FEATURES 40 Years of Vision for United Methodist Renewal James V. Heidinger II touches the keystones of the Good News mission.
Methodism's Silent MinorityCharles Keysor's pivotal editorial that birthed a movement.
From the Margin to the Mainstream Riley B. Case tracks evangelicalism from its grassroots beginning.
A Requested Critique J. Richard Peck weighs Good News dogma and decisions.
Vision for the 21st Century
Rob Renfroe urges leadership from clergy and laity alike.
Bill Hughes confronts today's United Methodists with an open-air message.
Jorge Acevedo glimpses Wesley's vision from the pews of the New Room.
George Hunter directs readers to the main business.
Lindsey Davis issues an urgent summons for new church plants.
Adam Hamilton calls reformers to the radical center.
Rudy Rasmus serves as prophet for intentional spontaneity.
Will Willimon offers a crisp assessment of Good News at age 40.
General Conference
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ecclesial arena.
Editorial Reflections on 40 years of Good News ministry
RENEW Women's Network Christmas is coming!
Next Generation Youth ministry as wind chime II
The Great Commission Imprinting
From the Heart Know El
DEPARTMENTS
News United Methodists seek spiritual renewal at Aldersgate.
In his book, The Church on the Other Side, Brian McLaren makes this observation: "A mouse can grow only to a certain size. Even an elephant can grow only so large. However, both mice and elephants can multiply, so the total biomass of each species has nearly unlimited growth potential. Churches [and youth groups] are a lot like mice and elephants. Some are small; others are big. The potential for growth is unlimited. But as with mice and elephants, sometimes no amount of coaxing can cause a church [or youth group] to grow beyond a certain size. To get more growth, you must either exchange one type for another or have the church [youth group] multiply, reproducing after its own kind."
In the last issue of Good News, we reflected on how effective youth ministry programming is a lot like a wind chime. It brings together several different elements that hang together in a balance, and together offer the harmony of fruit and spiritual growth. In other words, if I'm looking at the last thirty days of my youth ministry programming, I should see something of a mosaic: Sunday night is one piece, Wednesday night is one piece, the Fall Retreat is one piece, the Sunday School kick-off is another piece, and on. We're not just gluing a bunch of youth ministry "stuff" together, we're trying to hang elements together in such a way that we offer a cohesive ministry.
This requires us to understand something about systemic thinking-thinking of a youth ministry program as a total system. Let's think about two basic ideas, one of which begins with McLaren's mouse and elephant illustration.
1. The growth of a program can be limited by the program system. One of the common frustrations of growing youth ministries is that they see consistent numerical growth up to a point, but then seem to hit a wall. There are a number of reasons why a youth ministry might diminish in size or be stagnant in numerical growth. What a systems approach suggests is that we look beyond those factors to see if there are systemic issues that are preventing further growth. For example:
. The program is driven by a charismatic leader who bases his ministry on relationships with key students. His "success" with the ministry has, thus far, allowed him to neglect the priority of cultivating a team of adult leaders who can extend the web of relationships. When the program grows beyond a certain point it is impossible for the leader to maintain the relationships that have been central to the program's growth. So, the numbers begin to decline.
. A ministry grows because it is attentive to the needs of individual students. However, as the ministry grows to a larger size, by necessity, there is more focus on "the group" than there is on individuals in the group. As program maintenance takes priority over people maintenance and meeting needs, the numbers begin to decline.
These are common issues in youth ministry, and a systems approach suggests that unless there is a change in the way a ministry operates-a different "species" of program-the same barriers to growth will remain.
2. Effective programming requires a consistent infusion of energy. Entropy, the loss of heat or energy, is a basic law of life. Every system needs to be nourished if it is to be maintained. In a youth ministry, that nourishment might come through innovation, training, financial help, affirmation, new leadership, new students, or a combination. The key is that nourishment is required for robust health. The common problem in youth ministry programming is that, as a group grows, program maintenance becomes more important than program nourishment. That is why numerical growth in a program can be both a bane and a blessing.
Yes, the growing group opens up creative possibilities and brings in new personnel, both of which provide fresh infusions of energy. But the growing group also requires more sustenance-an elephant eats more than a mouse. And, in addition, the tendency of larger groups is to become self-satisfied so that they lose their hunger. Sometimes they may play it safe, avoiding creativity and innovation, and so they lose their edge.
As one youth minister explained, "When we only had twenty kids, I was more willing to try stuff. If it bombed, it was only a small bomb. When we grew to 150 kids, I became much more cautious, more prone to playing it safe, because if we bombed then, it felt nuclear. There was more fallout." That's the trouble with big animals like elephants: it's hard to get them to alter their course when necessary, and it can be risky for anybody who gets in the way.
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