Apart from during the FIFA World Cup, ABC 4 KIDS is the number 1 TV channel in our household. Mister Maker is one of our favourite shows. It’s made in England and features a zany host, Mister Maker, who makes all sorts of different crafty items. One of the repeated segments, in an attempt to teach little ones different shapes, is of a few people on screen dancing in circle, triangle, square, and rectangle costumes.
This is what they sing:
“I am a shape… la la la la. I am a shape… la la la la. I am a circle. I am a triangle. I am square. I am a rectangle.” I know this song because it has been repeated countless times by my kids… la la la la!
Now that’s using the word ‘shape’ as a noun. But a definition for ‘shape’ as a verb is “Determine the nature of; have a great influence on” (Oxford).
WHAT’S YOUR SHAPE?
When it comes to your youth ministry:
What determines its nature?
What are the significant influences upon it?
What is its shape?
All youth ministries are shaped by something. It might be the needs of teenagers in your area. It might be the desire to engage in culturally relevant ways with young people. It might be shaped by the expectations of Christian parents.
Of all the different influences on your ministry, what has the greatest influence?
THE CROSS OF CHRIST
This new series of posts will argue that the cross of Christ should be the greatest influence upon your youth ministry. The cross doesn’t just determine why we do what we do, but it also determines what we do and how we do it.
Cross-Shaped [Youth] Ministry is a call to cruciformity.
In 1 Corinthians 2:2 Paul says this about the shape of his ministry, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (ESV) The cross is at the heart of his ministry. Does this mean he didn’t talk about anything else? The rest of Paul’s writing shows that he spoke about many issues. But ultimately everything always came back to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for sinners.
John Stott says that “we cannot eliminate [the pervasive influence of the cross] from any area of our thinking or living”. The cross doesn’t just shape evangelism and how people become Christian, it is to permeate through every part of youth ministry.
The cross of Christ as the determining and greatest influence needs to be repeated again and again. My hope is that by the end of this series, the cross of Christ will be stuck in your head and that you will shape everything you do around this glorious work of God… la la la la.
WHAT ABOUT OTHER MINISTRY?
In the title of this post, ‘Youth’ is in the brackets because the cross of Jesus ought to shape all of ministry, not just ministry to youth. While some of the application and implementation throughout will be specific to youth ministry, I hope that the ideas and framework will be applicable to all ministries. I’d love to hear ideas of how the cross shapes your ministry and please let me know if you have any questions on how I’d consider applying it in a different context.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- CROSS-SHAPED [YOUTH] MINISTRY
- ONE GENERATION AWAY… FROM LOSING THE GOSPEL!
- POTENTIAL THREATS TO THE GOSPEL
- THE CENTRALITY OF THE CROSS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
- THE CENTRALITY OF THE CROSS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
- CROSS-SHAPED WORSHIP AND DISCIPLESHIP
- CROSS-SHAPED FELLOWSHIP AND MINISTRY
- CROSS-SHAPED EVANGELISM AND COMPASSION
- LIVING EVERY DAY AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS
- ONE GENERATION AWAY… FROM CHANGING THE WORLD!
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