I am working on the devotional thoughts for the Girl's Night for our teen girls. I have tried two different topics. Both times I have gotten two paragraphs in and realized that it sounds more like a speech and/or blog than it does a devotional. There are no discussion questions. While it would be good, I don't want to preach at them. They didn't come to Girl's Night for a sermon, and our goal for the night is to get them to bond. Bonding doesn't happen while your sitting and listening to someone talk.
I am at a loss of what to do. I want to talk about this topic, but I can't seem to not write anything but a speech/blog. Granted I would absolutely LOVE to give a speech, but this isn't the audience, the time, or the place. Tanner said he had the same problem when he started preparing devotionals and it just takes practice. The problem with this: I am a perfectionist. It's a flaw, I know. I don't want to go into this with something that is more speech than it is discussion. I know I will lose their interest. They must interact!
HOW DO I STOP MYSELF FROM WRITING A SPEECH?!
The point I want to get across is that they are the bride of Christ and they don't need to look for love elsewhere because they have the perfect love from God. He is the lover of their soul. I even have a song I was going to reference (Who I Am by Blanca).
My brain just does not want to come up with questions that would lead to that point. I've come up with a great start to a speech/blog though!
Sigh.
Feel free to leave ideas in the comments! Your thoughts are appreciated!
Showing posts with label teens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teens. Show all posts
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
My Reflections on Youth Ministry.
My husband and I have been attending a class led by the youth minister at the congregation we attend on Sunday mornings. It's for those who are interested in volunteering/helping/leading the youth group. The class has really been great! It got me thinking about the common misconception of the youth ministers job.
I think that we have always thought of the youth minister as the one who takes care of the kids and makes them behave and takes them on trips and out of our hair for a while; that he should be connecting with every single kid in the youth group on a personal level no matter how big the group is. Basically, he's the guy that does everything. (With the help of his wife, of course.)
Here's the problem. He's only human.
He and his wife have a family of their own to take care of and discipline and spend time with as well! If he is teaching, planning trips, going on trips, taking care of our children, trying to keep them in line, etc., where does that leave his family?
We should re-evaluate what a youth ministers responsibilities are, yes? Yes.
So, should a youth minister be in charge of disciplining your child/teaching them what is right and wrong/ironing out your child to be a model citizen? No! That is YOUR job as a parent. Do NOT go to your youth minister and ask why your child is acting up! That's not what he is there for!
Should a youth minister connect with EVERY child on a personal level no matter how large the group? Absolutely not. He can't! There is no way to get to know every one of your kids and really bond with them! This is why he needs helpers! People like you and me who volunteer their time and get to know a handful of kids and focus our energy on those kids. The youth minister can only handle as much as you and I can. If I get to really know a handful of kids, and you get to know a handful of kids, and he gets to know a handful of kids, and so and so forth, pretty soon every kid will be connected with an adult figure on a deep personal level. They will have some one to look up to and come to when they need advice. Because if all they have is their friends and a youth minister who physically can not get to know them on that deep of a personal level, they will only turn to their friends who only have the maturity and knowledge on the level they have. So, don't leave your youth minister out there alone! Step up and help!
Should a youth minister teach the Bible? Yes!
Should a youth minister spread the gospel? Yes!
Should a youth minister plan trips and go with the kids on trips? Yes!
Should a youth minister make sure to spend quality time with his family and make sure that they have the attention and care that they need? YES!
With all of that being said, if you see your youth minister struggling or kids not getting engaged in the group, maybe this is our problem. Step up and help him out! He can't do everything.
Keep on keeping on. :)
I think that we have always thought of the youth minister as the one who takes care of the kids and makes them behave and takes them on trips and out of our hair for a while; that he should be connecting with every single kid in the youth group on a personal level no matter how big the group is. Basically, he's the guy that does everything. (With the help of his wife, of course.)
Here's the problem. He's only human.
He and his wife have a family of their own to take care of and discipline and spend time with as well! If he is teaching, planning trips, going on trips, taking care of our children, trying to keep them in line, etc., where does that leave his family?
We should re-evaluate what a youth ministers responsibilities are, yes? Yes.
So, should a youth minister be in charge of disciplining your child/teaching them what is right and wrong/ironing out your child to be a model citizen? No! That is YOUR job as a parent. Do NOT go to your youth minister and ask why your child is acting up! That's not what he is there for!
Should a youth minister connect with EVERY child on a personal level no matter how large the group? Absolutely not. He can't! There is no way to get to know every one of your kids and really bond with them! This is why he needs helpers! People like you and me who volunteer their time and get to know a handful of kids and focus our energy on those kids. The youth minister can only handle as much as you and I can. If I get to really know a handful of kids, and you get to know a handful of kids, and he gets to know a handful of kids, and so and so forth, pretty soon every kid will be connected with an adult figure on a deep personal level. They will have some one to look up to and come to when they need advice. Because if all they have is their friends and a youth minister who physically can not get to know them on that deep of a personal level, they will only turn to their friends who only have the maturity and knowledge on the level they have. So, don't leave your youth minister out there alone! Step up and help!
Should a youth minister teach the Bible? Yes!
Should a youth minister spread the gospel? Yes!
Should a youth minister plan trips and go with the kids on trips? Yes!
Should a youth minister make sure to spend quality time with his family and make sure that they have the attention and care that they need? YES!
With all of that being said, if you see your youth minister struggling or kids not getting engaged in the group, maybe this is our problem. Step up and help him out! He can't do everything.
Keep on keeping on. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)