Let me begin by thanking everyone who has offered advice on the last few posts on my blog. Believe me when I tell you that your advice has not gone unnnoticed or unheeded. Furthermore- by all means, keep it coming!
My next dilemma will be regarding the make-up of the group itself. Out of about 30 teenagers, only about 7 or 8 are juniors or seniors- the rest are much younger junior high kids. From speaking with some parents of the older kids, it seems that my juniors and seniors are feeling a bit detached from the group recently because of the influx of 6-8th graders.
Historically, the group has always been combined- jr and sr high together. I like the idea of togetherness, but it also makes it difficult to provide material that challenges both jr AND sr highers on a regular basis. It's one thing to have a 10th and a 12th grader in the same class. It's a bit more difficult to have 6th-7th graders and 12th graders in the same setting. During this transitional stage in their life the two groups are worlds apart.
My question is this- how do I reconcile the differences in age and maturity levels? One option I have considered is as follows: We all come together for worship, prayer, and a general lesson from yours truly. At that point, we split into groups and discuss the topic further while making it more relevant or "deeper" depending on the age group. That way we are coming together as a group, but the older teens are still able to discuss things that are on their minds specifically.
Good idea? Bad idea? Got other ideas? Once again, I'm all ears.
EDIT: I am also kicking around the idea of splitting everyone into "family groups" and having my older leaders dispersed throughout them. They learn to be better leaders, and in the process they help the younger and less mature kids grow. Of course, splitting them up into the correct groups is tantamount to making this plan successful- separation by cliques would accomplish nothing.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Long Time, No Update...
... but I have a good excuse!
We made the move to our new church home this past week, and finally the internet and I are companions once again. The trip was a little rough-car problems- but we got here safe, which is all I can ask for.
Our first service was last night, and I handed out a brief survey to try to get a grasp on where the group is spiritually. These are all good kids, but spiritually they are so far behind it isn't even funny. The past few youth pastors have treated the youth group as their personal playground, so now the teenagers' idea of youth group is simply a place to come and play dodgeball. You can't blame the teens for that- that's what youth group has been for them.
Needless to say, I am going to have to start from scratch with these kids if I am going to change the whole way they look at youth group. Has anyone else out there in blogland had to undo the disservice that a previous minister has done? If you have any tips or ideas, I'm all ears.
We made the move to our new church home this past week, and finally the internet and I are companions once again. The trip was a little rough-car problems- but we got here safe, which is all I can ask for.
Our first service was last night, and I handed out a brief survey to try to get a grasp on where the group is spiritually. These are all good kids, but spiritually they are so far behind it isn't even funny. The past few youth pastors have treated the youth group as their personal playground, so now the teenagers' idea of youth group is simply a place to come and play dodgeball. You can't blame the teens for that- that's what youth group has been for them.
Needless to say, I am going to have to start from scratch with these kids if I am going to change the whole way they look at youth group. Has anyone else out there in blogland had to undo the disservice that a previous minister has done? If you have any tips or ideas, I'm all ears.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Getting back to basics
As I have mentioned before, I am moving to a different state in the next couple of weeks and stepping into full-time youth ministry. Coming into this last Wednesday, I only had two more Wednesday night programs to be with my current youth group. I struggled greatly as I started to prepare my lesson for the night- what did I want to leave them with? What do I want them to remember as the last thing I tell them? The Scriptures are full of instruction- what do I want them to keep in mind?
Late in the book of Matthew, the religious powers that be try to corner Jesus with a few questions. One of them was the question of what the greatest commandment was. Out of the 613 Old Testament laws that were recognized, Christ was able to sum everything up in two statements.
Love God with all your heart. Love your neighbors as yourself.
So, last Wednesday I spoke about loving God. This Wednesday I am speaking about loving our neighbors. There are a hundred topics that are important and worth touching on- but if I can get every youth group I ever come in contact with to simply love God and love people...then I will consider my ministry a success.
Late in the book of Matthew, the religious powers that be try to corner Jesus with a few questions. One of them was the question of what the greatest commandment was. Out of the 613 Old Testament laws that were recognized, Christ was able to sum everything up in two statements.
Love God with all your heart. Love your neighbors as yourself.
So, last Wednesday I spoke about loving God. This Wednesday I am speaking about loving our neighbors. There are a hundred topics that are important and worth touching on- but if I can get every youth group I ever come in contact with to simply love God and love people...then I will consider my ministry a success.
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