gregstier.org » Ministry Mutiny

Ministry Mutiny…an Introduction

Greg — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 20:19:58 +0000

Ty is about to quit his youth ministry. In his words, "I have become the babysitter that I have loathed." One night in a sudden, startling realization he comes to grips with the raw reality that his teenagers are, by and large, spiritually apathetic. After years of youth group meetings, camps, retreats, conferences and countless counseling sessions these teens are spiritually anemic. With fear, trepidation and a whole lot of regret he begins to painstakingly and painfully type out his resignation letter on his church-owned laptop. By the time he is finished his heart is broken and his keyboard is splattered with the salty tears of a torn soul.

This "end" is really no end at all. It’s a beginning. Little does Ty know that he is about to embark on a journey of spiritual discovery that will transform his world forever.

Soon after he tucks the still warm from the printer pages of his resignation letter in his back pocket he goes to one last youth leader network meeting to mentally say goodbye to his professional life as a full-time youth leader. But once there he meets Tony, a twenty plus year youth ministry vet. In that last network meeting Tony becomes Ty’s confessional.

In the hours that follow Ty pours his pain out on Tony’s listening and understanding ears. It is then that Tony introduces Ty to the concept of ministry mutiny. He assures young Ty that this mutiny is not a rebellion against people or pastors, but against a faulty paradigm unknowingly delivered to us by our youth ministry forefathers.

Over the next six days Tony takes Ty on a journey through each of these six principles. Each day takes twists and turns as Ty wrestles with these principles and whether or not they are strong enough reasons to compel him to stay in youth ministry.

Will Ty stay or go?

Can’t he apply these principles as an adult volunteer while working a "real job" that makes more money for his family to live on?

Are these all the principles or are there more?

Join me on this fascinating journey through the story of two lives that collide and one conclusion that will change the course of Ty’s life and ministry forever.

Although I wrote Miinistry Mutiny as fiction I have heard the storyline lived out in countless ways with thousands of youth leaders who are sick and tired, disillusioned and discouraged. My goal is bring them hope through the pages of this book, to let them know that it’s worth it if….It’s worth it if they apply the timeless principles of God’s Word to their lives and ministries in real and relevant ways. In a sense, there is nothing new in this book. I’m not bright enough to invent new solutions so I’ve gone to an old book (AKA "the Bible") to find the answers. My prayer is that you leave this book and blog encouraged, energized and enabled to change the course of your youth ministry…and maybe even your life.

At the end of each of my blogs about Ministry Mutiny I will ask questions. My hope is that you join in the conversation. Please share your insights, questions, disagreements and ideas about each principle of Ministry Mutiny. I sure don’t have this whole thing called Youth Ministry nailed. But I’m learning and failing forward everyday. Come join me in this quest to transform youth ministry…starting with you and me!

Questions

Have you ever known somebody like Ty who is discouraged, depressed and sickened at their youth ministry situation?
Have you ever felt like quitting youth ministry? Why or why not?
What are the major factors in youth leaders feeling discouraged in the average church?
What words of encouragement would you have for youth leaders?

Comment on the 6 Youth Ministry Principles of Ministry Mutiny

Ministry Mutiny – What principles am I missing, get wrong, understate or overstate?

Greg — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 21:11:02 +0000

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Ministry Mutiny

The list of principles in Ministry Mutiny are just the beginning. They are six principles I have learned in over twenty years of ministry. But I’m still learning. I’m convinced there are more. Which ones did I miss? I’m also fallible. Which ones did I get wrong, understate or overstate. But don’t give me mere opinions on this one. Give me chapter and verse. Like my old pastor used to say, "Opinions are like armpits. Everybody’s got them and they all stink." Share with me from God’s Word, the ultimate youth leader manual, what I missed or messed.

The journey is just beginning!

Comment on the 6 Youth Ministry Principles of Ministry Mutiny

Ministry Mutiny Principle 6 – Build on values not fads

Greg — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 21:06:30 +0000

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Ministry Mutiny

“Well, to be honest, I was hoping for something a little fresher, a little newer than just the purpose driven stuff.” Ty admitted with an edge of disappointment in his voice.“And therein lies the problem, Ty. I believe that over the last few years many youth leaders have grown tired of these timeless truths and have been on the search for something new. But as our old friend Solomon reminds us again there is nothing new under the sun. As a matter of fact, if you think about it, all the ministry mutiny principles I’ve taught you so far are old truths, the ancient ones, straight from the pages of Scripture. I’m not trying to invent or re-invent any laws. I’m simply trying to find better and fresher ways of putting them into practice.”“You’re right, I guess. But if these truths are timeless then why isn’t youth ministry at large working effectively when it comes to truly capturing the hearts of teenagers for Christ beyond graduation?” Ty asked.

Tony nodded his head in agreement. “Because putting these principles into action takes hard work. Changing lives always does. I think that when faced with the daunting task of putting these truths into practice in the bloody, muddy battlefield of real life or the choice of bowing before the gods of the next new thing, many youth leaders choose the second as an easier option.”

excerpt from Ministry Mutiny…A Youth Leader Fable

Questions:

Why do some youth leaders "bow before the gods of the next new thing" when it comes to youth ministry?
Why is it so tempting to look for the next perfect program, fad or "movement" than just put the timeless principles of God’s Word into action?
How can we be culturally relevant and Biblically solvent (rock solid) when it comes to building our youth ministry model?
Agree/Disagree: God’s Word contains everything we need to reach and transform the postmodern culture. Why or why not?

Comment on the 6 Youth Ministry Principles of Ministry Mutiny

Ministry Mutiny Principle 5 – No More Outsourcing!

Greg — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 20:57:48 +0000

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Ministry Mutiny

Ty was shocked. "Wow. You seem pretty intense about this particular ministry mutiny principle."Then he added, suppressing a smile, "I mean you even used the word ‘poop.’ That’s got to break some kind of Old Testament Levitical rule or something."

Tony didn’t laugh. He was too deeply into the subject now, "Yeah, I’m pretty intense about it, it’s called being a dad. Once you have your own children, your perspective changes and as those children grow into teenagers it changes even more." "Well, my wife and I are hoping to have children soon," Ty chimed in.

"It’s the greatest thing in the world, and the most challenging one you could imagine, especially when it comes to the spiritual development of your child. Maybe that’s why a lot of parents bag it and hand the baton to the youth leader. I think that as parents start realizing how difficult it is to create an environment in the home where spirituality is natural and authentic, that’s when they start to outsource to guys like you and me."

excerpt from Ministry Mutiny…A Youth Leader Fable

Questions:

How important is parental involvement in the spiritual development of their own teenagers?
Why do many parents relegate, abdicate or delegate to a youth leader when it comes to the spiritual developement of their own teenagers?
How can youth leaders best equip parents to begin taking the lead when it comes to leading their own teens spiritually?
What are some success or failure stories you’d like to share?

Comment on the 6 Youth Ministry Principles of Ministry Mutiny

Ministry Mutiny Principle 4 – Grow Deep

Greg — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 20:52:42 +0000

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Ministry Mutiny

“Anyway, let me make an awkward segue to the ministry mutiny principle for today. It is grow deep. And my premise with it is this, that if we don’t equip our teens to grow deep in their faith, then they are going to fall victim to this Starbucks spirituality syndrome that I just described.”

Ty agreed, “Yeah, if we don’t train them in the basics of their faith then they will put their own spiritual concoction together, a little Jesus, a little New Age, a little universalism, a little whatever. So how exactly do we help them grow deep?” “By using this book,” Tony held up his Bible and then opened it to Matthew 28:20 and read the verse aloud, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” What is Jesus saying here, Ty?”

“Hmmm. I guess that he wants all of those who believe in him to follow his commands,” Ty observed. “Yes, Jesus is telling his disciples that going wide with sharing the gospel is just part of The Great Commission, that as they go wide with the gospel they must also take these new believers and help them to grow deep through teaching them active obedience. Again look at how Christ puts it, ‘Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.’” Tony said, emphasizing the words ‘teach’ and ‘obey’.

“Do you see what Jesus is driving at here, Ty?”

“Sounds like Jesus was demanding more than just academic knowledge of his commandments, he was also demanding aggressive obedience to those truths,” Ty answered.

excerpt from Ministry Mutiny…A Youth Leader Fable

Questions:

Do you agree or disagree with the statment that teens like their spirituality like they love their lattes…on their own terms. Why or why not?
Why is it important to equip teens in the basics of the Christian faith?
Is that happening in the average youth group? In yours? Why or why not?
How important is it to equip teens to do theology and not just learn it?

Comment on the 6 Youth Ministry Principles of Ministry Mutiny

Ministry Mutiny Principle 3 – Go Wide

Greg — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 20:47:54 +0000

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Ministry Mutiny

"But in what way is all this a ministry mutiny?" he asked reflectively, his thoughts returning to their earlier conversations. "On three levels, Ty. First of all, challenging youth leaders to give the gospel every week and use their weekly youth group as a way to reach kids is a rebellion against the status quo. We must make going wide a priority in our weekly youth group setting just as much as worship, Bible teaching and fellowship. If we say evangelism is a priority and only do a once-a-month outreach meeting, I think we are kidding ourselves. Could you imagine telling your wife that she was a priority, and then spending time with her only once a month?" "That wouldn’t work out too well," Ty laughed in agreement. "You love your wife, so you schedule time with her consistently. In the same way if we love evangelism, it’s going to be programmed in on a weekly basis. Secondly, the mutiny continues when we push our kids to reach out in their Jerusalem, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world. And I think we discovered today the third way that going wide is a ministry mutiny. It smacks in the face of those who say that salvation is just a process."

"Once again…wow! You’ve given me a whole lot to think about today. This whole idea of The Great Commission being the engine of youth ministry makes a lot of sense," Ty admitted, glancing back at the graph Tony still clutched in his hand. "Would you mind if I kept that graph you have there?" he asked, pointing at the paper. "I’ll spend some more time thinking it through before we meet again tomorrow. And by the way, when and where do we meet tomorrow?"

excerpt from Ministry Mutiny…A Youth Leader Fable

Questions:

Do you schedule evangelism (AKA "going wide") into your youth ministry every week? Why or why not?
What are some ways we can program the priority of evangelism into our youth ministry programs?
Why is there such a strong temptation NOT to do this?
What are the benefits when we do?
What is the average teenagers "Jerusalem" or "Judea" or "Samaria"?
Why is it important to push them out of their comfort zones when it comes to sharing Jesus with their friends?

Comment on the 6 Youth Ministry Principles of Ministry Mutiny

Ministry Mutiny Principle 2 – Get Real

Greg — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 20:40:08 +0000

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Ministry Mutiny

"We need to get real about the mostly postmodern teens we are dealing with in our youth ministries. They are very different from the kinds of kids that I encountered when I started in youth ministry a few decades ago. These teens aren’t sure that a person can be sure about anything. As you reach them and teach them they need to know that it is healthy for them to wrestle through their doubts to their faith, just like the early disciples did.”
“I thought we were supposed to try to remove their doubts by teaching them the truth,” Ty said bluntly, a distinct edge in his voice.

“Actually when you start teaching them the truth you may be introducing even more doubt into their minds. I mean, come on Ty, think about some of the basic creedal stuff of Christianity. We believe in a God that we can’t explain, trust in a Savior we’ve never met and look forward to a heaven we’ve never seen. It sounds, well, unbelievable. That’s why it’s called amazing grace. If it was easy to understand and embrace we’d call it average or normal grace. The claims of Christ contain a whole lot of truth for an adolescent mind to wrap around and embrace without doubting some aspects of it. This is especially true about Jesus claim that he was “the way, the truth and the life” and that no one gets to heaven except through him. Many in this postmodern culture reject the notion that there is one true truth. There’s your truth and there’s my truth, but there is not one true truth.”

excerpt from Ministry Mutiny…A Youth Leader Fable

Questions:

What is different about seeking to reach postmodern students verses youth ministry in the past?
How do we change our tactics for reaching them without compromising the truth and our trust in the timeless power of God’s Word?
How "infected" is your youth group with the "true for you but not for me" mentality so prevalent today?
What can we do to get our teenagers to repent (change their minds) about the power of God’s Word, the gospel and truth?

Comment on the 6 Youth Ministry Principles of Ministry Mutiny

Ministry Mutiny Principle 1 – Listen for God’s Whisper

Greg — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 20:33:40 +0000

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Ministry Mutiny

"God’s primary way of speaking to his people is not through the big, the loud and the spectacular, not through the showdowns on Mt. Carmel or through our big youth events. God’s primary way of speaking to his people is through the subtle motions and movements of His Spirit in our daily lives. He ‘speaks’ to us all the time in a gentle whisper, but the sound of life drowns it out. The clatter of life… grueling meetings, our weekly youth group talks, demanding pastors and board, staff meetings, anything and everything in the fast-moving ministry culture of speed and noise and toys, seems to get louder and louder and louder, drowning out the whisper. And when the sound finally dies down what do we do? We go home and turn on the television and watch it for hours. Meanwhile God is whispering. But we can’t hear him over the white noise of life and ministry."

Ty sat stunned, nailed right between the eyes. "So how do I hear the whisper of God?"

excerpt from Ministry Mutiny…A Youth Leader Fable

Questions:

How do you hear the whisper of God and why is it important?
Is his whisper an actual voice or does he communicate to us nonverbally?
How much time do you spend in God’s Word, prayer and deep thinking in the average day?
Why is it important to make time to listen for God’s whisper in the clatter of our busy lives?

Comment on the 6 Youth Ministry Principles of Ministry Mutiny