Comments on: An Admitted Bias… http://www.juniorhighministry.com/2009/03/06/an-admitted-bias/ Junior High Rocks! Mon, 14 May 2012 17:27:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Rick Mann http://www.juniorhighministry.com/2009/03/06/an-admitted-bias/#comment-16881 Rick Mann Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:49:46 +0000 http://www.simplykurt.com/?p=719#comment-16881 Kurt, Great insights on Admitted Bias. As a social scientist by training and working with graduate students we discuss this constantly. It is not just Christian that are biased, most everyone is, even many dedicated natural and social scientists. As an evangelical, I find some interesting bias among two groups I watch. Many fundamentalists think the church and the world are going to hell in a hand-basket and we need to get serious. Some reformed folks have this tendency/bias as well. Interestingly, the larger group these days is the anti-fundamentalist group. These folks are very biased against the fundamentalist. I was talking with Erwin McManus a couple of years ago and he commented on how many youth pastors he meets who are very committed to drinking and smoking. I wonder if this is an interesting bias of both groups both of whom are strongly for and against lifestyle issues. I hope we can all be a little more insightful and a little less biased. Thanks for raising the issue. Rick Mann President Crown College Kurt,

Great insights on Admitted Bias. As a social scientist by training and working with graduate students we discuss this constantly. It is not just Christian that are biased, most everyone is, even many dedicated natural and social scientists. As an evangelical, I find some interesting bias among two groups I watch. Many fundamentalists think the church and the world are going to hell in a hand-basket and we need to get serious. Some reformed folks have this tendency/bias as well. Interestingly, the larger group these days is the anti-fundamentalist group. These folks are very biased against the fundamentalist. I was talking with Erwin McManus a couple of years ago and he commented on how many youth pastors he meets who are very committed to drinking and smoking. I wonder if this is an interesting bias of both groups both of whom are strongly for and against lifestyle issues. I hope we can all be a little more insightful and a little less biased. Thanks for raising the issue.

Rick Mann
President
Crown College

]]> By: Nick Emery http://www.juniorhighministry.com/2009/03/06/an-admitted-bias/#comment-16852 Nick Emery Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:56:47 +0000 http://www.simplykurt.com/?p=719#comment-16852 Just a few years ago God taught me a huge lesson about the power of my bias and the importance of being artistic, rather then driven by formula or model. I had just moved. I had been done with college for a year and I had interned at my church and our youth ministry focus was "going after the unsaved/non-church type" and I was very much "the church type" yet God somehow gave me avenues and connections with the "emo" and "punk rock" kids. It was weird. But it was amazing. Great ministry happened in this "subset" of people not like me. I moved and I thought this would continue to the next place of ministry. So I ignored all the social and cultural cues of this new place (because I was biased, and thought I had established a pattern of ministry and let's be honest, there was fruit and it was because of this established way, I was offered a pastoring role somewhere else, somewhere "better"...) and I set out to do what I had always done...work with those "emo's and punk rock kids." For over 8 months of I suffered a ministry identity crisis. None of students I inherited where unchurched. Not of them were "emo's or punk rockers". Theses kids were way different. And I truly wanted to be more then a pastor, but a person who loved God who wanted to be a caring young adult that entered their lives. It became apparant that the students I worked with at my previous church & city weren't going to be the kids I was able to naturally connect with any more. I thought, "Why has God done this?" But it wasn't something God had done, rather it had been me, putting ministry and serving God in a field of operation that actually limited His power and the work of the Holy Spirit. This hurt my student ministry for about a year. So I decided from it, that I was going to change my bias, that I was going to have only one bias...I become bias to the simple fact that without God breathing afresh into me, into "how I do" things, I was hopeless. Just a few years ago God taught me a huge lesson about the power of my bias and the importance of being artistic, rather then driven by formula or model. I had just moved. I had been done with college for a year and I had interned at my church and our youth ministry focus was “going after the unsaved/non-church type” and I was very much “the church type” yet God somehow gave me avenues and connections with the “emo” and “punk rock” kids. It was weird. But it was amazing. Great ministry happened in this “subset” of people not like me. I moved and I thought this would continue to the next place of ministry. So I ignored all the social and cultural cues of this new place (because I was biased, and thought I had established a pattern of ministry and let’s be honest, there was fruit and it was because of this established way, I was offered a pastoring role somewhere else, somewhere “better”…) and I set out to do what I had always done…work with those “emo’s and punk rock kids.” For over 8 months of I suffered a ministry identity crisis. None of students I inherited where unchurched. Not of them were “emo’s or punk rockers”. Theses kids were way different. And I truly wanted to be more then a pastor, but a person who loved God who wanted to be a caring young adult that entered their lives. It became apparant that the students I worked with at my previous church & city weren’t going to be the kids I was able to naturally connect with any more. I thought, “Why has God done this?” But it wasn’t something God had done, rather it had been me, putting ministry and serving God in a field of operation that actually limited His power and the work of the Holy Spirit. This hurt my student ministry for about a year. So I decided from it, that I was going to change my bias, that I was going to have only one bias…I become bias to the simple fact that without God breathing afresh into me, into “how I do” things, I was hopeless.

]]> By: Markeades http://www.juniorhighministry.com/2009/03/06/an-admitted-bias/#comment-16851 Markeades Sun, 08 Mar 2009 13:59:06 +0000 http://www.simplykurt.com/?p=719#comment-16851 Thx for sharing your thoughts Kurt - I don't think personal biases are all bad in fact I think they can be very helpful in forming our thoughts in ministry and our impact on kids. The problem is that we often allow those biases to be the only standard we use for any part of our ministry (or life for that matter). If we are willing to be open & listen to other thoughts we are in a much better stance to make changes (or not make changes) in our ministry (and even life). Thx for sharing your thoughts Kurt – I don’t think personal biases are all bad in fact I think they can be very helpful in forming our thoughts in ministry and our impact on kids. The problem is that we often allow those biases to be the only standard we use for any part of our ministry (or life for that matter). If we are willing to be open & listen to other thoughts we are in a much better stance to make changes (or not make changes) in our ministry (and even life).

]]> By: Kurt Johnston http://www.juniorhighministry.com/2009/03/06/an-admitted-bias/#comment-16849 Kurt Johnston Sun, 08 Mar 2009 06:54:02 +0000 http://www.simplykurt.com/?p=719#comment-16849 Gerry, I think there is a lot of truth in what you are thinking. For sure, lots of youth pastors feel the pressure to try new things, be "cutting edge" etc. which leads to changing stuff that may not need to be changed. Gerry, I think there is a lot of truth in what you are thinking. For sure, lots of youth pastors feel the pressure to try new things, be “cutting edge” etc. which leads to changing stuff that may not need to be changed.

]]> By: Erik http://www.juniorhighministry.com/2009/03/06/an-admitted-bias/#comment-16848 Erik Sun, 08 Mar 2009 03:37:34 +0000 http://www.simplykurt.com/?p=719#comment-16848 great post! i have seen a few changes in youth ministry... but ultimately it seems that youth ministry today is largely playing by the same rules and seeing kids through the same filters as 10-15 years ago. there seems to be a change of the programs and even the heart of some youth pastors but at the core a lot of churches still see youth ministry the same. youth ministry is on the verge of some big shifts. reaching families, partnering with the church reaching the family is going to change the face of youth ministry and youth pastors. great post! i have seen a few changes in youth ministry… but ultimately it seems that youth ministry today is largely playing by the same rules and seeing kids through the same filters as 10-15 years ago. there seems to be a change of the programs and even the heart of some youth pastors but at the core a lot of churches still see youth ministry the same. youth ministry is on the verge of some big shifts. reaching families, partnering with the church reaching the family is going to change the face of youth ministry and youth pastors.

]]> By: CoffeeWithChris http://www.juniorhighministry.com/2009/03/06/an-admitted-bias/#comment-16846 CoffeeWithChris Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:27:42 +0000 http://www.simplykurt.com/?p=719#comment-16846 Good stuff Kurt! There was just a week long conversation on YouthMinBlog.com about our "non-negotiables" of youth ministry and the recurring theme was simply Christ-following adults spending time with teenagers. Good stuff Kurt! There was just a week long conversation on YouthMinBlog.com about our “non-negotiables” of youth ministry and the recurring theme was simply Christ-following adults spending time with teenagers.

]]> By: Gerry Rojas http://www.juniorhighministry.com/2009/03/06/an-admitted-bias/#comment-16845 Gerry Rojas Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:33:31 +0000 http://www.simplykurt.com/?p=719#comment-16845 Kurt, Here's what's bugged me about YM the last few years. Every year it seems we have switched up the format to do something new and different. While I admit that it's good to try new things every now and again....why the near yearly need to change? Is youth ministry broken yearly? I have never had the full scope of it like you might have so I'm talking about this only from a volunteer perspective. I think it's nuts. Yearly changes never allows us to settle into traditions. Is it us that are bored with what we do year to year? Is that why the conversation of youth ministry being 'broken' comes from? If so is it broken for our teens or for us? Just some thoughts that swirl through my head. -Gerry Rojas Kurt,

Here’s what’s bugged me about YM the last few years. Every year it seems we have switched up the format to do something new and different. While I admit that it’s good to try new things every now and again….why the near yearly need to change? Is youth ministry broken yearly? I have never had the full scope of it like you might have so I’m talking about this only from a volunteer perspective. I think it’s nuts.

Yearly changes never allows us to settle into traditions. Is it us that are bored with what we do year to year? Is that why the conversation of youth ministry being ‘broken’ comes from? If so is it broken for our teens or for us?

Just some thoughts that swirl through my head.
-Gerry Rojas

]]> By: michael http://www.juniorhighministry.com/2009/03/06/an-admitted-bias/#comment-16844 michael Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:10:05 +0000 http://www.simplykurt.com/?p=719#comment-16844 Kurt you're a deep thinker! This concept escapes even the 'open minded' unbiased people who claim others are closed minded for not agreeing with them. Kurt you’re a deep thinker! This concept escapes even the ‘open minded’ unbiased people who claim others are closed minded for not agreeing with them.

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