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Suggestion: Do this 2-3 hour activity with all of your church leaders. Give this scenario: You have 15 new Christians who know nothing about the Bible. You have 3 hours to meet and disciple them every week. You must determine what they should know, be, and be able to do after 3 years. By the end of this exercise you will understand if your church is truly discipling its people and why you need to set a direction for discipleship.

Secondly, we need to stop thinking that because we teach a class on discipleship that we have discipled our people! Discipleship is a life-long process moving a person from where he or she is to being like Jesus. Here is another suggestion.

Draw up a sheet for every individual in your church. Put the person’s name on the top. Then use this chart – or something that better fits your situation.

Then put something like:

Your leaders meeting with every individual is a good way to determine where he or she is on this progress chart. By the way, this is a good way to go about your shepherding responsibilities. Then plan how you will disciple this person to move along until he or she is living with a Christian world and life view and is able to disciple someone else.

Are you beginning to see the difference between this approach to discipleship and what you are doing now? With this plan you will multiply your disciplemaking capacity. You will also develop a church filled with ministers. Remember: a pastor was never called to do the work of the ministry, but to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Eph. 4:11-12). The Great Commission calls us to make disciples!

Many pastors try to do everything, and they burn out, because they have not grasped that the role of the pastor is one of equipping (here is that CE word again). The only way we can equip the saints to do the work of the ministry is to disciple them! The only way we can disciple them is by having a plan (better know as a curriculum – another CE term). A curriculum is a roadmap that will enable you to move people from where they are to where they can effectively disciple others. What pastor would not want a church filled with people equipped to do what he would have to do by himself?

As I said at the beginning, Christian Education is not just Sunday school – it never was! CE demands that we have a curriculum in place. A curriculum helps us to see where we are headed so we can make plans how we will get there.

Remember the schoolteacher’s “plan”? What is your plan? Download our suggested lesson planning sheet.

If you need help doing this, Christian Education and Publications and Great Commission Publications are here to help. We offer seminars of all kinds to help your church be better disciplemakers. We have developed a brochure that you can use to develop your own Christian education plan, Does Your Church Have a Discipleship Plan?

Let’s go a bit further before offering some suggestions and solutions.

If you or an outside consultant were to analyze your church programs, my educated guess is you or they will find very active churches with many enjoyable programs. But what is being accomplished toward true discipleship (another good CE word!). You will find Sunday school and other times children and youth meet. What coordination is there between these groups? Are the youth leaders sitting down with the children’s leaders to see what the other is doing? If a child is in those groups for several years will they receive well rounded, well planned training enabling them to know, be, and do what is needed for living in God’s Kingdom? Isn’t this what we demand from our schools? Then why are we not trying to accomplish something just as effective in our churches? Do we not think that discipleship is as important as what they learn in school?

A question for pastors: do you know what curriculum is being used in Sunday school? If not, how do you know it is not contradicting what you are teaching from the pulpit? Is your Sunday school using several different curricula? Why? Every curriculum has a different philosophy of what it wants to cover and when it will cover it. The use of multiple curricula means the same material does not allow a pattern in which a child naturally progresses from one stage to the next in a logical sequence. Pastors, we encourage you to PLEASE know and review what is being taught in your churches! (Christian Education and Publications and Great Commission Publications have regional trainers to help you with this).

It is a trend for colleges and seminaries to offer either a Youth Leaders’ program or Children’s Leaders’ program. Are these future leaders being taught that their group is part of a whole church? Or are we encouraging programs where each is doing their own thing? This approach teaches the groups to think individualistically instead of strategically. Do you want a church where every program does its own thing, or one that is united and striving to serve Christ’s Kingdom – together? Also, who are you training to pull together all the ministries so they are following the stated purpose of your church? Are you aware of what is being accomplished? If not, then you need to ask if your people are being discipled to live and advance the Kingdom of God. Don’t confuse busyness with growth; an active church does not mean it is accomplishing anything.

Bottom line: How does all this fit with your church’s mission or purpose statement? Does your church have such a statement? This statement tells everyone why your local church exists and what it is trying to accomplish. If you don’t have one, how do you know what you are accomplishing in the process?

Here pictured below is a sample of a typically active church. Note that each ministry is in place, but their ministries are all going in their own directions, and may or may not be accomplishing your church’s overall purpose and mission.

In the next image, each ministry is fulfilling the overall mission/purpose statement of the church in a coordinated and unified manner. Each ministry is aware of what the other is doing because all is coordinated. This strengthens each ministry and the church as a whole.

Does your church have a mission or purpose statement? If so, does every ministry leader know what it is? If not, how will they know if they are moving in the direction the church wants to go? If you don’t have one then try this: Ask each of your church leaders to write down what they believe to be your church’s mission. Then have them rank the five most important things they believe your church should be doing. Compare them. If you have five leaders you will probably have five different lists. What you have is chaos because each one is under the assumption his list matches everyone else’s.

How does this work in practice in your children and youth ministries? Both leaders should meet with the elders to make sure each is in line with the church’s goals. They will have to determine what they want their ‘graduates’ to know, be, and do. Once determined, it is time to work backwards to see what must be taught at each grade level in order to achieve this goal. What is the goal of your adult discipleship? It should be to see that every person in your congregation has a Christian worldview setting the direction of their lives according to the Bible. Disconnected sermons and Bible studies that jump from subject to subject or book to book without any planned objectives won’t accomplish this!

Continued…

What Kind of Youth Group Could Benefit from a Small Group Centered Youth Ministry?

A foundation of small groups is not ideal for all youth ministries. Some ministries do not experience any of the problems listed at the beginning of this article. Some larger youth ministries have extremely effective evangelistic large groups and effective small group discipleship as well. What characterizes a youth ministry that might thrive on a small-group model?

Small-to-Medium Sized Churches

Mark DeVries places youth ministries in one of two categories^[5]. The first category is a “Fortune 500” ministry, one which functions at a high level in all areas: evangelism, discipleship, mission, student leadership, etc. The other category is “Stick To Your Knitting.” This ministry chooses a focus for the ministry and does it very well. The drawback of the “Fortune 500” model is that it tends to occur in larger churches, churches with the human and financial resources to support such an extensive ministry. Such a church may not want to downplay many of the successful existing programs in order to focus solely on small groups. But a smaller large-group focused church that may be spreading itself thin with too few resources spread over an ambitious list of programs, might want to consider focusing on small groups.

Also, some youth ministries have a certain number of students right around that subjective threshold that makes the difference between good energy and a lack of enthusiasm. For such groups, a small number of visitors makes your group seem enormous, but if a few regulars have another engagement, the room seems empty. If your group has about 15 regular folks, you may have had a night where 20 people showed up and your large group meeting had incredible energy. Conversely, you may have had 8 people show up one night and the room seemed empty. If the program is based on a smaller number of people, it’s not devastating when only a small number of students show up. In fact, some of the best nights, those in which you really see God working, can be those with a smaller group of students. And as a bonus, it can still be really exciting when you have a big night.

Potential Leaders

Your church should consider basing its ministry on small groups if you have a pool of potential leaders with the following qualities: 1) They are relationship oriented and desire to spend the majority of their ministry time engaging in intimate relationships with teenagers. 2) They recognize the value of consistency and the necessity of prioritizing youth nights. Consistency is essential for building significant and trusting relationships, and is pragmatically important so there is not a small group without their leader on a given night. 3) They are grace-oriented, meaning that they are able to create and facilitate an environment in which students are able to speak frankly about their temptations and struggles without being intimidated, preached to, or made to feel unwelcome in any way. 4) They are able to teach a lesson and lead a study of some sort. 5) They demonstrate their commitment to students through regular prayer and interaction outside of church activities. 6) They are trainable in any of the areas listed above.

These qualities are essential in leading adolescent small groups. A small group based youth ministry requires a great amount of time, energy, and effort on the part of leaders. Therefore, success or failure depends largely on the leadership. Those adults wishing to chaperone rather than minister need not apply.

The Mother Church is Itself Based on Small Groups

Many churches today make small groups their primary method of intimate ministry. If this philosophy of ministry describes your church, why not get on board with the church as a whole and adopt the same methodology for your student ministry? In this way the youth ministry functions in the same way as adult small groups, as a subset of the church’s corporate worship service.

Your Gifts and Passions

People are different. Some people are energized by putting on a large group meeting. Because their passion lines up with the central focus of their ministry work, they often become successful in creating a large group ministry meeting. On the other hand, many youth pastors have a temperament that much prefers the intimate workings of small groups, and dread the fact that they must put so much energy into a weekly large group meeting. Dom John Chapman, in speaking of prayer, encourages us to “Pray as you can, not as you can’t.”^[6] I believe ministry should be the same. God has given us specific gift mixes and passions to enable us to do ministry, and we should follow those gift mixes and passions. If your heart is crying out for you to focus on small groups, focus on small groups. If you find that evangelism is easier for you and more effective in a smaller group context than a larger group, do your evangelism in small groups, not large ones. It is important to note that we will always have tasks that are uncomfortable or difficult for us; I am not advocating neglecting those simply because we do not want to do them. However, if you feel as if your ministry would be more effective by lining up your actions with your passion and gift mix, I think the presence of those gifts and passions is a good indicator that God is calling you to do so.

What Does Small Group Based Youth Ministry Look Like?

The primary vehicle of ministry for most youth ministries is one gathering which gathers as many adolescents as possible. This is the first stage of the youth ministry-it’s the primary place for teaching, outreach, evangelism, and discipleship, and it’s the first event to which visiting students are invited. It is the one thing throughout the week that the youth pastor puts the most time into and promotes the most. Consequently, it is the most consistent and well-attended event on the calendar. Small group based youth ministry shifts the weight of all these things to small groups.

This could end up looking like several different things. It could mean simply that the time during the traditional Wednesday night youth service set apart for a corporate talk is substituted for small group time. Small group night could still start with a corporate gathering with time for a brief game or icebreaker. Sometimes worship could be done before breaking into small groups. On the other hand, it could mean that small groups meet at different times and different places throughout the week and come together only once per month for something corporate. However, enough time must be allotted for real discussion and study. At least one hour is usually needed for each student to share a little about their lives, pray, and go through some sort of teaching.

It should be obvious that this method involves a significant shift from traditional thinking about small groups. Most assume small groups are primarily fit for discipleship. Small group based youth ministry necessitates that small groups are the primary tool for discipleship and evangelism. It is imperative not to hide behind small group based ministry as an excuse to hunker down and focus on discipleship in a Christian ghetto. On the contrary, it takes the existing model of discipleship ministry-a small, tight-knit group of students led by an adult leader-and expands it to be the platform for all ministry, not just discipleship. It is born out of a desire to see evangelism and numerical growth (as well as other ministry purposes)-just out of a different setting. The natural temptation for some who engage in large group settings is to only be focused on growing numbers. The natural temptation for some who engage in small group settings is to neglect the importance of growing numbers. Do not fall into either trap.

Conclusion

What is advocated in this article is a method. Many people are constantly on the lookout for a new method of doing ministry that will cause attendance to balloon or spiritual growth to surpass our wildest expectations. It is important to remember that method never substitutes for ministry. DeVries quotes S.L. Parker reminding us of the importance of not placing all our eggs in the basket of method.

“Reams of material are written and taught with an approach to reaching an end by effortless means–and more will be written. Advertising messages continually promote methods of achieving end results with little or no effort. And this material and these messages are so effective that in many cases people will work harder to avoid the extra effort than actually applying the extra effort that will produce the originally desired outcome.”^[7]

Re-focusing energy on small groups instead of large groups will not do anything if we are not actively building relationships and meeting new students. If true evangelism and discipleship are not happening within small groups, then the method is nothing more than a “clanging gong or a crashing cymbal.” The best a good method can do is increase the effectiveness of genuine ministry. Ironically, I believe that this particular method requires more work on the part of the youth pastor and leaders, not less. But I do think that if the work is put in prayerfully, a small group-based youth ministry can increase effectiveness and quality of ministry and in doing so, glorify the name of our great God.

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^[5] DeVries, FBYM, 106-109.

^[6] Richard Foster, Prayer (New York, HarperCollins: 1992), 7.

^[7] DeVries, SYM, 140.

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In what ways do intergenerational relationships impact a women’s ministry?

Intergenerational relationships within a women’s ministry provide diversity and strength. If we all looked alike and thought alike, what fun would there be in attempting to come up with a new theme or a new program or a new avenue of reaching out into the community with the Gospel? We need one another. It’s not enough to have only those over forty on your planning and ministry teams. You lose a perspective and ideas and gifting that God intended the church to have. Our view of church membership holds that God gives us each member for a particular reason. We need her gifts, her strengths, and her weaknesses to further the work of ministry and sanctification. We are all part of the body of Christ and we need to learn to relate to and value one another – our own growth in godliness is dependent upon the ladies in our congregation. Bringing both young and old perspectives around the table allows for conversation about ministry that has depth. Instead of being fearful of those conversations, see them as Gospel opportunities. The younger ladies will come with new ideas. Rejoice and be glad that God has given them to you to help keep the ministry fresh and alive! The older ladies will come with sound wisdom and judgment that is filled with first-hand experience over many years. Rejoice and be glad that God has given them to you to keep you on the path of Biblical Truth! The question is, can we delight in, value, and affirm the gifts of all as we seek to build relationships with one another? Can we lay aside our insecurities and take a step towards one another for the sake of Kingdom work and personal growth in godliness?

Do you have any closing thoughts you would like to share?

This is a topic that has so much depth and so much potential, that is near and dear to my heart, and we have barely skimmed the surface. I want readers to know that I do genuinely desire to keep this conversation going, with the prayer that it helps ministry and relationships with your ladies in your churches. To that end, here are a few questions for you to reflect on and potentially discuss with one another…

1. The goal of a Gospel-centered intergenerational relationship (or any relationship!) is sacrificial serving of others. However, the realities of sin often cause us to enter relationships with great demands and great expectations that others meet our needs. Reflect: What is it that you most want out of relationships with other ladies, particularly those outside of your life stage? What are your great expectations of others that are self-serving? In thinking towards Gospel-centered relationships, what do you have to offer that could be used to serve others in an intergenerational relationship?
2. At the very places where our expectations are not met, we can most clearly see our need for a Savior. What is your response and what happens to the relationship when your “great expectations” are not met? In what ways do your own desires and expectations point you more toward the Gospel? What encouragement can you find at the foot of the cross for the foundation and strengthening of our relationships with one another and with our God?
3. In what ways can you begin stepping towards those who are outside of your generation and offer the gift of friendship? (Where are some natural starting points and venues?)

When we make idols out of our “needs” and “expectations,” rather than getting what we think we want (relational needs met), we actually push people away from us because idols are never satisfied and only demand more – more love, more time, more security. Only God can satisfy the relational needs of our heart and yet our hearts are thoroughly convinced that people can meet those needs. With honest reflection, name the relational idols that you are chasing. Pray over each idol and ask God to give you a heart that desires to repent and turn to Him to meet those needs. Then pray that He would show you the path towards Gospel realties that penetrate those intergenerational relationships that you desire.