Do you ever get the feeling that most major Christian publishing companies are out of touch with the average youth ministry? I was looking through some catalogs online this weekend and I am surprised by the cost and focus of many of the resources. When I think about the vast majority of churches in our area, I don’t think about mega-churches or even churches with full-time youth pastors. I think of churches who have volunteers with a heart for teenagers who are trying to build youth ministries on a shoe-string budget.

I live in the only city between 2 counties. The city has around 7000 people, one county has 16,000 people and spans almost 100 miles from end to end. The other county has around 30,000 people. There are probably over 200 churches in the twin county area (that’s no exaggeration!) and I can only think of 3 that have a full time youth pastor. So when I see curriculum and resources that cost hundreds of dollars, I know that it is not feasible for most of our area churches. So when I do run across resources that can be downloaded and don’t cost a fortune (like on SimplyYouthMinistry), it is encouraging to me. But unfortunately, there are not many companies who cater to small rural ministries.

And it is not only cost that deters small churches, it is the focus of the material. So many times the illustrations, the games, and the focus is large groups who live in cities. I feel that rural ministries are left to patch together material that was not geared toward the world they live in. The area I live in is not consumed by postmodernism. We are several years behind the world of big cities. Although that gap has been closing due to the internet and tv, our kids are still very grounded in a Christian culture. It is very different when almost everybody you come into contact with has experience with the church. When you ask, they say that they are a Christian, but you have to dig deeper to truly discern if they have just attended church in the past or if they truly have accepted Christ. The focus is not on those that are hostile to the gospel, but those who are apathetic about it. I have seen very few resources with that type of concern.

I have been fortunate to be part of two different churches who have both been committed to youth ministry and have not been afraid to budget accordingly. But the truly ironic thing about the youth ministry market, is that the churches that can actually afford these resources typically write their own. So, the churches with volunteers who really do need help are left in the dark. I would encourage all youth ministry companies to really think about who you are trying to help. If it takes a fortune to produce some slick video based curriculum that nobody can afford, are you really being good stewards? I’ll get off my soapbox for now, but my heart and passion is reaching teens, and I want to see churches of all sizes and budgets be able to have the best resources available.

Our youth group just got back from the dare2share conference in Charlotte. It was a great trip. I love seeing our group “stretched” and challenged. Overall, good messages, good music, good dramas, and good experiences.

I admit I was a little skeptical going into it. I’m using not a big fan of canned Gospel presentation methods where you go point by point and try to work through an acrostic. I believe strongly in relational evangelism, actually listening to the person you are talking to and having a conversation, not a sermon. I believe that we all too often present a gospel that says, “Say this prayer, and then go on with your life” We need to present to them the power of the Gospel to transform their lives. We need to share the importance of Biblical community and accountability, and the importance of the Cross. We have to be careful to not come across as cold and impersonal, and a big way to do that is to share what Christ is doing in our lives.

I liked the statement that Greg Stier shared. Lost people need saved not only from the Hell they are going to, but the Hell they are going through. That is an important truth, we have a message that is vitally important, not just for eternity, but for the present. We must be committed to sharing our faith, and more than anything this conference gave our teens a sense of urgency and importance to sharing their faith now, while they have the opportunity.

I really appreciated the way they did the invitation/commitment time during the conference. Usually at conferences all the kids go up to the front and its almost impossible to find all your students and talk with them. At dare2share, Greg Stier asked them to all go one by one and talk to their youth pastor about what God was speaking to their heart. Also, since it was done on Friday night, we had a chance to follow up and discuss with our youth that night at the hotel and on Saturday. When an invitation is done at the very end of an event, it is so hard to follow up. Youth leaders are using trying to get everyone loaded up and on the van/bus and headed home.

They had an outreach event where they went into a neighborhood to collect can foods and ask for prayer requests. It was designed to give them a chance to try and share their faith. We had some problems with communication in the neighborhood where we shared. It was a predominantly Hispanic area, and we came across quite a few houses where we couldn’t communicate what we were trying to do. It was funny to see the youth nervous about going up to a house at first, and then getting more and more comfortable as they went around. Our kids (and adults) from small-town rural Virginia have so many preconceived ideas about neighborhoods in bigger cities. It was good for them to see that it’s not all bad.

One other part that was incredibly cool. Greg had them all pull out their cell phones, and then issued a challenge for them to call a friend and share their faith. That’s a great way to redeem some technology and use it for God. A phone conversation is a great starting point. And you know that their friends would be like “what was that all about”

Overall it was a great way to comfortably make our teens uncomfortable.