Friday, January 8, 2016

What I Learned in Youth Ministry

God is Faithful:

Youth ministry will always be near and dear to my heart as I think back about how God has used it to shape and mold me into the person that I am today.  I graduated out of college with little experience and far less understanding of what vocational ministry would entail.  This journey has taught me to trust in God and to put my hope in His Gospel.  Through it all I established, by His grace, a great deal of lasting friendships that has filled my life with laughter, tears, and joy.  No longer do I call these students "members," but rather "family."  Even as I write I am reminded of all the faces I have had the privilege of encountering.  God has definitely been faithful to draw hearts to Himself and to make the Gospel beautiful in eyes that were once dead.

As the Hmong people begin to make the transition in ministry, it will become more evident that youth ministry will play a significant role in the life and future of the church.  Our ability to grasp God's mandate in making disciples (Matt. 28:18 - 20; Acts 1:8) and equipping the next generation in Gospel ministry (1 Tim. 4:11-13) will place the church on a trajectory of world-wide endeavors.  Youth ministry has traditionally been linked to moralistic therapeutic deism, but a growing generation, by God's grace, has embraced a new found love for Gospel commitment in Gospel growth.  No longer can we be complacent with program oriented churches, but must move toward an authentic Christian life that breaths power into the organic interactions of daily living.

4 Major Takeaways:

During my time in youth ministry I came across these principles that were extremely helpful and fruitful as I began to apply them.  I wished that I would have understood these concepts prior to entering into vocational ministry, but much is learned through my own failures and weaknesses.  These four (4) principles, though not exhaustive in terms of what has been established at the local level, have served as the key components to formulating an effective ministry.

Preach the Word:

The Word saves (John 1:12), and the Word transforms (John 17:17; Romans 12:2; Ephes. 4:23; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)).  In a day and age where youth ministry is focused upon entertainment and empty excitement, what will run contrary to the cultural norm is a deep and robust biblical worldview (Gospel Lens) that magnifies the work and person of Jesus Christ in bringing forth spiritual transformation.  Swallowing goldfish and drinking soda through a sock will not suffice to defend against deceptive and erroneous claims of our cultural times.  Bringing biblical truth into the life and perspective of young people is one of the top, if not the top, priority of student ministry (Col. 3:16; 1 Tim. 4:11-13).  Empty games will not assist students to think critically through their faith.

I have been asked why I choose to teach deep theological doctrines to teenagers, and my answer is simple: basic doctrines will be beneficial as teenagers enter into young adulthood and begin to interpret the world around them (1 Tim. 4:11-12).  It is scary to think that young churched people enter into college without a biblical worldview to safeguard their infant faith.  Student ministers are one of the agents within the community of saints that are responsible to disciple and educate the next generation to think biblically in light of the current trends (Eph. 4:13; Col. 3:16; 1 Tim. 4:11-13).

Much of the fear for youth ministers is the fight to stay relevant yet if probed further our fear is not merely based upon relevancy, but in trusting in the sufficiency of the Word.  Is Scripture sufficient to speak to our time (Titus 3:8)? Remember that God's revelation is established in a particular time in a particular setting to a particular people group, yet the truth that is conveyed is timeless and effective for human prospering. To this end, expository preaching is essential for the growth and maturation of our students.

Church Leadership is Essential:

Being a second generation pastor and working in a first generation context we must be sensitive to the development of the church as a whole.  It would be foolish for us to be insensitive about the maturity of the church.  Church leadership may not be moving as progressively as we would like, but it is our duty to function within the tension.  What tension?  First, to trust God's sovereignty while being assured that He is ultimately responsible for building His church (Matthew 16:18), and, secondly, we are agents of change to bring forth growth.  Through it all we are still called to honor our leaders (1 Tim. 5:1-3; Heb. 13:17; Prvbs 13:1; 19:20).  As pastors we are not exempt from this biblical call and as youth pastors we are to model to the next generation what humble servanthood looks like.  Exemplifying biblical virtue will be extremely vital.

I understand that certain circumstances may call for us to stand in opposition to the leaders for Gospel truth.  In those instances, I recommend that we pray for guidance and seek Godly counsel on how to approach those difficult situations.  My encouragement would be not to react according to our emotions, but to move in light of our biblical conviction while filtering it through godly counsel.

Lastly, we must understand that we, as youth pastors, play a supporting role to the overarching vision of the church.  If we do not align to the vision, direction, and purpose of the church, we must begin to reevaluate our place in that local assembly.  If heresy is not being taught and the posture of biblical inerrancy is not being threatened, we must weigh the battle that we are potentially seeking to wage.  Remember, division is not the work of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:5-6; Eph. 4:3).

Creating Culture:

Culture, in the context of ministry, is the greenhouse that will allow for the seeds of your ministry to flourish and grow.  Unfortunately, the Hmong context is dominated by a program driven ministry models that equates success with busyness rather than discipleship.  Establishing healthy Gospel culture will allow you to build a system of discipleship that can carry the organic reality of the church.  Without the proper culture your intentions will be swallowed up by unwritten expectations.  Simply put, culture eats up vision for breakfast.  Our intent may be to disciple, but if the culture is intrinsically rot with program as its DNA, the ministry will end up functioning according to its disposition.

If ministers truly seek to position their congregation as partners in Gospel ministry, we must begin to equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:12).  In order to do that we must create a culture that will embody empowerment (Matt. 28:18), training (Titus 2:4; Prvbs 1:4; 22:6; 23:13), and a high view of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Ministry happens organically when Gospel-culture fuels the vision to function outside the four walls of the church.  You must provide the structure and training, but the mission field is outside the church facility.  Bible studies and Sunday service may still be a part of your structural ministry, but one-on-one mentoring and evangelism will begin to happen in the daily routines of life.  Culture carries the vision unto reality.

Generational Transference:

One thing that youth pastors must fight extremely hard against, especially in the Hmong context, is the danger of holding sole responsibility for the spiritual well being of the students.  Biblically we see that parents are the single most influential proponent of spiritual development (Deut. 6:1-3; Eph. 6:1-2; Col. 3:20).  As ministers we must not override God's intended design for family formation and fatherly discipleship.  This component must be a part of the established culture within the larger church philosophy, let alone youth ministry.

In saying that, I am also aware of the brokenness that runs across the board in local churches.  In my own personal experience over 40% of my students came from dysfunctional homes and many of those homes were fatherless.  In this respect I think the church must be the church in the sense of taking these fatherless youth and surrounding them with godly men and women who will pour themselves out for the sake of the Gospel.

Establishing a culture of discipleship that allows young people to witness older men and women exemplify Gospel living will be essential to seeing the next generation carry forth the faith.  This is extremely difficult in the Hmong context where youth ministry becomes a secondary ministry that is left for youth to lead youth.  This is quintessential of the blind leading the blind (Matt. 15:14).  What will assist in this process (and it is a process) of establishing generational transference is empowering couples in the local church to partner with you in youth ministry for the long haul (not yearly themes).  It is imperative, then, that our vision for youth ministry be long term discipleship rather than yearly operations.

Moving Forward:

I have been a proponent of limiting the age of youth ministry in the Hmong context.  There is a large epidemic in the local church of young people in their late twenties to mid-thirties that are still considered "youth."  The difficult thing that I have faced as a youth minister is a proper pass-off of youth  members into the larger community which is known as the church.  We have not done a good job in creating a culture that would see discipleship function across the board in our local assemblies.  This may be one of the many reasons why our young adult members, or the de-churched, leave the community of saints.

This continues, in my mind, to be one of the greater difficulties in youth ministry at the local Hmong church level.  There does not seem to be a big concern for this transitional phase and the trend seems to continue.  We will see how this develops with more church plants rising into play.  Either way the church will need to figure out how to establish ministries that will be inclusive toward the next generation and beyond.  Believe it or not we will be facing this dilemma head on sooner or later, and if it is later we will end up being the parents of the young adults.

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McYoung Yang is the husband to Debbie Yang and the father to McCayden (7), McCoy (6), McColsen (4), and DeYoung (6 months).  He graduated from Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, MN with a Youth Ministry degree and has served as a Youth Pastor in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota for over 8 years.  He is currently studying at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY for his Masters of Divinity.  He hopes to use his training to serve the local church in living life through the Gospel lens.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

A False Dichotomy

The Subtleties of Error:

During my undergraduate years a theology professor asked our class a question that has had a profound effect on my understanding and perception on the Christian life.  The impact was not anything overtly intellectual but rather revealed in me a frailty to my disposition toward God.  It drew out within me a fallacy that was buried deep down inside my subconscience and conveyed an idolatrous notion to my existence.  My answer to this question exposed my false exertion in living an autonomous life outside of God.  It placed front and center my attempt to be my own savior, my own righteousness, my own standard.  My professor's question brought me to realize that error is evasively subtle.

That morning my professor invited the class to ponder upon what kind of life we would lead if God was not real?  If we were free from the existence of God how different would our lives be?  What would life look like without God? What would we strive after?  What would be the purpose to our endeavors?

Upon the question being asked the floodgates of hedonistic pursuits came crashing into my depraved mind as I considered a life without God.  I selfishly conceived of a life centered on my wants, my desires, and my needs.  Yeah, I'd still be moral.  I wouldn't be raping and pillaging villages nor would I being rampaging through the city in a blood thirsty streak seeking and destroying.  I wouldn't be stealing nor would I be cheating (excessively).  I would, I thought, just do life my way.

The moment of enlightenment came when the professor concluded that there was a false dichotomy in our thinking —  yes, because the entire class had come to the same conclusion as I did.  We had separated the reality of life and the reality of God.  We didn't realize that without God there is not such thing as life.  He is life (John 14:6)!  It didn't cross my mind to think that "[in] Him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4).  Simply put, without God there would be no us!

A Matter of the Heart:

Another dichotomy, false as it may be, runs pervasively throughout our society and has sprouted its seeds within evangelicalism.  Christians have built into their thinking a false dichotomy between action and heart.  Christianity has been boiled down to a mere affection toward a transcendent being that does not transform nor intervene into daily life.  This is evident by sayings such as "God knows your heart" or "God looks at the heart."  These types of sayings assume that my actions are detached from my heart.  It suspects that God has no concerns over the actions of my life as long as I had great intentions.  Hence a false dichotomy!

In a society that has severed the two topics, let us take a look at the biblical scope and see how we are to understand the usage of heart and action.

A Transformed Heart Transforms Action:

According to the bible the heart is not merely a part of who we are, but rather is the centerpiece of our existence.  Proverbs 4:23 warns us to "[keep] your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life."  The heart is the control center for the person.  Therefore, the heart is the central place where authentic transformation occurs.  Romans 10:9-10 conveys that "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." Notice that when the heart believes the mouth confesses.  The heart impacts the movement of action.

It must be noted that many of the writings within the New Testaments are filled with commandments. These commandments are linked as a proper response to heart filled conversion.  Paul writes, "[be] kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephe. 4:32).  The Apostle Paul presupposes that the heart has believed and the mouth has confessed; therefore, the commandment to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving flows from the regenerate heart.  The Apostle Peter exhorts the community of saints to "make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue" (2 Peter 1:5).  Gospel virtue is contingent upon Gospel faith.  The heart impacts the action.

Our Actions Reveal Our Heart:

Not only does the heart impact the action but the action reveals the setting of the heart.  The action become the fruit to which we can become aware of the internal health of an individual.  Jesus taught us that "out of the heart of man, comes evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person" (Mark 7:21-22).  The actions of an individual can become a lens into the nature and health of the person's heart.

Jesus addressed this issue with many of His accusers, in particular, the Pharisees.  Jesus questioned the Pharisees' genuineness of love toward God because their actions toward Him and others demonstrated that they truly lacked what they professed to carry.  Jesus would describe them as "whitewashed tombs" (Matt. 23:27).  He went on to describe the Pharisees as "[cleansing] the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.  You fools!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you" (Luke 11:39-41). Their actions revealed that the Pharisees were not sons of Abraham, but rather sons of Satan who accomplishes the desire and will of him (John 8:44).

Healthy Understanding Leads to Healthy Living:

The tension of holding heart and action together must be understood in light of the Gospel of the work and person of Jesus Christ.  Action without heart-change via the Gospel will revert in an attempt to be one's own savior, while heart without action will put into question the genuineness of regenerate faith.  Yet when heart is coupled with action through Gospel power, the newness found in Christ will lead to a life that will bring honor and glory to the one true God.

The Gospel is the means to align our depraved hearts to an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father.  The work of the Son and the seal of the Spirit moves us toward God's creative design for human life and the establishment of His Kingdom.  By His Spirit we have access to the renewal of mind and the transformation of new life (Rom. 12:2).  Only then will our journey in sanctification be wholly embraced and biblically true.

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McYoung Yang is the husband to Debbie Yang and the father to McCayden (7), McCoy (6), McColsen (4), and DeYoung (6 months).  He graduated from Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, MN with a Youth Ministry degree and has served as a Youth Pastor in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota for over 8 years.  He is currently studying at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY for his Masters of Divinity.  He hopes to use his training to serve the local church in living life through the Gospel lens.