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The Future Of Junior High Ministry
Yesterday I spent about an hour being interviewed by a publishing company who is trying to take a fairly comprehensive look at the state of youth and children’s ministry. Over the course of our time, I was asked a bunch of great questions that I felt fairly confident in answering. I was beginning to feel like quite the expert when she asked her final question…a question that really shouldn’t have stumped me: “What do you think ministry to young teens will look like in 5 or 10 years?” Maybe it was the fact that I was ‘on the record’ and knew that my predictions might be read by my peers, or maybe just that I was tired after a 60 minute interview. I don’t know why…all I know is that my answer that now is ‘on the record’ was pretty weak. “Ah…I’m no futurist but I could see the return of the big event that is balanced this time around with a stronger small group structure to back it up.” STUPID! Don’t get me wrong, I do think the big program/outreach/lights, camera, action approach to ministry is due for a comeback (not so much because I think it works but, because like everything else, youth ministry tends to run in cycles) and I think we’ve learned the importance of small groups and won’t trade the small for the big, but might come up with a good blend of the two. But this was my chance to say something significant and profound…to sound really smart.
So, to all you out there who are profound and smart: What will junior high ministry look like in 5 or 10 years?
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There is a lot here, talk about a loaded question… I’m glad I’m not a famous youth pastor and don’t have to sound smart an interview.
Per recent developmental trends (for more on all this and other cool stuff check out Chap Clark’s stuff)… I couldn’t agree more that there are new lines between age groups.. As a middle school pastor I have had a TON of 5th graders showing up to our programs. I love that age group… and I would agree with Deneice 6th graders are in a different world thatn 7th and 8th graders. I think ideally 5th and 6th and maybe half of 7th would be together and then maybe 9th 8th and the other half of 7th … but there are infinite refinements and divisions and at some point I think it’s better not to try to narrowcast everything and separate everyone and instead just have everyone together and go for it…
A lot depends on the size(relational, programatical, organizational) of the group and church…
I think the emerging church/worship trends are trickling down, although it looks differently. Ultimately I don’t think there will be any REAL changes to the cores of personal reltationships, dynamic/strategic presentation, based in the message of real life change through the real, personal, God-man Jesus.
In the realm of the packaging, the LOOK of min. I had an interesting discussion just last night for two hours with a group of 30 middle schoolers about their expectations and hopes for our main outreach program. Naturally with MSers there are always (weekly, daily, hourly) complaints about activities, programs, boredom, stupidness, etc. Through the conversation and a lot of listening and clarifying on my part… we arrived at very much the same basic LOOK for the ministry but after two hours of working through all the issues and concerns the difference is that now they own it and it has become what they want what they have come up with and had some control over instead of just what I have foisted on them.
I think that students are looking for big change, i think they are just looking for something they can have some authority and autonomy in, which comes down to a lot of listening on the part of leaders. It’s the most counter-intuitive thing to a teacher, especially types who want to solve every problem and answer every question, and explain away every concern or complaint. Middle schoolers don’t buy it and when you take the time to listen without rebuttle and just confirm that you understand what they are saying, file it away and listen some more… it builds an amazing bridge, and trust that allows for great cooperation.
I have been in full time student ministry for eleven years and that’s a hard question for anyone to answer on a national scale. I can however tell you what we’re looking at in our community.
For us, we will be challenged in the next five to ten years to resource, manage, and partner with new satellites that our “mother” church develops within neighboring or regional branches (sounds like a bank). As a result of that we will be training current volunteers to become and transition to those satellites as they develop. We will be more of a central hub which shares and partners with those satellites for everything from teaching to events. I will look more like an excutive pastor than a middle school pastor.
Outside of that internal structural change I don’t think that our student ministry will see any changes (hopefully) that will steer us away from the fundamentals of nurturing relationships and providing quality environments for our students to be effectively challenged with God’s Word. There may be many more options that we will need to create to help facilitate those two areas but those options will only result in those two core arenas; relationships and receptive environments.
I think that those options are going to require us as youth workers to grapple with the challenges of rewiring our student’s natural and generational desire to disengage and resist interaction with people (church) beyond the surface level where there is no immediate or expressed value evident to them. Outside of relationships the right to be heard will have to be seasoned with more sensory based and relationally shared experiences that create more “soul searching” than the easily forgettable talk or event. Now, I love talks and big events but realize that our students are going to have to be taken away from their world more and out of environments where they gravitate toward predetermined and almost scripted responses that are not honestly heart felt.