Ministry Journey Blog

Published at Youthworker Online (A part of Youthworker Journal)

Moving Beyond the Destination Driven, Vacation Approach to Youth Missions

Rev. Marcus J Carlson (marcusjcarlson.com), Associate Pastor, Bethel Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO.

There is a great temptation in youth ministry to have to attract and entertain youth. Whether this pressure comes from church leaders, the congregation or one’s own personality, the pressure to attract, keep, and energize youth is real in many youth ministry settings. This reality is of course a blessing in some ways and a curse in others. There is no question that the vast majority of youth ministry today could be seen as too shallow, not having the depth that Christ has called us to as disciples. When I think about these two realities, I cannot help but notice their possible connection. These challenges have a wide variety of causes and implications in many of our youth ministry settings. One area of youth ministry that I see the temptation to attract and entertain youth growing in pressure is in the area of youth missions.

At some point during my youth ministry career, I realized that more and more mission trips were happening in exotic locations that were commonly associated with vacations. It seemed that God’s call to youth ministries was growing dramatically in Jamaica, Hawaii, Alaska, and other desirable locations. This is not to say of course that there is not need in these areas, because clearly there is need in impoverished places like Jamaica. I do think it is critical however to check our motivation and to consider the image we are portraying as well as the message we are sending when we select our mission trip locations.

In some of the ministry contexts in which I have served, there has been an expectation we select a new and different location for our mission trips. The youth and perhaps others may feel as though each mission trip should be new or fresh. While this sounds good in theory, it can create an attitude that might cause youth and others to value mission trips based on location. It is not long before this destination driven philosophy can lead to viewing mission trips as a glorified vacation of sorts. In many cases the recreation portion of our mission trips become more important than the work or ministry performed. While it is wonderful to see and experience new things, have a time to unwind together and experience a different culture, the greatest power in mission trips is in the service (and processing of the service) that occurs on a mission trip. If we create or embrace a mindset that says that it is the location that matters the most, youth mission trips become about something other than their intended purpose. I am not suggesting that we never serve in Jamaica, because there is plenty of need in Jamaica, but we might want to consider where we serve as well as why and how we select our locations for our mission trips. We must avoid selecting mission trips based on a consumer mentality that focuses on attraction and hype instead of need and service.

The reality is that we can serve anywhere. It is possible in most youth ministry settings to have a mission trip in your own community. Perhaps instead of choosing our locations for our mission trips based on the desirability or newness of a location, we can look at other factors such as areas of greatest need (communities recently hit by disasters), communities in which we can build long-term partnerships or relationships, or even communities that will give our youth the greatest opportunity to serve and experience a new and different culture that will lead to even greater transformation. It is much easier for youth and parents to get excited about going to Jamaica (and I am not trying to pick on ministries or leaders that go to Jamaica) than it is to get excited about going to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. We as leaders need to think carefully and theologically about the motivation, message and experience that we will give our youth when we choose our mission trip locations. The location is not the most important part of the mission trip, yet the locations we choose for our mission trips speak volumes to those we lead and serve.

My simple rule: if I would go there on vacation with my kids, for my anniversary or even my honeymoon, I should think twice about making it a destination for a mission trip.

Published at Youthworker Online (A part of Youthworker Journal)

Read the online article here

Short-Term Missions, Long-Term Relationships

By Rev. Marcus J Carlson

Short-term mission trips can be some of the most powerful experiences of any youth ministry, especially in the local church setting. There are many ways to approach youth mission trips. Some churches use various organizations to lead their trips, while other churches are able to plan their own trips. There are various strengths and weaknesses to either approach, and it often depends on the resources of the church and the philosophy of the youth leader responsible for the trips. Regardless of the type of mission trip, short-term missions can be a catalyst for significant life-change experiences for youth as they experience faith transformation through service. For many youth ministries, short-term mission trips are the highlight of the year and can provide great momentum for any youth ministry for the following school year.

While short-term mission trips are very powerful, there are pitfalls to this aspect of youth ministry. While the work performed is usually very helpful, it is the relationships built on these trips that have the most power. One of the great tensions I (and many other youth workers) have wrestled with is the short-term nature of these trips. A youth group swoops into a community, works for a period of time, then leaves the community — usually never to see it again. Short-term mission trips often have left me desiring more as I learn to love the community we are serving and cherish the relationships that are built. There are always more projects than can be accomplished, and these trips often create a vision in the participants for how they might be able to help the community they are serving beyond what can happen within the constraints of the short-term mission trip. This generation of youth has a high capacity for missional thinking that can be shortchanged by the nature of short-term mission trips.

In the midst of these tensions (and others) there is a lot of pressure in youth ministries to find the next new place to serve that will attract youth and provide variety and excitement to the missions program of the youth ministry. I have been struggling to find a solution to this tension for many years, remaining passionate about the value and meaning in short-term mission trips, yet dissatisfied with their short-term nature. I have come to some conclusions, causing me to move in a better, healthier direction with short-term youth missions. It is likely these conclusions may be flawed and not final. They, too, will create some tensions that will need to be addressed in the coming years.

We have decided in our new approach to youth missions to form long-term partnerships with various churches, organizations and communities. We have partnered with four geographic areas, balancing local, urban, rural, American Indian and international missions and with missions focused on relationships and work projects.  We will work with the one community each year, rotating between middle and high schools. The alternate years, we will work with the other two communities, adding our international partnership every two to three years. This allows for diversity and consistency at some level and will allow our youth and youth ministry to build long-term relationships with these communities.

My greatest hope is this plan will allow for short-term missions that build long-term relationships with individuals, churches and communities. It is critical for youth workers to think carefully about their approach to youth missions in their churches, whatever their direction might be.

Published at Youthworker Online (A part of Youthworker Journal)

Read the online article here

There are very few things as powerful as story, especially in the context of youth ministry. In youth ministry, we utilize the power of story all the time, recognizing that our youth (and others) connect with story — not to mention Jesus was a storyteller. God has, is and will continue to write a story in our world and in our lives. We must connect our youth to God and God’s story so they can begin to see the story God has for them. Max Lucado is a great storyteller. While the stories in the book are great and it’s an enjoyable book, its value in a youth ministry setting is limited to the possible use of some of the author’s stories. It’s neither a book that can be used as a curriculum or teaching series, nor is it a book I would recommend having youth read. This book contains some great stories that youth workers may find helpful in communicating God’s story to their youth, but I would not recommend using it for any other purpose in a youth ministry setting.

–Rev. Marcus J. Carlson

Published at Youthworker Online (A part of Youthworker Journal)

Read the online article here

The Complete Visual Bible is a great tool for youth workers trying to prepare meaningful and accurate lessons using the Bible. This handy tool can bring passages of Scripture to life with some nice images and very helpful descriptions of background and history and a good overview of the books of the Bible. While it is not something that can be used for significant exegesis, it is a helpful aid in understanding context and background.

–Rev. Marcus J. Carlson

Published at Youthworker Online (A part of Youthworker Journal)

Read the online article here

Taking a balanced approach to fundraising

By Rev. Marcus J Carlson

Fundraising, especially youth ministry fundraising in a local church, can be a source of tension and frustration for all involved. Most youth workers dread this part of the job and engage with it as a necessary evil rather than viewing it as an opportunity not only to raise funds, but to connect the whole church body to their youth ministry, as well.

Many youth workers find themselves scrambling to pull off fundraisers while others are stuck working with the fundraising expectations and traditions of their church culture. Fundraisers also require a lot of forethought and planning, which is a struggle for many youth workers because of the nature of their work and personality. Yet there is a substantial amount of pressure and need to succeed in fundraising as many youth and programs rely on these funds.

For more than 12 years, I, too, have struggled with fundraising in youth ministry in the spite of my good organization. In high school, I was an excellent fundraiser as I was motivated by the reality that my family did not have the resources to send me to camp. I enjoyed the challenge that came with fundraising, especially given that I am not particularly creative. In my professional career, many of my most creative moments have come in fundraising; yet many of my failures in youth ministry also have come through fundraisers.

While I have not yet mastered the art of youth ministry fundraising, I understand two important conclusions that have helped guide me to greater excellence in this area of ministry. The first conclusion is that we must have a plan for fundraising. It is critical to take a planned approach to fundraising, taking as many factors as possible into consideration, including the church context in which we serve. Too often, youth workers ignore their larger church context in planning their youth ministry fundraising. In one church context where I served, the church finance team required all ministry areas to submit a fundraising plan to the finance team at the end of each year so they could look at the plans of various ministries. While this felt intimidating and cumbersome, this team approach is filled with wisdom.

The second conclusion I have discovered is that youth ministry fundraising efforts must be as balanced as possible. While balance can be a dangerous word in the context of our faith and the true nature of the kingdom of God, there is wisdom in taking a balanced approach to fundraising in youth ministry. First, make sure to spread out fundraising efforts through the year instead of cramming them into one season, such as right before mission trips. In doing this, we can avoid frustration and failure.

Second, balance fundraisers between those who look to the church as the source of support and those who seek support outside of the church. In doing this, we consider the needs of our church context and honor the church, which builds support for our youth ministries.

Finally, balance fundraising efforts between those ideas that require good sales ability and those that simply require participation and work. In doing this, we recognize and honor the reality that our youth have different gifts, and we equip them to grow in their strengths and weaknesses.

Fundraising is an opportunity for youth workers to better resource their ministries, support their youth and connect others to the youth ministry who might otherwise be disconnected. It is an opportunity to share the story of God with others that might not hear it.