Friday, January 18, 2008

ReThink?


Youth Ministry is dead. Kids are leaving the church in droves after graduation, never to darken the doors of the church again. Youth pastors are quitting in astonishing rates. Millions of Kids will grow up to become cynical, God hating citizens because the church has failed them. Where is God while this is happening? Whatever shall we do? ( I ask myself as I bite my nails.)

In my time this morning I was researching some book titles I had come across, deciding which one to invest in, I came across the book titled "reThink". I have not read the book nor do I plan on buying the book because the description from the publisher was pretty much like the above paragraph. The jest of the book is that the program hasn't been working so we're going to combat it with another type of program.( Man does this reek of the SBC or what. oops was that out loud?)
It goes to prove that everything can be solved by reading a book that has a "program" to battle the "program". The whole mentality that we will be different by - being just like everybody else.
I don't deny the fact that kids are leaving the church in droves, I don't deny the fact youth pastors are quitting at astonishing rates - I want to quit every week-, Neither do I disagree that kids are becoming cynical, God hating citizens because I have seen it happen.
So where is God while all of this is happening? Has he left the building? Uh Nope.
God is still on the throne, orchestrating every detail of our lives working all things according to His will.
Kids are leaving the church because they haven't been taught, they have been entertained. Youth pastors are leaving because it's fun for a while but real ministry doesn't happen on Sundays or Wednesdays, it happens on everyday.Kids become cynical and God hating because they see the hypocrisy going on in the church and in their parents lives. So what ever shall we do?
Pray.
I know it's a foreign concept but, if you try it you'll see that it really works. Pray like your students life depends on it, cause it does. Don't entertain, let the word of God pull them in. God will draw them near to Him. He's faithful. Youth ministers, here's a concept. Do you want to have a successful ministry? It's not the program, It's the Kids. Invest your time in them. It's not easy and it takes all your time, but if God has called you to reach Kids, go after them not their attention span. As far as the Hypocrisy goes, wake up Parents and do you job it is not the job of the church to raise your kids, they see how you live and they model what is seen.

*** Disclaimer - I am not against the SBC I just don't agree with all of our practices.

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