I am blessed (or cursed) with the gift (and compulsion) to take copious notes. I however am not blessed with the patience to always retype and organize those notes for others.... I can, I just feel like I'm wasting a lot of time.
SO - here are the nuggets I took away from each Saturday Session at YS Palooza in Philly.
JIM BURNS:
> There is a 300% chance a student will remain in church if they have faith conversations at home
> Most parents need a little help with this. They know it's best and yet they aren't confident that they know how.
> The MOST quoted passage of scripture in America is actually Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - known as the SHEMA and recited multiple times daily in Jewish homes.
> The devil doesn't have to make you bad if he can just make you busy. We are over-committed and under-connected. Do you like who you're becoming? Are you letting who you're becoming kill who you are?
> Take care of yourself - what you do is too important for you not to.
KARA POWELL:
> If Drivers Ed didn’t prepare 6 out of 7 youth to actually drive – you wouldn’t support or invest in it – so what’s different about Youth Ministry.
> We’ve gotten really good at teaching the "Gospel of Sin Management" (– Dallas Willard). We teach the Christian list of Do’s and Don’ts. Obedience is important, but faith is not about earning approval – it should be about living a big thank you note back to God.
>When Christian Sudents were interviewed about what it means to be a Christian… 30% made no mention of Jesus in their explanation, and the most common answers expressed “love”
>When there is space for doubt to be freely expressed – doubt becomes less toxic and it creates space for discussion and growth
> Our students are capable of understanding Shakespeare – they read him in school. Why are we feeding them baby food??
> Sustained faith comes from helping students understand the church is the people inside – NOT the building
> Our students graduate knowing Youth Group – not church. This makes it really difficult to transition into life after high school. The biggest struggles in college are friendships, lonliness, and finding a church
> What would church look like if we flipped the ratio of one adult for every five students to five adults investing in each student? It’s not about creating new programs – it’s about inviting others into programs that already exist (ex: Men’s group inviting high school boys to their next outing, Asking women’s ministry to help the youth with a dinner fundraiser, ALL-church Church clean up days, letting high school students serve as asst Sunday School teachers (not just nursery baby sitters), intergenerational mission trips and service projects)
> Students need training in how to recover when they make mistakes, how to find a church or fellowship group on campus, how to manage their time and money, and in understanding that their first four days to two weeks at school sets their trajectory
MARV PENNER:
>There are no guaranteed steps but there are principle and presuppositions to working with hurting kids.
1) Most of our kids hurt far more deeply than we know or they are willing to admit
2) Most of their pain is the direct result of betrayed trust in painful or disappointing relationships
3) Resources for help AND healing exist in the community of faith – but generally remain unused or un-appropriated
4) True effective journeys towards healing must include Biblical Repentance – not just a turning away from something but also a turning towards someone
>There are two Sources of Pain: Victims have bad things happen to them and Choosers make terrible choices. But it’s hardly ever that simple – Victims often make bad choices after they are victimized, and Choosers are often victimized after they’ve made some terrible choices. It creates a cycle that’s hard to escape
> Jesus’ response to hurting people was to always love them as they were and refusing to leave them that way
REGGIE JOINER
> Why is it that you do whatever it is you do it? We have a tendency to forget how and why we got into this gig.
> The lampstand in the the Tabernacle shone down on bread – it highlighted and emphasized a reminder of God’s provision.
> Churches often get distracted by things that are not the main thing – and redirect the light on those issues or on themselves. The lampstand was never meant to shine on itself. God doesn’t care that JK Rowling wrote another book or that someone else in Hollywood made a sex tape – He cares about why and how the lampstand has been moved and how it’s going to get put back in it’s place.
> When the lampstand drifts it literally sabotages the work He has intended for us to do.
> Our programs at church are not sacred – your mission and your calling are.
> Are you making it easier or harder for this generation to see God?
SO - here are the nuggets I took away from each Saturday Session at YS Palooza in Philly.
JIM BURNS:
> There is a 300% chance a student will remain in church if they have faith conversations at home
> Most parents need a little help with this. They know it's best and yet they aren't confident that they know how.
> The MOST quoted passage of scripture in America is actually Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - known as the SHEMA and recited multiple times daily in Jewish homes.
> The devil doesn't have to make you bad if he can just make you busy. We are over-committed and under-connected. Do you like who you're becoming? Are you letting who you're becoming kill who you are?
> Take care of yourself - what you do is too important for you not to.
KARA POWELL:
> If Drivers Ed didn’t prepare 6 out of 7 youth to actually drive – you wouldn’t support or invest in it – so what’s different about Youth Ministry.
> We’ve gotten really good at teaching the "Gospel of Sin Management" (– Dallas Willard). We teach the Christian list of Do’s and Don’ts. Obedience is important, but faith is not about earning approval – it should be about living a big thank you note back to God.
>When Christian Sudents were interviewed about what it means to be a Christian… 30% made no mention of Jesus in their explanation, and the most common answers expressed “love”
>When there is space for doubt to be freely expressed – doubt becomes less toxic and it creates space for discussion and growth
> Our students are capable of understanding Shakespeare – they read him in school. Why are we feeding them baby food??
> Sustained faith comes from helping students understand the church is the people inside – NOT the building
> Our students graduate knowing Youth Group – not church. This makes it really difficult to transition into life after high school. The biggest struggles in college are friendships, lonliness, and finding a church
> What would church look like if we flipped the ratio of one adult for every five students to five adults investing in each student? It’s not about creating new programs – it’s about inviting others into programs that already exist (ex: Men’s group inviting high school boys to their next outing, Asking women’s ministry to help the youth with a dinner fundraiser, ALL-church Church clean up days, letting high school students serve as asst Sunday School teachers (not just nursery baby sitters), intergenerational mission trips and service projects)
> Students need training in how to recover when they make mistakes, how to find a church or fellowship group on campus, how to manage their time and money, and in understanding that their first four days to two weeks at school sets their trajectory
MARV PENNER:
>There are no guaranteed steps but there are principle and presuppositions to working with hurting kids.
1) Most of our kids hurt far more deeply than we know or they are willing to admit
2) Most of their pain is the direct result of betrayed trust in painful or disappointing relationships
3) Resources for help AND healing exist in the community of faith – but generally remain unused or un-appropriated
4) True effective journeys towards healing must include Biblical Repentance – not just a turning away from something but also a turning towards someone
>There are two Sources of Pain: Victims have bad things happen to them and Choosers make terrible choices. But it’s hardly ever that simple – Victims often make bad choices after they are victimized, and Choosers are often victimized after they’ve made some terrible choices. It creates a cycle that’s hard to escape
> Jesus’ response to hurting people was to always love them as they were and refusing to leave them that way
REGGIE JOINER
> Why is it that you do whatever it is you do it? We have a tendency to forget how and why we got into this gig.
> The lampstand in the the Tabernacle shone down on bread – it highlighted and emphasized a reminder of God’s provision.
> Churches often get distracted by things that are not the main thing – and redirect the light on those issues or on themselves. The lampstand was never meant to shine on itself. God doesn’t care that JK Rowling wrote another book or that someone else in Hollywood made a sex tape – He cares about why and how the lampstand has been moved and how it’s going to get put back in it’s place.
> When the lampstand drifts it literally sabotages the work He has intended for us to do.
> Our programs at church are not sacred – your mission and your calling are.
> Are you making it easier or harder for this generation to see God?
RSS Feed