10 Principles For Teen Spirtual Formation (1/2)
Roller coasters or Prayer meetings? Ga-Ga Ball or Theology? Games or Worship?
I'm not saying you cannot build roller coasters, play Ga-Ga Ball, and crazy games. Although I will say from personal experience and philosophy, it is VERY difficult to do both on the same night. Because the spiritual will suffer malnutrition. Look at how Paul defined spiritual formation and growth.
1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”
Where Do You Spend Your Time?
With these questions, I'm asking you what is your lean? What is your default? Where do you spend most of your time? Planning creative events, setting up the pit, or buying gold fish at the pet store to swallow?
As a Youth Leader, what Is Your Lean? What is most of your time spent doing? We have to define the difference between CHILD-LIKE and CHILD-ISH.
Are you a Program-based or Presence-based YTH Ministry? Is more time spent on the creative element or the spiritual content?
The larger question in this discussion is which model of Student Ministry is most important at this time for the North American Church? And where we spend our time will become the culture of our YTH Ministry.
The Teen Decade
We are closing out on The Teen Decade. The 7 teen years from 2013-2019. And it only happens once in a century. This year is 2018TEEN. Over the past 5 years I have been calling for an emphasis upon an Awakening in the Millennials and this younger teen generation that we are calling GenZ. Why?
Because American teenagers are the only generation living in our country who haven't seen a spiritual awakening in their lifetime. The last significant spiritual movement took place in 1995 in Brownsville, Florida. But, that was more than 20 years ago. Teens today may not have even heard about it.
America has seen probably three and maybe four spiritual shifts in her history. The 1st and 2nd Great Awakenings, the Azusa Street Outpouring, and the Jesus Movement. And we are poised for another spiritual renewal soon. But, if the Lord tarries in the coming ten years, is YTH Ministry ready to lead the Church and culture in this next spiritual shift?
PRAX - Preparing A Generation To Lead The Next Great Awakening
We must prepare this generation to lead The Next Great Awakening in modern America.
The American Youth culture is in desperate need of a spiritual renewal. This should be one of the most exciting times for the Youth Leaders and the Youth of the Church in our country. At a time when the hearts of young people are failing, it is a great time for spiritual Youth Leadership. Here are 10 principles we must implement if we are going to prepare teens in the American Church to lead The Next Great Awakening.
Let's do the first 5 this week. Each one has several Prax at the end to help with execution:
1. It is not time to major on Programming and Events
The central catalyst for an Awakening is not Programming and events. Of course, those things are important to a holistic Youth Ministry. And Youth Ministry across the country should not stop with an organizational emphasis. I know that teens need programming and systems and structure in their spiritual lives. Whether that is accomplished in the Youth service or small groups or personal mentoring, we need systems. But, programming alone is not the central catalyst for an Awakening of national proportion. That kind of lasting cultural shift takes something additional.
Prax - How to break the Creative Programming lean:
CREATE PROGRAMMING ON A SEPARATE NIGHT EACH MONTH (This might look like a monthly activity that is well planned and exciting. A Big Draw. I know that students are busy. And parents are busy. But they will make time for what is valuable.)
SEPARATE THE CREATIVE PROGRAMMING AND THE SPIRITUAL PROGRAMMING (This will define what we want students to be doing in the YTH service setting. It will create a greater distinction between 'play and pray'. That the spiritual can be fun!)
2. It is time to major on spiritual formation
The culture of a YTH Ministry is sensed immediately. In a Youth Ministry that is Program-based, there is an emphasis placed upon presentation and structure. Again, I am not advocating to stop this kind of administration. But, you can see healthy or unhealthy emphasis by how time is spent. When leaders center their time and planning on video work, graphics, personal and team leadership development, and precision event planning, there can be a loss of the value of spiritual transformation in the lives of students that takes place through discipleship.
Prax - Two definitions of spiritual formation:
BIBLICAL LITERACY (Theology is important. And students can understand more than we think. There is an academic excellence in GenX because of the competitive college and university standards and cost.)
BIBLICAL BEHAVIOR (The actions of the students follow the theology of the students)
3. It is important that discipleship is a priority
Any philosophy in YTH Ministry that does not have a strategic plan for discipleship will fail the student and ultimately the Church. Because without a discipleship plan, we will raise biblically illiterate students who will never remain with the Church. Discipleship in its many facets must be celebrated and executed in various forms. How are we taking a middle school student on a spiritual formation journey so that when they graduate from High School they understand a few things.
Prax - Here are a few of the things every teenager must understand:
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OLD & NEW TESTAMENTS
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
THE PLAN OF SALVATION
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
4. The valuation of the Bible is a non-negotiable in YTH ministry
The spiritual growth of students will only be realized through the word of God. When only 30% of teenagers in the Church today can name 5 of the Ten Commandments, we have a problem. (Barna) Whether teaching, preaching, small groups, personal mentoring, worship and music, and the personal spiritual disciplines of students in their bedroom - we must instruct students how to read the Bible. We cannot just tell them to do it. We must show them how. That is what we call Practical Theology (Prax). Instruction that APPLIES the principles of the word of God.
Prax - Here's a great way to get them to read the Bible:
START THEM WITH THE GOSPELS OR JAMES
HAVE THEM CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE/SETTING IN THEIR BEDROOM
USE THE YOUVERSION APP ON THEIR PHONE FOR IMMEDIATE ACCESS
PUT THEM IN READING PARTNERS WITH A FRIEND
5. Create an accountability culture in the YTH Ministry
These can be called 'circles', 'huddles', 'crews', 'squads', or 'family'. Whatever form they take, spiritual formation must be practical. And it must be something that is relational in our students toward each other. When is the last time your students prayed together? OUTSIDE OF CHURCH! We must create a culture of spiritual hunger in our YTH Ministry. We are not called to attract people. We are called to disciple them. Our students must drive the spiritual formation in the YTH Ministry.
Prax - Try this to create spiritual accountability:
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT OF MATURE TEENS WHO ARE LEADERS
WEEKLY OR MONTHLY 'CIRCLES' THAT MEET FOR RELATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
ANNOUNCE 'POP-UPS' MONTHLY THAT ARE SPONTANEOUS BIBLE STUDIES OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH BUILDING
Our satisfaction should not be that we built an AMUSEMENT park. A place where students are in awe of us and the program. If all we are doing is trying to build a bigger and better roller coaster in YTH Ministry, at some point we are going to run out of money, and, the students will run out of interest. Their interest in spiritual formation will never run out. There is an endless supply of awe in Christ.
Leadership Capacity
We will look at 5 more principles next week for creating teen spiritual formation.
In the final two years of The Teen Decade (2013-2019), pray for your own personal spiritual development as a Youth Leader. Our personal spiritual formation as Youth Leaders is the most attractive trait that teens are looking for. We will not see an American renewal without modeling it to our students personally.
If the Lord tarries, and the Church is in the hands of the young people in your YTH Ministry, what will the Church look like in 10 years? Asking this question might help you decide your lean.
1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”