Tidbits From "The Youth Builder"

On spending time...

Spending time with students is like making a deposit into the bank account; the more time spent, the greater the balance grows. There will come a time, however, when we will need to make a withdrawal on that account: sharing a hard truth, saying the tough thing, challenging students about where they are going in life or in their journey with Jesus. But if we haven't invested anything, there's no account balance from which to minister.

On going beyond the emotional...

The danger we face is reducing the Christian journey to a series of emotional experiences needed to remain initimate with God. Students need to express an emotional side to their faith - it's a part of who God has created them to be. However, they need to experience God in other less volatile realms as well, having their faith anchored beyond the emotional, which can be easily manipulated.

On being in the youth min...

One of the reasons why we stay in youth ministry is because we believe that when adolescents are given the right kind of opportunities, they will make lifelong decisions to be lovers of God and passionate followers of Jesus Christ - in a stronger manner than any other age group.

On parents...

No matter what a student's family situation is like, you can never take the place of the parent. Don't even try. Your task is to support and strengthen the existing family unit.

On personal ministry...

The truth of the matter is there will never be another husband or wife or mother or father to your family. You cannot minister effectively in the name of Jesus Christ if your family is getting leftovers. Your first ministry truly is to your family. I (Jim Burns) keep two questions written in the back of my prayer journal: (1) Is the work of God I'm doing destroying the work of God in me? (2) Is my family receiving only my emotional scraps?

On compartmentalization...

Youth ministry cannot be compartmentalized to meet only the spiritual needs of the people in it. Good religious socilization in youth ministry means developing a whole-person approach. In order for a person to be growing spiritually, he or she must be dealing with other areas in his or her life as well. A good youth group will have a healthy balance of physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual activities.

On discipleship...

Discipleship is not a program; it's not "just go through these five books on discipleship and then you'll be a disciple." Discipleship is not about knowledge transfer; it's about life transformation. It is a long-term, character-building relationship that challenges people to take what they have been given by our Lord and share it with others. Discipleship is about living the Christian life in the context of relationship with another person so as to help that person be all God dreams for him or her to be.

On female ministers...

When girls see women leading and ministering (particularly in youth ministry), it gives them hope that God can use them to do tremendous things for the Kingdom. Students need to see men and women working together in partnership. It gives girls a vision to minister to others; it gives guys a better perspective on women.

On shepherding...

Shepherding means that we are willing to take the time to enter into students' lives, to build relationships with them and to be there at the critical moments of their lives.
Spiritual growth is both a journey and a process. We need to be proactive in helping students walk along that process. Our calling as youth workers is to take students from where they are now and to lead them where they need to be. A good shepherd is always thinking, Where is this student on his or her journey with Christ? Where does God desire for him or her to be? What resources are available to get him or her there? They need follow-through and ongoing nurturing.