Youthwork for the Long Haul – Interview with Ali Campbell

I’m so pleased that Ali dropped by to share from his long experience how to stick at youth work for the long haul.

This is an immensely helpful half hour to get more equipped to stick at what we do for years to come!

Thanks Ali 🙂

If you want to check out more from Ali, check out…

Let’s get into the interview.

“Faith-based videos are too hard to find”. Check out YouthVids story

This Monday I’m promoting a fabulous website that curates quality Christian videos for use with youth groups. Check out the site at www.youthvids.com

“Faith-based videos are too hard to find.”

That’s the report we got back from many conversations with youth leaders across the U.K. Having spoken to a load of youth pastors they had all revealed their struggles to find videos that were relevant for youth, yet high quality and theologically sound.

It was at that point that we started digging into this statement. We did various searches on YouTube for simple questions such as “Who is Jesus?” and found that not only were there more than thirty-million results but that the top listed videos weren’t answering from a Christian perspective. This was the same for almost every question we searched on YouTube. There was definitely a problem. 

Next, we wanted to see if more youth pastors shared these same frustrations, so we did a poll on a popular youth pastor Facebook group – which currently has over ten thousand members around the world – and asked how long it took them to find a relevant video for their youth groups. 70% of responses said it took them between “over an hour” to “half a day” with some even giving up altogether on finding a suitable video. 

Mission accepted. After launching a fundraising campaign, we partnered with Bible Society and Urban Saints, as well as a few others, to fund the first year of the project. We then got to work at building a website which could be entirely devoted to curating videos that point youth to Jesus. 

We now regularly scour YouTube, Vimeo and various Christian content creators, and have gathered a hefty collection of over 400 videos in categories ranging from spoken word poetry and animation to skits and testimonies. Every video is organised into specific categories and series, making it as easy as possible for youth leaders to find the perfect video.

We’ve now been going for over two years and the feedback we’ve received from youth leaders around the world has blown us away. In November 2019 we were grateful to be recognised in the Premier Digital Awards category of ‘Best use of digital media for youth work’ – this was a real encouragement to us to continue the work of YouthVids and to make sure it remains an invaluable resource for youth leaders wanting to help their youth discover Jesus.

3 Awesome Reasons to use Videos for Youth Work

 

  1. RELEVANT:
    Over 75% of youth use Google and YouTube to find answers about Christianity. They are looking for content that they can relate to and easily understand. They are looking for videos made for them. This is a generation of online influencers. Young people are quick to listen and follow online personalities, so now it’s more important than ever before to meet them where they’re at and introduce them to some great, inspirational Christian influencers. 
  2. INSPIRING:
    Learning more about your faith and the Bible can be hard for youth at times, so when the same content is presented in a spoken word format or in a short film, it can be incredibly inspiring. It lifts the Bible from its pages and connects youth to scripture, it motivates them to actually go back into the book and read it afresh. 
  3. EASY:
    What once took hours to find theologically sound, youth relevant and high-quality videos, with YouthVids, now only takes a couple of minutes. So let’s stop making excuses and, instead, engage with our youth in a way they can connect to.

Should we keep saying that God ‘uses’ His people? – by Jonny Price

I have recently been reflecting on the way we speak in church about how God works with us, walks with us, and uses us for revealing His purposes and His goodness in the world. I have come to the conclusion that we need to rethink how we talk about this because of the implications the language can have for those who hear.

There is a word that I am not sure we should continue using, at least without provisos, and it is a short, simple word. The word is use.

God uses ordinary people to fulfil His purposes.

God uses the talents of His followers to reveal His love.

God uses the gifts we have to reveal His Kingdom.

God uses.

What would we think of someone if all we heard about them was that they used people? What would our impressions of that person be? How would we feel about meeting them?

When we use this language to speak about God, are we giving people who don’t know Him a positive or a negative impression of Him?

Please don’t mishear me, I am not being a millennial snowflake arguing that we should change the truth to become more palatable to those who hear, but I would like us to reconsider the way we talk about being partners with God in His Kingdom work in the world. Let’s turn to the Bible to see an example of this taken to its extreme.

How did God ‘use’ Mary?

It’s Christmas at the time of writing, so obviously many of us are knee-deep in the Christmas story, so it seems a good place to start our thinking. Let’s travel back to Nazareth to witness the appearance of Gabriel to Mary.

This is a wonderful, terrifying, life-changing experience for Mary. She is told that she is highly favoured, that all generations will call her blessed, that she has a big part to play in the plan of God’s redemption for the world.

Now let’s change that language to that which is widely used in the Christian world; the language of use: 

God used Mary to be part of the plan for the redemption of the world.

God used Mary to bring His Son into the world.

God used Mary.  

Does that last point sit comfortably? Does it make you think positively about the character of God here? If we bring in the dynamic of Mary being a teenage girl, does that change the way we think about it?

If Mary was used by God, did she have a choice in what happened? If we say that God uses people, are we taking away their agency, their choice, or their freedom?

When we think about people being ‘used’ by other people, that should make us feel protective of the person used. Slaves are used, objects are used, tools are used. Does this truly reflect our relationship with God?

The actions of Christians should point to the love of God, they should give glory to God, they should show the transforming power of God in His followers, but I would argue that the impact of those things is severely limited if those same followers have no choice in the way they acted once they had chosen to follow Jesus. If we view it in that way, it could be that we are robbing these stories of their goodness by painting God as a puppet master.

Do we really need to worry about this?

In our contemporary context, language of consent, choice, and agency are key for many of the young people we work with. This means that they are highly aware of language that points to the opposite of this; to coercion or to a lack of choice. If, by using the generally accepted language of the Christian world, we unwittingly paint a picture of a God who forces His followers to do certain things – who coerces them into certain actions, or who treats people like objects rather than people – are we enabling our young people to respond positively to Him? Or are we giving them an image of God which they will run from?

How can we talk differently?

I have already used the language I think we should use to talk about this above. Language of partnering with, of working with, and walking with God to reveal His Kingdom in the world.

When we talk in this way, we are doing two things:

First, we are acknowledging that we need God’s help. We cannot reveal God’s Kingdom by ourselves, we cannot live as members of New Creation without God the Creator. We are acknowledging our connectedness, reliance, and our inability to do this by ourselves.

But secondly, we are saying that God offers each of us a choice. We stand with Him, looking at the world and its problems, and He says to each of us, “Shall we do something about this?”. This is the ‘Missio Dei’, the mission of God to bring the world to newness, to redemption, and acknowledges the special place that Humans have as image bearers of God in the world.

How does the Bible speak?

For a word we use frequently, it’s not found in the New Testament in that same way. Jesus didn’t talk about ‘using’ his disciples, nor did Paul talk about how we are used by God. Jn. 14:12 tells us that we will do great things for God, Matt. 5:14-16 tells us that our light will shine in a dark world, Gal. 5:20 says we are filled withJesus, revealing Him to the world, and Eph. 2:10 tells us that God has  good deeds for us to walk in ­– which of course we can do with Him strengthening us (Phil 4:13).

The Bible’s language for partnership is relational language, not functional language. We are partners, not merely tools; we are His people, not His ‘things’. Although God is clearly in charge, how God implements His love into a broken world is not by using us, but by enabling us to look more like Him.

 

Photo by Louis Hansel on Unsplash

Bringing the Bible to Life for Young People – by Tim Adams

This week, Communications Manager for British Youth for Christ, Tim Adams, tells us about their incredible new resource, ‘The Good News Bible: The Youth Edition’, that was created in partnership with the Bible Society.

At Youth for Christ, we passionately believe that the Bible is foundational to seeing young people’s lives transformed by Jesus. Gen Z is undoubtedly the most biblically illiterate generation in history, so new interactive ways are needed for them to engage with its central truths.

This is why we’ve produced a youth edition of the Good News Bible, in partnership with our friends at the Bible Society. We’re blown away at the response so far, including winning the Christian Resources Together 2019 ‘Bible of the Year’ award!

Good News Bible, The Youth Edition is jam-packed with creative, interactive sections on key subjects, including (among other things) relationships, mental health and exams. It also has over 400 individual interactions throughout. As well as being the incredible Word of God, every other page gives a creative way to best unpack it. This could be a paragraph to colour in, a link to a YouTube video, or a challenge to help young people learn more about what they are reading. [Check out a sample here.]

This award-winning new edition connects directly to our young people’s world. It brings the Bible to life because it allows them to engage (or re-engage) with it in exciting, fresh, creative, thought-provoking, active and visual ways.

Youth for Christ Church Resources Director, Dan Lodge, speaks of his excitement at the recognition the Bible has received. He says, “It adds to the stories we’ve heard of young people coming to know Jesus and falling in love with God’s Word through it.” What’s more, it’s already been translated into other languages so that young people across the globe can engage with it.

Our hope is that this edition will enable a whole generation of young people to connect with the Bible. The results could be phenomenal!

Do you know a young person who struggles to connect with the Bible? Someone who could engage with an interactive edition of God’s Word? Why not buy them a copy or pick up your own Good News Bible, The Youth Edition here.

Tim Adams is the Communications Manager at British Youth for Christ. He is a writer and nerd, whose interests include evangelism, apologetics and biblical theology.

Living with cancer as a volunteer youth worker

This brave and honest anonymous post has been written by a youth work volunteer who recently was given the all clear after treatment for cancer. We hope this will be an encouragement to anyone walking through similar challenges.

 

Cancer, My Youth Group & Me.

Cancer:

In August 2016 I was diagnosed with a Hodgkin’s Lymphoma which is a type of blood cancer. It meant that I had to have lots of different treatments and medications and trips to the hospital and in turn meant that my life became very isolated, quiet, and slowed down quickly.

It was an extremely tough time full of experiences and situations that I never expected to happen to me, and I pray will never happen to anyone ever again. It wasn’t a fun time. God, however, is absolutely amazing and has a pretty awesome way of restoring hope, love and joy; and bringing the right people around you!

‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.’ [Psalm 28:7]

My Youth Group:

I volunteer at a youth group on Sunday nights. It’s an amazing team with fantastic young people, and it is very very special to me – for multiple reasons. How they all reacted and supported me through my cancer and recovery just astounded me and made me so very very thankful!

The Sunday after I was diagnosed I talked to the team first, and then the young people. I said that I had cancer, and that I would be going on a series of treatments and medications. This would mean that I wouldn’t be able to volunteer as much as I would like for a period of time, but that when I was better that I would come back. They were all so amazing about it – and I was fully aware that they were all praying for me. This was a huge comfort!

I kept them updated throughout my treatment and was hugely comforted and held-up by their messages back.

Me:

I am 100% fine and healthy now, and I’m back at youth club and I love it!

One of my favourite teaching series that we did a while back was called ‘what makes us tick’ where each volunteer was given a session to speak about anything they were passionate about.

Part of my talk in this series was telling the whole group how their prayer and my prayer was answered at a pretty critical part of my treatment, and how ridiculously grateful I was for all their love and support! Their prayer meant that I only had to do four months of chemotherapy instead of six, which was amazing!

What I’ve learned…

Life is an adventure. Which means it can be both wondrous and fun and exciting as well as bleak and tough and exhausting. What’s amazing though is that we don’t have to do it alone. We have God but we also have people. If you’re a leader going through a tough time, then trust the people around you. Let them help. If you’re a team with a leader going through a tough time, be there for them. Encourage them and support them. Check in on them. It often means the world that people care enough to remember and send a message to just say ‘hi, hope you’re ok, we’re here and we’re praying’.

 

Photo by Hush Naidoo on Unsplash

Awkward open prayer in youth groups – Comic

Chloe’s back – fresh from her Uni offices and with her weirdly wonderful wired brain – to give us some insight into those more awkward moments of open prayer in youth clubs.

 

 

 

Theological Reflection in Training for Youth Ministry – by Jon Coombs

This week, youth pastor and blogger Jon Coombs helps us consider how we relfect on what we do from a theological perspective.

Theological reflection, the idea of being able to reflect on our experiences in life and ministry through the lens of faith, can often go missing in youth ministry. It takes effort to stop, think, and articulate what God might be doing within our own lives, let alone through the ministry we might be involved in. We can find ourselves more focused on ‘doing the program’, or ‘getting the task done’, than taking the time to reflect on the ways God seems to be working in our midst.

In my last post I outlined four reasons why you’re not wasting your education by seeking to work toward a rigorous theological degree for the purposes of youth ministry. If there was a fifth point, and possibly of highest priority, then this is it.

In the pastoral situations we find ourselves, and through ongoing work in youth groups, camps and retreats, God is at work. Often, we need to deal with the immediate, and this is the reality too. However, it is still important to step back from time to time and observe where God is working in the hearts and lives of our young people. We, as youth ministry practitioners, are able to highlight God’s work to our people, to our leaders, to the parents, and to the wider church.

In some respects, no formal theological training is necessary for this. After all, through the interaction of the Spirit, the Word of God, prayer, and listening to others, we are given the tools and ability to understand God’s divine action. Yet as it happens, the deeper training I took part in through my Master of Divinity degree taught me to be more reflective upon the way God works through his people. In learning more of God’s action through the Old and New Testaments, and his continued power through Church History, I’ve found my ability to reflect theologically strengthened.

Applying this to my local church setting, and particularly in the youth and young adult ministries I’m the leader of, I find I have to be intentional in asking the questions of myself and other leaders. Questions like, ‘Where did we see God at work tonight?’, ‘What seemed to connect to the hearts of our young people through the talk or discussion groups?’, and even ‘Did we have any significant conversations with others today?’. One could argue these questions aren’t particularly difficult; but in the context of seeking to observe God’s divine action they become meaningful, intentional, and important for the people of God to reflect on.

And so, if there is anything to take away from this post, and in combination with my previous one, then it is this: continue to do the work of God through the youth ministry opportunities you’re involved in and keep seeking to grow through the training opportunities you are able to undertake.

All the best.

 

Jon Coombs is the Associate Pastor for Youth & Young Adults at Rowville Baptist Church in Melbourne, Australia. For over 15 years he has been working with youth and young adults in churches, schools, mission agencies and not-for-profit organisations. He holds an MDiv from the Melbourne School of Theology and writes regularly at joncoombs.com. You can find and connect with him on Twitter or Facebook.

 

 

You’re Not Wasting Your Degree in Youth Ministry – By Jon Coombs

This week, youth pastor and blogger Job Coombs shares his experience of being a Masters-level, theologically trained youth worker.

When working in youth ministry it doesn’t take long to realise that training is simply a must. In recent weeks Tim has been highlighting the need for more training within youth ministry, and I agree wholeheartedly. As someone who started out in ministry with absolutely no training, other than watching my Youth Pastors do their thing as I volunteered beside them, I am persuaded that the more training the better.

I started out in ministry in 2005 by heading to the Middle East to work in a school with the majority population. I was excited to be ‘on mission’, recognising my role as somewhat teacher, somewhat youth worker, and somewhat missionary. Within six months I knew it was time to get more training for ministry, and chose the Masters of Divinity (MDiv) program through my local theological college as a start. Now 15 years in, I’m more convinced than ever that the MDiv has provided me with a solid foundation for pastoral ministry to young people and the wider church.

It hasn’t been said to me explicitly, although perhaps in subtle undertones during conversation, but I gather there are some who would consider working in youth ministry with an MDiv a waste of money and education. You see, in my home country of Australia (and I believe it is the case in America as well) the MDiv is held up as the foundational theological degree for pastoral ministry. It is a degree which more than likely leads those who have one into a senior church leadership role soon after graduation. While this degree has been foundational for me, if I’m truly honest it didn’t teach me everything I needed to know for pastoral ministry, and really, who would expect it to?

There are aspects of this education, however, that have enabled me to be better equipped in my role in youth ministry. So here are four reasons how my degree has helped me for youth ministry.

First, it helps me to think clearly about Scripture

One of the main aspects to an MDiv is the deep dive into Scripture. Learning at a level that requires concentrated thought about various books of the Bible, and understanding the Old Testament and New testament as a comprehensive whole, has enabled me to think. I would never have investigated the various debates around authorship, textual criticism, or understood the progressive theological thought that has occurred through Christian history had I not undertaken this training. This, and more, has helped build up my understanding of God and his Word, while also providing helpful ways to think about Scripture and its interpretation.

We want our young people to understand and think clearly about Scripture as well. And so, the more I can understand that and (hopefully) teach it clearly to them, the more it provides an excellent foundation for youth ministry.

Second, it helps me deal with tough questions from teenagers

Everyone has questions, that’s part of life and part of wrestling with faith. Questions around good and evil, about God and who he is, about the world in which we live, about our own feelings and ideas, about sex, sexuality and relationships. During the teenage years and into young adulthood these questions come thick and fast.

Closely aligned to our first point is the ability to answer the tough questions with confidence. This is not answering questions because I know I am right; it is more the ability to think clearly and talk deeply about the questions teenagers have. These answers are to be wrestled with and taught through the lens of Scripture, and so with the biblical training provided through my degree I am able to answer more in line with God’s Word than I would otherwise.

Third, it helps me have confidence to teach, rebuke, correct and train others

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,

“All scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, and that the man (person) of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (Christian Standard Bible)

There are times, whether it is in a Bible study, in a leaders meeting, or in a youth group talk where I may need to teach, rebuke, correct, or train others. Knowing more of Scripture, and being able to think clearly about it, provides a greater ability to do these things. I think of some of the youth talk drafts my leaders produce in the weeks leading up to being delivered at youth group. I have confidence, and I’d like to think my leaders have confidence in me too, that I can read through the talk and give good reasoning as to why there is the need for a change in language or understanding or theology. This is putting this verse into practice, and I guarantee my training has helped me with this.

Fourth, it helps me contribute to the wider church, not just a niche ministry

There is no doubt that some youth ministries and Youth Pastors are typecast. They are locked into their niche role and the wider church doesn’t truly see them as a pastor for the whole congregation. This is a shame.

I have found, possibly because of my education, that I am not viewed solely as the Youth Pastor but as one of the pastoral team. This could be unique to my church of course, but I suspect that because of the wider training I have, I can be a voice and make respected theological contributions to conversations the church is having. There is a sureness in my thinking and preaching because I am able to wrestle and converse with various aspects of Scripture. I’m not just seen as the guy who can run a good game of dodgeball and deliver a sex talk when needed.

These four points may not be the case for everyone, and I can’t say that working through the third semester of NT Greek was a particular joy! However, now seven years since graduation, the ongoing benefits of such foundational training are paying off. I’d encourage you not to view your training as a waste, because it never is. And I’d like to suggest you think about undertaking some rigorous academic study yourself and use it in your youth-focussed pastoral ministry.

 

Jon Coombs is the Associate Pastor for Youth & Young Adults at Rowville Baptist Church in Melbourne, Australia. For over 15 years he has been working with youth and young adults in churches, schools, mission agencies and not-for-profit organisations. He holds an MDiv from the Melbourne School of Theology and writes regularly at joncoombs.com. You can find and connect with him on Twitter or Facebook.

Helping your child process their exam result – Kirsten Witchalls

A short helpful set of sports on exam and test results by Careers Adviser, Kirsten Witchalls. Kirsten is also the wife of Alan Witchalls from Video Bible Talks – make sure you check them out!

I am at GCSE results day in my role of a Careers Adviser. My role is the difficult one of picking up the pieces when things haven’t gone so well.
Here’s some advice to parents based on my observations today:

* Whatever people say about changes in grade boundaries, the new GCSE’s are much more rigorous than the old GCSE’s. These young people have been put under huge pressure to succeed, regardless of whether or not you think they have worked hard enough for them.
* Please put aside your disappointment to focus on supporting your child who will feel the burden of not wanting to disappoint you
* Don’t add to their confusion by putting onto your child any prejudices you may have towards alternative qualifications
* Please be aware of trying to persuade your child to fulfill your unfulfilled aspirations
* Times have changed… apprenticeships and alternative qualifications are well respected by employers and definitely not a last option
*PLEASE encourage your child to plan for alternatives so they have options if things don’t go as planned!
* At the end of the day, exams are not the only measure of success. We will all have our own stories on how we have used disappointment to shape us to be the people we are today. How you deal with this disappointment will also have an impact on your child.

Well done if you’ve read this far… I’m just feeling for those who won’t/can’t celebrate today 😏

3 ways to react and respond to GenZ… by Jonny Price

Recently I wrote about 5 Differences between today’s young people and Millenials. In this blog I want to lay out some potential ways that we as youth workers might start to engage with some of these ideas.

1. Emphasise what we stand FOR, rather than what we are against

For decades the church has been known by those on the outside by what it is against. It is anti-science, anti-LGBTQ, anti-women and anti many other things too. Within the church this has been seen as a sign of the church being counter-cultural, or of the church standing against the tide of society for the sake of the Gospel.

Outside the church though, this has been seen as the church persecuting those who don’t conform, and, far from being counter-cultural, it has been seen as the church promoting the established culture. GenZ are intrinsically egalitarian, they are shocked at the existence of racism, sexism, or any other ism. Combine this with their lack of knowledge of the Christian faith, then they don’t know why the church is standing against those things.

But what about what we stand for? We are for redemption, for equality, for renewal, for the least and the lost. I am certainly not arguing that we should give up our markers in the sand, or that we should keep quiet about what we are against, but maybe we need to re-think or re-emphasise. Are we promoting personal holiness through individual action, or are we promoting systematic cultural change?

 2. Emphasise the everyday-ness of spirituality

For a long time the idea of ‘spiritual but not religious’ has been a catch-all group for those who believe but don’t belong. While many writers argue that GenZ are neither spiritual or religious, I’m not sure that is the case. It seems that many members of GenZ are intrigued by the spiritual world, but they don’t use the code words we in the church look for to signal that they are spiritual.

Combine this with the way we have made Christian spirituality about a special time and place (Sunday morning, summer camp etc.), then why should young people expect to see God in the world around them?

We can help our young people to see God at work in the world through the people around them and through the amazing things that happen each day. We have a huge help in this from the advertising industry, which has trained this generation to be discerning and skeptical. If we can help our young people to use their incredible skills of discernment, then we can help them to see God at work in the everyday world, and help them to see how they are a part of God’s work in this world.

3. Peter, not Paul, should be our example for conversion and faith

We love dramatic conversion stories. We love to see people’s lives changed suddenly, so that they are redeemed and renewed, and we should. These stories are fantastic and inspiring.

But they stand out because they are unusual. It’s much more difficult to see the hard won, life-long search for truth and the struggle to live out that truth.

Which is why I think Peter is such a good example for us to hold to when we are thinking about conversion and faith development. It is not that he is holier, or superior, but that maybe his example is more timely for us today. How many times did he mess up? How many times did he not get it? How many times did he fail? And yet, he was never abandoned, never rejected, always called back.

By emphasising dramatic conversion, epitomised by Paul on the road to Damascus (which wasn’t as sudden or dramatic as we think, but that’s for another time), we set our young people up for disappointment when they don’t experience this sudden transformation in their own lives.

Emphasising Peter over Paul allows us to tap into GenZ’s understanding of change as incremental and slow, and will help us to develop lifelong disciples, rather than summer converts.

In Conclusion

There is no radical rethink here, no reforming of the Christian faith into something new. Instead we need to look at our contemporary culture and, as faithful Christians have done for centuries, see where the contact points between that culture and our faith is and emphasise those.

It can be uncomfortable, but if we can do this well, we can show the rest of the church how it is done and, more importantly, help a generation of young people see that there is a God who loves them, and offers them redemption not just to a new way of life today, but to an eternal life tomorrow.