the    sides

I meant to write this last week but amidst all the snow and stuff…it slipped my mind. It shouldn’t have because it was one of those “holy moments.” It was over a burrito in a place called Brewery Bar IV. (Why is a Mexican food place named Brewery Bar???)

A couple of you “young” youth guys (I can’t tell you how painful it is to write those words…) have asked this - how do start “eating the elephant” of building a student ministry? I’ve said this before - building something from scratch is slow, hard, but rewarding WORK. I know it’s about reproducing spiritual leaders and that takes time. But there are pockets of discouragement. Moments when you ask the unanswerable question - is what I’m doing really making a difference? The bottom line is this - the more vehement a youth worker says “It’s not about the numbers” the more likely they have a large youth group. File it under false modesty if you like.

“We” may think that and even believe that it’s not about the numbers - but the soul on Thursday mornings tells a different tale. We (probably better said I) do judge how “well” a Wednesday night by how many showed up. Some of that isn’t all bad.

It’s not because I want to show up to NYWC and brag about how my youth group grew by 360% this year. It’s because I want us to be a part of God making an impact in our community. I want as many people as possible to encounter Jesus. Hence, the Thursday morning discouragement.

As a young Army officer, I once got to hear Colin Powell speak. I only remember a couple of lines from the talk. The first one was that to really lead people we were going to have to …upset some people. (He didn’t use that term…it was the Army.) The second line has been etched in my soul - “Being positive is your best force multiplier.”

In Army speak - you are always looking for force multipliers - the things that will increase your force strength without adding more soldiers. Technology, certain weapons, tactics, etc are all force multipliers. General Powell said this is not “pie-in-the-sky” lying in the face of reality rah-rah stuff. It’s find the good, the hope, the goal, the building block and accentuate the heck out of it.

So I’ve tried to do that. Fast forward to this moment with these two guys who - for better or worse have decided to do student ministry.

Being positive is not only your best force multiplier but it’s reciprocal.
So my answer to how to “eat the elephant” - create a positive environment then find some people to eat it with you. Make sure they are trustworthy, make sure they are called and love teens. Make sure they are honest to the point of uncomfortable with you.

Then go eat a burrito with them and feel them lift your soul and your eyes to the hills.