Posts tagged Student Ministry
You’re gonna have to stay with me on this one. There are layers to this story and I’m gonna jump in and out of the narrative quite a bit. That being said, I’ll tell you what the main narrative is right now so you don’t forget.
“Jesus Wins.”
The events of tonight were set in motion this past Sunday at the 7PM service at The Austin Stone. Following an announcement about First Tuesday Prayer, a couple of TeenRock students (Devyne and Ebony) came up to me saying they wanted to be baptized at the Tuesday service.
Without thinking, I said, “Absolutely!”
After all, I knew these girls. I knew their stories. These were girls you could tether a ministry to and just stand back and watch it grow from their passion and leadership, and here they were wanting to publicly testify to the body of Christ what Jesus had done in their lives. Let’s do this!
I immediately headed in the direction of one of the staffers who I knew could add the girls to the baptism list when John Palmieri stopped me. Now…John Palmieri is about 9 feet tall and so when he stops you…you stop.
“Devonte wants to get baptized.”
“What?!”
This is another story altogether.
I had met Devonte awhile back and to be honest knew only two things about him. He could dance. He could flow.
Beyond that, I had pieced together from others who had been involved in his life that he was knowledgeable of things about God but had never fully grasped the relational weight of it all. Some would say there was even some hostility.
His own personal story and his past are things that I will leave for him to share but from a present day spiritual standpoint, many can testify to the fact that Jesus gripped Devonte this summer and just changed him.
I mean…CHANGE.
“Oh, I’m getting them on the list for SURE now!”
List was full.
“Blast.”
I understood the situation and no part of me wanted to undermine those in charge of the baptism service who most likely had already turned away some people. Nonetheless, I was going to have to go back and tell the kids they would have to wait until next time and that I spoke too soon.
It was then that Lindsay Funkhouser proposed the following: “Why don’t we leave the baptismal pool up and you can baptize them at TeenRock on Wednesday?”
Reason #4125672 that “Funk” is great at what she does.
Reason #194716284 that I love the fact that we have our own facility for TeenRock now.
I took the proposal to the kids and their leaders…they loved it…and the wheels went into motion.
Flash forward to Wednesday / Tonight.
The first people to show up on Wednesday that weren’t volunteers were Debbie B. and Jesse Martinez. Jesse was a former Reagan student who was working now in Austin and was close with Devonte.
Jesse was another kid who I had known very little about apart from the fact that he too…could dance…and flow. In fact, as the leaders and volunteers were praying together, I saw Jesse outside…dancing.
Now, there are a couple of things you need to know when I say, “dancing.” When I say “dancing,” I am not referring to the cha-cha or the jitterbug or the two-step or even the worm.
When I say “dancing,” I’m going off an assumption that you’ve seen Step Up / You Got Served / Stomp the Yard / etc? That’s dancing.
As students started showing up, a legitimate “break dancing” battle royale commenced in the Gallery (sorry Beth…there may have been flipping off of some of the new walls) with Jesse and yes…Devonte leading the charge.
Devin and I could hear the ruckus from the green room and peaked our heads out to see a throng of students circled around in a frenzy.
“It’s gonna get ridiculous tonight.”
With that, we let the kids into the auditorium and started.
Right off the bat, I knew there was going to have to be some teaching on the topic of baptism, so we opened with the biblical evidence and theology of baptism.
To close I stated that Jesus Himself was baptized and as the Holy Spirit descended on Him at His baptism, it was as if God was announcing to the world, “It’s gametime.” Jesus’ public ministry then began.
For Devyne, Ebony, and Devonte, their baptisms served as an announcement to the world saying that Jesus had saved them and that it was….yes…gametime.
After a song by Austin and the guys, everyone focused their eyes on the baptismal pool where we were now standing. All three of the students beautifully shared with their friends and family what Jesus had done in their lives and what they believed He had planned for the rest of their lives.
As each student was baptized (Devonte by me, Ebony by Candice P, and Devyne by Lindsey P), a cheer that can only be described as a heavenly sound erupted from the crowd of students and leaders.
I’ve always said that TeenRock was a family. Tonight I saw it and heard it.
As we finished, Austin took the lead and led with a few more songs and I went backstage to towel off.
As I set foot in the green room, I saw Devonte there and I just simply lost it.
We serve a God so magnificent and so powerful. The story of redemption and salvation is ever so real to me. The fact that I am priveleged to have been able to see His grace from a front row seat shown on these amazing students is something that I simply can’t comprehend. The only recourse it seems is weeping for I am undone and reminded of His grace shown to me.
These were the first of many Reagan students to be baptized. There is a story of “old being made new” happening before our eyes and I urge you not to blink for fear you’ll miss a millisecond where God is doing something amazing.
Oh yeah…if you think I’m landing the plane on this post…you’re wrong.
As service ended, a good friend, Chase (who more than anyone has stuck by Devonte), came up to me and succinctly said,
“Jesse just got saved.”
And that’s where I’ll land the plane.
“I get the sense that life is going to look a lot different once we get back.”
I said this to Devin in the kitchen of the Makarios house about a week ago as we were leading a team from TeenRock in the Dominican Republic.
A couple of things about Devin. First, I’ve known Devin since he was 14 and I’ve had the privelege of mentoring him since then (he’s 19 now). Second, Devin is around me a lot and thus has to listen to me quite a bit (whether he likes it or not), and he’s gotten very good at sifting through the times when I’m just talking for the sake of talking and when I might actually be on to something.
In the way that he leaned in on this occasion, it was apparent that he wasn’t going to let this be one of those “Tyson’s just talking” times.
“What do you mean?” he said
“I have no idea.”
It took me a night to sort it out and the next day I pulled him aside and explained.
I took him back to a conversation we had a couple of months ago about his personal ministry. He can give you the specifics but the general tone was this:
“Devin. What you are currently going through in life and the major lessons you are learning and the challenges you are facing right now are going to be the new pivot points for your ministry. Your current life experiences are the illustrations you should be using. What you are reading today should spur the thoughts you should be meditating on. The deep questions you have now should be the ones you are seeking answers to.”
While the experiences of his early days (age 15-18) were fodder for how he taught and what he taught on and how he led up until this point, there was a more pressing need to begin taking inventory of his current season of life and using that as his jumping point from here on out.
In saying all of this, I realized that I was talking to myself as well.
There’s a line in the movie Jaws, when the crew realizes the monumental nature of the challenge they are facing. Someone quite simply says, “It looks like we’re going to need a bigger boat.”
This is what I meant.
That when we returned to Austin, Texas, there was going to be a monstrous reality on our shores. That our paradigms were going to be shifted and that the old rhythms that we had worked so hard at perfecting were just going to have to be retired and replaced with new ones.
We are about to play a role in writing the rest of the story rather than recapping the old one.
I apologize for not getting into specifics (and yes…it is in my nature to be uber mysterious) but already, things are changing and we’re having to adapt.
One thing I can be clear on is that a God-sized vision requires a God-sized response. No matter the change and no matter the challenge, we have a God who is not surprised by anything. So we’ve got that going for us…which is nice.
Far be it from me to be just another youth pastor talking about the dangers of “burnout,” but I don’t believe enough can be said about the subject.
I’m priveleged to consider myself one of the many called to stand on the watchtower, vigilantly guarding the next generation, and with such a privelege, one can’t be ignorant to the realities and the harmful yet natural tendencies of man to over-extend and push every limit.
It’s as if we’re all cars with engines with so much capacity. Some are built for speed. Others for long distances. The common denominator is that each has its limit. The Creator in His infinite wisdom, and infinite knowledge that some of us REALLY like driving and that some of us REALLY feel like we can’t stop driving, created red lines. Sure over time, pushing the red line will get you a little further down the road, but in the long run…well…there really isn’t a long run if you keep pushing.
For many of us (youth pastors), we’ve been pushing through summer at full speed. After all, it’s high time to connect with kids and do some really amazing things. ”Wins” come at a higher frequency and truth be told, most student ministries grow both numerically and spiritually over 12 weeks.
What begins to happen inevitably is that the Fall semester begins to creep in. Suddenly, schedules are more regulated, time is more scarce, and momentum wanes.
If you’re anything like me, this becomes a self-evaluation time, and while every indication of the change in rhythm really has nothing to do with you personally, (it’s all circumstantial), you begin to believe the lie that you’re failing…underperforming…pretty much “eating it.” Why do things feel slower? Why is attendance dropping? Why do kids seem distracted? What do I need to do?
Danger.
1. Fight the temptation to begin thinking programmatically. ”I need to create a big wave…a large event…” Rest (we’ll get to this in a second) and then settle into a new rhythm.
2. Don’t start treating your staff and volunteers like your own personal pit crew designed to make YOU perform better and go faster. Let them rest. It’s been a long summer.
3. Did I mention rest?
Absorb First: In Mark 7 Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees on the topic of what is clean and unclean and He answers them saying, “There is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.”
Immediately after He’s told the crowd this, His disciples RE-ASK the question! You get the impression that there’s a tone of, “Ok…so what you said out there…were you serious?” It’s as if they missed the teaching, dismissing it as, “instructions for everyone else.”
The Words of Jesus have direct implications on you. They aren’t reserved just for your flock. Experience the Truth and Power of the Word of God first and not from the standpoint of, “Oh man…I need to preach on this next week,” but rather, “Oh man…I need to live this out TODAY.”
Be Pursued: Rest doesn’t mean vegitate. Numbing yourself to the realities of the World and expecting the Creator to engage you in your stupor is awfully self-centered of us and in a battle of self-centeredness, God wins every time. Nonetheless, the concept of rest involves a pause in “striving,” so that you may more readily be pursued by God. He is worthy of that. Honestly, I can’t imagine many scenarios worse than pursuing something that 1) has no idea that it’s being pursued or 2) is completely distracted by something idiotic and doesn’t care about being pursued. We’re talking about Jesus here!
The Emergency Shut Off Switch: Be in community and have a community that is so designed that you have people in your life vigilant enough to know when you’re “red-lining.” Give these people license to tell you, “Go home,” and then listen to them.
Better and wiser men have spoke and written volumes on the topic of “Avoiding burnout,” and I encourage you to seek them and their materials out.
As for me, I’ll be over here…resting a bit. It makes that shift into the highest gear that much easier when I know I’ll need it.
One of my favorite shows of all time is “The West Wing.”
The show still stands as the work that defined Aaron Sorkin and it still holds up in the realm of smartness, poignancy, and quality.
There’s a brilliant episode that flashes back to Jed Bartlet’s campaign run for President. At the time of the story, he’s still a darkhorse candidate with a brand new staff he doesn’t yet trust and all that we see is a grumpy, entitled, crotchety man stubborn to bend on almost anything.
While he’s out of the room, several of the staffers go back and forth on a couple of issues about Bartlet to which Leo McGarity (Bartlet’s future Chief of Staff and best friend) fires off, “HE’S NOT READY!”
At the end of the episode, after Bartlet has won the Illinois primary, he shows up at an airport to console Josh Lyman (one of those staffers) on the way to bury his father who had just passed away. It’s here that the humanity of the man shines through and we begin to see the makings of the future President whose values would always be based on the simple fact that he cared.
It’s then that he utters the phrase to Leo, “I’m ready.”
I bring this episode summary up for a couple of reasons. 1) It’s playing on BRAVO right now. 2) The moments where we have the opportunity to exercise humanity and compassion are the moments that define us. It’s not the accolade or office that you break your neck to reach while skipping over those moments on the way.
I say this for no other reason than to remind myself as we prepare for the next phase of TeenRock. 
It’s been a long summer. Really and truly, just long.
Over the past three months, multiple mission trips, a few camps, and oh yeah, one of the single most exciting and pivotal transitions our High School Ministry has ever undergone (moving to a different night, in a different place, with a brand new crop of kids). Oh, I almost forgot, in two weeks, we’ll have a permanent facility!
Woah.
I had a chance to sit and talk with Devin today. Over the course of this trip that we’ve been on, it’s been refreshing to see him lead and see him teach and play quarterback on a lot of the decisions regarding the leadership of the group while Laura has been handling all of the logistics before and during the trip. The other leaders on the trip have been such a blessing as well and of course Makarios staff is always at the top of their game.
As for me and Devin, the conversation started with him simply saying, “So…are the lights on?”
It was the way that he said it but immediately, I knew what he was talking about.
You see, for the past three months, TeenRock has literally been living out a battle plan that we crafted over a year ago. It’s rare that a student ministry plan and strategy planned so far in advance is executed with such precision and accuracy and while we do have an AMAZING staff and team of volunteers, it’s more a testament to a very clear vision that God gave us, and His faithfulness in keeping us focused not on our plans…but His.
With that said, the plan becomes significantly less specific after Spring 2011. Not in a scary way by any means. For instance, a year ago, we wrote down, “We’re going to Reagan High School.” The same time this year, we wrote down, “We’re targeting two more schools.”
All of this to say, what Devin was asking was, “Tyson, after the summer you’ve had, have you had time to start asking God, ‘what’s next?’” I got a similar question from Melissa, who’s holding down the TeenRock fort back at home via email.
It’s a worthwhile question and the truth is that over the course of this trip to the D.R. I’ve had ample time to really be alone with the Lord and realize that He had given me the answers a long time ago. I just didn’t realize at the time they were answers because I didn’t have the questions that I’m asking today.
So while it’s been a long summer, it’s truly been a blessed and wonderful summer.
I believe the next steps we take as a ministry will define us for the next 10 years. I believe that from this next crop of students currently becoming leaders in the ministry, God-sized things are going to start happening (I’m talking ACTS type stuff). I believe the favor of the Lord is upon us. I believe the lights are most definitely on. I believe I’m ready.
Dear youth pastor. If by some chance you lead a largish ministry with a centralized program, of course there are some obvious things to never ever forget. Things like “teach the bible” and “it’s all about relationships” should go without saying.
However just being at Reagan in the summer I found myself making a checklist of things that won’t necessarily make or break you but would help immensely.
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During the summer, aside from the periodic planning meeting, you shouldn’t see your interns that often. They should be out hanging out with kids. Don’t give them office hours. Defeats the purpose.
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Give ownership to your team and really give it. Don’t be uninvolved but let them run with the day to day operations. At times asking your team questions as opposed to giving them all the answers is the right approach.
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Trust. Trust the experts. Hopefully you aren’t the most skilled and knowledgeable guitarist / sound guy / video guy. If you are, start finding someone even if they aren’t as “good” as you and let them become “better.” Surround them with faithful people and then trust them. Which leads to…
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It goes without saying that you should love your teams well but don’t forget your production teams and bands. Take them to lunch early and often and don’t just talk shop. Talk about life.
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“Everything is going to be ok.” Don’t freak out. Seriously. Don’t do it.
Now if I could just heed my own advice…
