Equipping and Training Parents through Youth Ministry

The other day I was reading an article from one of my youth ministry sites and I came across one particular article that I have had a “hard time swallowing.” The article was a discussion on whether youth ministry should be equipping parents to disciple their students/children and if so, this is one of the biggest challenges in youth ministry. As I continued to read, I was disturbed by one of the answers that one veteran youth pastor shared, “Why do you think it’s a youth pastors job to equip parents to disciple their children? Why isn’t that the job of the senior pastor? Or the minister to adults?”

Seriously? When I read these words I was blown away! I know from my own experience I may fail in this area quite a bit, but I truly believe that one of the biggest parts about youth ministry is coming alongside parents and helping them learn how to disciple their children. I am a firm believer that God has called parents to lead and train their children spiritually. Children/students are influenced more by their parents than any other person! God has given parents the incredible responsiblity of teaching their children how to walk with God and tell of His wonderful, praiseworthy deeds. In fact, how great would it be if our children/students grew up in homes where they saw their parents passionately love God in front of them despite what’s going on in life? Parents, you are the primary faith influencers in your child’s life!

I know for many people they view youth ministry has the main source of spiritual growth for their child. In some sense, we seem to think that the youth pastor should be a students “spiritual coach” just like their sports coach in any given sport. Or sometimes people have the view that youth ministry is a baby sitting service to just drop off their student for a couple of hours a week! Both of these views cannot be farther from the truth of what youth ministry is or how it operates. Youth ministry is all about loving students, parents and their families. I pray that I never fall into the trap that youth ministry should have its own separate identity from the church and that I exclude parents from helping or participating. In fact, I love it when parents want to find ways to help out and volunteer with our youth ministry. It shows me that they care about what their student is learning! I do desire to come along side parents and faithfully equip them to disciple their students, but more times than not I fall short in this area. I also need to learn what it means to faithfully disciple my family, being the dad of a two-year old, who will one day go through the youth ministry I’m leading (scary!)

I believe that youth ministry is another tool the church has to help encourage, strengthen and build up families. It’s not just the job of the senior pastor, minister to adults, sunday school teachers or youth pastors to train one certain group. We are called to minister to others and invest our life into the people and families we shepherd on a weekly basis. I love youth ministry and I look forward to serving God for as long as He wills in youth ministry.

Book Review and Recommendations

  Most of the people who know me knows that I do not read fast enough to ever post about them in a blog. But I do want to share a few books that I am currently reading and that I am excited to read in the upcoming months. These are also books that I strongly encourage others to check out and read too.

“Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball” by R.A. Dickey. Dickey is currently one of the starting pitchers for the New York Mets who is famous for his mind-boggling knuckleball. But his autobiography is a breath of fresh air as it is well written and thoughtful. It is also encouraging to see how God has worked in Dickey’s life and how He is continuing to work in his life. Dickey talks about the issue of sexual abuse as an eight year old boy and how he carried those demons around with him for years, never telling anyone. He speaks of his baseball career and how it almost didn’t happen because of elbow problems! It is such a refreshing book on how God has guided his life and how he recognizes that his life is nothing without Christ! I’m excited to see that there are more professional baseball players starting to stand up for Christ and choosing to make a difference in the lives of  others.

“Life in Student Ministry” by Tim Schmoyer has been a  great and refreshing book about the in’s and out’s of student ministry. With all the different opinions about youth ministry these days, Tim’s book has been a great tool for those new to youth ministry or even us “set in our way” youth pastors who have been around the block a time or two! The thing I loved best about the book is how the author drew on various youth pastor’s experiences and challenges. In a society that is constantly attacking youth ministry, this book will challenge and encourage youth pastor’s and leaders to “press on” even when we are discouraged, frustrated, beaten up, out of our comfort zones and even clueless.

“The Explicit Gospel” by Matt Chandler and Jared Wilson is a book that I am excited about reading this summer! I just purchased the book this past week, so I have not had a chance to crack it open yet, but I will come back this summer and give you my review of the book!

I hope this was helpful and if you know of any good books, please pass them on (they may be put in the monster stack near my desk, but I will get it eventually!) Until next time…God Bless!

Who Do You Say That I Am?

I am truly excited that Sunday is Resurrection Day, the day when Jesus Christ rose from the grave, defeated death, conquered sin and saved me from death! Jesus Christ did something that Hitler, Ghandi, Alexander the Great, Abraham, Moses or anyone has ever done by rising from the dead! I cannot even begin to imagine what that day must have been like not only for Jesus, but the disciples, his mother, his friends and even the Jews.

That is something that I have thought about all day, in the after math of Jesus’ crucifixion I wonder what the scene must have been like for everyone their? I thought about how the disciples must have felt when they saw Jesus hanging on that cross and then placed in the grave. I sometimes wonder what were the emotions running through them like, what was the discussion like between them and their friends that day? I also wonders what the day itself was like. The curtain had been torn in two, so did the religious leaders truly realize at that moment that He was God’s Son? How did Mary feel having to bury her oldest son?

I know that a lot of my questions are not very deep theological questions nor can they be answered in the bible, but it is worth thinking about a little, right? I guess I find it interesting because the disciples spent three years with Jesus, everyday for three years they heard Him teach, they saw Him heal the sick and afflicted and they saw Him do many other things and wonders that are not mentioned in scripture. But when you read the Gospels, we find the disciples hiding in fear of the Jews when Jesus appears to them after His resurrection!

Now, we all know that they eventually turned this world upside down with the message of Jesus Christ and the cross, but what happened in those few still hours when Christ was no more than a memory to them? I guess it’s really not that important but I do wonder what that day or day after was like when Jesus had been crucified and buried. The most important thing we know is what Luke says in Luke 24:6 “He is not here, but has risen.” That is the most important thing I hope you understand as you read this, that it doesn’t matter what happened after Jesus’s death it just matters what I believe about Jesus Christ!

That is the most important question you will ever be asked is, “who do you say that I am.” Jesus is so much more than ” fire insurance” or “get out of hell free card!” He is much more than occupying a pew for 40 years or serving on any committee! Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and I am so thankful that He called me to be a child of His along time ago! What about you, who do you say that Jesus Christ is? I cannot think of any better time than now to make Him your Salvation, Freedom, Father and Lord and Savior! Oh and Happy Easter!