One of the keys to success in ministry (or any field) is to never stop learning. Never stop observing and listening. Last week our staff and 60 volunteers put on an epic week of camp. Camp LifeLine is my favorite week of the year because it’s ridiculously fun and because God always does amazing things in the lives of our people.
I learned a lot last week just by watching our students and our leaders. Here’s what I picked up.
CAMP IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO TACKLE HARD TOPICS
One of the reasons we put on our own camp is that we can tailor the curriculum to our students. And one of the things we’ve learned over the years is that camp is the perfect context for complicated or difficult issues. Camp provides the time, space and relationships to unpack and wrestle with difficult issues.
THERE IS HOPE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
I hear a lot of doomsday talk about the future of our country and the next generation’s lack of potential. Let me say that I deeply believe in this generation. I believe in them because I have seen them leading and serving.
Last week our student leaders absolutely killed it. They put their own agendas and issues aside and loved and led middle schoolers exceptionally well. They were heroes in the eyes of our middle schoolers. I can’t speak to the future of our country but I’m confident in the future of the church.
ONE-ON-ONES ARE THE SECRET WEAPON OF STUDENT MINISTRY
It’s painful to admit that students don’t remember much of what we teach. I’d estimate that 90% of our communications are forgotten within one day. However, students always remember relationships—specifically relationships with adults or older students who loved them.
This is why we build our student ministry around mentoring relationships. The key to mentoring relationships is one-on-one time. One-on-one meetings are the secret sauce in our ministry. I firmly believe they are the most strategic thing a volunteer can do.
One of my favorite memories from last week was watching leaders do one-on-ones with their students. These conversations led to many students embracing the gospel for the first time. But they also led to many tearful follow-up conversations between our volunteers and our staff, which leads me to my next learning.
MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE DEEPLY HURTING
I used to consider middle school ministry as less complex than high school ministry because high school students wrestle with heavier issues. After last week I’m not so sure anymore. The one-on-ones between our volunteers and students dredged up a lot of pain. Our middle school students are hurting—pressure to perform, families that are disintegrating, bullying, pornography, loneliness, depression, and a whole lot more. My heart breaks for the students of this generation. They feel alone and unloved.
On the one hand, I feel incredibly grateful that our staff and volunteers put on an excellent camp and that 250 middle schoolers walked away feeling loved and valuable.
On the other hand, can we as parents and churches start engaging and loving our kids better? Our children are the most valuable treasure that we have. Why do they feel alone? Why do they feel abandoned and unloved? How in the world can a 7th grader be wrestling with depression?!? Let’s engage them. Let’s pay attention to them. Let’s love them well and point them to Jesus.
