Youth Ministry: The Armchair Profession

We are all familiar with the term "armchair quarterback". On Saturdays and Sundays we sit in our chairs with popcorn in our laps and drinks by our side criticizing every move the quarterback of our team makes.

"No! What did you throw to the tight end for? Your slot was open 15 yards down field?"

"Way to go, that intentional grounding was just what we needed to make sure the other team has good field position."

or one that I am familiar with this season...

"Crompton!!!! You're supposed to throw the ball at the ORANGE jerseys!!!!"

Let's face it, we are really good at criticizing others: quarterbacks, coaches, politicians, actors, war generals, parents, the list goes on for miles.

But when it gets down to it, we can criticize the quarterbacks all we want, but they are the ones out on the field. If I was a quarterback hearing criticism towards me from a fan, my number one response would most likely be, "Well, would you like to try scanning the field, analyzing the coverage, and hitting the receiver of choice all while a 325 LB. beast is charging towards you (something we don't have when we are screaming at our so called incompetent quarterbacks).

There's something to be said about one who is in the trenches struggling, verses one who is not doing a thing while criticizing.

Take my job for example (for the record, I'm not asking for a pity party. I just have a need to express what is on my heart). Everybody seems to think they can do it. My response: So come help!

One of the most popular questions I am asked is, "What do you do all day?" Thus, every time I'm seen on facebook (facebook tells you if you are currently logged in, a teen messages me and says "So this is what you do all day!" I often have people insinuating that I don't do much at all. About 4 hours before VBS began, I was told "I'm glad it's VBS week. It must be tough for you though, Chris. This is one of the 4 weeks in the year you have to work."

Understand, both of the above examples were said to me in joking manners, and weren't meant to be hurtful. I'm close friends with the people that joked that I only work 4 weeks a year and the teen I talked to on facebook is a very active and loyal part of our youth group (by the way...should I have asked what she was doing on facebook while at school?). I know both of those examples were said to me in playful, harmless manners, but I think (fear?) that that stereotype for youth ministers is all too common.

But let's go to a not so joking comment. How about another question that is quite common for me to hear: "So, like, what are your office hours?"

This is a very unique question to answer. I'm not really required to serve a set amount of time in my office. I do spend a lot of time in it, preparing lessons, making phone calls, organizing events, etc. But I also spend a lot of time making visits (sometimes as late as 10:00 at night) and running errands (if I need to get something for an illustration in class). Nonetheless, I need to answer this question as briefly as possible.

My usual response is, "While I'm not required to spend a set amount of time in my office, on average I'm there from about 9:00 - 3:30, maybe 4."

And now we're off.

"NINE O'CLOCK TO THREE THIRTY! Can I apply? Is there an opening? Man that must be nice!"

Of course, I didn't mention that sometimes I'm in the office for a lot longer, slammed with extra duties. I didn't mention the visits. I didn't mention the misc confrontations I need to make if I need to "straighten a kid out". I didn't mention that I'm on call if a teen is rushed to the emergency room at 4:00 a.m. (yes, that has happened).

I could mention it, but no. I don't want to ruin their rant of envy (if that's even what it is). So I continue to listen.

"Wow, how cool it would be to have a job where you are only in the office for 5 hours and then you get to go play video games with teenagers. Man your job must be so easy."

OK, now I think we need to stop here. Do I play video games with teens? Yes. Am I only in the office for 5 hours. On some days, yes. But let's look at a fact and compare it to a common misconception.


Fact - The average youth minister tenure at a church is 18 months.


OK, so if being a Youth Minister is so easy, then why does the average youth minister only last 18 months? Is it because he is bored? Guess again. Is it because he needs to make more money? OK, well that might be part of it. But maybe, just maybe it isn't that easy. Maybe it goes a lot deeper than what most people see on the surface.

I'm trying hard. I've made a ton of mistakes since I've been here. I imagine that plenty more will follow. But to all of those armchair youth ministers who let me know when they disagree with my discipline strategy, or whatever other mistake, come join me in the trenches! It's harder than it looks.

It's almost ironic. People whisper among each other, "I could be a better minister than this person". But aren't we all ministers? You are a minister. I am a minister. Ministry is not about me. I'm not doing this so that people will look at me and say, "Wow, that person is cool." I want others to see Jesus, not me. Take me out of the picture, I won't mind. It's what John the Baptist did. He came and simply pointed men towards Christ.

Ministry is messy. It can be an absolute island sometimes. I'd love to expand on details on the political problems that occur when ministering to close to 40 different teenagers and parents, but this isn't the place, nor is it really important. Just believe me. It's tough.

Thursday Notes:

I am so thankful that the Jarvis family has safely arrived in Valdosta. It has been a long year here at Central without a preacher. I look forward to working with Bryan and to serve alongside him. Too bad I'll miss his first sermon this Sunday, but I'll be...

In Atlanta this weekend. The Youth Group Braves trip is this weekend. We'll be at Saturday night's game, stay the night in ATL, worship with the Snellville COC, then head back to Valdyville. Personally, I'm pumped about the trip. It will be my first time seeing Teixeira and the other "new Braves".

A few posts ago, I was asking other people's input on Google Desktop. The input i received from you all matched the reviews I read: very mixed. Some liked it some hated it. I gave it a try. I downloaded it and tried it. The end result? I uninstalled it. I can see how a lot of people like it, but honestly, It got in my way too much. Most of the stuff I added on google desktop was the same stuff I have on my personalized google homepage, anyway. It just wasn't for me.

Top ten searches that brought visitors to my site:

1. What would I look like as a Simpsons character?
2. Bryan Jarvis Church of Christ
3. How do I make myself a simpsons character?
4. "chris petty" blog
5. "i'm by myself this week"
6. chris petty blogspot
7. look like one of the simpsons
8. what i look like as a simpsons character
9. when Barry Bonds was on the simpsons was he skinny or chubby?
10. make a simpsons portrait of yourself


Looking at these searches...Can anybody guess which of my posts received about 3 times more hits than the others?

Onions or Opinions?

I just read a fantastic post by my buddy and relative John regarding what could best be described as handling "COC Doctrine".

We have all of these questions about the Bible and why some churches do things different. We say "well, we take the Lord's supper everyday because...." and then we list a bunch of facts, some biblical, some just traditional. Then the other person responds..."well we dont' do it as often because...." and it seems like the discussion never ends.

Here's a question I want to ask. If you want it to be rhetorical, then it'll be rhetorical. If you don't want it to be and want to chime in on something, then that's great too. But...here's the question:

At what point to church doctrine questions simply become opinions?

Can it be that in some people's opinion, it is rebuking authority for a woman to preach, and in other people's opinion it doesn't give the woman any more authority than men? Could it be that in some people's opinion, using a greek word in sermons is speaking in tongues and in other people's opinion it isn't? And can it be just a mere opinion if we think sugar free grape juice from concentrate is not authentic fruit of the vine?

When we turn to a scripture to argue our point...are we using the scripture to state a fact about our church or are we using the scripture to support our opinions?

What is it about opinions that make life so difficult?

Hold that thought/question, and let's talk about baseball statistics for a second (wow, I just love those posts where I talk about the Bible and Baseball AT THE SAME TIME!!!). I don't really consider myself a stat head, but nor would I say I never use those "advanced stats". Some of them I absolutely can't stand (park factors, defensive measurements), some I love and use all the time (OPS+ and ERA+), and some of them I'm kind of neutral towards (pythagorean record, WPA). I guess how I feel towards them just depends on how conclusive they are. Anyways, stats are becoming more and more advanced and so is what we use these stats for.

For example, there are a number of stats to sort by to determine the "best hitter". In the old days, we would sort by average, on base percentage, homers, RBI's, slugging %, etc, to determine the "best hitter". However, times have changed. We no longer have to sort through 6-7 stats. A few people have developed their own "one stat" that determines how good someone really is. With just a few clicks you can see who is the highest above league average in total offense or you can see how many wins one player has provided for your team. Simply just click sort above that stat labeled "awesomeness" and it will sort from overall best to overall worst.

But here is where I am going with all of this...why must statheads try to turn opinions into facts? Isn't the "best hitter" supposed to be an opinion? Yet why does that very question (best hitter) seem more and more like a fact with every new stat I learn of? (By the way, no offense to you statheads. I know there are 3-4 that read this blog. FYI I find what you do very interesting and wish I was smart enough to do it myself). I mean, why don't I hire my own stathead to help me figure out which one is better tasting, BBQ ribs or lasagna?

Answer: because it is an opinion.

I think we, including myself need to sit back on ponder exactly what is and isn't an opinion. That will make life much easier and less confusing (or maybe more confusing, depending on the opinion).

Ministry is messy. This Monday I will have been a minister for a year. I wish I can put into words where my emotions have taken me this past year, but i'm just not that aesthetic. I love the Church of Christ affiliation. But I don't think we are perfect....I don't think there is a single organization/denomination/whatever your word for it is/affiliationthat is perfect simply because they are all made up of humans. I love CoC and plan on staying with them till the end. We all have our different beliefs and opinions. A lot of us have them so beat into our hearts that we aren't even aware that they are opinions...we think they are facts.

Discerning facts and opinions is something that I will always have to deal with...something that is very hard...but that is just another one of those stinking opinions.

Who's church is this?

Before I begin, my apologies for the lack of posts. Between preaching this past sunday, getting ready for our senior-send off banquet, and VBS, I have had about as much as I can handle lately.

Ok, now that I got that out of the way...

really, who's church is this? I know we all understand that we are supposed to say it's God's church, or Christ's church...but is that the way we really feel (or act)? In the past 2 weeks or so, I have had several conversations over meals, in the dugout, on the green, etc, where I really want to ask that question.

Allow me to summarize in one sentence what the third party in these conversations wish to communicate:

"I can do a better job than these elders."

What's worse, I'm not exactly sure what to say to those who say this to me in a very wordy way. Sometimes I let them have it....I'm not exactly sure that is what I'm supposed to do. On other occasions I ignore them...still, probably not what I need to do.

but wait, I'm not done giving details yet. Over half of the individuals who tell me they can do better than the elders are individuals who aren't involved, have dwindling attendance, and IMHO don't really posses the qualities and characteristics that elders should biblically have (Titus and 1 timothy).

Christ is the head of the church. Why don't we let HIM lead, instead of questioning those shepherding the flock. I feel like we often forget that important detail. It is not the church of the elders, the elders are simply the shepherds, looking after the flock. Something has been lost in translation. Elders aren't old people that sit in the corner of a room and say "no". They are loving individuals who care for the church.

Another thing. And to be quite honest with you, I find this absolutely hysterical. But it is quite humerous listening to people talk about the elders AS IF THEY KNOW WHAT GOES ON AT THE ELDERS/STAFF MEETINGS. I mean, honestly, it's sad but funny. Quit acting like you know. For example, don't say, "The elders are crazy for not wanting to hire this particular preacher" when in reality, they did want to...something came up and the preacher had to withdraw his resume. Don't argue a point when you don't even know all of the details. Some of the issues that members question are issues the elders have thought long and hard about, contrary to popular belief.

Our elders here at Central are very good elders. They seek God's wisdom and they spend many hours in prayer praying for the congregation (even those who question the elders!) And no, I'm not just saying this because they sign my paychecks, I'm saying this because I believe it. These men are true shepherds and will gladly help any little lonely lambs out there.

How about this for a novel idea: Let's be disciples of Christ, and let Christ lead his church in a heavenward direction. With the Church in Christ's hands, what can go wrong?

One last thought. And I'm speaking this to everybody, the faithful, the unfaithful, the old, the young. I'm even speaking this to myself. We are imperfect humans that do imperfect things. So my final thought is this...

If you find the perfect church, DON'T JOIN IT. You'll mess it up.

job security anyone?

Things have been kind of hectic lately around here, so sorry for the lack of posts.

What I want to talk about right now is job security. Maybe this is just the conservative side of me leaking out, but isn't job security supposed to be important. I'd rather have a lower salary and more job security than a high salary and not very much job security. Sorry if I'm the only one that feels that way, but I believe there is value in knowing you're wanted, knowing you're in this company's/organization's/church's plans for the future.

Take the yankees for example. There was recent talk that Steinbrenner was about to dismiss Joe Torre as manager of the NY Yankees. WHAT???? Isn't this the same Joe Torre that has led the NY Yankees to a division title year after year for the past decade? Doesn't that mean something?

Days later, Cashman fired Marty Miller, the Yankees director of performance enhancement (yes, there is a job position open every MLB team with the phrase "performance enhancement" in the title). He was fired because of all the injuries the Yankees have suffered lately (he was hired for the sole purpose of injury prevention). I find this situation odd. It's not like Miller was plotting ways to hurt Phil Hughes' hamstring. He didn't attack him with a sledge hammer.

What if I were to be fired because one of my teenagers hurt himself/herself and was unable to attend church for a few weeks? I would be appalled at how little sense that makes. At what point in our lives can stop analyzing the results and start analyzing the "why". When statheads study stats, they are looking at results (some exceptions do apply). There is nothing wrong with this, it is something that I have gotten into recently. But I think the real value comes with answering the question "why do we get these results?" Great, this person hits a lot of groundballs....why? This pitcher gives up a lot of homers. That's too bad, why is that? Not many homers get hit in this ballpark. Thats neat, why?

There's more to it than just results. As former Braves broadcaster and hall of fame pitcher Don Sutton once said,

"not all good pitches produce good results, not all bad pitches produce bad results."

~Don Sutton

Results can often be a little misleading, after the question "why" is asked. That is easily seen when you look at the yankees' situation the past few weeks. I'm not a betting man, but if I was I would put a lot of money that says Torre isn't to blame for the Yankees' slow start. Nor would I say that Miller caused the hamstring injuries.

But results transfer beyond the realms of MLB. I want to do anything/everything I know to do to see that the teens here at Central Avenue are growing spiritually. I am very communicative with the elders. They know what's going on, they understand the struggles that I have gone through my rookie year of ministry. We are on the same page and I am more than positive that the Elders are committed to me for longterm ministry.

I would never take a job where there is a history of letting workers go because of results that worker might not have even had anything to do with. I'm thankful that I wake up everymorning and not have to worry about keeping my job.

Cop A Long

3 times this week I have witnessed the following scenario. Let me know if this is familiar or if I am the only one who ever notices...

I'm sitting in my car at a red light. I hear sirens. Almost immediately, I seek to locate the sirens. I look forward, left, right, and in the rear view mirror. I see the policeman. He is a several cars behind me, weaves back and forth between the lanes...gets to the far left side of the road. Runs the redlight and then...shuts his siren off.

Three times this week I have seen a cop use his siren to simply get him/her through a red light. My initial thought when this happens is, "Wow, thats kind of jerky to do". Why do cops do that? It seem abusive of their authority.

Can a cop pull a cop over? Don't think I've ever seen it, but I don't see how it is not possible. What would happen if I would have run the redlight immediately after the cop runs it? Could I use what I witnessed to talk my way out of a ticket?

Another thought, I've seen this before. So why is it such a big deal to me? THREE TIMES THIS WEEK!!!!!! Is this national siren abuse week? I just don't get it. Any of you criminal justice buffs out there want to help me out on this, feel free to chime in. Perhaps I'm wrong (very unlikely, ha ha) but what I saw 3 times seemed to have tainted my view of security.

I'm not like most people. I don't hate cops. It is their job to protect the city. I find it ironic how many people hate cops. People hate cops, yet cops are paid to protect those who hate them. Why hate those who protect you. True, they give tickets, arrest, keep us from "having fun" but this is all to keep the city safer. But when they do this, they are just trying to keep the city a safer place to live and drive. Try this, next time a cop gives you a ticket, say to him/her, "thank you for giving me this ticket. I want this to be a safe place as much as you do." Wow, that one's tough.

When Jesus walked this earth, he came to seek and save. Yet, many people hated him for it. Similar to cops, people hated Jesus even though Jesus came for those who hated him. A man full of unconditional love was hated for....loving others!?!? He healed on the Sabbath, not to break the law, but show love to others. He was hated for this.

Neither case makes sense. Why hate cops because they protect us? Why hate Jesus because he saves? Think about that...

Unlike Christ, Cops make mistakes. I hope cops abusing their siren doesn't turn into a trend. It is obnoxious, but they still have my support in the long haul.

Book Review - Postmodern Youth Ministry

Wow! Finally! Praise the Lord! It's about time.

I hate it so much when the cover of a book makes it appear as if the book is about postmodernity but it actually isn't. That happens so much. In fact, right now I am staring at a few books in my library that claim to be about the postmodern shift, but between the covers there is hardly a mention of it.

Thats what excites me about this book. Tony Jones discusses the shifts in culture and how that effects Youth Ministry in a way that keeps one from wanting to put the book down. Not only that - but Jones is PRACTICAL in his approach. I love that word, practical. Say it with me, "practical." Ah, doesn't that feel good? That is a word that is left out too often in ministry, but needs to be on the front of our minds, as ministers of the Gospel.

Jones begins his book by giving a brief introduction of postmodernity. What is it? How did it get here? What does it have to do with the church? Can someone be postmodern and like saur kraut?, etc. Included in this section is a look at the history of the church, the early church fathers, and how they played a role in this cultural movement.

The author then begins to look at Teenagers and their role in this matrix. by studying their role, he helps youth workers of all types (Part-time, Full-time, volunteer) understand what needs to be done to help them understand what Christ truly means to us, but note...he doesn't tell you what to do (more on this later).

Although the Title of this Book is Postmodern Youth Ministry I feel like it will benefit church workers of all types, beyond the realms of Youth Ministry. Elders, Deacons, Sunday/Wednesday teachers, greeters, contribution counters, janitors will all be able to take a page out of Tony's book (no, don't literally rip it out). Throughout this book you'll be telling yourself "So that is why my church is like this!".

I didn't agree with everything Jones said. However, off of the top of my head I don't think I can recall a book that I agree with 100% of the content (besides the Bible, of course). So that being said, lets continue...

As mentioned earlier, Tony doesn't give a straight up, this is what we need to do answer (although he does give us great tips and things to think about). Most Youth Ministry books I've read have a formula such as "If you do these 10 things, you'll be a good youth minister" or "this is the only way you can get the church to grow", etc. Rather, Jones simply gives us the tools we need and leaves it up to us to figure out how to use them. I love that. He knows, as we all do, that mistakes will be made. He admits mistakes he has made himself. But since Jones was willing to share his knowledge, the ministers of the world (well, at least the ones who read this book) will grow from it.

I know not everyone is a Youth Minister. But PLEASE, PLEASE, PURTY PLEASE read this book if you serve any kind of role, whatsoever in your church. You'll benefit from it, I promise.

Weaknesses

- At times, the section of the history of the church seemed kind of boring. Perhaps that is just because I have heard it so much though.

- Um, the book isn't longer? I really can't think of any criticism about this book.

Strengths

-Excellently written. Information is given from a knowledgeable guy who knows what it is like "in the trenches" and doesn't present it in a "Holier than thou" attitude.

-Its a Postmodern book actually about Postmodernity

-Practical, Theological, Spiritual, all in one!

-OK, I'm getting tired of typing out all the things I like about this book. Just trust me, it's awesome! Now go pick up a copy!

Overall

9.5/10

For more reviews or to purchase this book click here