Chapter One
where it all begins
Getting students to show up. That's where it all begins.
We can't always assume students will be there when the
doors open. Some have no interest in coming through those
doors. Sadly, some students don't even know the doors exist.
In the last few decades, it's become harder and harder to get
non-Christian kids to simply walk through the front doors of
our ministries.
When I graduated from college, I volunteered for a church
with the same dozen kids who showed up to our little program
every Sunday. A church down the street had 200 students
each week. Another church around the corner had just three
students show up regularly. Why? And more importantly,
what about the 1,485 teenagers on the campus down the
street-the ones who weren't going to any church? Who was
reaching out to them?
At that time I started wondering how we could reach
those students. I'd quickly dream up events and programs
for that purpose, but every time I gave the idea any further
consideration, I was overwhelmed with questions:
How do we invite unchurched kids to church?
Why would they want to go to church?
What are we doing that's worth inviting non-Christian
kids to attend?
Do we need to invite them or go to them?
Is on-campus ministry the answer?
Can we even do on-campus ministry?
Is a big outreach event the answer?
What kinds of events would really draw
unchurched kids?
How can we pull off an event like this?
Should we start a weekly outreach program?
What kinds of outreach programs work?
How do we plan outreach events?
How do we get non-Christian kids to even show up
at these things?
I soon discovered there isn't just one answer to all of these
questions, unfortunately.
But that was my problem-I was looking for "the"
answer. Instead of finding my own answers, I was trying to
find a quick fix for a huge need. That's like trying to find one
accounting principle for eliminating the national debt. It isn't
that simple.
That's when I met my friend, Jim.
Jim networked with youth workers from around the
city. He introduced me to guys who ran teen centers that
reached students who were looking for a place to just hang
out. He introduced me to a family that ran a sports ministry
reaching students on campus after school. He introduced me
to churches that ran different outreaches reaching different
types of teenagers. I must have met 50 different people
running 50 different types of ministries reaching 50 different
kinds of kids.
Which one was "the" answer?
None of them.
All of them.
And that's when Jim said to me: Diverse ministries reach
diverse groups of kids. No one had "the" answer. But all of
these ministries had answers. And slowly, my questions were
being answered.
I discovered that if I put in the groundwork, some students
would show up at church. Some students would show up at
events. Some would show up at weekly campus programs.
Some preferred off-campus programs. Some would show up
in homes, some in garages, and some in teen centers. Some
only responded to elaborate programs, and some didn't care,
just as long as it was a place to hang out.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT SHOWING UP
Getting students to show up was only the beginning. Many of
these ministries not only shared Christ with students, but they
also plugged them into the local church body, discipled them,
and equipped them to reach out to others.
After we get teenagers in the door and reach out to them
with the truth, then we can apply what we've learned in all
of the other youth ministry books we've read: Discipleship;
student leadership; worship; prayer; planning the purpose for
our youth group; small groups; mission trips; those diagrams
shaped like pyramids, pies, and targets with numerous
key components of ministry; and the three-column charts
representing three different elements of ministry (e.g.,
evangelism, discipleship, and service). These are all great tools
to help us help teenagers grow in their faith.
I've seen some incredible ministries with a simple, two-fold
approach: Outreach and spiritual growth. Everything
these ministries did was about one or the other. They not
only ran outreach activities and events and won people to
Christ, but they also provided opportunities for students to
grow in their faith through one-on-one discipleship, weekly
programs, and in-home fellowship groups. Students at these
churches were being reached for Christ and growing in their
faith.
But none of these good things will necessarily get students
to walk in the door. So we're back to square one: How do we
get them there in the first place?
It all starts with groundwork that helps us initiate first
contact. That's what this book is all about.
LEARNING FROM OUR MISTAKES
A wise person once said, "Learning from our mistakes is a good
thing." But a wiser person added, "Learning from someone
else's mistakes is even better."
Many of the chapters in this book provide you with an
opportunity to learn from the countless programming mistakes
that I and other youth workers have made over the years.
You may feel a little of our pain just reading about them, but
hopefully you'll do more than that. My desire is that you'll
learn to steer clear of these blunders and avoid experiencing
the same consequences firsthand.
No worries-I won't just abandon you to hash out these
poignant yet catastrophic tales. I've also provided some helpful
planning methods, along with examples of programming
successes. You'll get a glimpse of outreach programming thatgets students to show up.
I pray these failures and successes-along with a few tidbits
of knowledge I've learned along the way-may be of some
assistance as you plan future outreach programs, activities,
and events that will make an impact for the kingdom. Enjoy!
-Jonathan
(Continues.)
