THE RUNDOWN
Weekly Information for CBC YOUTH Leadership
Fourth week of September 2019
- What teens really need from us.
- Resource of the week
- Why we do Winter Retreat
WHAT TEENS REALLY NEED FROM US
1. Teens need us to know them: While it is more than us knowing who they are, at the very least we should know their names right? So i think the baseline is that the leader is responsible for knowing who is in their DG but then I think the challenge is to know all the students in the youth group, yes all 73 of them. And I know that might be hard task and i'm not saying we need to do this tonight...but there should be an effort to know our students. Why? Because these are students that God has brought to our church and allowed us to shepherd them and disciple them. They are not our sole responsibility but to an extent we are entrusted with them. But yes, more than "i know your name" we need to know them know them - know their likes, dislikes, where their spiritual state is, what they are struggling with. This, of course, is much harder. This takes patience and so much conversation. This takes effort to be a student of our students. It takes us asking good questions and us trying over and over again (for years maybe) to get to know our students. I don't want us to be a group of people who just generalize youth and merely talk about them...but rather I want us to know them know them ya know?
2. Teens need a safe space: Our students need a place where they can be open and honest about their struggles, their doubts, their insecurities, and especially their sins. And leaders, what they need from us at that moment of sharing is an extraordinary amount of gospel-centered, compassion-laden, love-filled empathy. And maybe your initial reaction is "what in the world?" but remind yourself as Scripture says that no one is righteous and we were once dead in the trespasses of sins. Seek to listen and seek to hear where they are at. Ask what has led them to doubt or question. Ask good questions as to why they are doing what they are doing. Then ask how you can come alongside and journey with them through it. What the youth need from us is to know that we are also sinners saved by grace and we are journeying through this road with them. They need to know that it is ok to struggle and doubt and that they are accepted here in this community. But they also need to know that this safe space is also a space that will always be for their good...which leads me to the last thing students need.
3. Teens need the Gospel: While teens need a space space and while teens need solid, loving, fun relationships...what will ultimately be the most important is that know, experience, and are shaped by the Gospel. Students need that space to be honest with their sins, but they also need to know THE truth about its wickedness and be given a greater source of joy in the Gospel and in Gospel living. We cannot just leave them to their own devices and go, "well...Jesus is just one of the options if you decide to choose it." Likewise, students do not need us to merely be another one of their buddies. While it is important to build relationships with them, those relationships must lead towards the Gospel and I would even say infused with the Gospel. What does that mean? It means that in your interactions with the youth, spiritual connections ought to always be present. I didn't say forced but there should be a tethering to the Gospel in some form or fashion. We cannot simply be a youth group that just plays games with them year after year and sprinkle a little bit of teaching about Jesus once in awhile. It needs to be us bringing them alongside of us to behold the goodness of the Gospel and allowing them to drink from that fountain as long as they are with us.
REMINDER: ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING THIS SUNDAY (9/29) - Budget, Nominations, Important stuff, etc....
SERMON EVALUATION FORM
Purpose of me giving this to you as a resource: Use this as a help to listen more efficiently in the message. Also this may help you think through what you should be listening for during a message. Lastly, I'd like to you to help train the students in listening to messages.
SERMON EVALUATION FORM
WHY WE DO WINTER RETREAT
So the emphasis will be more of community and relationship building and "less" on hardcore studying and less camp-feel. There are still elements of bible study and I think we are still talking about groups but that's contingent on the student/leader ratio. All in all, we want to design winter retreat for our youth ministry - all the youth and the leaders to build off of the Fall and build towards the Spring.
You interested in going? I hope so cuz it's awesome! So you get dibs on coming. Reminder: spaces are limited!
***Secret registration link (for adults only): https://forms.gle/Uu1WyqmKktYW6wpT6