Mobilising Students

Last week I wrote a post after attending the Victorian Youth Ministers Network with Ben and Jason from youthalpha. Here's a bit more of what they had to say:

Mobilising Students

Rather than being the youth leader who goes into High Schools to build up connections with teenagers, Mobilising students to reach their friends. Being convinced that it would be effective where the students are reaching their friends rather than trying to reach the students himself. Better to become a coach to students he knew.

Students from different churches working together at school is a great way to bring and show unity among the churches and youth ministries. This is much better than just planning different events together for the youth groups to meet together.

Empowering people is always a risk, but at least ten years after these blokes have finished at their schools, the prayer groups continue.

Create environments of prayer

A space (time or place) where people can pray and so learn compassion; be confronted by God moving their heart. Learning to pray for others by listening to friends pray for others. If no room is available at the school, find the nearest church and see if you can use a room there before school.

A few students praying can change the climate of the school.

VIPx3 Very Important Prayer for Very Important People for a Very Important Purpose.

Praying for other churches; praying for each other's friends; praying for things that are happening at school. You might hear someone realise, "Oh, God listens to the prayers of fifteen year olds."

Create environments of Dreaming

When you ask kids to dream, they will normally suggest things they see at church and youth group. They can only work with what has been modelled for them. But when they get beyond that, suggestions may come. Here are some examples that were used:

•   Hot chocolate on cold mornings

•   Encouraging notes on mirrors in Girls bathroom

Dreaming happens because/when stories are being shared.

Create environments of Coaching

Succeed and fail well. Encouraging those who have had a go so they know they can go again.

Create environments of Training

How do we train our students? Grab some students and take them with you. (It would have been good to bring some students with me today!)

Ideas for additional training

I.      Spiritual disciplines

II.    Leadership principles

•   Leader is the one who serves the most.

•   Leaders show up

III.  Social Justice and sharing faith

•   Sharing what you are experts at.

Provide Resources

Resources can help remove barriers. Things like the 40 hour famine, Alpha, etc provide a way for us to start a conversation.

Keep your ear to the ground to know what students are connecting to 'now'. It can be a little embarrassing if we refer to something that we think is relevant only to find out nobody watches that tv show anymore.

We can't force students to do something they don't want to do. We can't make them feel like our friendship with them depends on them using a resource we suggest.

What we teach our students

From the Bible.

I.      The message of the gospel

•   Identity and power source comes through Jesus

•   Giving them language to communicate the gospel

II.    What is the Church?

•   Teach that it is people, not a building

•   Model and live that it is a people and not a building

III.  Power of the Holy Spirit

Youth Alpha Film Series

Youth Alpha

Yesterday I attended a gathering of the Victorian Youth Ministers Network and the guests were Jason and Ben from Canada. These two have created a film series for alpha with the aim to resourcing students to share their faith where they are. This is being used in around 100 schools in Canada, and over 5000 students in Canada have reportedly responded to the gospel for the first time. It has been translated into different languages, and professionally dubbed into Spanish and Portugese. This format is being well used in Latin America.

They have worked hard to make sure that while the videos are relevant in Canada, they can also be used across the world. As I have watched at least half of the videos, I have found that I don’t need to filter much to make it relevant for us here. This suggests an enormous amount of work has gone into the writing and preparing before filming began.

Jason and Ben, with me, talking about Youth Alpha

I should add that I was fortunate enough to be able to have some extra time with Jason and Ben before the VYMN gathering and learn more about the process and aim of the youth alpha film series.

But should we use this series?

I know that there are some in my tribe who have some concerns about Alpha – and I understand those concerns. And in the discussion yesterday there was certainly some phrases used that I would no longer use. (Such as ‘inviting the Holy Spirit in’. I believe the triune God is already there. But I get what they mean.) But I don’t think we should let that kind of language stop of us from making use of a resource that is so helpful. Wisdom matters.

Also, it's free. You can download all the videos for free. No cost. That's something worth considering. And while some free things aren't even worth that much, the quality of these video presentations are better than some things you do pay for.

Jason and Ben spoke to us on a couple of important issues for connecting the gospel with teenagers. One was ‘Mobilising Students’ and the second was ‘Reaching Students’. I’ll post about these soon. 

For more info go to http://australia.alpha.org/youthalivevic