Being youth ministry.

Okay, this whole 'being' thing is getting a little out of hand in Christian circles at the moment when you really think about it, but I think there is something in it.

Marko O. (Director of Youth Specialties) recently posted a blog on his blog site where he bassically said youth specialties has done a lot of stuff wrong in the past, they have led people up the garden path of attractional ministry, build it they will come etc etc. Firstly, bravo for tough honesty, secondly, it was for a time but now we move on... we move on from doing to being... and being will happen for a time and we will probably move on to something else. But here are my thoughts on the attractional thing its connections with being and perhaps a slightly different take on some ideas.

YES, we do need to attract people to something and with something... trouble is we have been attacting to concerts with bands, to relationships with cool personalities, to church with the promise of family... if everything is found in Christ and if Christ is the alpha the omega and the climax of our faith then please, please can we start attracting people to Christ (something we would all say we are trying to do) with Christ (something we have probably never thought much about or even have the faintest idea where to start).

Let me scream it again ATTRACTION ISN'T THE PROBLEM! HOW, AND TO WHAT, IS

C.S. Lewis (Narnia), Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) Jackson (Lord of the Rings movies), Cartoonmakrers of "Prince of Egypt", Mel Gibson (Passion of Christ), Makers of 'Nativity' movie just relaeased, perhaps even Jim Carey and "Bruce Almighty" are all, whether they knew it or not and whether they did it on purpose or not attracting people to Christ, with Christ. They tell the Story of Christ

The Story of Christ as it is told from Gen to Rev and continues to be told in our lives is what will attract people to Christ. Parts of the Story ie 'Prince of Egypt' telling the Exodus story, actually point people and attract people to Christ. That is the whole point! One of the youth workers key tasks then is to tell the Story in creative ways and through a plethora of culturally relevant mediums! Not rocket science.

What does this have to do with 'being'. The way we live, the way we be a youth pastor or a bible study leader or a rock star (which too many Christian youth people think they are) is actually the way we tell the Story. My story, your story and the Story of Christ are connected, explicitly and implcitly. As we live we are re-packaging something of the Story of Christ, something of the revelation of Christ to humanity.

What I love about 'Bruce Almighty' and why I mention it earlier as a telling of Christ's Story is the poor beggar. Remember "When you do it for the least of these you do it for me". God was the Black guy with the clapper jokes and the seven fingers and the file cabinet trick that really happened and Christ was the least of these... BEING! The Story of Christ repackaged in a beggar who couldn't write a sign properly, that is genius! Almighty Christ revealed in rags... who would have thought of that?

Not only do we be the Story but our youth ministry program also 'BE's' the story. Doesn't make gramatical sense I know but who cares it is a blog not a thesis. The place we create, the environment we bring people into is a part of the Story... how we attract people is a part of the Story. Are we cultural or counter-cultural? Are we servants of masters or some random mix of both that perplexes and intrigues people? (Again, who would think of that?). What will our youth ministry BE. Will we be the Story and use the Story to attract people to the Story and ultimately to the most brilliant narrator of the Story, Christ?

The key to all of this is the type of people we put in leadership... ask yourself this... what do I and the leaders around me in youth group, church or whatever, what do we use to attract people? If your answer is anything other than Christ, grace, love (and a whole bunch of other synonyms) then you have a choice... change or get out!