I'll probably take some flack for this post but I'm ok with that. Today I was on a long drive and I'm not sure why but the often quoted thought "It's a sin to bore a student with the gospel" came across my brain. As I was driving I started to think about this concept and what it has done to youth ministry.
I want to fully declare this idea 100% unbiblical and false.
Unfortunately though many churches, camps and parachurch groups have grabbed this thought and have made it the focus of their programs. So much energy, money, talent and thought has gone into creating "programs" that don't bore students.
But is the responsibility really on us for students not to be bored? As usual in my posts I want to point the finger at myself more than others. I grew up in youth ministries that had very little resources but I don't ever remember being bored. The responsibility to not be bored with Church and the Gospel wasn't put on my youth pastor. It was put on my shoulders. They gave me every opportunity to live an exciting life following Jesus but I often didn't take it.
This idea about boredom has created youth ministries that are all about excitement and hyped programs. Those who have bought into it (and I did for a long time) believe that if kids don't go home so "stoked" about Jesus (which we mean our program) that we have done something wrong.
I tend to always try to go back to Jesus times and the early church and see what was going on. It certainly wasn't boring. Following Jesus was tough. There were so many things happening all the time and the followers of Jesus didn't always understand what he was doing and they took a lot of heat for it.
In our Youth Ministries many of us have taken on a role where we feel responsible to make the Gospel "attractive" and "exciting" for students. I don't think what we're presenting though is the real Gospel. Following Jesus isn't always exciting. Often it is incredibly difficult. It's tedious and messes up our worldly plans. It can be difficult to think about the Death and Resurrection and how we have to live our lives in a new way when we accept what Jesus did for us and ask for forgiveness for our sins.
I don't want students to be bored. I also don't want the Gospel to be boring. But, I don't feel like it's my responsibility for changing it to making it more exciting for students.
Hear me when I say this. If you are bored with the Gospel or the Gospel is boring you then maybe the responsibility lies on you to change. I can only present it one way because there is only one Gospel. If you are truly living a life where you are following Jesus then you won't be bored.
Lars,
knowing a bit of the context of where that saying came from, I think I know what was meant. You have really brought to light how the pendulum has swung in the complete opposite direction.
You’ve caused me to think differently on this post my friend.
Hey- I wasnt taking any shots on this post at any particular group. I was just thinking about how we have often gotten so far away from what we are supposed to do that boredom is a really silly thing to be called a sin. Im always wrestling with all of this. Do churches need to change to present a Gospel that changes lives? Yes. But we also have to present the true Gospel that may for some people might seem boring but spicing it up to meet their needs makes it false. Im glad we are dialoging about this. I will never admit to being an expert in anything. Hopefully here I have raised a point that can be talked about by people who love teenagers and want to reach more of them.
I agree Lars. The premise of that oft-quoted slogan is wrong. The gospel is not in any way boring. So, it is impossible to bore kids with it. If it seems boring, then it was not fully grasped or not accurately presented. The burden is on the church to present the gospel accurately. The burden is on each student to receive it accurately. And the burden is on the Holy Spirit (and he is more than capable of bearing His load – and ours) to turn hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. Nothing boring there! Great thoughts. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Greg. Great reminder about the role of the Holy Spirit. I even taught out of Acts 2 today and didnt mention the role of the Holy Spirit in this post. #fail
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The phrase originated with Jim Rayburn, a presbyterian youth worker, who received his seminary training from DTS in 1936. He was and still is to this day, even in death, a pioneer in the field of youth evangelism. The statement was birthed in an era where today’s traditional “programmed” youth ministry did not exist. So important was the idea that students should be reached where they are at in ways that were relevant and missional that Jim would use this phrase to train leaders with in changing their perspective on how they clung to old models that were not serving students well. Jim Rayburn went on to found YoungLife.
I do feel and believe in what Jim said for the era he said it in. The spirit of his mentality to go above and beyond in the way you think about reaching students and how you create community to earn the right to be heard continues to impact kids for Christ.
Just like then if we as youth workers continue to isolate our ministry from reality by clinging to models that are not addressing obedience to the Gospel then in all honesty it is a sin. It is a sin to be unwilling to change and to take the most important message that could ever be heard and wrap it in means that are irrelevant and ineffective.
Chad. I knew who said it. I was purposefully trying to not point that finger. But its bad theology. I just think it makes us focus on the wrong thing. I think its brought a lot of bad into youth ministry. I dont disagree with you that we need to be relevant and change to meet kids where they are at
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Lars,
Thanks for that critique. It’s something I’ve been struggling with lately.
Could it be that most youth groups are “church-ified” daycare?
Are most youth workers really just glorified babysitters/big-brothers/sisters?
How much room do we INTENTIONALLY leave for REAL discipleship?
Great post.
- bret
Lars,
It’s so hard for me to absorb the ambiguity of posts that on the outside looking in… create negativity on the intentions and heart of leaders and youth workers.
With all my heart I know you are not trying to do this but it polarizes people in ways that may keep them from working together for the Kingdom.
Chad- You are right not my intention. I purposefully included no links and mostly pointed fingers at my self. I think there are amazing ministries inside and outside of the Church that are reaching tons of students and they are doing it in a way that is faithful to a presentation of a real robust and true Gospel. My intent here is only to question the focus that many of us (myself included) have fallen into when we put too much emphasis on trying to make sure kids arent bored with church. Honestly this post comes out of watching one of my own kids wander around the house saying he was bored. He has so many things available to him but he just didnt want to take advantage of them. This past Christmas season so many churches tried crazy new ways of enticing people to come to church. I am 100% about being creative and creating framework and context to reach teenagers. I just think we have to be careful to not use Theology that isnt true.
Greetings! Thanks for this post Lars, its gracious and honest and quite frankly needs to be said. Thanx for saying it! After many years in youth ministry I can see how this mindset endures and I sometimes still feel this weight or expectation of as you put it… ‘a role where we feel responsible to make the Gospel “attractive” and “exciting” for students.’
Yes I think we need to be creative and engaging but there has been such a emphasis of relevance and attractional and they are the wrong destinations. It seems that a lot of the time Jesus made it pretty hard for people to follow him, I think what drew people was authenticity.
The vast majority of people today will not even consider coming to a church or a youth programme (I don’t care how cool/unboring it is). Yes people may well check out the biggest circus in town but I believe they will only stay where there is love. We don’t need to be attractional we need to be authentic.
Peace
Thanks Paul. A great thought from you too
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