“Imagine writing as a purposeful craft” is the challenge of Roy Peter Clark’s introduction to Writing Tools – 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer. The book was a gift from a dear friend with the inscription “May your writing affect many…”

I enjoy writing; it is therapeutic for me, not because it comes easily but because it makes me wrestle with words and concepts. It forces me to think and attempt to articulate those thoughts or, in some cases, delete them. I enjoy the challenge of crafting a sentence for the purpose of resonating with a target audience.

I am committed to improving my writing skills so I read broadly in order to learn from other’s writing styles. I have reviewed English grammar books so many times that on occasion I dream of being attacked by giant verbs and nouns. Grammar was not my strong-suit in college.  I had to take remedial English twice and it was not because I was the professor’s favorite student.

If you can relate to my life story then Writing Tools will be a worthwhile purchase. My copy is dog-eared because I have referenced it repeatedly. The 50 topics are practical and instructional, and Clark’s humor is engaging. Some of his chapter titles are:

• Be passive-aggressive.
• Establish a pattern, then give it a twist.
• Play with words, even in serious stories.
• Tune your voice.
• Write from different cinematic angles.

In his chapter “Let punctuation control pace and space” he makes the analogy of controlling traffic flow. “The period is a stop sign. The comma is a speed bump; the semicolon is what a driver education teacher calls a ‘rolling stop’; the parenthetical expression is a detour; the colon is a flashing yellow light that announces something important up ahead; the dash is a tree branch in the road.”

This book is a “tool box” for writers or would be writers. Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down, gave this recommendation, “Writing Tools offers advice and lessons that will help me, my students, and anyone with the dream of becoming a better writer.”  

 

I was only in town for 23 hours but even in that brief time, I was encouraged. Sunday night David Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills challenged us about the real mission of the church-evangelism and discipleship. Ergun Caner, President of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary followed with a challenge to be consistent, authentic leaders.

If you check the website for the Pastor’s Conference- FBC-Jax-2010, you will see a list of keynote speakers that are a who’s who in local church ministry. Each day, numerous seminars covering a broad range of topics were offered in support of the general sessions. I was privileged to teach one of those seminars on daily Quiet Time.

This is a powerful conference and I am always blessed when I attend. I saw thousands of pastors who had traveled many miles and made a substantial financial investment to attend. Today, I asked myself why they would do that and here are six of my conclusions:

• We all need encouragement because the ministry is tough. I don’t mean that in a negative sense but as much as we may love ministry sometimes it take a toll on us.
• We need to fellowship with men and women from other ministries, churches and organizations as it increases our vision.
• We need to connect with someone who really has walked in our “shoes”, someone who has “been there – done that” just like us.
• We need a safe place. I am not suggesting that our churches are hostile but from time to time we need a place where we can relax and not have to function in ministry mode.
• We all need someone to remind us that what we are doing really matters. This is not for the purpose of feeding our ego; it is just good to be reminded. I don’t know about you but sometimes I second guess myself.
• We all need to be fed from the Word. In our ministries generally we are the ones doing the feeding and it is refreshing to hear others preach and teach the scriptures.

This is not as much a commercial for FBC-Jax, as it is a challenge for all of us to find an “oasis for our souls” from time to time. We need to learn about new ministry tools, methods and systems but we also share a need for healing and encouragement.

(For other blog posts on leadership, student ministry or spiritual growth, check out the archive section)

 

 

 

I have a burden and passion for Student ministry around the world. I am privileged in my travels to connect with men and women who share that passion. Today was one of those days but it was especially rewarding because it was here in Alabama, my home state.

Student ministry in Alabama is alive and well and especially in the Birmingham area. I spent most of my day with Brent Finchum (our Word of Life Local Church Ministries Missionary) and youth pastors/leaders from around the city. I have such a burden for churches and student ministry in this city where I was born physically and spiritually.

Today I spoke for First Priority Alabama at their City Wide Youth Pastor luncheon. What a thrill to see over 75 men and women who are giving their lives to reach students. Plus other organizations like Student Life and Student Leadership University who are dedicated to serving the local churches in this area and across the nation.

I spoke on Four Marks of Authentic Christian Leadership and the response was incredible. This generation of students’ values authenticity and these pastors/leaders were sincerely engaged because they desire to live lives worthy of imitation. I love rubbing shoulders with people like this, they energize me.

Some of the churches represented were small and some in the mega church arena but every person is making a difference where God has placed them. They are the unsung heroes who work ridiculous hours, give all that they have, rejoice when one of their students “get it” and weep when one walks away.

Being here today was a gift and the really cool thing is that I get to do it all over again tomorrow and the day after and the day after and the day….

 

 

This is the third and final post in the Four Erroneous Youth Ministry Philosophies series.  Sections three and four represent ministry approaches based on program and personality.  Youth ministries need a program as well as leadership with personality; however, both function best when founded on Biblical principles.

Section Three:

“All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go – Buttoned Up and Tied Down Ministry Style”

“We are going to buy ourselves a youth ministry” is the mantra of the youth leader who is engrossed in a “package program” ministry style.  This type of mindset is carried out frequently online and in bookstores across the nation. There are a plethora of publishers and organizations that produce endless curriculum.  So we plunk down the cash or type in our credit card number with great anticipation of receiving the new material.

We need a miracle and maybe this new material will be more than paper, vinyl, DVD or download. Maybe it will be “magic.” Maybe if we rub the outside of the package, a genie will appear who is capable of revolutionizing our youth group.

Leaders must be responsible when purchasing materials and should set a high standard and criterion for the curriculum. The criteria should include strong Biblical content, culturally relevant topics, student involvement and contribute to the overall strategy.

I call another approach in this category the “us four and no more” ministry style. Our world is filled with exclusive “members only” groups. These groups are marked by their rules, cliques or indifference. They are little “sub-cultures” of society and teens experience them at school or in their neighborhoods. There is no place for this mindset in our churches.

Section Four

“The World According to Me – Personality Profile Ministry Style”

Some youth ministries are built on a youth pastor or leader. His or her personality, speaking, music abilities or whatever, are the driving force behind the youth group. Obviously we need leaders with personality, but ministry should never be build upon one person.

Personality-centered youth ministries usually have a short shelf life because the personality is often transient. Another concern with this approach is the lack of multiplication of discipleship. A leader who thinks he or she can disciple the entire youth group is delusional. Proper discipleship will call for multiple strong leaders, not just one show-horse.

I want to address one last erroneous approach and this one is deadly. This approach is called “pass the blame.” Turmoil is a focal characteristic of this approach as neither the parents nor the youth leaders will assume responsibility for the spiritual growth of the students. In some cases they are more concerned about who gets blamed than they are for the student.

I believe parents have first responsibility for their own child, but the church cannot negate their responsibility. A healthy youth ministry functions with parents and leaders working together, both taking responsibility and contributing to the spiritual training.

So there you have it, four approaches to youth ministry. This is not exhaustive, but it gives some of the ministry styles I have personally witnessed. My ministry is about partnering with churches to build Principle-Centered ministries. My desire is that we would all have 2 Timothy 2:2 ministries of “reproducing reproducers.”

(For other blog posts on leadership, student ministry or spiritual growth, check out the archive section)

Okay, so you probably read the report in USA Today (Wednesday) released by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The headline on page one read “Kid’s digital day: Almost 8 hours.”  It appears that the time spent with media for kids 8-18 has increased by 79 minutes in the last decade bringing it to 53 hours a week.

So…what does all this mean? Some have interpreted it as a completely negative trend sighting lower grades and misconduct as a direct result. I am not here to contend with a foundation which spent time and money (probably a lot of it) to give us this survey but I do have some observations.

• Could the fact that cell phones, iPods, video games and movies are cheaper (relative term) and more accessible than 10 years ago have anything to do with this increase?  Your answer probably begins with …duh. Shortly after Henry Ford invented the horseless carriage, there were more people driving them than 10 years before.

• Ten years ago cell phones were expensive and clunky. They had evolved from the original “bag phones” that weighted 20 pounds but they were still not pocket size so what kid wanted to haul one around. Now they fit nicely in pockets and do more than make phone calls. Plus they are considered an accessory.

• Not to be naive but students do use computers and PDA’s for more than games and social media. I know it may be a chunk of the time, but they also use these for research and schoo,l or at least that is the justification they give parents.

• Reading books is down and being a lover of books who still thinks there is something more satisfying about holding a book in your hand and turning the pages than reading from a screen, I recoil at this statistic. However, at some point in history, man transitioned from the scroll to the printed page and I am sure there were skeptics in that century as well. Oh yes, the kindle and nook could have something to do with this as well.

I repeat, I am not trying to discredit the research, I am just saying we should look at it from other perspectives before it becomes sermon material.

So what do you think?

(For other blog posts on leadership, student ministry or spiritual growth, check out the archive section)

 

“I’ve tried everything!” Remember those words from Part 1? If not refer back to my post on January 12^th. I have divided the philosophical approaches into four sections determined by their predominant thrust.

In Part 2 we will examine the first two sections and will conclude next Tuesday with Part 3, so stay with me. Keep in mind that some of these philosophies contain elements of merit. However, close inspection will reveal that they are based on a faulty premise and should not be foundational for ministry.

Section One:

“IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME” - Activity and Entertainment Centered Philosophies

Activity-centered youth ministries are a direct response to a real student need but they have glaring deficiencies. One of those deficiencies is activity without purpose is simply an event on the calendar.

When an activity plays its proper role in youth ministry it will not only be well planned but be purposeful. This is not to say that every activity must have a full-length gospel message, but each one should help accomplish something of spiritual significance in teen lives.

“Entertainment” style philosophies measure ministry impact by numbers which become the criterion for success. The reasoning goes something like this; we want to reach the largest number of people possible so let’s do whatever is necessary to attract them.

If you have large numbers attending then you must be successful, right? … Not necessarily. Face it; it is not difficult to draw a crowd to be entertained. Do not get me wrong; I am for reaching as many students as possible, but with a purpose beyond amassing a crowd.

 

Section Two:

“DON’T FENCE ME IN” - Freestyle Philosophies

The “Do-Your-Own-Thing Philosophy” is difficult to brand. Characteristics of this style will vary but share some common denominators. For example, students become leaders by default. The youth leaders are like NATO troops that are simply peacekeepers. The teens are left with the task of defining their spiritual walk, which may be formulated out of the vacuum of immaturity.

I believe students should be involved in ministry leadership. They need to have a voice and be influential within the youth group. However, they should be involved under the direction of a youth leader with a plan.

I have named a second “Free Style” approach, “No Philosophy” or sometimes the “Godly Zap” method. One of the characteristics of this approach is that all the teaching is strictly lecture with no group involvement. Leaders given to this style of ministry seem to think the criteria for success is having something (getting zapped) to say every time they stand before the group.

Perhaps the greatest tragedy manifested by this approach is the apparent lack of a strategy for building young people spiritually. Formulating a discipleship plan for every teen in the group is time consuming but necessary if we want to prepare them to handle the real world with a secure faith.

(For other blog posts on leadership, student ministry or spiritual growth, check out the archive section)

What is truth and how has it been affected by postmodernism? In his book Truth & the New Kind of Christian, R. Scott Smith addresses this as well as the emerging effects of postmodernism in the church. He evaluates and confronts postmodernism both in secular society and within Christianity.

I appreciated his diligence in defining terms that we often use loosely in our everyday conversation (no pun intended)  such as “emerging,” “emergent,” “relativism,”  “epistemology,” “pluralism” and “postmodernism.” He reviews these subjects and other related content from a historical, relational and academic perspective presenting the material in a scholarly manner.

In chapter six he does a critique of the Emerging Church which includes an evaluation of both Brian McLaren and Tony Jones, two names you should recognize if you are familiar with the Emergent Church. Interestingly enough, Tony Jones, in true emergent genre, wrote one of the endorsements for the book. Scott Smith lists some contributions of both men to Christianity but then thoroughly examines the differences in their philosophy and belief.

Just a few of the noteworthy quotes from the book are:

• “Ethical relativists think that there are no objective moral truths…” Pg. 15
• “Since, according to these postmodernists, there is no way we can get ‘outside’ of language and its pervasive influence and know the real world, we ‘make’ our worlds by how we talk.” Pgs. 40-41
• “I scrutinized and found wanting two main philosophical positions held by postmoderns; that (1) we are inside language and cannot escape its influences to know an objective reality; and that (2) meaning is primarily a behavioral matter in a linguistically formed community.” Pg. 107
• “Christians construct God by how they talk. We make God into what He is – for us. This conclusion, however, results in the absurd condition that Christians must be idolaters.” Pg. 145

I highly recommend this book if you are interested in gaining a greater insight into the postmodern philosophy and its emerging effects in the church.

 

 

“I’ve tried everything!” I frequently hear these frustrated words from well meaning people who want to make an eternal impact on the lives of students.    They work hard trying various approaches but are unable to grasp the illusive key to successful ministry.

 

Over the last thirty years, I have observed some of these valiant efforts which I call “erroneous youth ministry philosophies.” I have divided the ministry approaches into four sections determined by their predominant thrust. I have not fabricated these for the sake of this blog; unfortunately, they all exist in the world of youth ministry.

 

The four sections manifest themselves in a variety of ministry styles but for the sake of clarity, I will only address the general features of each section. This blog will be divided into two additional posts on Tuesday of the next two weeks.

 

Section One:

“IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME” - Activity and Entertainment Centered Ministry Style

Section Two:

“DON’T FENCE ME IN” - Freestyle Ministry Style

 Section Three:

 “ALL DRESSED UP AND NOWHERE TO GO” - Buttoned Up and Tied Down Ministry Style

 Section Four:

“THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ME” - Personality Centered Ministry Style

 

I hope you will evaluate these approaches to youth ministry with me and I welcome your comments.

 

Planning is vital to success in life. Few people become successful by accident; it happens because we have a goal and a passion for that goal. We utilize organizational tools, seminars, consultations with successful people and spend time dreaming about what we want or who we want to be.  So what about our spiritual success?

I am not purporting a “health, wealth and self philosophy”; I am talking about Biblical success as defined in Joshua 1:8. Joshua challenges the people to meditate and obey the Word of God and says the result is to be prosperous and successful. Before we view this as a formula for spiritual success, we need to examine what the verse truly says.

Joshua says that we should “meditate day and night”. This is not a casual perusal of the scriptures. You do not get the idea he refers to the Bible as a magic lamp containing a genie. He is talking about consistently thinking about the Word so we can obey what we know. Although reading the Bible enriches us personally, his challenge is to meditate so we can obey what we read.

As we set our family, physical, financial and personal goals for 2010 let’s not overlook the spiritual realm. What are your spiritual goals for 2010? What specific areas of growth do you want to target this year? What is your spiritual focus?

Several years ago I began setting a yearly spiritual theme and this has proven to be a tremendous personal blessing. For example, some of my past themes have been prayer, God’s attributes, scripture memory, and worship. This does not mean that I think about these concepts to the exclusion of others. What it means is that my goal is a thematic focus for the year.

Having a theme guides my Bible study, scripture memory and reading. I do not necessarily think about it every day. It simply ebbs and flows as I do life. I have found that it provides instant conversation when I am with other believer as I am interested in what they have discovered on that topic in their spiritual journey.  

I want to conclude with a quote from J. Oswald Sanders taken from his book Enjoying Intimacy with God: “A successful fruitful ministry does not just happen -it is purchased. It cannot be paid in a lump sum; we pay for it in gradually increasing installments. There is no such thing as a cheap, fruitful ministry.”

 

 

I was stunned . . . did she realize what she was asking? How could a caring, loving person be so cruel? I don’t believe I am addicted or that I really spend as much time as she thinks on my Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, FiledBy or texting communications tools…do I?

Just before Christmas my wife asked me if I would do a favor for her, to which I spontaneously said yes. After all, I was prepared to take out the trash, wash the dishes or even take a walk on this cold Schroon Lake December night, but that was not the request. Instead she replied, “I want you to forego all social media for the holidays!”

“Why would I want to do something so ridiculous?” was not one of my smarter responses.  But it hit my brain and just came out of my mouth. So after a calm (if you do not count my first response) discussion, I reluctantly agreed. Thus began my “cold turkey” withdrawal from the social media world.

By day two I was searching the web for “Social Media Anonymous” or some other support group. You know, “Hi, I’m Mike and I am a ‘social mediaholic’.” But I found nothing. I kept thinking, “If only I could let the world know that I am still here, that I still exist . . .  then I can handle this isolation.”  But a promise is a promise…right?

Here are seven things I learned during this “social media fast”:

1. I can survive “going dark.”
2. The world keeps turning and the media keeps flowing without my contribution.
3. Nobody, I mean nobody wrote to check on me.  I mean after all - how could any of you be sure I wasn’t lying on the floor unable to reach my blackberry? (I wasn’t.)
4. I did not miss reading the stupid stuff but I did miss connecting with friends which I guess is the main reason I do this.
5. It gave me time to think about and refocus on my goal for “social media” communication: - communication which adds value to people’s lives in the areas of leadership and youth ministry.
6. If I ever go “cold turkey” from “social media” for ten days again, the holidays are a good choice because others seemed to back off then. (Yes, that means I did sneak a couple of peeks at Twitter but I did not tweet)
7.  I enjoy and benefit from “social media” but it is just one of the tools in my communication toolbox.

 

No, I did not mean “a hole in my heart.” I meant “soul.” To some that may sound like I am purporting a new doctrine or spiritual concept but I assure you that is not the case. I am not trying to be clever and I do not mean to be overly dramatic. You see, this Christmas ...
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I watched closely these last ten days as leaders assembled in Schroon Lake from across the nation and several international countries. They represented multiple decades, leadership styles, personalities, experiences and language groups but were brought together by their commonalities. They share a ...
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I spoke at a church Sunday to honor a dear friend of mine who is retiring. I met Tom Hammett more than 35 years ago and have had the privilege of watching him Pastor the same church for 33 years. I was moved by the people who shared about various aspects of Tom's life and ministry. I listened with ...
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