Ministry Horsepower

Well…we just go back from camp.

It was incredible.  We do a weekend camp called Boot Camp for our 6th graders.  Our goal is to introduce the kids and leaders to how we do Xtreme as well as to give the groups a jump start on community.  The building blocks of relationship are shared quality experiences and we pack a bunch of those into one awesome weekend.

I wanted to share a couple of things about what I saw and see if I can convince you to think about your ministry and how you do it.

First, I wanted to share an email Justin Grunewald sent to our staff the week before we left.  Justin is the Director of Middle School at Buckhead Church and was charged with the Saturday night talk.  This is the talk where we present the gospel clearly and ask the kids to own their own faith.  Here is the email he sent (imagine a South African accent as you read!).

Hey everyone

I was just thinking about something this morning that I am in awe of, so I thought I would share it… You all probably already know this, but here goes anyway…

I can’t think of any better situation in the world to share the incredible, life-saving Gospel than at Bootcamp… I think the camp that we’re putting on for these students is by far the best environment to do this… Here’s why:
- They are all in small groups already,
- They all have an adult already there to disciple them and walk with them as they navigate the questions that will no doubt come up now and in the future…
- And these leaders have committed to love and serve them for 3 YEARS!!! not just pray a prayer with them…
- And then on top of that, the students are all in the habit of, or getting in the habit of, attending church and their group regularly…

The follow up and the care that these students have after they make a decision is INCREDIBLE!!!

I don’t think any crusade, any evangelistic mission, any outreach could ever say that they have this level of follow up and follow through. Jesus asked us to make Disciples of all nations, not make people pray a prayer… and I am SO blown away that I am part of a team (staff and volunteers) that is clearly and passionately doing just that.

Thanks for letting me be a part of it!!! I am truly BLOWN AWAY!!!

Pretty cool huh?  That is just one example of the sort of people I get to work with on a daily basis.  But, that is not why I write this.

What I wanted to tell you about next was the leader meeting we had with the leaders on the Sunday morning.  We sat with over 100 leaders as they told us amazing stories of the decisions the kids made and the conversations that they had with their kids.  Justin and I stood their overwhelmed by same amazing thought.

Here it is….

In that room sat over 100 people that had committed to walking with these student for 3 years.  We had run them into the ground all weekend  and they were lighting up at the idea that this was just the beginning.

In that room sat over 100,000 days of discipleship and leadership already committed to one group of kids in our ministry.

Why would I ever do youth ministry any other way?  I would have to live 300 years to have that effect on that many kids.

If you are pushing back on the idea of small groups…

I wish you could have been there.

If you are pushing back on the idea that leaders can commit to more than one year…

I wish you could have been there.

If have competing systems where adults have to chose between adult Sunday School and serving…

I wish you chould have been there.

If you believe big churches can’t be personal…

I wish you could have been there.

Basically…

I wish you could have been there.