Awake to the Young Harvest

[MrDanger]

The organizers did a bang up job of programming those assemblies and the kids and youth had an awesome time. Awesome music, awesome decorations, lighting, sound, computer graphics, the works.

Hey, you never heard me say anything negative about the Teen Assembly worship. That was my baby up there.

[scooter]

Okay Billy and Scooter, maybe this will be a little more blunt and help you understand.

Teen Assembly was held while kids are in school. Saturday night, there is no school (unless your homeschooled and your parents are abusive ). The majority of the youth were there when there wasn't a Teen Assembly available.

The scheduling of the Assembly dates couldn't be helped by the current administration. It was handed down to them.

So Scooter, are you saying, "We are "turning to the youth harvest" but isn't a youth oriented p/w enough for you guys. We've turned to you, but now let us hurry up and focus the sermon on the adults."

Response: "While kids were in school" Our kids school was supposed to start today. Are you talking about Tn. Schools? We run into the same problem in another ministry I am a part of. We try to schedule an event in late June and people complain that their kids are still in school. Some places are going to school year round, how do we schedule the assembly to please those people? No win, just constant nagging complaining.

You do the best you can.

I'm wondering if the youth showed up in the evening because they were sleeping during the day like a normal youth.

[paul]

Now that your assembly is over. The challenge to turn and awaken the youth has been presented, where do you go now on the local level ?

No question, there is a massive number of youth that are ready to be harvested for the kingdom of God, but it doesn't come with a few socials, amusement trips, and yearly youth camps, conventions and Teen Assemplies. All these are great but they are not the nuts and bolts of an effective local program.

What programs on the local level are in place to equip the youth to become capable leaders, effective witnesses, and stewards of the gifting they each have ?

If your priority is not in order, you will not be able to reach the masses of youth.

We have refocused our whole approach even in the mission fields towards the young people.

If I was a local pastor again my priority would be THE WORD, WORSHIP, THE YOUTH and THE WORLD.

just my penny's worth

[MrDanger]

But to me you proved my point, Scooter. Then give them one night that it is 100% geared towards them...not ABOUT them. Let them see they are of importance to us. Let them see that we feel they are worthy of "prime time".

Once again, as my original post in the other thread said, great job on the assembly. I'm biased. My view is 100% skewed.

[scooter]

Then give them one night that it is 100% geared towards them...not ABOUT them. Let them see they are of importance to us. Let them see that we feel they are worthy of "prime time".

.

Response: That's splitting hairs.

The only thing they didn't do is preach.

Why don't you explain a "youth message" wouldn't any one of them be "about" them in someone's biased opinion?

The prime time P/W and service was 100% geared towards them. The message was about turning to them. Still not enough. Maybe next time.

[stevenson]

EagerBeaver wrote:

I would have liked to have seen the new youth leader for the COGOP set the tone for their tenure in GHQ by outlining some fresh ideas for youth ministry across the board in COGOP, for one.

Me too!

[MrDanger]

Response: That's splitting hairs.

Hey I don't split hairs. I have to few hairs left on my head. Unless splitting hairs covers better then I will consider splitting them.

[dawgs10]

The following statements were made in other threads.


KB Said:
I agree, preach to the young people. Stop preaching to the adults and preach to the kids. This comes from a youth pastor. You can talk how we need to minister to them all you want, but if you do not minister to them you have done nothing in my opinion.


McDanger said:
My one constructive criticism is tainted by my passion. If we are indeed "turning to the young harvest" then lets have a service geared completely for them. Even though Bro. Vines did a fine job, I watched as MANY young people got up and started leaving a few minutes into the sermon. The halls were full of youth.

Eager said:
I was wondering about that when I saw Bro Vines up there. I wondered why there wasn't a focus toward preaching toward the youth myself.

I agree with every point you stated above...the lack of the youth ministry focus in COGOP is a large part of what keeps me away from it.

Dawgs10 said:
Agreeing with mr danger!!!!! What is the world coming to? I was thinking the same thing. why don’t we have youth ministers ministering at the youth service. what a novel idea.


In this setting of a bi-annual International Meeting:
How would you have done it different?
Do you have specifics or suggestions as to how to "preach to kids at the IA"?

What was the purpose of the Teen/Youth Assembly? Who was the speaker? Who did their P&W? I could not find any info on this online.
As a parent how could they encourage there youth to go to this not knowing what was going on.


_____________________________________________
Personal observation.

When I saw the sermon topic for Bro Bill on Saturday Night earlier in the week I wondered what direction he would go with topic. Awake being the general theme but Awake to the Young Harvest being the sermon topic. I thought I will want to listen to that one.
But Sat night I got sidetracked and started listening to the Obama/McCain/ Warren forum. I figured I would catch on the download replay..

But during the last 10/15 mins of the forum I got a text message from a pastor friend who was there in the auditorium. It said Are You Watching?
I said nope, CNN. He replied Bill Vines WOW..

So a few min after the forum was over I came into my office and tuned into the live broadcast and begin listening to Bro Bill. WOW was right.

Somebody at International offices had been reading the post on Jude2 about ministering to youth. Finally they had woke and was smelling the super duper Starbucks. That message needed to be preached in this time and place.

We have so many churches/pastors that still do not see the importance of ministering to the Young Harvest. Thats why they have 45 in attendance and most of the have grey hair. That’s why at one of the previous GA's it was stated we have more ministers over the age of 75?? than under the age of 30. I had mentioned this before of reading about a minister that made the following observation in most churches that were declining. When the youth want to go on a weekend trip they are told "Sure thing go ahead and have some carwashes and sell donuts" raise the money. But when the Seniors want to take that trip up to the mountain its a different story. "Sure thing plan on coming with us and we will even pay for your meal that day"

We have to invest not only money and resources but also time into our youth. We have to put the flannel graphs, coloring books and sing along cassettes tape and replace with multi media presentations to get the youth involved. Kids now are high tech kids. My 6 year old grandsons sit at the computers and play games from Disney, Nick and Cartoon Channel. My 1 year old was standing in my office and I decided to take his picture with my digital camera. As soon as I took the picture he ran over to me and wanted to see the back of the camera display.. at 1 year old.

But with statistics like Bro Bill displayed Sat night how can we not invest money, resources and time into our youth.

Yes that sermon needed to be preached at this time and place.

Our organizations has been going thru some huge changes in the last 18 + years. As Bro. Varlack said back in the 96 GA. This is not a single engine plane but a 747 and we needed a lot of slow banking turn to be able to turn to the harvest. We have come thru some very difficult decision making times. Hopefully the worst is over and we can get on with the harvest. But what harvest.

Awake to the YOUNG HARVEST.

I hope and pray that the statement "from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." I hope what we heard this past week was from IO's heart.


____________________________________________

Someone mentioned that quite a few of the young people started exiting shortly after Bro Bill started preaching. Not sure that will ever stop regardless of who the preacher is. (Is there any speaker in or out of our organization that would keep them in the service?) I remember attending State conventions and General Assembly being told. You can hang out until the sermon starts but when the sermon starts you better be in the auditorium. Some parents did not / do not require that .

Lets face it. Hanging out with our Sate/National friends in the halls of the assembly is kewl. I did it. Most who have grown up in our org have if they admit it.

____________________________

Okay enough rambling. I went back and listened to the beginning of Bro Bills sermon to make sure I got every word. This is one sermon I am going to pass along.

i think this is where i am coming from. a youth service for my local church is something that happens on a regular basis because we have alot of folks under the age of 25 leading worship, preaching and leading major ministry in my church. when its youth service time the youth dept. brings the message, puts together the worship and everyother thing that goes on during it. we dont ask the pastor to preach during the youth service or the retired minister that we are blessed with. BECAUSE its a youth service and we have a youth pastor that needs to take on that role. So my question is why do we have a youth director and not use them as the keynote during the youth service.

[Pianoman]

So my question is why do we have a youth director and not use them as the keynote during the youth service.

Only a thought - but is it possible that since the new youth director
had not been officially appointed yet - and the full scope/rationale
of the former youth leader's departure had possibly not been fully
disclosed - that perhaps this year it was just a little awkard and/or
emotional (possibly for both the director & Bro. Randy?)

Perhaps one or both parties felt it might be in the best interest of
the assembly to not go that route this year?

Perhaps those that are passionate about this should take a moment
to drop a note to the IO folks & let them know what type of youth
service they would like to see at the next assembly.

I'd prefer a service geared more toward the youth as well - but we
need to remember there may have been other factors/circumstances
involved this year that folks aren't aware of.

[DaJudge]

Hey Mr. Danger: why are you focused only on youth? Remember, this was a a Youth AND Childrens service. Shouldn't we have had a children's minister do the sermon?

[Brenda]

Beaver[quote]I would have liked to have seen something that involved the youth on a day devoted to them,[/quote]

This is exactly what happened back in my day. On a Saturday afternoon.

[MrDanger]

Now your getting it Dajudge. Glad your seeing it my way.

I actually was annoyed growing up that they mixed the two. Why not show that you really do care and give them both services. I worked the Children's Assembly and was ministered to. Why would it be different if they did that on A Saturday afternoon for the Children?

The youth minister comment came from them using the Children's Assembly band (I know it was great for everyone and would have been awesome for the Teen Assembly) so then have a youth minister for the sermon. Or vice versa.

Actually, I think this whole conversation is getting blown out of proportion. Go back to the beginning. I said I enjoyed it. It was fine how it was. I just stated that I thought it would have been great if they would have had a youth minister do the sermon.

Cmon ya'll. Stop fussing adults versus youth and turn to the young harvest.

[Billy n NC]

Hello KB and Mr Danger, I have to agree with Scooter. You guys are splitting hairs. That is sorta what started this thread. I do not understand.

Most have agreed everything on program on Sat night was children/youth involvement. The sermon was delivered by a non youth. Could / should that same sermon have been preached by a Young Person/ New YDirector.

I hinted a something specific and have not seen. Do you have a Sermon title/subject that would have been a better fit.

I dont see Childrens Assembly or Teen/youth Asembley being the "the Back" either. Both those venues, equipment and resources problalby cost a big hunk of that $500k-$700 that has been mentioned.

Actually the new church building model of the mega churches is not bigger and bigger worship areas but multiple venues on the same location. Childrens area, Youth area and even Tradtional and Contemporary all going on at the same time instead of multiple services.

I will agree the new Youth Director should have been given time on the program Saturday night. As far as respecting Sis Palma by not doing this is mute. It was all over Jude2 etc months ago that she was stepping down. Her replacement should have been exposed and presented all week long if Reaching the Young Harvest is from IO's heart. Roundtable discussions with the new guys and State/Regional youth directors whether formally or inforamally all week long.

[MrDanger]

Okay. I will agree.

Let's have a cool slogan for our ministry like turning to the youth harvest and then let's not ever truly focus on them. They will do fine in their room over in the corner. Let's not actually take one session out of 16 possible sessions and celebrate them and focus on them 100%. After all that is too much to ask. We've already put you in our slogan.

Guys, just said what I would like to see. Some of you need to unbunch some under garments. I humbly bow out of the conversation. Thanks for filling up some time for me.

[DaJudge]

I actually wasn't kidding about the Children's minister Mr. Danger (although I don't blame you for thinking I was ). Sometimes I think Youth oriented people feel like youth ministry takes precedence over the children's ministry. I think they are equally important.