I read a bunch of different youth ministry blogs, and over the past couple weeks I have seen a number of people write about how we should do away with event driven ministry or program driven ministry and go to something…else. There is an inherent critique of the program or event driven model, but there is never any viable replacement other than those who stress the importance of relationships.
Before I get too far in my defense of the event, I do want to say that I sense that it is not the most efficient method of ministry. We want to truly develop people in love with Jesus Christ who follow Him with their whole heart. The event driven ministry is not geared towards that. It is geared towards getting feet in the door and butts in the seats. An event is a success if you had more people than last year. I think that a new approach would be great, especially if it truly centers around being a disciple of Christ and not about the church you attend on Sunday.
The problem lies in our whole building/church centered approach to ministry. Its about a time (Sunday morning) and a building. When someone asks where you go to church, you naturally answer “The First Church of Presbyterianal Baptist Assembly of Christ” (note – not a real church, as far as I know). We don’t answer it like they did in the New Testament when they simply went to the church at Phillipi, or at Corinth. So, we have a problem in how we do church. Christ stuff gets done, but I think we handicap ourselves in the disciple-making business because we’re also in the “Church business.” While those two overlap in many many areas, they don’t always.
Its in this atmosphere of the Church that youth ministry has to do its job. While we can do something better, the better thing might not be THAT much better to accomplishing our goals. So you can shake your fist at the youth minister, saying that he’s wasting everyone’s time, or can see that sometimes its just how things are.
I do think events play a valuable role in youth ministry. Yes, they take a lot of time and effort. But what I have seen happen in event after event is the slow, incremental things that are necessary to build disciples of Christ. Events should be about building relationships. If you do an event and relationships have been built – between students, between adults and students, and between everyone and Christ – then it has been a success. While a student might not come away from a mini-golf outing quoting scripture and singing “Amazing Grace”, they might just see that there are adults who love Jesus who also care about them and that those guys and gals who come to church with them can play a valuable part in their lives. Events also should be about pointing students to Christ. You’re not going to have total life change with every event, but just like it takes a long time and a bunch of small movements to turn a big ship around it takes a lot of small movements to turn a student’s life around. Events should also have a purpose – either outreach, discipleship, or service. If you fulfill one of those purposes in an event, you will be doing something positive. If you plan an outreach event and you get even ONE student to step out of their comfort zone to invite their friends, you are both getting that student to make a difference for the kingdom and opening up the door to a new teen. If your purpose is discipleship, you will build up students to grow in Christ. If its service, then you’re doing great work for the kingdom.
Events are not perfect. We can become “Event Driven” doing things for the sake of the event or attendance or busyness. We can spend so much time on planning events that we forget to invest in adult volunteers or students. But that does not mean that a youth ministry that has events are in the wrong or not accomplishing positive things for the kingdom. What does make it work is staying focused on the purpose of what you’re doing, and not allowing yourself to get distracted. So, plan that next event!