Biblically Based Youth Ministry

A friend in a far off land just asked me a question about youth ministry. Typical enough, right? But his question shot through my brain and triggered a vivid flashback - I remembered how vital a time it was for me.

So here it is: I was asked to write an article for Think On These Things and it changed everything. I rethought and retooled everything I was doing. it's amazing really, that such a simple thing can send you on such a monumental tale spin. The writing of that article did so much more for me than anyone else I am sure. It crystallized my thinking and brought a whole other level of seriousness and weight to the role I attempt to fill as a pastor to a small flock of God's people.

If you can to read what sent me off the deep end and moved me to great amounts of introspection you can read it below - and follow the link for the whole story.


Missing Ingredients

I was in Raleigh, North Carolina, for Thanksgiving at the Romines when I was offered my first glass of sweet tea – that is, real southern-style sweet tea. I was in love. What an amazing concoction! I proceeded to drink the rest of the pitcher. Before that day I had tried tea a thousand times but I never cared much for it. It did the job of thirst quenching well enough but that’s about where my desire for it ended. Once I tasted this sweet potion (must have been one part tea and one part molasses) I realized that all tea before this time had been missing something: the right flavor of tea and a whole lot of sugar.

Something is missing in modern evangelical youth ministry. To tell the truth, it seems many things are missing. What would a group be like that had the proper ingredients?

In this article I would like to point out two missing ingredients in many evangelical churches’ youth ministries. And much like the sweet tea Mrs. Romine made, these ingredients are no secret. They are nothing new or revolutionary. No, the sad fact is that they have been sitting there on the counter like so much sugar since the inception of the church.

The Centrality of Teaching the Word

Our concerns with common methods

I am taken off guard every time a salesman calls our church trying to sell some new program that is the next “must have” for our ministry. A salesman or two has even tried to impose a guilt trip on me for not wanting his program. It is appalling to me that a person would think that the church needs their hip program in order to succeed. With what measure are they gauging success? I thought we were given all we need for life and godliness through the true knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 1:3)? Am I naïve and idealistic, or worse, pompous and smugly self-righteous?

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