Year: 2011

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Youth Ministry Papers: Don’t Water it Down

I’m planning on producing a youth ministry training paper most Wednesday’s throughout the year. These papers will be discussed at our Soulies weekly leaders meeting. Anyone is welcome to interact in the comments. Click here to access archive.

Vegemite is delicious. There wouldn’t be many weeks in my life that I haven’t enjoyed its salty yeasty goodness. Not everyone thinks that Vegemite is delicious. It is definitely an acquired taste, but a taste none-the-less worth acquiring! So I was shocked to recently read that “Kraft has been forced to launch a milder tasting version to woo a new generation of Australians.” My First Vegemite is part of a strategy used by Kraft to “wean people onto the traditional spread, sales of which are flat.” The hope is that as children get older they will graduate onto the heavier stuff. I think it’s a terrible idea.

I also think that sometimes we try and run youth ministry like it is ‘My First Vegemite’. We try and water things down in such a way to make it more palatable for teenagers. A branding expert has suggested that watering down Vegemite actually “robs it of its unique qualities”. That is likewise the problem with watering down the gospel of Jesus for a teenage audience.

Even when “sales are flat”, we continue to preach a message that is full of salt as we declare the “unique qualities” of Jesus.

I’m not saying that contextualisation is a bad thing. It’s a good thing to share the gospel with teenagers in a language that they will understand. It’s appropriate to use cultural artefacts and illustrations from their world to help explain the profound truths of the Bible. The problem though is when we misunderstand relevance. Our job is not to make the message of Jesus relevant for teenagers, rather it is to show how the message of Jesus is already relevant to all people in all places.

Continue reading “Youth Ministry Papers: Don’t Water it Down”

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Pinch + Punch // March 2011

I forgot to do a Pinch + Punch post for February. Ah well. It’s now the 3rd of March. Again I forgot to do a Pinch + Punch post. But I’m going to back-date this post to the 1st of March and pretend I wrote it then. Deal? Deal. February was big, and we’re now 1/6 through 2011. Here is the smashing mag desktop wallpaper I’m rocking this month. What about you?

Here’s the best of February (according to clicks) and some other stats:

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This is the end of my street…

I snapped this photo while taking the young fella for a walk this morning. It is the end of my street. It really is an amazing location. Public transport. Cafes. Restaurants. 7-Eleven. Cycle paths. Playgrounds. Patrolled beach. Fruit shop. Schools. Hardware store. Bakery. Lake. People. Church. We don’t presume to live in such a sweet location, but are nonetheless grateful for God’s provision and the generosity of God’s people.

In Ben’s sermon today, he spoke about how the needs are obvious in places where earthquakes, famines, uprisings, poverty and injustice abound. But the needs are less obvious in affluent, comfortable, self-reliant areas like the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Yet there remains a façade hiding the deep spiritual poverty on the Beaches. It really is an area that, despite its affluence and beauty, is full of people who are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

I’m praying for this area from Matthew 9:37-38 – Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (ESV)

I’m also praying that however long we live in this beautiful place that we will be part of the answer to that prayer.

ps – did you stumble here looking for pimpin real estate on sydney’s northern beaches? You’ve got a deeper need than a sweet view and a lazy lifestyle. Find out more about what matters most here, here and here.

pps – the above phone pic is originally from my posterous photo blog. The boomsauce is thanks to the instagram app.

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LIVING DEVOTION – Live Album Recording

I’ve just heard from my friend Bren McClean that St Paul’s Castle Hill will be recording a live worship album next weekend! City Alight was a killer album, so this is a sweet opportunity to be part of another great project. See below for full deets:

LIVING DEVOTION is the first ever LIVE recorded music event at St Paul’s Castle Hill. Saturday 5th March will be a night of singing and corporate worship with an acoustic band, in an intimate yet dynamic setting. Ro Tombs and Trav Cook are working tirelessly with a committed team of singers, musicians and technical people. Under God, the new album will bless our church with a collection of loved and new St Paul’s original songs. Our hope is that it will also be a powerful resource to other congregations both locally and abroad.

LIVING DEVOTION is an event for anyone who loves God and loves music. Book a ticket now for your family and friends for this exceptional night of lifting up Christ in our lives. Tickets available NOW for $10, or $15 on the night and include a copy of the album when it is released.

Check out the website for details: www.spch.org.au/livingdevotion

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Support our Friends in Christchurch NZ

We were in Christchurch 2 months ago. It really is shocking to see the destruction that has taken place on those streets we so recently walked. More shocking than destroyed buildings is the number of lives lost. I’m praying for miracles in the rescue operation. I’m praying to the God of comfort that his people in Christchurch would be a comfort to the rest of the city. I also just gave money via Anglican Aid. Let me encourage you to do the same.

Anglican Aid launches appeal for our New Zealand friends

We have been shocked and deeply saddened by the news emerging from Christchurch, New Zealand of a destructive earthquake that struck on February 22. This earthquake has destroyed much of the CBD and our heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods. Our prayers are also with the emergency workers.

Anglican Aid is working with our Anglican partners in Christchurch, and we are accepting donations which will be used for emergency aid and to support those in affected communities to rebuild their lives.

Donations are tax-deductible.  If in the unlikely event that more funds are raised than are needed, these funds will be held for future emergencies as they arise.

ANGLICAN AID PRESS RELEASE | DIRECT LINK TO DONATE

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Youth Ministry Papers: Disciples Making Disciples

I’m planning on producing a youth ministry training paper most Wednesday’s throughout the year. These papers will be discussed at our Soulies weekly leaders meeting. Anyone is welcome to interact in the comments. Click here to access archive.

The Christian youth leader can have an endless number of roles in the life of young punks. Friend, encourager, example, skateboard instructor, Bible teacher, prayer partner, motivator, maths tutor, mentor, guitar teacher. I’m sure there’s more! That’s cool. What an exciting thing to be involved in so many different ways in young lives! But among the many things a youth leader can do, what should be their primary responsibility?

What is the primary role of a youth leader?

This paper will argue that fundamental to the role of youth leadership is making disciples who will then go on to make disciples. The Great Commission is a key text in this regard: “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”” (Mat 28:18-20 NIV)

Disciples are to be made “of all nations” with an agenda of “teaching them to obey” Jesus. This is the pattern “to the very end of the age”. According to Marshall & Payne, “The commission is not fundamentally about mission out there somewhere else in another country. It’s a commission that makes disciple-making the normal agenda and priority of every church and every Christian disciple.” (The Trellis & the Vine, p.13)

Disciples making disciples is the bread and butter of Christian life and ministry. It is therefore the foundation of Biblical youth ministry. Discipleship doesn’t just include work with Christian young people, but it includes getting them (evangelism) and then growing them (edification).

Continue reading “Youth Ministry Papers: Disciples Making Disciples”

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Creating a Welcoming Culture

When you do your upfront welcome at church/youth group, repetition is good. The regular person may have heard the same blurb 100 times, but the welcome blurb is not for them. It’s for the new person. Often our language is not outsider friendly and we assume that everyone knows who we are and what we’re on about. Repeating the same welcome will hopefully welcome newcomers, and also create an outsider-friendly culture among regulars. Matt Chandler has some good thoughts on how he does it at The Village Church.

“Good Morning. My name is Matt Chandler I am the Lead Pastor/Teaching Pastor here at The Village. If this is your first time visiting with us I want to welcome you. I am guessing that if this is your first time here you are in one of two lanes. The first lane is that you are a believer with a background in church and you’re new to the area or are just checking out our community. If at some point in the next hour or so your heart and mind are moved and you want to know more about us, you can fill out one of the cards in the seatback in front of you and either drop it in the joy boxes or, and this would be our preference, walk across the parking lot to the white portable buildings and there are some men and women over there that can answer any of the questions you might have about the church. The second lane is that you’re here today and you aren’t a Christian and don’t have a background in Church or not a recent one anyway. I want to welcome you. This is a safe place for you to have some doubts about what we are saying to be skeptical and curious. There are no doors that are closed for you here so explore as much as you want. Go to a home group, check out Recovery, help us mentor local students, hop on a plane to South America or Africa and help us, help others. As a former agnostic myself, I have a great deal of respect for the genuine seeker. If we can help answer any of your questions or serve you in anyway let us know.”

I like that he does the same blurb every week and the content seems to be disarming for the uneasy newcomer. I also like that he gets up twice during the service, once to preach and earlier on to welcome and make announcements. Read more of his reflections on it here.

Over the first 3 weeks of youth group this year I got up twice during the evening. Once to do a welcome and once to preach. During week 1 and 2, I used my first spot to speak about the vision of our youth ministry – as well as welcome new people. The main aim with getting up during week 3 was to welcome new people. I think it went well. I said who I was, then opened with a fun story. I then borrowed some of the ideas from Chandler’s quote above about different types of new people and then let people know that we’re on about Jesus and glad they were here to hear about him. I think it went well.

What’s your welcome look like? What would it look like to the person visiting for their very first time?