Are people afraid of youth ministries now days?!?!?!

[Dr. Ron]

Amen Gary

[RamboPreacher]

Amen Gary

and since Dr. Ron is always right, I agree.

oh, wait, that was another thread.
i still agree with PG.

[dawgs10]

i have more issues with the church kids with no respect for anyone, than the kids with no church background. we minister to both and the kids that are so called church kids are the biggest oppurtunity for me. personaly i would like a few more that are "not saved". they seem to care more about getting to know God.

[EagerBeaver]

It upsets me that anyone would be scared to minister to anyone who is currently in the exact same place they were before receiving salvation. Boggles my mind. Jesus even said it himself, they that are well don't need a doctor but they who are sick.

I also ran into the "the youth need to pay for pretty much everything" mentality in my church when I was a youth leader. Even though that was more because the church was broke as a joke at least when I was there...

[valley]

I have had two conversations that blew me away in the last month.

1. Someone complained about the youth camp that I am involved in (Senior Camp). According to them, we are inviting campers that are the kind of youth they purposely homeschool to keep their kids away from.

2. A youth from what has been one of our larger youth groups in the state bragged to me how they have finally weeded out all of those that are not completely serious about God. Since then, "the Spirit has been moving so freely now" in their youth services.

Is this two isolated incidents or are we starting to have a movement again to build hospitals for the healthy.

This sounds a lot like the movie Saved.

[Full Quiver]

and since Dr. Ron is always right, I agree.

oh, wait, that was another thread.
i still agree with PG.

what are youth and who is this PG guy

[Worshipn4ever]

I have had two conversations that blew me away in the last month.

1. Someone complained about the youth camp that I am involved in (Senior Camp). According to them, we are inviting campers that are the kind of youth they purposely homeschool to keep their kids away from.

2. A youth from what has been one of our larger youth groups in the state bragged to me how they have finally weeded out all of those that are not completely serious about God. Since then, "the Spirit has been moving so freely now" in their youth services.

Is this two isolated incidents or are we starting to have a movement again to build hospitals for the healthy.

In regards to #1...HELLO!!! LOOK AT THE STAFF!!! I mean geez...I'm on staff there...which now I understand why TN wouldn't let me attend camp there...thank you AL camp for allowing me to attend.

regards to #2...I went through the motions too well to get weeded out. I should have though...a lot would still want me out. I'm not the run of the mill type of CoGoP girl...nor will I ever be.

stuff like this is why I do not like church...how the people in the church have this holier than thou personna (sp?) and either A) not remember what God has brought them from themselves or B) just want to disregard the mission that God has called them on...TO REACH THE LOST!!!

I love the not so typical kid...I see me. I see the kid who is looking for answers, friends, love and acceptance. And I was taught by the very best youth pastor to show and give those things to the best of my ability...thank you Steve.

[MrDanger]

And I was taught by the very best youth pastor to show and give those things to the best of my ability...thank you Steve.

I keep waiting for the week when I will not miss Steve. To me, Steve Jordan is the ultimate example of what a youth pastor should be.

Man, I miss him and his guidance...and that goofy laugh.

[germanshepherd]

Sad, but true. Many Christians are afraid to make the necessary contact that the majority of these kids need and desire.

I realize that many of you may not read the White Wing Messenger any more, but in the June issue (focused on Youth and Children Ministry) we had an article written by my wife along this line. She works at Bradley County High School and is in contact daily with these "undesirable youth." The article is a challange to youth pastors of whether or not these young people fit in our churches.

If you desire to read this article, you can go to wwm.cogop.org and then go to Messenger sample. The article is entitled "Do They Fit In Your Church?"

Again, sadly enough in the majority of American churches at least, these youth do not fit or have a place in the church. God help us!!! These are the very ones that we need to be giving the message of hope and salvation to. Does that mean they have to change their looks after they get saved? NONONO!!! Let them be individualistic as long as it does not hurt anyone. Let them have their crazy hairdos (I just wish I still had hair.) and odd clothing styles.

Loving them as they are is the key. That is what we as a family are attempting to do, even if they do not fit in our local church; they fit in our home!!!

[Pastor Gary]

I love the not so typical kid...I see me. I see the kid who is looking for answers, friends, love and acceptance. And I was taught by the very best youth pastor to show and give those things to the best of my ability...thank you Steve.

I love those kids, too, Shel... like the girl Sunday who found me before church to give me a hug --- pierced tongue, hair a color not found in nature... I recently Baptized her.

Hair styles, color, odd clothing, tattoos, metal stuck in odd places doesn't push me away or alienate me from them, as long as they are real and open to approach. I have found a lot of "those kids" actually like old guys like me!

[dalebert]

It has often be said "that the youth are the future church"...but I say..."they are THE church now"!

[dolfan]

We'll take the noisy, unruly, rough-around-the-edges, tatted and pierced kids you can send us. We have a bunch of their friends already.

Yes, youth ministry is (financially) a bottomless pit into which you throw enormous portions of your resources with little visible return on investment... because you can't measure incremental change in people with a spreadsheet, and youth ministry is a marathon, not a sprint.

To quote my 4 year old daughter who announced to me while we were floating in Gulf waves a couple of weeks ago: "Daddy, the only thing free is people." I'll never, ever, ever forget that -- EVER.

[Worshipn4ever]

hair a color not found in nature...

yeah...umm...they called me Skittle at church...I've had blue...green...red that turned orange and pink...thinking about purple in less than 2 weeks...

ya never know what color my hair will be...right now it's black with deep burgundy highlights...(it's covering up my silver highlights)

[KBevangelist]

I think it is ministry as a whole. We focus on certain groups and in a lot of cases others are shunned.

Now being in youth ministry all these years I have seen every kind, just like others on here have.

We would take them in a heart beat.

When I was youth pastoring in Axson I had one who was well not fitting into the youth crowd. However, we loved him, took him ministerd to him. He is now in medical school 2nd year. I could not be more proud of him. Not only did God save him there, Kevin's whole life was changed. He did not change his looks. Over time he did, and that was his choice. Because of the simple fact the pastor and myself ministered to him, he felt accepted and love. Kevin is a great man of God with a great future ahead of him (AND I AM GOING TO GET FREE MEDICAL CARE WHEN HE GETS OUT - Just for the grey hair he put on my head)

We don't pick and choose who comes in the door, we minister to who God sends us

KB

[dbserv]

We don't pick and choose who comes in the door, we minister to who God sends us

KB

WOW!!!

What a concept!


I couldn't have said it better.


We are a registered "Christian Goth" church. Yeah, I know.


Let it be. It works and we have the ONLY goth kids in a Christian youth group in town. It started with one of our own who started hanging out with the goth kids at school. He was ostracized by many of the "church" kids. But, since about 60% of our youth group is from outside our church, enough of the others kept loving him and being his friends.


Now, we have about 40+ goth kids who come to youth group and about 30 of them have accepted Christ and been baptized. Still dress "goth", but live a totally different lifestyle than they used to.


The young man who "started" it now works at the local Hot Topic store and is able to be a witness to ALL of the goth kids who go shopping there. I stop in once in a while to check out their clearance rack for really COOL shoes for Brenda and have seen him in action leading kids to Christ right there in the store.

Since the Manager now comes to church, it's not a problem with his boss.



Maybe it wouldn't work for most of you, but someone has to reach them. They are part of the "ALL THE WORLD" that we are sent to.




I'm ducking now.