Jon Mills: December 2010 Archives
It's been a ridiculously long time since I last blogged, but today something happened that brought me to a point where all I could think to do was to write this entry.
For many years I've held the firm belief that, when it comes to recruiting leaders for a church youth ministry, the BIG "NO" was to allow a passionate (but usually desperate for help) youth ministry leader to stand up in front of a whole congregation and suggest that "young jimmy isn't going to learn about Jesus unless YOU commit to serving in our youth ministry programme". Over the years I have heard story after story 9and experienced first hand) youth ministries struggling more than ever when wonderful people with amazing gifts and a heart to serve end up serving in an area that isn't neccessarily the one they are called to, through a sense of guilt or a desperate desire to plug holes in their church's multi faceted & growing ministry.
So you can imagine my surprise at church this morning when, after an amazing time of worshipping God through song and intercession, one of the leadership team came to the front to share about some amazing stuff that God was doing in the lives of the children and young people in our church (it really is amazing, some of the stuff that God is growing in our ministry to young people) and then suggested that we were in need of people to work within these ministry groups. I remember sitting in my chair thinking "how can this be happening? Surely the leadership of a church like this knows the benefit of growing a youth ministry team through personal conversations and seeking God's guidance as He brings individuals to your attention who he is calling to explore such a role".
And then it hit me - to the point that I didn't hear another word of the service as my brain worked overtime grappling with a new insight into how my God is much bigger than any "good youthwork practice" handbook - "Maybe Jon, YOU need to get back into church based youth ministry!!"
The fact is, I've spent the last two years avoiding any specific involvement in church based youth ministry. Not because I dislike it - I LOVE IT!! But because having served in churches as a youthworker role full-time for over 10yrs, and never really having had time to just be a family and part of a wider church family without any specific duties, I have been keen to not jump into a youth ministry role, but to be part of a worshipping congregation and focus my youth work energies into my role with YFC.
If the leadership of our church had asked me yesterday to join the youth ministry team I would probably have declined, and yet here I am responding to a general request from the front of church.
I must have sounded like a complete oddball trying to explain all that to the ministry leader after the service - I'm sure they thought I was about to complain about the announcement that they made, but actually said that they wouldn't have approached me personally as they knew I was heavily involved in my role with YFC etc.
So there you go. I learned an important lesson today in the weirdest way...
"God chose[s] things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise." - 1 corinthians 1:27
Lesson learned!! Church-based youth ministry? - hello, my old friend!!
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