The In's and Out's of Being In or Out

One of the most interesting discussions from my Discipleship class last year involved insider/outsider issues. We were discussing the positive and negative effects of cliques in a youth group context. The whole idea of insider/outsider boundaries was a new concept for some folks, and many instantly adopted a negative stance.

These kinds of divisions, they insisted, were at the heart of [insert negative aspect of the Church here].

As the conversation progressed we talked about the necessity of such boundaries for any kind of community, and how complex the ideas of unity and belonging can be. All of this has been reinforced lately via a Facebook discussion I've been having with a fellow concerning the concept of essentials for Christianity.

Interestingly, I was able to experience this concept of insider/outsider boundaries and their levels of complexity firsthand last weekend.

At the Dublin Irish Festival (Dublin, OH that is!) a distinct community formed almost immediately. It very quickly became apparent which ones in attendance were there because they loved the music and which ones were not. A community formed, and we were in because we loved Trad.

Ah, but then the deeper boundaries became apparent. For some of us actually played the music, and that made us different. Some of the folks there were strictly Trad (only certain instruments allowed, no harmonization, only certain tunes, etc) while others were more "liberal".

What brought us together, however, was that we loved the music. Players and listeners, drummers and strummers, dancers and the "movement-impaired", Irish and non-Irish (myself included) were all in that place at that time because we loved the music.

I think we might learn a lot about our own contexts if we paid more attention to the natural communities we are all a part of, and see how those compare or contrast to the Kingdom Jesus is building among us.

Youth ministry is weird.  Ok, that's cliche, granted, but it also happens to be true.  Not weird in the "odd for God" way.  Rather, its simply a strange amalgam of skills and knowledge.

For example, a youth minister should be expected to have some expertise in:

• Biblical knowledge
• Discipleship methodology
• Cultural studies (especially progressive culture)
• Counseling, especially crisis and developmental counseling
• Adolescent development
• Family systems
• Organizational communication (especially non-profits)
• Leadership development
• Educational psychology (how people learn for transformation)
• Visionary and strategic planning

It's worth noting that each of these is a field all it's own - one can get advanced degrees in each of these subjects!  Add to this specializations in such diverse fields as multimedia technology, marketing, and facility management!

My point is that developing a holistic program to address the  core skill set for working with adolescents in the church hurts my head!

This is also why I've begun telling prospective Y&FM students that "loving Jesus and loving kids" isn't enough to be a youth minister.  That's more than enough to minister to youth, mind you!  Youth ministers, in our program at least, do indeed love Jesus.  They also love kids.  They add to that solid foundation a desire to master the skills necessary to transform adolescents into culture-building disciple-makers, families into stable agents for change, and churches into organizations where youth have a dynamic role in ministry now AND in the future.

We're looking toward a standards-based portfolio system to help us integrate this wide diversity of skills into a more holistic process.  More to come, kids!

I'm Back

The poor blog was the first thing to go in the scheme of things. Now, however, it's back on the front burner.

Upcoming posts will include:

• A review of the new Star Trek
• A review of Wolverine
• Some thoughts about the direction of KCU's Youth & Family Ministry emphasis

For now, though, allow me to revel in the freedom of the road. My bike is back up and running well. She needed some work, that's for sure!

This has been a great machine, there's no doubt. After 80K+ miles, it shouldn't surprise me that some maintenance is in order. A few bolts loose, some clutch friction plates, and a new voltage regulator aside, she's a tight little bike.

That's a positive and a negative, in some ways. After something runs so well for so long you start to take it for granted. This year has reminded me that my scooter has been a good one partly because I've cared for her well.

Of course, relationships work the same way. Something to think about....