the    sides

Got to hang out with a “one of us” guy yesterday in the metroplex of Searcy, Arkansas. I love hanging with other youthworkers who are trying to figure out how to reproduce Kingdom focused teen leaders in a consumer driven-entertaiment saturated-youth focused-sex obsessed culture.

The safe rant is to blame the parents. The truth is we all find ourselves in that culture - parents or not. And truth be told, some of the best youthworkers at reproducing kingdom focused teens are parents of teens. Plus, finding the “fault” is easy and immature. What’s the solution?

So what problems did we solve yesterday? I don’t know. We both agreed that more lock-ins, shaving cream fights, water-balloon tosses, life-saver relays aren’t going to get it done. We’re both pretty sure that we don’t need one more Christian Boy/Girl Band.

We think we’ve figured this out so far…

No more lone ranger youth pastors, we need community.

No more events on the calendar without understanding why we are doing it.

Keep putting students and adults in places to take risks for the Glory of God - which of course, is an open invitation for the wheels coming off the wagon.

Reproduce leaders, not events or groups or experiences.

Other than that - we’re pretty open for suggestions.