Epic Fail Pastors Conference...

I stumbled upon this and was excited there was at least something out there for pastors.  Looks interesting.

Find out more here


Epic Fail Pastors Conference from Epic Fail Pastors Conference on Vimeo.

A safe place for us as ministers...

Hi, I’m Chris and I’m a Youth Pastor…

We often joke that YPA is a support group for youth pastors, but the more we build community and relationships, the more and more it is true.  YPA is a support group, and perhaps it is exactly what we as ministers need. 

I have been reading “In the Name of Jesus” by Henri Nouwen - If you have not ever read Nouwen you need too!  Anyway, Nouwen was a priest who after years in ministry ended up moving to a community of people with special needs called L’Arche.  He writes out of the wisdom he gains from this community that truly shares life, pain, joys, hopes…everything. 

In one part of his book “In the Name of Jesus,” Nouwen shares his wisdom about a communal ministry as opposed to individual super star ministry.  He shares about how before he moved to this community, he did ministry alone.  He put on a show, and hoped people applauded, and how his new community made him realize it.

“Living in a community with very wounded people, I came to see that I had lived most of my life as a tightrope artist trying to walk on a high, thin cable from one tower to another, always waiting for the applause when I had not fallen and broken my leg.”

I know I feel like a circus performer…more than I would like to admit; walking the thin line, between entertaining enough that people come and pay attention and then maybe sharing God.  Between what the parents want, the youth want, the church wants, the pastor wants, the random lady who tells me what I am doing wrong wants, and the other random guy who thinks that youth should do this this and this wants …I am just trying to walk on the wire.

 

“Jesus refused to be a stunt man.  He did not come to walk on hot coals, swallow fire, or put his head in the lion’s mouth to demonstrate that he had something worthwhile to say.”

Sounds like youth ministry – we must have brightest lights, newest media, nicest hippest threads ...yes hippest, and messiest games.  My temptation in all this is to show how good I am at walking the tightrope.  To show all of them, I can do it.  I can be perfect in the eye of everyone…and all the while hoping that it ends in applause.  But it seems like it almost never does…so I try harder, walking on a thinner line while carrying more things…

I know deep within me this isn’t how it is supposed to be.  It can’t be. We were all created to live, worship, and be in community with God and others.  Yes, even those in the ministry.  As Nouwen points out, it is in us honestly sharing life together that we are truly ministers; but too often we as ministers don’t do this.  We keep a safe distance from those we minister to just to make sure they don’t know we mess up too.  We know that our churches demand perfection from imperfect people, so we just don’t share that side with them…

“But how can we lay down our life for those with whom we are not even allowed to enter into deep personal relationship?  Laying down your life means making your own faith and doubt, hope and despair, joy and sadness, courage and fear available to others as ways of getting in touch with the Lord of life.”

We are called be willing to share our pains, hurts, and brokenness as an example to our churches.  Through it we teach them that God calls the broken into healing, the hurt into comfort, and the empty into fullness. 

One last point Nouwen makes is that he prays that ministers all find safe places for them to be broken. I don’t think that he is under the disillusion that our churches are the perfect place for all of this; we need to be vulnerable with our churches, but maybe not completely. 

“I am convinced that priests and ministers, especially those who relate to many anguishing people, need a truly safe place for themselves.  They need a place where they can share their deep pain and struggles with people who do not need them, but who can guide them even deeper into the mystery of God’s love.”

For Nouwen L’Arche was this place for him.   I know that YPA has become this place for me and many others.  It is a place where I can be open about struggles in my call and ministry, knowing everyone in the room has or will be in this same place at some time.  I can be vulnerable because I know they don’t depend on me, we depend on the community of ministers.  We must be have those we rely on and they on us, just like an archway each needing the others help. 

If you work in ministry, I pray that you have or find a community like this.  May this website help you create one if there is nothing like this around you… not because we have all the answers, but maybe it will make it easier to start.

I will leave you with one last hope from Nouwen, a passionate plea to God and us.

“Would that all priests and ministers could have such a safe place for themselves.”

YPA Webinar Video

Untitled from YoungPeople'sMinistries on Vimeo.

Rights of Passage...Milestone Ministry

At our last YPA gathering, we discussed what were some memory makers or traditions that our groups had that really helped bring youth to God.  I will add more about what we talked about soon, but one of the things I thought was interesting that we discussed we the idea of implementing "rights of passage" or "a milestone ministry."  The idea is simple, when a youth or group of youth attain a certain goal, achievement, or big life milestone; we celebrate it and honor it.

As my wife, Joanna, is a children's minister; I have heard her talk about this a lot as a place that it looks like children's ministry may try to really go to.  I think in many ways it could be a good thing where we help celebrate our children as the continue on their faith journey into adolescence.

So the question came up "What faith/life stages happen that would we would be able to celebrate within a youth ministry?"
Some of what we came up with:
Getting your drivers license
Birthdays 
Graduation
Baptism
Confirmation

I think what I really got thinking about was "Bibles."  How does the church encourage its young people throughout children's ministry to adulthood to read, breath, and live the scriptures? Does it?

At our church right now, we present the first Bibles to children in 3rd grade because they can now read well enough to be able to read it on their own.
The second time we present Bibles is for confirmation which happens around the 6th or 7th grade year.
The final time we present Bibles is for high school graduation.
I think that this can be a good flow to help them always have a relevant Bible for their age level.

At our YPA gathering, the idea was brought up: Is it better for the church or the parents to give the Bible?
I think that this is a great question because we want the home to be a place that encourages faith, but we also want the church to be a place for that as well.  Could somehow both give it?

My wife, in her great wisdom, this past year had the church buy Bibles for the 3rd graders, but she had everyone on staff go through each Bible and highlight and sign by their favorite verse(s), she also had the parents write a note in the front of the Bible for their child and highlight their own favorite scripture verse(s).  I think it is something that would be great to do at every milestone.

What if we could pick a few mile markers to celebrate with young people in our church? And what if we figured out how to have the church and home work together in that celebration?  How would it help the youth, the home, and the church?

Thoughts?

YPA Webinar! This Thursday!

 

February 24, 2011
Youth Pastors Anonymous
Join Hank Hilliard in conversation with Chris Cummings the founder of Youth Pastors Anonymous.  YPA is a ecumenical group of youth pastors in the Nashville area that meets monthly for support, encouragement, and to be challenged to grow in their faith and ministry.  Chris says the power of YPA lies in the sharing of our lives and stories.  This is not group counseling, but a community of co-journeyers.  YPA enables relationships and fellowship to expand way beyond the monthly meetings.  Come hear the story of YPA, be encouraged, and discover how you might find or start your own group.

Click here to register for the webinar.