Three Words Rearranging and Revigorating My World

*Communitas (wikipedia)

is an intense community spirit, the feeling of great social equality, solidarity, and togetherness. Communitas is characteristic of people experiencing liminality together. This term is used to distinguish the modality of social relationship from an area of common living. There is more than one distinction between structure and communitas. The most familiar is the difference of secular and sacred. Every social position has something sacred about it. This sacred component is acquired during rites of passages, through the changing of positions. Part of this sacredness is achieved through the transient humility learned in these phases, this allows people to reach a higher position.  Communitas is an acute point of community. It takes community to the next level and allows the whole of the community to share a common experience, usually through a rite of passage. This brings everyone onto an equal level, even if you are higher in position, you have been lower and you know what that is.

*Koinonia (wikipedia)

The essential meaning of the koinonia embraces concepts conveyed in the English terms community, communion, joint participation, sharing and intimacy. Koinonia can therefore refer in some contexts to a jointly contributed gift.^[1] The word appears 19 times in most editions of the Greek New Testament. In the New American Standard Bible, it is translated “fellowship” twelve times, “sharing” three times, and “participation” and “contribution” twice each.^[2] In the New Testament, the basis of communion begins with a mystical joining of Jesus Christ with the community of the faithful. This union is also experienced in practical daily life. The same bonds that link the individual to Jesus also link him or her with other faithful. The New Testament letters describe those bonds as so vital and genuine that a deep level of intimacy can be experienced among the members of a local church.^[3].

And Finally…

*Calcutta

Advice to the would-be followers of Mother Teresa who would drop everything they had to partner with her local contextualized ministry: “Stay where you are. Find your own Calcutta. Find the sick, the suffering and the lonely right there where you are — in your own homes and in your own families, in your workplaces and in your schools. … You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see. Everywhere, wherever you go, you find people who are unwanted, unloved, uncared for, just rejected by society — completely forgotten, completely left alone.” ~ Mother Teresa

Interesting eh? So with that being said: What are the three words that are re-arranging and revigorating YOUR world? Do share!

The History of ‘REAL’ Youth Pastors??!

The beginnings of youth ministry, as I understand the term, took place in the mid-1800s, in the wake of the industrial revolution. Churches took note of all the young people who moved into central urban areas to work in factories and the church realized the need to ‘educate them’ on Sundays. While the primary goal of early youth ministry was education, a desirable secondary effect was that students would realize ‘they are sinners in need of forgiveness’.

True enough. But alas…

Thus began the cookie cutter model of formation. What was bound to happen, did happen: Many leaders out of frustration would work independently, not subjecting themselves to congregational scrutiny. This fostered the development of interdenominational teaching programs and, oh no, church leadership became fearful that they would lose all of their young members to these societies. The church was no longer in ‘control’ of their dear young flocks’ spiritual formation.

Soon after, the ‘Church of Christ’ flourished with the beginning of parachurch ministries, Christian Organizations that engaged in social welfare and evangelism without restricting itself to a specific religious denomination. Wow! Praise God! Soon thereafter, however, even younger adolescents began to see their organizations as institutionalized and irrelevant. Large group gatherings dwindled down into small meetings and then into nothing. Then specific church-based activities for youth emerged, as the dreaded ‘Friday night Youth Group’ began.

Enter stage left ‘the youth pastor’ position
that, in whole, is what I call…a CRISIS.

The root of the crisis can be found in the way youth ministries are structured. In the last 30 years, the ‘Church’ (the body of Christ or the institution of man?)  In North America has produced a generation of ‘professional’ youth pastors. Yup, that is, an energetic and enthused bunch, focused in a specific vocation, founded upon a specific specialized educational training with a resounding cry from our church fathers and missions implemented to ’round up our youth again and bring them into the churches’.  To do their job, they’ve got to schedule regular, effective, and relevant youth group meetings. They need to meet with parents. They have to go to staff meetings. They have to attend conferences. And yet, many of them stay at one church less than two years.

Hmm. something is TERRRIBLY wrong here.

The average youth worker got into the field because he wanted to disciple young people, or he himself was discipled by a youth pastor. But something happened along the way. He embraced a flawed model of discipleship and formation, perhaps because of history, perhaps because of ignorance- and so, charted a course to ineffectual ministry and ultimate burnout. Trapped by expectations, calendars, and a risk-averse evangelical culture which embraces a theologically sanitized, politically correct version of Jesus that would never take on religious authorities, much less try to cast out a demon or raise somebody from the dead.

THIS IS MY HOPE: not to fall into the trap and break from the trend. I refuse to follow and become like a ‘real’ youth pastor.

I prefer the vulgar, offensive, language of the kingdom of God. But that’s for my next post!

Bye for Now,
Christian.
A ‘REAL’ youth pastor.