the    sides

I was asked for an evaluation of the conference we went to this summer in Colorado. This was my response. You should know that I love Student Venture. They have been a huge part of my life and I think the world of them.

But I also think that the issues that are facing them, face the rest of the Christian conference sub-culture as well. (Deadyouthpastor blogged on this today as well…hmmmm.)

An Open Letter to Student Venture:

This year’s experience at the Rocky Mountain Getaway was incredible, probably the best I’ve ever had. Chuck Bomar was an outstanding communicator as well as being incredibly relational with the students. Proof of Purchase functioned as lead worshippers as opposed to just a band that plays worship songs.

The program team (at least at the Rocky Mountain Getaway) was sensitive to the Spirit during the sessions that I had yet seen at a SV conference. The change of schedule with the morning assemblies was a much needed overhaul of the SV program. Thank you for breathing some freshness into the Getaway. Overall, the Getaway was outstanding and a huge improvement over the last few years.

Yet, I must also add this – the student culture is in the middle of a major value exchange and the current Christian conference/camp paradigm must change with it. If challenge us to lead through the change. If we don’t lead through this change, the Conference paradigm will be irrelevant in the next 2 to 4 years.

What values am I talking about? As these issues are still emerging, please overlook the lack of polish in my presentation to the heart of the matter.

I think the value exchange has resulted in teenagers that value…

global issues over national issues,
living in community over isolation,
authenticity over polish,
interaction over performance,
risk over caution,
questions more than answers (thanks marko at youth specialties),
experiential over observation,
impact over incubation.

I am sure that many more could be added and I’d be glad to unpack them with you if you think there is value in such a conversation. But for the sake of brevity, I’d like to challenge SV with some implications from just three of those.

Questions more than answers
I think there is value in allowing students to fumble around with questions. The wrestling makes their faith…well… theirs. Standing in front of teens giving them answers to questions they may or may not be asking is not near as effective as sitting with them listening to them tell their stories and their questions.

I think as leaders we have a responsibility to create questions for them to wrestle with as well. I often wonder if by teaching the answers without allowing space for the questions, have we become guilty of treating our Lord – to steal from Donald Miller – like a vacuum cleaner as opposed to a dynamic relationship with a person.

Experiential over observation
I love doing over instructional videos. This is why the day of outreach is the most popular and talked about day. It is a day of experiences, not a day of instruction or observation. Can this be transferred over into other arenas – like the worship times? With worship walls and prayer stations?

Impact over incubation
One of the strong suits of your organization is training students at how to make an impact on their campus…when they get home. What about while we are at the conference? Students want to make an impact with their life, not necessarily have the ideas incubate in their mind forever.

Is it possible to create an opportunity for students to have an impact immediately while at the conference? Like serving a local school district by doing projects they can’t afford to do? Working with the homeless and poor? Helping local orphanages, halfway houses, or hospitals?

So What?
Here’s what I’m asking from you.

1. Help me lead students to better incarnate the Gospel as opposed to learn more about it. As I read the scriptures this means helping the helpless, loving the unlovable. It appears that the current student culture is open to this challenge.

On a practical level I want the opportunity to both serve AND worship with my students in an experiential, impactful way. I want the ‘education’ of students to be hands on, hands dirty.

2. Take more risks in your programming. I’d gently but pointedly ask you what ‘golden calves’ of your conference content do you deem untouchable? Why? What values hold them there? Do they match the values Jesus elevated in the Gospels? Do they speak to the values of the culture we are trying to reach?

If they don’t match – I dare you to punt it and try something different. Take chances, think outside of the box for ways to create environments where Jesus can show up and show off.

3. Be considerate of the current economic situation. Make it a priority to have the cost of the conference as low as possible so that as many as possible can engage in it. If that means sacrificing ‘celebrity preachers’, so be it. If the experience has impact, the speakers are secondary anyway.

I do want to say thank you for the time, money, and effort you put into creating an environment so that students can encounter God. I also want you to know that I am praying for your leadership structure as they make decisions concerning next year.

I want you to succeed and I want to be part of the solution.

Thanks for being a great partner to me on the journey of ruining teenagers with Jesus.

In Him,
Grant