The Right Questions???
For the last few weeks, I have been traveling a fair bit and this day I find myself on a plane again flying across Canada and then down to Kansas City. The locations that my travel schedule has taken me have been quite different in context but there is a common theme that is running through all of these locations. Youth pastors and youth workers are looking for the right questions to ask in regards to their local ministry.
It seems like the questions that we used to ask are not the most important questions to ask now. It begs me to ask, “What was wrong with those questions?” or better yet, “Where we just asking the wrong questions back then?”
Here’s a short list of some of the former questions that I found myself asking in youth ministry:
- Have I developed a discipleship plan that is all encompassing, challenging and deep for our students? (A real focus on the “content”)
- Am I seeing spiritually lost students accept Jesus?
- Am I seeing our youth group reach out to newcomers?
- Are students asking for more and getting involved in our ministry?
- Are students engaged in worship? (remember “worship” as we know it today really took off in the 90’s)
- How big can our outreach event be? How can we attract students to it? How can we make sure that our students want to ask their friends to our event?
It seems like some of these questions have changed as we strive to get a deeper understanding of the student culture and the needs that are in it. Here’s a list of some of the questions that I have collected over the last few weeks. This is just the beginning of the list, I would love for you to help me contribute to it.
- Are students interacting with the entire story of God and seeing themselves having a role in it?
- Are students active in some form of restoration? (Environmentally, spiritually, socially, etc)
- Are students seeing that there is a role for them in the world that they live in? How are we as a church resourcing them to accomplish that role?
- Are students owning their faith through a personal relationship with God rather than a corporate relationship with the church or something else? What do they know about their faith?
- Does our community (surrounding the church) recognize that the church is a place filled with hope, love and acceptance? Do they view our church as needed in this community?
- Do students see that true Christian fellowship is needed? What do they define Christian fellowship as?
So, there is the beginning list of questions that I have compiled over the last few weeks. What questions do you find yourself asking these days in your youth ministry? I would love to hear them.
- Matt
Who am I becoming? I think is a wholistic question that we need to challenge our students, staff, and friends to consider. So I guess a question our student ministries need to consider is are we creating an environment where it is safe and where we are encouraged to explore who we are becoming (corporately and individually)?
Doug Jones said this on February 20th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Thanks Doug.
That is a great question and added to the list.
Matt said this on February 21st, 2008 at 8:27 am
Dear friends,
Obama is capturing millions of our youth into his cult like unification election efforts.
Many of our Christian youth are decieved by Obama’s bewitching grasp into their hearts and minds. Our youth seem to be blinded by the fact that Obama’s pro-abortion and gay marriage agenda will destroy America as we know it.
The overwhelmimg excitement of the crowds are being touted in the media as a focus to excuse all of Obama’s socialistic and anti-christian views. Is anything more dangerous upon America’s horizon than having the youth vote become the key factor which elects a man who seeks to undermine our entire constitutional Republic? Take a close look at where the Obama support is rooted. Young, inexperienced people who are emotionally charged for causes which are not comprehended by them, or even charted by wisdom. Consider who the media claimed was supporting Hillary: “white, uneducated women.” Is it wrong to say there has never been an election that is more critical to our maintaining freedom?
Are we fully aware how the very values and principles of freedoms, which allow Christians to have rights, are now on the line? Obama can and will place left leaning judges on America’s courts just as he has promised. Are Christian leaders sitting around like helpless by-standers watching this happen under their noses? Are we going to relinquish our fate to political chance by going about our normal daily agenda, and simply hope these opposing forces will quietly go away? Are our liberties dying with thunderous applause as good people silently watch?
There are other dangerous distractions dividing Christian Youth and drawing them away from unifying under true principles during a critical election year. Congregations are reporting divisions over 9 = 11 conspiracies and other popular contentions which frequently become contentious disputes regarding the Iraq war and 9 - 11.
I am writing to you because I have long foreseen such negative trends growing within the ranks of many believers. These events are highly divisive and are becoming very dangerous.
There have been several honest investigations recently which have exposed 9 - 11 conspiracies as a dangerous and misleading propaganda that is harmful to our country. The believability for such fabrications has a bewitching affect upon the minds of many Christians and others. Such propaganda fuels a growing lack of trust for established principles and can turn believers against our country, their own ministers, or other good individuals who refuse to support the conspiratorial spin. The negative affects I am warning about have much to do with the fact that many Christians are currently being distracted from an extremely important presidential election where leftists are contending to gain positions of power which could potentially turn our nation into an anti christian, socialistic state.
Modern Leftists despise Christians and are currently waging a spiritual, political, and media war against us. These people work tirelessly to silence voices of faith in order to undermine Christian influence and set up their left leaning Babylon. As Christians are decieved into contending against Bush, Iraq, and confusion over 9 - 11 conspiracies, they unknowingly assist the enemy as they ride into power without any resistance.
I was inspired with a new understanding and seek to reveal an important message recorded in the Bible concerning 9 - 11 and the Iraq war. The Iraq war will be a major issue this year because Obama promises to pull the troops out of Iraq against the advice of our military commanders on the ground. The importance of these events and our actual presence in Iraq are referred to in the Bible.
Before you are tempted to write me off as another false teacher warned about in scripture, please check out my publication now marketed by a large Christian organization called Salem. Please take a few minutes and witness the online video demonstrating a biblical message about 9 - 11 and the Iraq war in prophecy. I want you to see 9 - 11 evidence recorded in your Bible. I want you to witness 9 - 11 scriptures which connect modern Iraq with “eagle’s wings” (America’s symbol of freedom) I am holding myself personally accountable if my readers fail to discover exactly what I am promising them concerning Iraq or 9 - 11. You have both my e-mail and my phone number to do just that!
208-251-3519
www.eternaltruth.net/bpo911.html
Any wise man tests before he talks”. I appeal to those who have faith in the Bible, and know God is aware of today’s crisis and believe He has inspired prophets to record spiritual solutions for these problems.
Visit www.eternaltruth.net/bpo911.html
ed cook said this on June 11th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
This guy is atually under-stating the power of this Bible discovery! You must see this youtube on his sight if it is the last thing on earth you do! Our husbands in Iraq and our wounded vets need
to hear about this new Bible discovery.
Suppose it could be documented that this Bible
prophecy was verified to have been fulfilled in our
day predicting the war in Iraq?
Thousands of people are entering this web sight…
www.eternaltruth.net
Critics have sought to rip this biblical discovery a
part in order to disprove it.
Such attempts continue to fail as ambitious Bible
critics seek to expose it as another hoax.
Critics eventually fade as the people who see
value in this fulfilled prophecy are moved to
inform others of this possible miracle arriving in
our day!
Could God have revealed an actual Bible prophecy
supporting America going into Iraq? Everyone is
invited to prove or disprove this newly discovered
prophecy.
If you can demonstrate a way to disprove this claim
you may become a guest on Glenn Becks show or
Shaun Hannity. If you can bring a case forward
which supports this prophecy as being true you
may also become a guest.
This Bible discovery was mentioned on the Rush
Limbaugh show as millions heard of this web sight.
If you can find any evidence disputing this claim
or any evidence confirming it true, please contact
Shaun at…
“Media track” dogtrack88hotmail.com
Or contact Glenn Beck and make your case
to him on line. glennbeck.com You may contact
Rush Limbaugh if possible?
For additional information
concerning this matter contact
Ed Cook at ecdistibutions or
edmund@eternaltruth.net or 208 251 3519
You could receive national recognition for worthy evidence
if your information is convincing. Why?
If no one can dispute this biblical claim this discovery
can be submitted in the media as an actual fulfillment of
biblical prophecy. If not, you may be the one exposing as
a hoax.
The new President of the united states may be determined
by the condition of our economy and the war in Iraq.
What could a Bible prophecy depicting America as
the biblical eagle bringing freedom to Iraq have upon
this presidential election?
Could it perhaps reveal the presidential election from a new
spiritual perspective?
This biblical prophecy could unite our American resolve
for supporting the Iraq war and help our troops.
A subsidiary of Salem communications has already
declared this work to be a monumental discovery of
“biblical proportions” in their recent national press release.
To confirm this national press release go to the Salem
Xulon press release at- www.eternaltruth.net or enter
their Salem web sight.
There has been no theological criticism having any
teeth which has demonstrated convincing red flags
which cast doubt upon this claim. The Bible can be spun
by people who often take things out of proper context.
Today modern writers cleverly manufacture their own
evidences from the Bible and years later we then discover
such insights were false.
This means that the specific criteria for documenting
a fulfilled Bible prophecy is even more difficult to accomplish
than many secular discoveries which also require high
standards from sound research.
We need a consensus from several credible Christians
who can collaberate a consistency of legitamate insights
which identify key prophetic types and shadows clearly
identifying the cyclic nature of true prophecy within
Bible history.
Such an insight for understanding true Bible prophecy
should not require a degree in theology. We welcome
either.
We welcome the critics who aspire to prove this wrong.
No credable evidence has been presented showing
any confirmed manipulation of the biblical text nor its
context.
Watch the you tube video as it takes you through
specific Bible scriptures which reveal the
great modern eagle (America)l transforming Iraq
into a free nation in the end times..
Locate now..
“Bible prophecies of 9-11
www.eternaltruth.net
sincerely,
Bet Patterson
ecdistribution
.
.
Bet Patterson said this on August 8th, 2008 at 10:22 am