Madre's Missives
Inadvertent and Occasionally Intentional Thoughts
Why Higher Things exists...
Posted On: September 22nd, 2006 at 4:09 pm
...and
doesn't do youth ministry like everyone else. When we worship, we
worship. When we work, we work. And when we play, we play.
Youth are perfectly capable of learning (and appreciating) what we believe as
Lutherans. Youth can go to any old church out there and learn how to be
moral and just say no to peer pressure, and maybe there will be some cheesy
games and a rockin' praise band to give you a meaningful worship
experience. Higher Things encourages pastors, parents, youth leaders and
congregations to give youth some meat to chew on.
We teach you why we
believe what we believe, and take an in-depth look at all of it. We show
you, at conferences and retreats, that there's a reason we worship with the
liturgy and hymnals like we do (you'd never mistake the beautiful pieces played
by the organ for funeral dirges either) - and get to see that you're not the
only ones doing it.
That's what's going to keep you in the faith unto life everlasting.
That's where you find Jesus delivering His gifts of forgiveness, life, and
salvation for you TO you each Sunday. Hearing the Word, having the Gospel
put into your ears, receiving His Body and Blood in the Supper...that's where
youth need to be. Youth don't need separate, fun, entertaining worship and
ministry experiences that end when you become an adult. Here's the dirty
little secret that Pr. Bloghardt shared with me long ago: There's no such thing
as youth ministry. True youth ministry is Word and Sacrament ministry...to
youth.
Study: U.S. Christian teens tend to lose faith
DALLAS, September 22 (UPI) — Six out of 10 U.S. teens involved in a church
will probably not continue their spiritual commitment into early adulthood, a
study has found.
The Barna Group, in a study conducted from 2001 to 2006, shows that despite
previously high levels of spiritual activity, many people in their 20s lose
interest in religious activities and often carry that apathy into middle age,
Associated Baptist Press reported Friday.
But the survey also found that 20 percent of people in their 20s maintain the
same spiritual activities — like attending church, studying the Bible,
donating money and using Christian media — they did in high school.
Nineteen percent of teens who did not participate in those activities remained
disconnected from the Christian faith in adulthood.
David Kinnaman, the research director, said some experts question whether the
disengagement is just a phase typical of that age or whether it is unique to the
current generation. Both explanations have some merit, he said, but ultimately
that debate misses the point.
"[The point] is that the current state of ministry to 20-somethings is
woefully inadequate to address the spiritual needs of millions of young
adults," he said.
On the other hand, ministry to teens is thriving.
According to the report, half of the nation's 24 million teens attend some sort
of church-related activity each week. More than 75 percent discuss faith with
friends, and three out of five attend at least one youth group meeting at a
church during a three-month period.
All told, more than 80 percent of teens attend church for at least two months
during high school.
Kinnaman said teens are generally so receptive to matters of faith because of a
certain willingness to explore their character, try new things and establish an
identity.
"There are certainly effective youth ministries across the country, but the
levels of disengagement among 20-somethings suggests that youth ministry fails
too often at discipleship and faith formation," he said.
As for those in their 20s, the transition from church kid to indifferent adult
happens most often during college. And for most adults, the disengagement is not
temporary.
According to the Barna report, even people in their 30s are less likely than
older adults to be active in religion. Just two fifths of parents in their 30s
regularly take their children to church, compared to half of parents who are
older than 40. One out of every three parents in their 20s does the same.
The Barna report isn't all about a religious slip, though. When it comes to
identifying with a religion, 78 percent of 20-somethings maintain allegiance to
Christianity, compared with 83 percent of teens. Most young adults describe
themselves as "deeply spiritual" as well, the study found.
In agreement with several other recent religion studies, however, the Barna
study found that young adults feel little allegiance to a certain congregation
or denomination. Almost 70 percent of them think if they cannot find a local
church to "help them become more like Christ, then they will find people
and groups that will, and connect with them instead of a local church."
People in their 20s were also as likely as older
Americans to attend "events not sponsored by a local church, to participate
in a spiritually oriented small group at work, to have a conversation with
someone else who holds them accountable for living faith principles, and to
attend a house church not associated with a conventional church."
The solution to the dichotomy, Kinnaman said, is not
necessarily a youth ministry overhaul but a move toward developing sustainable
faith in young people.
Youth ministries should be judged not by the number of attendees or the
sophistication of events, he said. Instead, churches should focus on helping
teens learn "commitment, passion and resources to pursue Christ
intentionally and whole-heartedly after they leave the youth ministry
nest."
"Our team is conducting more research into what leads to a sustainable
faith, but we have already observed some key enhancements that youth workers may
consider," he said. "One of those is to be more personalized in
ministry. Every teen has different needs, questions and doubts, so helping them
to wrestle through those specific issues and to understand God's unique purpose
for their lives is significant."
Another idea, he added, is to instill in teenagers a "biblical
viewpoint." That way, they'll process life — and its inevitable conflicts
— through a godly worldview.
"This is not so much about having the right head knowledge as it is about
helping teens respond to situations and decisions in light of God's principles
for life," he said.
Located in Ventura, Calif., the Barna Group collected data from interviews with
22,103 adults and 2,124 teenagers nationwide. Researchers used online and
telephone surveys within the continental 48 states.
Link
to the article online
Edited on: September 22nd, 2006 4:23 pm
Comments:
Re: Why Higher Things exists...
Posted On: September 27th, 2006 at 12:33 pm by Lutheran girl
"We show you, at conferences and retreats. . ."
Don't forget the magazine! It keeps the youth plugged in to HT between the conferences. Plus it rocks!
Re: Why Higher Things exists...
Posted On: September 27th, 2006 at 3:01 pm by Madre
Well of course there's the magazine! I was speaking mainly of the "HT experience", where people are immersed for days in worship, catechesis, and fun. The magazine is one way to continue learning to Dare to be Lutheran from HT writers every few months throughout the year. It really does rock - it's the best-looking youth ministry magazine out there.
I also neglected to mention the Higher Things website in my post, which is really the primary way youth stay in touch with one another from conference to conference. There, they "talk" with one another, have opportunities to hear the Gospel, and just plain old have fun 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There there are the forums, chats, Bible studies, news, blogs (like this one!), and the daily Reflections read by an estimated 10,000+ people every season.
Higher Things not only gives you a deep appreciation for the Gospel and Lutheran doctrine by immersing you in worship and catechesis at our conferences and retreats, but we keep it going by providing pastors, parents, and congregations with resources throughout the year!
And HT continues to minister to youth once they're no longer quite as youthful, when they've graduated and gone on to college, by providing Christ on Campus college ministry training and resources to pastors, congregations and college students themselves.
Re: Why Higher Things exists...
Posted On: September 28th, 2006 at 5:22 pm by John Pawlitz
I just don't know if I buy the catch 'em while there in their teens strategy (which the article seems to be trying to debunk). Let's stop borrowing from developmental psychology for our theology. Of course, whether that strategem is effective or not does not change whether Word and Sacrament are important for teens.
Re: Why Higher Things exists...
Posted On: September 28th, 2006 at 5:44 pm by Madre
The article seems to be saying that standard youth ministry, while it attracts teenagers by the droves, does not last much beyond high school. I wonder why...?
Re: Why Higher Things exists...
Posted On: September 30th, 2006 at 4:27 am by John Pawlitz
I'm telling you, it's because everybody in their mid-20's is just pure evil. . .
Re: Why Higher Things exists...
Posted On: October 02nd, 2006 at 8:58 pm by MaDDoG
I thought Higher Things existed because Madre does not have enough to keep her busy.
Re: Why Higher Things exists...
Posted On: October 05th, 2006 at 7:34 am by E.m.o.
I love Higher Things and have ever since I got my first magazine. This summer at The Feast, my mother and I were both amazed that the conference could get teens so excited about being there without all the "entertainment" that evangelical youth ministry often includes. We come from a evangelical backround were the youth ministry motto was "hook them with cool games and toys and then when they are tired, we can throw a little Jesus in"
Recently I have heard strange things. One of them was that to have a HT retreat a church will be required to have a lock-in before hand. Another was that the way to get guys to come to function is to get them X boxes then give them the gospel when they are all tired and "open". My church is extremly interested in having a retreat but would probably not want to have a lock-in. Many of the parents in the congregation just don't like Lock-ins. (because way too much nonesense can happen at lock-ins late at night.)
This seems to go against everything I have previously heard about Higher Things and what they stand for. It just sounds way too much like evangelicalism and how they do their youth ministry. It sends off warning lights. Have I just gotten this Information from a unreliable source? Is this the truth?
I sure hope not.
Re: Why Higher Things exists...
Posted On: October 05th, 2006 at 12:11 pm by Madre
We're very glad that you are getting so much out of Higher Things.
That is some pretty strange stuff. Let me see if I can straighten some of this out.
HT does ask that churches hosting retreats and/or lock-ins be ones that have attended at least one HT conference before. This just makes it easier to plan - the host church understands how a HT event works, knows what to expect, and everyone's on the same page. This isn't necessarily a hard and fast rule set in stone or anything, but it just makes things easier.
There's also nothing wrong with trying to make the fun of an event actually FUN, or having different kinds of fun activities that different people would enjoy (not everyone likes board games, not everyone likes touch football, not everyone likes Xbox, etc.). At my church, we don't have ANY guys in the youth group, and we'd like to change that. Providing opportunities for "guy fun" at a lock-in is one way to do that and avoid them being scared off by all the girly chick-flicks and shopping talk.
Lock-ins aren't really any different from retreats, just shorter. All sorts of stuff can happen late at night during them both. That's why you have adult supervision and organize the schedule to avoid as much of that as possible.
The Gospel is given out in the preaching and teaching of the Word in all that HT does. Unfortunately, many people - including Lutherans - aren't all that familiar with it. Lock-ins and Retreats are set up to be much like conferences: with worship, catechesis, and play time. Most people aren't familiar with the idea of doing much catechesis at a lock-in, much less having 2-3 worship services throughout the night too. They think it's all play time with a Bible study thrown in at some point. No one is interested in manipulating anyone into converting at a lock-in or retreat once they've been worn down and are tired. Like conferences, HT retreats and lock-ins are short times where one is immersed in the Gospel - it's taught in catechesis, it's delivered in the preaching and liturgy of worship, and it's lived out in fellowship and fun with one another.
So your information is kind of correct, but not quite. I hope this sets your mind at ease. If you have more questions about retreats and lock-ins, I invite you to email HT's Retreats Executive, Landon Reed (lanreed@higherthings.org).