Taking Off The Training Wheels
My first real bicycle came on a Christmas morning. I can still remember it all these years later. I remember that the bike came with training wheels. After only about a week or so, my dad decided it was time to get rid of the training wheels and teach me to ride on my own. Oh, I wobbled and fell over many times, but eventually I learned to balance myself on the bicycle. The training wheels got put in the garage where they would stay until my younger brother got his first bike.
In April deadly tornados ravaged many parts of the south, especially Alabama.
Three communities near us–Hackleburg, Phil Campbell, and Mount Hope, were hit very hard. The devastation was overwhelming. There were many in these communities who lost everything. The day after the storms I was at my church and received a phone call from a young lady in Montgomery, Alabama, 200 miles away. She had obviously heard of the devastation and had a real heart for our area. She wanted to do something to help. Three days later, this young lady. Austyn McDonald, arrived at our disaster relief distribution center with several friends from her school, parents, and an eighteen wheeler full of supplies.
This young lady, who I discovered is a tenth grader, organized the entire effort and even stayed over the next day with two other friends and two parents to pitch in and help out where needed.
How often do we as youth ministers and youth leaders underestimate what the American teenager is capable of doing? After my encounter with the students from Montgomery, I found myself wondering if I am guilty of doing youth ministry with training wheels. As long as I enable and oversee everything involving students, will they ever learn to do anything more than “ministry with training wheels”? This encounter led me to think long and hard about every facet of my ministry with students.
At this point in my youth ministry journey, I’m thinking it’s time to put the training wheels in the garage.
Here are questions I am asking myself . . . I’d love your input.
- How do you bring younger students along in their faith and a what point do you start taking off the training wheels?
- What are the plusses and minuses to youth ministry without training wheels?
- If you are having success with students taking the lead in ministry, what are some things you do to point them in that direction?
Richard Parker has been a student minister for the past thirty-one years, serving at First Baptist Church in Russellville, AL since 1989. He has written a three volume set of Character Education curriculum for schools and has written “Character,” a year long devotional book for students. Richard speaks in schools as well as at various church and civic conferences.
Richard,
Absolutely great post. I think you are spot on with this. I’d hate to think that my youth ministry “babies” the next generation of the church, rather than give them a chance to serve and learn that the key to great leadership is great service. It may be cliche, but when you help the butterfly out of its cocoon, you’ve harmed it more than you’ve helped it. Why protect our teens from the reality of following Christ by treating them like babies?
In regards to the younger students (Jr. Highers), I think it is imperative to create an atmosphere where they see the older students serving in leadership in some capacity, whether great or small. Let them see that the youth ministry isn’t covered in the youth pastor’s fingerprints, but the fingerprints of his kids who have bought into the vision for the ministry. I can’t tell you how many of my young kids are already chomping at the bit to serve in leadership, and they are stepping up and doing relatively small things now, but I smile because by the time they reach 10th/11th grade, these kids are going to be woven deeply into the fabric of the ministry. It has been empowering and refreshing like nothing else!
This may sound blind, but I don’t see a minus to ministry without training wheels. Life is full of mistakes, adversity, and messes. I would much rather clean up a mess than have teenagers afraid to take a risk (ministerially speaking of course). If anything, giving teenagers the opportunity to experience the reality of actions vs consequence only better equips them for their adult lives. Don’t get me wrong, I will be there for them if there is a mess, but it is a vital learning experience for them, and I don’t mind serving as the safety net in the end.
As for keeping students pointed in the right direction, I think it is important to help them see out of the small picture that they grasp and comprehend. We have a HUGE vision at THRIVE, which we are aiming to see happen by end of 2012, but rather than have the vision be a burden for them, it is liberating to them to let them experience success in their arena, while constantly exemplifying to them how the work/ministry they are doing is going to accomplish the larger vision.
That’s what I think. I’d love to hear what you think!
Franco
Franco,
Everything you said is like right on point. It sounds like you are training students to be great leaders and great disciples. Find me on Facebook and keep me up with all you guys are doing!