For a while now, we’ve been thinking about a way to expand the youth ministry training we do in Mexico. We already started one of the only Bachelor’s degrees in youth ministry in Latin America. But we know that it’s not enough to offer a bachelor’s degree in youth ministry.
Although the bachelor’s program has been growing, we recognize that not everyone who is working with young people can come to the Seminary full time for training. With the problems that come from living in Mexico City, it makes it difficult to do a lot of informal training.
Saturday was the first day of the long-awaited Diploma in youth ministry. We started with 6 students who are working in various churches. Each one of them told us how important it is to get training in youth ministry, and they are all very happy to have this informal type of training.
The purpose of the diploma program is obviously to provide practical training for youth workers as well as promote the other youth ministry programs at the Seminary.
We are praying that this Saturday morning course (9 months out of the year) will help many local church youth workers and spread throughout the country.
We’ll keep you up to date with this new program, which we think will grow and expand in the coming months.
“Identify the culture to use the culture to reach the culture” is a phrase that comes up often at both Youth Ministry International and the youth ministry classes at the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary. Today it was something that slipped my mind.
I was in the airport with Jon and Nicolle awaiting their flight back to the United States, and we saw the Japanese guy who has been living in the Mexico City airport for a few months. Since he’s pretty much a celebrity, we decided to ask if we could have our picture taken with him. But we went about it completely wrong.
Jon and I approached the guy and asked him if he spoke Spanish. He just stared at us. Then we asked about English. We thought that surely he would speak English. Again we were met with a blank stare. Finally I motioned like I was taking a picture and he nodded in approval. We finally got what we wanted, but things could gave gone so much better.
As we returned to our table in the food court, we started talking about what we should have done differently.
For starters, we should not have assumed he would speak English. How ethnocentric of us! We looked up a few Japanese phrases after the fact that would have been useful in our quest. Basic phrases like good morning and how are you would have helped greatly. It’s always a good idea to speak people’s language.
We also should have treated him as a person. We really just wanted to say we had seen him, so we didn’t try to ask how he was or engage in small talk. People are much more open if you treat them like people and not like objects.
No wonder he’s looking at me funny in the picture.
I’m sure there are other things that we did wrong today, but reflecting on these two big mistakes will hopefully help me in the future.
Saturday, in a youth leaders’ network meeting, one of the girls who was there was telling of her experience in the treatment center earlier this year when her mom was being treated for cancer.
She said that, although it was a trying time for her (her mom died this year), she had the chance to spend more time with God.
She mentioned that the other people in the treatment center noticed something different about her and her mom. They noticed something unexplainable. They recognized that they had faith and that their faith influenced their attitude and actions.
I thought of the story in Acts 4, and especially verse 13. People notice a difference when you have been with Jesus. Although you may not be the smartest or most beautiful person, being around Jesus changes you. It makes you better. And it’s noticeable.
Some of my best memories as a youth pastor in Dunedin, Florida, were going to a monthly youth worker meeting. I would sit in the youth room at Clearwater Community Church and talk shop with a bunch of like minded people. Every month it would be a little different, but I remember looking forward to this meeting, unlike many other meetings I had to go to in those days.
Leadership can be lonely. Often times, you go about your business, and it seems like nobody even notices what you do (unless it’s bad) or even the struggles that you have in your own personal life. Most of the time, ministry is difficult. But because we recognize the need that leaders have to connect with each other, we held the first ever youth leaders’ network meeting in northwest Mexico City.
I don’t know about you, but I always feel great after hanging out with people who share the same vision I do (like we did when we went to Ecuador). Networking is more than just seeing what you can get from other people or even how you can work together to extend your reach.
It’s about a shared vision and a shared passion. It’s about shared dreams. It is about identifying with other people so that you can understand that you’re not alone in ministry (and so they understand this, too). This type of connection is vital.
Yes, leadership is lonely, but we are doing what we can to encourage those youth workers in our area and let them know that what they do is important.
What can you do to help connect other like-minded people? You need it as much as they do.
It is dangerous to be in ministry. You put yourself out there to help people, and at times, you get taken advantage of. Sometimes, you get emotionally involved, causing you to lose sleep. Being in ministry requires sacrifice. Sometimes, it leads to the ultimate sacrifice.
That’s what happened to Edward Frank Harris Jr, the youth pastor at Pendergrass Baptist Church in Cleveland, Georgia this past Sunday as he decided to help some people and give them a ride. He was found dead later that day. (see the news here)
Ministry is dangerous. Of course, we understand that. An angry mob killed our leader. Life was dangerous for Jesus. He told us to expect nothing less. But we reach out despite the danger. We reach out to share the love of the One who gave His life for us. And sometimes, it costs us.
I’m praying for Edward Harris, Jr’s family. I’m praying that God will be exalted despite the tragic circumstances. And I’m renewing my commitment to reach out regardless of how dangerous it is.
What about you?
(Via: Tre Lawrence)
