers or build a human pyramid. (Those "repeat everyone's name in order" games are pretty intimidating, too. Interaction is important, of course, but don't force it and don't introduce too much too fast!).

2) Do skits/pranks where someone is the butt of the joke. Don't you just love those camp skits where some unsuspecting teen gets a bucket of water dumped on his head (or down his pants) or a whipped cream pie pushed in her face? Don't you just love those pranks where the new kid gets his clothes thrown on the roof of the cabin and shampoo in her sleeping bag? (Well, many people don't. Even if the "victim" laughs and plays along, s/he may quietly resent being ridiculed for everyone else's amusement. I could write a book about the problem with camp pranks, but let's move on...)

3) Sing songs to which only alumni campers know the words. How much fun is it going to camps where there are those clever gimmick songs ("Star-Trekkin!") that only the teens who have been coming to that camp for 3 years know the words! Enjoy the hilarity as everyone else has to awkwardly stand around and just listen or else prove they are "one of the group" by anxiously memorizing the words by the end of the week! (This approach only serves to alienate new members of the camp community and sends a loud message: "You don't belong...yet.") Which leads us to #4...

4)Perpetuate inside jokes and "remember when" stories from camps past. Nothing is funnier than the counselors reminding everyone about "that wacky thing Phil did in the girl's cabin last year" or "the talent show skit that got Cindy into trouble with the staff," even though none of the younger campers have any idea what everyone is laughing at! (Again, this a great way to send the message "We of the inner circle have a history together. You gotta earn your way into the inner circle here by putting in your time.")

5) Encourage talent show acts that promote stereotypes and prejudices. What's a talent show without ethnic stereotypes (the napping Mexican in a sombrero, the "swami" with his head wrapped in a towel speaking gibberish). Is there some unwritten law that there must be camp talent show acts where guys dress in drag? (Ever stop to consider that for some teens, cross-dressing may be a reality in the life of a parent, relative, or friend...or may even be part of their developing gender identity?). And that leads us to #6...

6) Make a big deal about "purpling!" You know how it goes: boys are "blue" and girls are "pink" and if they get too close (e.g. amorous hugging, kissing, girls in the boys cabin and vice versa) they make "purple!" Talking about this a lot, particularly making a joke out of it, helps sends a silent message that we all know that everyone at camp is really fixated on hooking up and finding a date for the Friday night dance. (Not only does this sort of thing alienate the youth who are not sexually mature, it also sends confusing and often alienating signals to youth at camp who are not heterosexual or who are not certain of their sexual identity yet. Do you announce rules against "no double blues," "no double pinks," etc.?)

7) Program every minute of the week. Youth live over-programmed lives. Why shouldn't camp be the same way? (Maybe because one of the ways to make camp unique and special is to provide space for youth to be quiet, to hang out, to just "be" for awhile without any more stimuli than the feel of the breeze and the sounds of bees buzzing.)

Want to add any others? For more ideas on ways to create a lousy camp (and how to avoid one) check out this great post (and the comments section).

--Brian

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CREATIVE WORSHIP: Choose-a-Song

Devoree, a long-time youth ministry colleague of mine, recently shared a cool idea for inviting teens to explore the intersection between their music and their prayer life. Devoree write:

We tried something new with the youth. For a time of sharing joys and concerns within the worship setting we gathered the youth in a circle and asked them to think about their week. We then asked them to reflect on their highs and lows and share a song that reflected those feelings. The response was good. Some said lyrics, some mentioned a mood, some said the style [of the song] represented how they were feeling that week. One had more than one song fitting the bill. The others responded to the sharer with nods and recognition. It was a good reflective piece allowing another way to communicate. In general music is important to youth. Even if you don't listen to the same music, it is sometimes easier to understand a feeling when expressed in terms of beat, style, poetry etc.

Dev suggests that you could extend this idea by inviting youth to think about music in terms of their faith and how the music and lyrics resonate with their understanding of the sacred. Another extension of this activity could involve inviting just one youth a week to bring in a song to play for the group -- a song that connects with their faith, their understanding of God, their doubts and fears, their joys. Spend time listening to the song together and reflecting on its content as a group, looking for God in each person's weekly gift of music.

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PLANNING YOUR MISSION TRIP #2: Free Journal

NOTE: This is an update to a previous version of this post.

Each time I take youth on a mission trip, I provide them a journal as a resource for connecting their volunteer experiences with the gospel, as well as offering them space to do some reflection and jot down memories and significant happenings during the experience. Here you will find a Word version of the simple journal I produced last year, drawing on a variety of resources, which you can download (it can be edited, but the format may not come out quite right on your end). Daily scripture texts and questions are provided to help your whole group keep the focus on the true spirit of mission. If you'd prefer a pdf version of the journal (which cannot be edited, though it would be easy to add extra pages to personalize the document for you group) you can download it here.

You will find the first entry in this mission trip series here: Fundraising

--Brian

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Blog Scavenger Hunt Winner!

Congrats to Brandi M. for winning this month's Youth Ministry Blog Scavenger Hunt contest. She will be getting a copy of Marking Milestones And Making Memories For Youth. Thanks to all who entered and don't miss next month's scavenger hunt. For the record, here are the answer to this month's questions:

1) Chad Swanzy recently detailed some of his youth ministry's plans for the summer. In it he mentions a creative summer program idea: "The premise with this event is that 48 hours before a scheduled T-Minus a map, items to bring, and challenge to meet will be posted on the site and facebook. Students will have less than 48 hours to be ready, prepared, and present at the event." What is the name of this special summer program which goes in the blank above?

2) Dan, author of the Emerging Youth's blog, describes in his personal description that his goal is to rethink the way youth ministry has been done and attempt to bring not just the message of Jesus but Jesus himself to the next generation of youth. What goes in that blank?

3) Each Monday Iowa youth minister Jake Bouma writes a not-to-be-missed post about interesting links he's found, what he's reading, what music he's listening to, updates on his ministry, and other cool stuff. What does he title these Monday posts? The Monday Brief.

4) At Marv Nelson's See Through blog, he recently has been writing about one particular individual's view of the Church. Who is it? Jesus.
(And you can see more of Marv's reflections on youth ministry at his new blog Emerging Youth Pastor.)

5) In one of Matt Cleaver's favorite posts, he argues that in the next 50 years youth minsters will need to become what? A Theologian.

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On Youth Ministry & Open-Ended Questions

Do you already have life, faith, God and the world figured out or do you hope to learn more in years to come?

Ever wondered if you might have some of this faith stuff wrong? That what you believe today you may not believe in the future? I recently came across a post by a young youth minister who certainly has a great deal of certitude about what he believes. I wondered if I ever had that much certitude, especially when it came to faith.

I started working in youth ministry in my early twenties and even though I was already a "progressive" Christian way back then (though we called ourselves "liberal" in those days), I suppose that there were many issues of faith of which I was certain that I was certain. Ministering to youth afforded me the opportunity to pass on those great inviolate truths to the teens I served. Looking back, I'm not so sure that was such a good idea. If I've learned anything over the last two decades, it's that I still have a heck of a lot to learn and the things of which I'm absolutely certain, especially in the area of faith, would barely fill up a tiny communion cup. This I know: God is love, God loves all, and the Jesus of scripture lived out this ethic the best he could (and was killed for trying). Beyond that, I'm open to discussion...with conservatives, liberals, non-believers, and others alike.

So, I'm not so comfortable anymore with passing on "the answers" to teens. I'm much more wary about giving them certitude. I've changed my mind too often and learned enough to know that I've learned so little. My eyes have been opened to too many things to think I know it all now. The scriptures have opened up thoughts to me in my middle age that I would never have been open to hearing in my youth. The Spirit has moved in ways I could never have predicted and God has shown up in places and people I would have never have expected. So I'm content to help youth live with the questions, to wrestle with their doubts and learn to value the frustration of trusting, but not necessarily knowing, what this Christian faith is really all about.

--Brian

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YOUTH MINISTRY BLOG SCAVENGER HUNT

Our monthly Youth Ministry Blog Scavenger Hunt invites you to visit some of our favorite youth blogs listed below in search of answers to our scavenger hunt questions.

After finding the answers (and, we hope, spending a little time checking out the various blogs), email us your answers. Everyone submitting 5 correct answers will then be entered into a random drawing for the following resource:

Marking Milestones And Making Memories For Youth: Looking Back…looking Forward (Hardcover)by Jason Schultz. This book uses a slick yearbook-style format to share tons of great ideas for creating rituals, traditions and memories in your youth ministry. It includes ideas in such categories as retreats, intergenerational activities, tearjerkers, service and outreach, fundraisers, and milestones.

OK. Here is your scavenger hunt list for May. When you have your answers ready, email us. Deadline is midnight Monday, June 1. Happy Hunting!

1) Chad Swanzy recently detailed some of his youth ministry's plans for the summer. In it he mentions a creative summer program idea: "The premise with this event is that 48 hours before a scheduled _______a map, items to bring, and challenge to meet will be posted on the site and facebook. Students will have less than 48 hours to be ready, prepared, and present at the event." What is the name of this special summer program which goes in the blank above?

2) Dan, author of the Emerging Youth's blog, describes in his personal description that his goal is to rethink the way youth ministry has been done and attempt to bring not just the message of Jesus but _________ to the next generation of youth. What goes in that blank?

3) Each Monday Iowa youth minister Jake Bouma writes a not-to-be-missed post about interesting links he's found, what he's reading, what music he's listening to, updates on his ministry, and other cool stuff. What does he title these Monday posts?

4) At Marv Nelson's See Through blog, he recently has been writing about one particular individual's view of the Church. Who is it? (Update: You can see more of Marv's reflections on youth ministry at his new blog Emerging Youth Pastor.)

5) In one of Matt Cleaver's favorite posts, he argues that in the next 50 years youth minsters will need to become what?

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Video: Small Town Youth Pastor

One of our favorite youth minstry blogger colleagues, Jeremy Zach, is featured in the lastest Youth Specialities video podcast. Congrats Jeremy! Scan ahead to the second part of the video where Jeremy talks about the ups and downs, struggles and blessings of ministering to a small youth ministry. He challenges the assumption that "bigger is better" and offers encouragement to pastors who might be able to count the number of youth in their church on two hands (or even one!).

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