BOULDER METRO TRAINING MANUAL 

LIFE IN CHRISTRADICAL

MINISTRYMASTER PLAN- MASSES: 3, 12, 72

“FRUIT”MATT 28:18-202 COR 12:25

DISCIPLES

“TRUNK”ACTS 2:42-47

CAMPAIGNERS

RADICAL COMMUNITY

RADICAL FAITH

“ROOTS”PSALM 1

PROVERBS 4:23

HEART

FRONT RANGE REGION – CORE VALUES By living in a manner reflecting the incarnation of Jesus

We Commit to be God’s People of Transforming, Radical…

John 1:14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Phil 2:5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

FAITH We will be a people who’s identity is in Christ who have a passion for the word and prayer and are desperately trusting God.

Phil 3:8 I consider everything as loss compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish, that I may gain Christ

2 Tim 2:15-1615 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Josh 1:8-98 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

COMMUNITY We will be a people who are committed to being of one heart, mind and soul, loving God with are whole hearts and others as ourselves, speaking the truth in love.

Acts 2:42-4542 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the

believers were together and had everything in common. Eph 4:3-6

3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called to one hope when you were called- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father

of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

MINISTRY We will be a people of sacrifice who are committed to going and making disciples of all nation.

Matt 28:19-2019 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of

the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Mat 16:24 If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Whoever wishes to save

his life will lose it, but whoever wishes to lose his life for me will find it.

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Young Life is a group of adults who love Jesus with their whole hearts and want to introduce kids to their best friend. Our vision for outreach was born with a young church youth minister in Gainesville, Texas in 1938, who was given the challenge by a farsighted senior minister to take the local high school as his parish and pioneer a path to connect with non-churched kids. That young man, Jim Rayburn, started a weekly club for about 10 kids, seemingly disinterested in God and the church. He believed that ‘every kid had the right to hear the message of Jesus Christ’ and decide how to respond to the Gospel. Singing, a skit or two and a talk about Jesus Christ’s amazing love for us – that’s how the dream began! Through the years, Rayburn and the staff of Young Life developed a relational style of outreach. Convinced they had to ‘earn the right to be heard’; they sought to befriend teens. Today, the mission is still committed to incarnational witness – embodying and expressing the love of Christ in relationships with people.

For 70+ years, Young Life has helped meet the needs of young people. This is accomplished by caring, trained adults who understand teens and their culture and demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ in relevant ways. Young Life adult leaders, most of whom are volunteers, spend time with young people where they live, study, work and play. They lead meetings called Young Life clubs for an average of 104,000 teens each week with more than three times that attending a club meeting at least once in the course of a year.

In addition to this, they take over 51,000 junior and senior high schoolers to wonderfully exciting and innovative Young Life camps. They gather students wishing a deeper understanding of their faith in weekly Young Life Campaigner groups for fellowship, Bible study, sharing and prayer. Young Life remains committed to accomplishing the goal of bringing the gospel to every person in all social contexts. As a result, the mission actively seeks effective ways to minister to disinterested and disadvantaged youth in urban, suburban and small town settings across America and many other nations including special needs kids.

As God continued to work through Rayburn and Young Life, the organization continued to grow. Nationally, we have around 3,280 full-time staff and 17,000 volunteers. Young Life is in every major metropolitan city in the U.S., operates 25 major camps in North America, with about 249,000 guests going through each summer and winter. Young Life is also international in about 58 different countries.

What is Young Life?

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OUR MISSIONIntroducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith.

We accomplish our mission by...

• praying for young people • going where kids are • building personal relationships with them • walking in wisdom to those without Jesus • providing experiences that are fun, adventurous, and life changing • sharing our lives and the Good News of Jesus Christ with adolescents • inviting them to personally respond to Jesus • loving them regardless of their response • nurturing kids so they mature in their love for Christ and the knowledge of God’s word and become people who can share their faith with others • helping young people develop the skills, assets and attitudes to reach their full God-given potential • encouraging kids to live connected to the Body of Christ by being an active member of a local

congregation • working with a team of like-minded individuals: leaders, committee (volunteer board), donors and staff

OUR VALUES

• Living according to and communicating the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ• Carrying out our mission under the authority of Scripture and relying on the Holy Spirit to empower our ministry• Encouraging the welfare and spiritual health of those who do this ministry, that they may minister out of a

consistent and growing relationship with Christ and His followers• Researching and developing innovative approaches to reach uncommitted, disinterested kids around the world• Reach adolescents of all social, cultural, economic and ethnic backgrounds throughout the world• Working with followers of Christ from a variety of traditions and local churches around the world• Welcoming all those whom God calls to our mission, men and women of all races, staff and volunteers who are

linked to a common purpose of introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith. • Observing the highest standards of stewardship of all the resources placed in our trust

wordle.net

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- I Stand at the Door -By Sam Shoemaker (from the Oxford Group)

I stand by the door.I neither go to far in, nor stay to far out.

The door is the most important door in the world -It is the door through which men walk when they find God.

There is no use my going way inside and staying there,When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,

Crave to know where the door is.And all that so many ever find

Is only the wall where the door ought to be.They creep along the wall like blind men,

With outstretched, groping hands,Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,

Yet they never find it.So I stand by the door.

The most tremendous thing in the worldIs for men to find that door - the door to God.The most important thing that any man can do

Is to take hold of one of those blind, groping handsAnd put it on the latch - the latch that only clicks

And opens to the man's own touch.

Men die outside the door, as starving beggars dieOn cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter.

Die for want of what is within their grasp.They live on the other side of it - live because they have not found it.

Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it,And open it, and walk in, and find Him.

So I stand by the door.

Go in great saints; go all the way in -Go way down into the cavernous cellars,And way up into the spacious attics.

It is a vast, roomy house, this house where God is.Go into the deepest of hidden casements,Of withdrawal, of silence, of sainthood.Some must inhabit those inner rooms

And know the depths and heights of God,And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.

Sometimes I take a deeper look in.Sometimes venture in a little farther,

But my place seems closer to the opening.So I stand by the door.

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There is another reason why I stand there.Some people get part way in and become afraid

Lest God and the zeal of His house devour them;For God is so very great and asks all of us.

And these people feel a cosmic claustrophobiaAnd want to get out. 'Let me out!' they cry.

And the people way inside only terrify them more.Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled.

For the old life, they have seen too much:One taste of God and nothing but God will do any more.

Somebody must be watching for the frightenedWho seek to sneak out just where they came in,

To tell them how much better it is inside.The people too far in do not see how near these areTo leaving - preoccupied with the wonder of it all.

Somebody must watch for those who have entered the doorBut would like to run away. So for them too,

I stand by the door.

I admire the people who go way in.But I wish they would not forget how it was

Before they got in. Then they would be able to helpThe people who have not yet even found the door.

Or the people who want to run away again from God.You can go in too deeply and stay in too long

And forget the people outside the door.As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place,

Near enough to God to hear Him and know He is there,But not so far from men as not to hear them,

And remember they are there too.

Where? Outside the door -Thousands of them. Millions of them.

But - more important for me -One of them, two of them, ten of them.

Whose hands I am intended to put on the latch.So I shall stand by the door and wait

For those who seek it.

'I had rather be a door-keeperSo I stand by the door.

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Incarnational Ministry is the very Foundation of Young Life. We are a ministry that believes in relationships as the ultimate tool in our evangelistic efforts. In this section of our training we want to look at what incarnational thinking involves.

I. What Approach Works With Kids?A. As we begin to desire that others come to know Christ, our first question is probably “What should I

do?”

B. The next questions should be (but all too often isn’t) “What did God do?” Imagine for fun, that God at some point in time looked at this world and wondered how best He might communicate to it His great love. This is really much like us, as we consider how we might best approach our world with this same message of God’s love.

II. Approaches to Sharing the GospelA. Informational

1. Suppose God had felt that all we needed was information - “Get them the facts! The problem is ignorance - get it in their hands!” Suppose He had decided, therefore, to drop leaflets from the sky such as “Nine Things God Wants You To Know.”

2. We all know this falls way short, and that it doesn’t sound like God at all - and yet we often try to do this in our own ministries; just get the information in peoples’ hands. We package it better, make it more colorful, put it on our cars and on the radio and TV.

3. Yet few people are really surprised by the impersonal facts. They’ve heard them before. They need more.

B. Impositional 1. Suppose God had decided instead to just impose (force) His ways on us - a

big galactic “Do it!”

2. Parents are often most guilty of this approach: “Do it - you need it - it worked for me.” To be told to read your Bible begins to sound a lot like “Eat your peas.”

3. We need more than force; we need validity.

Incarnational Ministry

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C. Inspirational 1. Now suppose God had chosen to try to really “impress” a lot of people all at once. Maybe He’d

have used a huge armada of Air Force jets blazing across the sky (to get our attention) and then parachuted out (to excite us) and landed in the middle of the Super Bowl (to keep our attention).

2. And yet, here again, we ourselves so often try this same approach ourselves by bringing in a rock star with a “gutter to God” testimony, or a successful athlete (so they’ll listen), and so on. Pretty impressive, until disconnected, uninvolved sophomore goes home and looks in the mirror. Where’s the music, the heroes and the role models, where is the thrill now?

D. Programmatic This type of ministry assumes that working with large numbers means large success. One way to attract large numbers is with exciting events, and the focus of this ministry is on promoting those kinds of events. Without contact work, Young Life is a programmatic ministry (club and camp providing the attraction).

III. God’s Approach: Incarnational (Flesh and Blood)A.God chose none of these approaches (should we?). Rather, He sent a flesh and blood

expression of Himself, His son Jesus. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). How simple and profound and beautiful; God coming to live right in the very midst of his own world. He didn’t establish Himself walled inside a fortified castle where only a privileged few would be allowed in His presence. No, He chose to be with the people, available to them and their needs.

B. This, we realize, is what we need. This is what we respond to. We respond to the reality of a God who cares so much for us that He would come and live with us, where we can touch and hear and know Him. We read and see how Jesus spent time with and cared for the lepers, the sick, the tax-collectors, simple fishermen, lawyers and prostitutes. There was no place He was not free to go. And we see the impact this man, the God-man, had on those He touched.

C. Relational vs. Incarnational Relational ministry understands that the most effective way to promote radical change is

through deep relationships. This type of ministry places a high priority on leaders developing meaningful friendships with kids involved the ministry. It is based on the biblical model of Jesus who chose 12 'to be with him' and believes that a life-on-life is the best way to effect lasting change in another persons life.

Incarnational ministry is praoactive relational ministry. The leader consistently steps outside of the kids involved in the group to initiate relationships with those outside the group. Young Life is an incarnational ministry and contact work is our method to do that.

D. To vs. For vs. With Discussion: To: Paternal (I am going to tell you what to do and how to be… your concerns don’t matter) For: Maternal (Let me do this for you… you are incapable so I’ll do it) With: Incarnational (Let’s do this together… I’ll join you)

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FOR FURTHER READING/DEVODefinition of Terms

A. Evangelist (noun); evangelizomai (verb): to announce the Good News, preach the gospel.1. God; Gal 3:8, God…preached the gospel and beforehand to Abraham…2. Jesus; Luke 20:1; He was teaching the people…and preaching the gospel.3. Ordinary Church Members; Acts 8:4…those who had been scattered went about preaching the

Word. (Not just ministers, but everyone!)

B. Incarnational: not biblical term, but Greek equivalent of the Latin “in carne” (en sarki) = in the flesh.1. Romans 8:3…sending His own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh…2. John 1:14…The Word became flesh and dwelt among us...

Biblical Foundation for Incarnational EvangelismA. The Life of Christ

1. John 1:10-142. Luke 5:27-323. Luke 15:1-2

B. The Life of Paul1. I Corinthians 2:1-52. Philippians 3:173. I Thessalonians 2:5-12

The Importance of Lifestyle in Incarnational EvangelismA. Colossians 1:15-20 and Philippians 2:5-11B. Your life may speak louder than your words.C. You may be the only “Jesus” some people will ever know.

The Responsibility of Every BelieverA. “…we are called to make disciples…” Matthew 28:19B. Our incarnation is daily.C. You need a firm foundation. Luke 6:47-49

Conclusion “Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the Gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.” I Thessalonians 2:8

“They did it by making friends—and by making enemies; they went about, did good, sowed seed, died, and lived again in the lives of those they helped.” *The world sees and wants what is in our hearts.

~By Henry Drummond

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The problem is not that kids haven’t heard the Gospel; the problem is, they’ve never seen it work

I. DEFINITION AND DESCRIPTIONA. Walking in Wisdom to those who are without and thus earning the opportunity be heard.B. Understanding and penetrating a cultureC. Identifying with kids where they areD. Building bridges of friendshipE. Being availableF. Demonstrating Christ’s unconditional love for peopleG. Accepting them…no strings attachedH. Fleshing out the Gospel

II. WHY DO CONTACT WORK?Purpose

Ideally, we go to young people for the same reason that Christ came to men…to reveal God to them with no strings attached. To love them in order to get an opportunity to preach to them is a string. We should love them because they need love and because God calls us to love them. This concept may be one we need to grow into but is crucial in our incarnational attitude.

Contact Work

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The Lifesaving StationOn a dangerous seacoast notorious for shipwrecks, there was a crude little lifesaving station. Actually, the station was merely a hut with only one wooden boat. But the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the turbulent sea. With little thought for themselves, they would go out day and night tirelessly searching for those in danger as well as for those who were lost. Many lives were saved by this brave band of people, who faithfully worked as a selfless team in and out of this life-saving station. By and by, it became a famous place.

Some of those who had been saved as well as others along the seacoast wanted to become associated with this little station. They were willing to give their time and energy and money in support of its objectives. New boats were purchased with technologically advanced sonar. New crews were trained. The station that was once obscure and crude and virtually insignificant began to grow.

Some of its members became unhappy that the hut was so unattractive and poorly equipped. They felt a more comfortable place should be provided. Therefore, emergency cots were replaced with lovely cushioned furniture. Rough, hand-made equipment was discarded and sophisticated, classy state of the art systems were installed. The actual hut, of course, had to be torn down to make room for all the additional equipment, furniture, systems, and upscale appointments.

By its completion, the lifesaving station had really become a popular gathering place – a show case of sorts, and its objectives began to shift. It was now used as a sort of clubhouse, an attractive building for upscale, public gatherings. Saving lives and feeding the hungry and strengthening the fearful and calming the disturbed ...rarely occurred any more.

Fewer members were now interested in braving the icy cold sea on lifesaving missions, so instead, they hired professional lifeboat crews to do the work. The original goal of the station wasn’t altogether forgotten, however. The noble lifesaving motive still

prevailed as it was reflected in the club’s decor. In fact, in commemoration of their group’s movement, there was a liturgical lifeboat preserved in the "Room of Sweet Memories" with soft, indirect lighting overhead, which helped hide the layers of dust upon the once-used varnished vessel.

A curious thing happened though. During that time and season a large ship was wrecked off the coast and the boat crews brought in loads of cold, wet, half-drowned people. They were dirty. Some were terribly sick and lonely. Others had black, brown and yellow skin color—they looked "different" from the majority of those who were members of this classy club. Some were even of the wrong political persuasion. The beautiful new clubhouse suddenly became real messy and cluttered. The furniture became soiled. A special committee saw to it that a shower shack was immediately built "outside" and "away from" the clubhouse so that the victims of the shipwreck could be cleaned-up "before" coming inside their five star club facilities.

At the next meeting there were some strong words and angry feelings vented, which resulted in a division among the members. Most of the people wanted to stop the club’s lifesaving activities altogether and place all involvements with future shipwreck victims somewhere else. "It’s just too unpleasant," they said. "It’s a hindrance to our social life. It’s simply opening the doors to unseemly folks who are not ‘our kind.’"

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Well, as you would expect, some still insisted upon saving lives and that this was to remain their primary objective. Their only reason for being was to minister to "anyone" needing help regardless of their club’s beauty or size or decorations. They were voted down though and were told that if they still wanted to be involved in saving lives ...you know being involved with those kind of lowlifes ...who were shipwrecked in those distant waters, they could begin their own lifesaving station down the coast!

And so they did.

As years passed, the new station experienced the same old changes. It evolved into just another club. And yet another lifesaving station was begun. It was strange how history seemed to continue to repeat itself.

If you visit that club today, you’ll find a large number of exclusive, impressive clubs along the same shoreline owned and operated by slick paid professionals who have lost all involvement with saving lives.

Shipwrecks still occur in those waters, you understand, but now most of the victims are not saved. Every day they perish in the frigid sea by drowning, and so few seem to even care... so very few.

CONTACT WORK-In DepthSome men want to sit within the sound of a church or chapel bell;

not I. I want to set up a rescue shop within a yard of Hell. C.T. Studd

When we talk about “Contact Work” we speak of the very foundation of Young Life. Young Life is a ministry of relationships and this - Contact Work - is where they begin. It is really part of a much larger way of thinking and living; known as: Relational, Incarnational or Lifestyle Evangelism. In this section we will first look at what the Relational or Incarnational approach involves, and then look specifically at contact work and its place in the ministry of Young Life and OUR lives as well.

GOD’S APPROACH – INCARNATIONAL (FLESH AND BLOOD)

God chose none of these approaches (should we?). Rather, He sent a flesh and blood expression of Himself, His Son Jesus. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14 How simple, profound and beautiful…God coming to live right in the very midst of His own world. He didn’t establish Himself walled inside a fortified castle where only a privileged few would be allowed in His presence. No, He chose to be with the people, available to them and their needs.

This, we realize, is what we need. This is what we respond to. We respond to the reality of a God who cares so much for us that He would come and live with us, where we can touch and hear and know Him. We read and see how Jesus spent time with and cared for the lepers, the sick, the tax-collectors, simple fishermen, lawyers, and prostitutes. There was no place He was not free to go. And we see the impact this man, the God-man, had on those He touched.

Why, then, would we approach ministry any different? Why would we avoid and ignore a world that God chose to enter? Why would we wall ourselves off from a world God chose to become a part of? Why would we make others come to us, when God chose to go to them?

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God chose in Christ to reveal Himself through flesh and blood; today, He still desires to reveal Himself through flesh and blood, by OUR very lives. With Christ in us, the incarnation is still at work. WE are the hands and feet of Christ.

In a simple way, God placed Christ right in the middle of a world just full of needs where He would be watched, examined, rejected, followed, loved and hated. In much the same simple way, as well as costly, God wants to place us in the middle of this same world to care for it. Like Christ we will be watched and examined, rejected and followed, loved and hated. People will look at us to see if we “walk the talk”. They will see if our lives back up our words. In a significant way, our very lives are the message, much more than what we specifically say. Think for yourself of someone who has had a significant role in your life. How much of their actual words do you remember? On the other hand, how much do you remember about who they were, their character? Undoubtedly much more.

A ministry thought of in these terms will cease to be just a “compartment” of our life – something we do or a place we go. We would love to think of ministry like this: “now I’m at the high school and involved in ministry…now I’m home and I can be a slob…now I’m in the dorm and I can be crass and rude.” No, God wants us to be His, and therefore able to be used by Him, not only around a high school, but also at home, in the dorm, on vacation, at restaurants, at work etc. Are we different people in these different places? If so, then ministry is more of an activity to us that is PART of our lives, than the LIFESTYLE God desires.

Paul saw that in God’s wise design, ministry runs on two tracks. One is content-oriented and the other is relational-oriented. Paul told his friends in Thessalonica that “We loved you so much, that we were delighted to share with you not only the Gospel of God (content), but also our own lives as well (relational). I Thessalonians 2:8

Paul saw that the Gospel becomes much more real and valid when it is lived out, when it is evidenced in a life. This is why we so often speak of “relationships that communicate Christ”. This is the vehicle God chose when He spoke to us about Himself, and this is the vehicle – relationships – that God most often chooses for us to use when speaking to others about Him.

Exodus 3:7-8 

God said, “I’ve taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry

them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open

spaces, a land lush with milk and honey

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CONTACT WORK IN YOUNG LIFE

“Contact Work” in Young Life describes this process of “becoming flesh and dwelling among.” A Young Life leader is someone who desires to live out these concepts of incarnational ministry with a focus on a particular arena – a local high school. A Young Life leader sees him/herself as the flesh and blood expression of Christ to a school. Their priority is to know that school’s students and be known by them, by going to them. Young Life leaders model to kids what the love of Christ looks like and invite them to join us in God’s Kingdom; it’s a tremendous opportunity and responsibility.

The Gospel message is impregnated by the life of the one through which it comes. Pay the price and keep going…win the right to be heard. Contact work is Christ alive in you, loving high school kids.

Many will make the mistake of viewing the weekly Club meeting as the focal point of Young Life. It isn’t. The “magic” of a Young Life Club meeting is really not in the meeting, though it is carefully thought through. The magic is in the fact that the leaders who are up front or at the meeting are involved in the lives of kids in the room. Think of the impact a message has on a kid who arrives at club for the first time and listens to a friend speak…someone who the kid already knows because that leader has been out at the school, at practice, or the local hangout. The reaction is often “Now I understand a little why this person cares for me…” Christ is thus witnessed to in a powerful way.

So let’s imagine you are a new Young Life Leader (or youth leader at a church, etc.) about to make your move onto a high school campus. Here are some things to consider:

A.REALIZE THERE IS A PROCESS INVOLVED

You are part of that process…be patient. You must probably “win the right to be heard,” that is to speak in significant ways with people. People will listen to a friend, not strangers. Think in terms of “building a bridge of friendship” across which someday Christ my come. Listen to how J.I. Packer puts in his book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God:

“What you have to do is to take time with them. Make friends with them and get alongside them. Find out where they are in terms of spiritual understanding, and start dealing with them at that point. At each stage you have to be willing to go along with them at God’s speed, which may seem to you a strangely slow speed.” (p.120,121)

B.DON’T LOOK FOR IMMEDIATE RESULTS

Relationships take time – years – and much of the time you spend at a school may not seem valuable at the time. But a year later you may hear someone say, “Hey, didn’t you come to practice last year…?”

C.PRAY

The degree we will pray will reflect the degree we think we can do it on our own. If we realize the apart from Christ we can accomplish nothing (John 15:5), then we must go to Him and seek His direction. Listen again to J.I. Packer

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“It is His way regularly to with hold His blessings until His people start to pray…God will make us pray before He blesses our labors in order that we may constantly learn afresh that we depend on God for everything.” (p. 122)

D.WE MUST PERSONALLY ENTER THEIR WORLD

It is only by us going that we can understand the complex adolescent world. Be interested in them and in the things that hold them. As one leader said who was spending time with some guys who were really into cars and he wasn’t; “I could really care less about their cars…I care everything for them.”

E.LOVE THE UNLOVELY, ACCEPT THE UNACCEPTABLE

Just as Jesus did this, so must we. Do we only love and spend time with the lovely kids? Jesus didn’t. We must roll up our sleeves and get involved in the hardest parts of high school life. Most of all, we just need to move towards them. He can give His heart to people who are moving ahead in faith.

A PRACTICAL LOOK AT CONTACT WORK

Contact Work is the foundational principle behind Young Life’s ability to communicate the Gospel to disinterested kids. It is the platform from which uncommitted adolescents can experience the gospel, first hand. Contact Work and Young Life go together like a hand in a glove.

Contact Work is not a science; it is more of an art. It is however, an art that can be learned and developed over time. How do we move toward understanding and working on good relationship development? There are three parts, or levels, to contact work:

♦ Being Seen♦ Talking to a person(s)♦ Doing something with an individual or small group

Level one and level two are fine in and of themselves, but are most important as progressive steps to level three. The thing that builds the greatest relationship is doing something with someone. Anytime you do something with a person, that relationship is strengthened. Friendship grows as a result of doing something with another person. We move forward from being seen by kids, to talking to individual kids and relating to their current life context, to doing something with them. The level of contact work that we want to move toward is doing things with kids: level three contact work. These relationships often times evolve only after a long and prayerful process, from one level to the next.

In addition to the three levels, we need to have in mind three categories of teenagers. Think of it as a series of circles. The small circle consists of Campaigner kids. The Campaigner kids are the smallest segment of a high school population. A larger circle surrounding the Campaigners is the circle of club kids. Club kids make up the next largest segment with which we have contact. The last

seen

talk

do

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group of kids, by far the largest, is the non-Club kids. These are individuals, who for one reason or another, don’t come to Young Life.

As Young Life leaders, we need to intentionally make contact with kids in each of the three categories: Campaigner kids, Club kids and non-Club kids. We must be willing to do this with all kinds of kids, many of who are radically different from ourselves. Often our initial reaction is fear. It is a scary thing, this whole notion of contact work. We are doing cross-cultural ministry. We are crossing boundaries and breaking down walls and stereotypes. We are going into a battlefield and that is uncomfortable. We would be naïve to think it would be otherwise.

As a result, what frequently happens is that contact work is done with Campaigners and Club kids and is not done with non-Club kids on a regular basis. Seldom, if ever, do we get to level three contact work. This causes our Young Life Club to be ‘in-grown’; much like a ‘Christian’ click. That’s not what we’re about.

What causes us not seek out the non-Club kids in level three? Perhaps a variety of issues, but the most common are: 1) fear, 2) not knowing what to do, 3) not knowing why you should do contact work, 4) the perception that there is not having enough time, and 5) fatigue. These common obstacles build upon each other. They soon develop what might be called a Paralysis Circle, which hinders us from pursuing kids.

We need to remind ourselves every time we step onto a campus or spend time with a young person that the reality is – kids are dying for an adult friend. They are looking for healthy role models that they can respect, admire and confide in. Don’t underestimate your role. Don’t be intimidated. Kids desperately want your friendship. It’s often with the kids you least expect that the Lord will work most dramatically.

Have confidence in the One who calls you to those kids. Remember Christ and the reality of His presence in you, with you and for you. He will give you confidence as you trust Him and take risks regularly.

The way out of this paralysis circle is to list options of things that can be done at each level, then to divide kids into categories and to put names in each category. Be sure to put more names than you want to contact. Then go out and accomplish the goal.

As for some suggestions regarding what to talk about:• Make them the experts. Ask things that the kids can talk about freely. (Sports, friends…)• Learn to ask about the feelings behind what they are saying. Show compassion & empathy.• Practice the art of making kids feel special and loving them into their potential. This takes the

touch of God’s Spirit and grace in our own lives.• Always let kids know you are at school primarily because of them, not because of Young Life.

We are friends, not recruiters.• Be willing and available to go deeper and to be one who challenges kids.• Demonstrate servanthood in practical ways by offering rides, helping with school.• We need to individualize friendships, which means we need to limit the number of close

relationships. Constantly have an attitude of going deep and wide. We go deep with a handful of kids and wide with many kids on campus. There are always new kids to meet and to befriend.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

7:00

8:00

9:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

1:00

2:00

3:00

4:00

5:00

6:00

7:00

8:00

9:00

10:00

Contact Work Club Training Community Campaigners TotalsYL Hours 3 to 6 hrs 3.5 hrs 1 hr 0.25 hrs 2 10

WL/Cap Hours 2 to 4 hrs 2 hrs 1 hr .25 hrs 1 hr 6-8 hrsExpectations YL : 2xweek

WL/Cap : 1xweekYL : 1xweek

WL/Cap : .5/week1xmonth 1-2xmonth 1xweek

SchoolGamesfacebooktextingLunchesetc...

Ldr Mtg: 30 minPrep: 30 minClub: 1.5 hourPost-Club: 1 hour

Regional RetreatTeam RetreatMeeting with Team LeadArea Leaderships

Team Hang Outs:1xmonthPre/Post ClubArea Leaderships

Prep: 45 minMtg: 1.25 hrs

When I Lead...

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THE STAGES OF RELATIONSHIPSINITIATING AND DEVELOPING FRIENDSHIPS

There are only two types of kids; those you have met and those you are trying (and praying) to meet. Once you meet them the first time they become an acquaintance. Picture a continuum with 4 different stages; that describe every relationship with every kid you know. The goal of Contact Work is to move kids from the Acquaintance end (Shallow) towards the Discipleship end (Deeper).

Acquaintance Friendship Deep Friendship Discipleship

To do so, develop a good system of time and places to go in order to initiate contact with kids. Be conscious of opportunities to move the relationship to a deeper level. This might happen through a shared experience or doing them a favor and seizing the opportunity for good talk.

I. THE FIRST STAGE - ACQUAINTANCEInitiate friendships in THEIR environment or on their turf. These are primarily large group events such as a football game or a school play. Conversations are geared around learning their name, their interests (i.e. sports, band, classes…).

1.Be highly visible.2.Don’t come on too strong. Sometimes we over-compensate for fear, lack of ease, etc. by

“blowing kids away.”3.Be sensitive to situations where you are not welcome.4.Stay away from places where you might compete or cause them to be ‘ill at ease’.5.Don’t over stay your welcome.6.Take someone with you (either another leader or club kid)- that helps to break the ice.7.Don’t talk about yourself8.Remember Names. Remember Names. Remember Names. Refer to them by name.9.Remember what they participate in, what their upcoming concerns are…10.Dress properly – fit in to the situation. (i.e. don’t over dress or under dress)

II. THE SECOND STAGE - FRIENDSHIPAt this stage you can begin asking more probing questions about home life and personal concerns they have. Develop friendships in small group settings also.

1.Go places with groups rather than individuals.2.Ask probing questions.3.Initiate activities.4.Leave with them wanting more.5.Do what you say you will do. Earn their trust by doing so.

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III. THE THIRD STAGE – DEEP FRIENDSHIPConversations are on a more vulnerable level concerning: fears, views of God and their response to Him, family problems, etc. At this level they might begin sharing in initiating time together.

1.Be creative.2.Do this in small groups or one-on-one.3.Be consistent. You won’t always ‘Feel’ like going…go in faith and obedience.4.Exercise good judgement in where you take kids.5.Be concerned about their issues and problems. (even if they seem silly to you)6.Remember to follow-up7.Write notes and call frequently8.Remember birthdays and significant events (tryouts for a part in a play, or cheerleading)

IV. THE FOURTH STAGE – DISCIPLESHIPAt this stage the relationship enters into a mutual commitment. You become the teacher and they become the student. This is similar to the Apostle Paul’s relationship with Timothy. You serve, as they’re spiritual mother and father. (see Col. 1:28-29, I Thess. 2:5-13)

1.Take kids to church. 2.Meet with regularly each week for accountability and growth. 3.Read and memorize scripture together.4.Pray for each other and for the school.5.Teach them the importance of Christian fellowship.6.Challenge and exhort them to live a life of obedience.7.Raise the ‘bar’ for them to shoot for.8.Serve at a shelter for the homeless together.9.Become more vulnerable regarding your struggles with God or life.

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CONTACT WORKPractical Suggestions and Principles

•Focus your time with specific groups, rather than the whole school. Choose at least a class and a team or activity group (i.e. band, druggies, shop class, cheerleaders, etc.). Seek to build friendships with both leaders and followers within those groups.

•Be consistent. Kids need you to be around on a weekly basis, not a whole lot one month and not at all the next.

•Find a way to serve kids…help coach a team, drive kids to games, tutor for class work, be team photographer, taking stats at games, putting on dinner or dessert for current sport.

•Use a schedule and calendar of the school to find out important dates/events happening around campus. Schedule your contact time by the kids schedule…don’t ask them to fit yours.

•Work hard at learning names. Anyone can do a good job at it if they are willing to work consistently at it. Record names and notes about each person you meet. The yearbook, school paper, game and play programs are all sources of names. Remember…their name is their most favorite word.

•In your conversations, work at finding common ground with kids, focusing on them. Be careful of talking about yourself and your accomplishments. Kids will become disinterested quickly.

•Learn to ask questions that do not have a yes/no answer to them. Conversation will continue because of skill. (i.e. Instead of saying, “did you like the latest cool new movie?” ask them “What part of that movie was your favorite?”)

•Meet kids through kids. If you know one kid in a group, it is easier to meet the rest. Note that Jesus started with a single woman at a well and ended up knowing an entire town in John 4.

•Expect kids to be puzzled by you. Your presence will be a mystery to them for a while.

•Do not get caught always going to school the day of club. It communicates that you are trying to get them to go to club and don’t really care about them. You’re there for ‘your thing’ not them.

•Visit them where they work. If they are a waitress or a busboy, ask to be seated in their section.

•Take them with you to things or places you are already going to. Never go alone to something if you can help it.

•Do not attempt to be “one of the gang.” We are leaders aware of our age, yet loving and genuinely interested in them and in their affairs. We are not their buddies. They need to see adult models of responsibility and respect who care for them.

•Avoid making fun of young people. Sarcasm and put-down humor is the most dangerous kind and can destroy months of relationships if used improperly.

•Be yourself. Do not try to impress with overdone or clever antics, or by imitating others. You don’t have to be a comedian, athlete or “Mr. Personality” to love kids.

•Pray for those you have met or want to meet. As you walk around campus, pray for kids as your eyes touch them. Ask God to lead you to those He wishes you to meet. Trust Him!

•Guys focus on relationships with guys and girls with girls. Be careful to look people in the eyes.

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•Seek to know, in the right timing, the whole person…their family, past, problems, hopes, etc.

•Be ready to be part of their lives for years to come…maybe even a lifetime, if God so allows.

•Ask God for a heart that breaks for kids. They can spot a feigned interest. We do not need to like what they do, but we can appreciate them as people divinely created like you.

•Be casual. Do not work too hard at being friendly with a lot of handshaking or rapid speech, unless this fits you.

•Use the telephone, facebook, e-mail, etc., when you are not able to actually be around, especially in the summer, spring break and winter vacation times.

•Keep in mind that every relationship should become deeper.

•Contact work is never finished. There are always new ones to get to know. It is this continued effort to be their friend that “wins the right to be heard” with our message of Jesus Christ. Once the right has been won, work on the right of “continued” hearing.

•GUYS DO NOT BE FACEBOOK FRIENDS WITH GIRLS, GIRLS DO NOT BE FACEBOOK FRIENDS WITH GUYS

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NON-VERBAL CONTACT WORK“Proclaim the Gospel, proclaim the Gospel, at all times proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and if

necessary…use words.” St. Francis of Assisi

What do you want others to know non-verbally about the love of Christ before they hear the Gospel spoken?

1. You are real – be yourself, be vulnerable, people can see through falseness2. You identify with them – know where they are hurting – empathy not sympathy3. You understand them – few people seek to understand, hence they don’t feel free to open up4. You listen to them – you need to know what is behind the words they are saying…and aren’t

saying. Use ‘Active Listening’ skills.5. You affirm them. Respect them.6. You not only love them, but you LIKE them.7. Don’t’ try to change people, only the Holy Spirit changes people. 8. Love unconditionally. Unconditional love accepts them right where they are. Love the sinner,

not the sin.9. Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know everything.10. Don’t be afraid to say you are sorry.11. Love the unlovely – don’t just befriend the ‘in crowd’.12. Love the ones who don’t love you.13. Pursue those who don’t pursue you.14. Be the initiator.15. Step out of the normal; be uncomfortable. Don’t be afraid to be embarrassed.16. Challenge17. Encourage18. Care about them physically, emotionally, and spiritually.19. Know their name and their birthday.20. Show up at their important events.21. Ask about for an update about concerns they had during one of your prior conversations.22. Don’t be one of the crowd. Don’t join in sarcasm or ridicule.23. Be adaptable.24. Serve them.25. Be consistent. Even when you don’t FEEL like being there for them.26. Don’t forget what it means to be Lost.27. Allow them the freedom to say no to Christ, without you rejecting them.28. Send them a postcard from your vacation.29. Don’t say I told you so.30. Pray for the chance to serve them in a way that costs you deeply. For the love of Christ.

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CREATIVE CONTACT WORKCollege sports (live or TV)Sports Fantasy Leagues Shooting PoolBackpackingGo-cartingCampingRappelling Rock climbing (indoors/outdoors)TennisFishingSoftballShoppingKite flyingGolfAerobicsSwimmingSlumber partiesLet a kid teach you a skill, or sportGo for CoffeeVideo gamesSkatingZooAmusement parksrent a movieplan a practical joke on a leaderschool playsMaking Ice CreamPowder puff footballConcertsUltimate FrisbeeMoviesKneeballPutt-puttVisit a potential collegeChristmas caroling BowlingTutoringMake a home movie for ClubVolunteer workPing-PongBoard games at nightBabysitting Tubing Fix their carPlaying guitar

Comments:1. Ask kids what they would like to do.2. Let kids teach you.3. Listen for invitations from kids (sometimes very subtle!)4. Don’t stop during the summer/days off of school - those

are days when you’ll find kids the most bored and excited to do ‘something’

5. Speak the ‘common languages’ - food, drink, generosity, etc...

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BUT I’M A 9a-5p LEADER...WHEN DO I DO CONTACT WORK?The most important thing to do as a full-time employee and/or full time mom/dad is not to over think it. Keep is simple! Contact work is simply being with kids as they are. You will inevitably be meeting new kids at club. Make sure no kid gets left behind - have eyes to see the kid no one else sees. From there, just take kids with you to do what you’re already doing. Do you like seeing movies? Professional sports? Do you eat? You could probably take kids to breakfast before school. You could definitely take kids to dinner after work. You can meet them and their friends at the movies. You can have a group over to your house eat pizza and watch ‘the game.‘ Have a sleepover. Whatever you do, just begin incorporating them into it. Kids are excited for anything outside of their normal routine (aka YOU!!). If you know one kid, casting a vision for them to bring all their friends to hang out when you are hanging out is huge. You’ll meet tons of kids this way! The other vital thing is to begin meeting and forming relationships with the parents of kids. Even if you only know one parent well, chances are they know lots of other parents with kids in the same grade and same gender. Win over one parent and you’ll win over many.

The one obstacle here is planning. Plan in your schedule what days/times you can be available and then start telling kids! It’s too easy to have good intentions but consistently get to Friday and feel like you haven’t done anything all week and feel it’s too late to plan anything for the weekend. Think ahead and you’ll be GREAT!

The secret of contact work: Time and AttentionFriendships grow, they aren’t made! Go! Just do it!

RISKS

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.To cry is to appear sentimental.

To reach out for another is to risk involvement.To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.To love is to risk being not loved in return.

To live is to risk despair.To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.

They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.

Chained by their attitudes, they are a slave, they have forfeited their freedom.

Only a person who risks is free.

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THE FIRST YOUNG LIFE CLUB THE BURR NICHOLS STORY

Jim described the beginning of his success with high school students:“Two or three kids came out who were really sharp and could do something with the rest of the bunch. Their personal enthusiasm for the club got others to come, and it was wonderful. Right at the start the Lord took hold of two kids. One of them was Viddie Wewell. She was the very first youngster that was ever led to the Lord Jesus Christ in a club of mine. She was in that little high school society set, and she got those kids to come to club, she and a boy in the senior class.

“We decided we’d have a prayer meeting, those two kids and me. In the pastor’s study that Sunday night, we started to pray for the club. The pastor met with us. He was pushing on me all the time. He didn’t care if I did any work around the church. He just wanted to see those kids reached for Christ. He said, ‘Don’t monkey around with the people who come to church. I’ll take care of them. You go down to that high school.’ Boy, now just think of that, I wonder what would happen if there were more pastors like that, if there were some pastors in every town like that. That just said, ‘Boy, I’m not doing so bad with the people who are coming to church. The thing that’s bothering me is all those people who don’t come. Somebody go out and get them.’ That’s what the church is all about, really.

“You can’t read the book of Acts, you can’t read the New Testament, you can’t read the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, without coming to the conclusion that that’s what the church is here for, to go after others. And why it’s such a colossal flop is because it’ so ingrown. Nobody hears the message except those who have always heard it, and they’re not going to do anything about is so nothing happens. This guy just kept pushing me and pushing me, and out I went.”

Club

In Young Life we are always talking about Jesus, and we are usually laughing about something.

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“I don’t even think the prayer meeting was my idea. We’d had twelve kids at our club meeting the night those two kids came through for the Lord, and we decided to have this prayer meeting, and the next week we had twenty-three. And boy, we had another prayer meeting, a prayer meeting that wouldn’t quit. And the next week we had thirty-two. In two weeks we went from twelve to thirty-two. And then we had another prayer meeting and the school was really out then. The next night we met in the biggest home in the whole town and we had fifty-one. And right at the end of the meeting, one of the toughest kids in the senior class got up and said, ‘Wait a minute; I wanted to tell you that I accepted Jesus Christ while Jim was talking.’ It was like a bomb dropped in the place. None of us had ever heard of anything like that. It was wonderful! One or two others who had gotten ‘waked up’ joined the prayer meeting the next Sunday night, and from fifty-one we went to sixty-two, and from sixty-two to seventy-five. We had two meetings of seventy-five and kept praying.”

“A beautiful little blonde girl, the school beauty queen, came to know the Savior and joined in that prayer meeting. She had never been in a prayer meeting in her whole life. We were praying around in a circle, taking turns, and she heard us praying for Burr Nichols, the captain of the football team. As soon as we raised our heads up from prayer, this little girl piped up and said, ‘I’ll get Burr.’ Just like that! That prayer was answered fast! She was going with him and she said she’d have him at the next meeting.”

“We started the next meeting, and that night I’ll never forget. It was crowded in that hall where we were meeting. It was a big front hall, but seventy-five people are a lot of people for a hall. They were sitting on the floor, and I was crammed up against the front door. I kept looking for this blonde girl and Burr Nichols. They weren’t there.”

“We went through the songs, and it was time for my message. I’d stalled as long as I could, and just as I was getting up to speak, there came a clomp, clomp, clomp across the front porch. That door, busted open behind me and here was this little blond cutie and Burr Nichols right behind her. She just pranced in and sat down in front of me. That was the only space on the whole floor. And there was Burr standing in front of that whole crowd; he turned around and sank down beside her.”

“Well, I started in, and I was scared to death. I was just shaking in my boots. I gave the Gospel the best I knew. Burr hadn’t been at the beginning of the meeting, and hadn’t heard any singing or anything, but something about it he liked. He came around afterwards, and stuck out his big mitt, and shook my hand and said, ‘Boy, Jim, I liked that. I’m coming back next week.’”

“Next week we started off with the same situation – a big crowd jammed up against the front door, but Burr Nichols wasn’t there. I went all the way through and came to the message again. I saw the little blond girl in the audience and thought, ‘Oh, oh, they’ve had a divorce this week.’ But I was wrong.”

“Just as I started to speak, there came the awfulest clomp, clomp, clomp across the front porch. Burr opened the front door and came in like he owned the place. He walked past me and said, ‘Jim, I wouldn’t have been so late, but I couldn’t find some of these guys.’ And four teammates came trailing in behind him.”

“That’s how Young Life started. I didn’t have in my mind to start anything, but that club went from 75 to 96, and then to 100 and then 119, and 135, and the week before finals there were 170 kids there.”

“Burr Nichols closed in with the Savior about the fifth night he ever heard the Gospel. That fall, Burr went to Dallas to spot players for the announcer at one of the games. Riding back, they had a terrible accident and Burr was killed. His family wanted me to preach the funeral. They said I was the only preacher Burr had ever listened to.”

“Burr grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and was a regular ruffian. All the Lord was waiting for was somebody to get a little bit interested in Burr – a little blonde beauty queen and a little pip-squeak Young Life leader. Burr was a precious soul for whom the Lord died. This country is full of people like that. There are thousands of people in this country that no Christian has ever said a kind word to. Most of the kids in this nation are like that. A few million more of them will graduate from high school this year. Just like Burr Nichols, they never heard the story. And I can’t stand that.”

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THE YOUNG LIFE CLUB“…Whatever you do, do all to the Glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:21

I. WHAT IS A YOUNG LIFE CLUB?

The Young Life Club is one of the most effective settings for the proclamation of the Gospel in work and deed. Usually the meeting is held on a weeknight in a neutral place, such as the home of one of the kids. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. A Club is under the leadership of men and women who care enough for kids that each meeting has maximum effectiveness in expressing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A Club leadership team has the grand opportunity to conduct 26 or more meetings during a school year. Each meeting should be approached as an artist would look at a blank frame of canvas upon which he may express his feelings with painstaking care. Overall planning for the year, and for each meeting, is essential to any Club ministry. Both men and women leaders should share in the ‘up-front’ leadership of Club.

One of the greatest lacks in Christian enterprise today is prayer. The Young Life Club should be a heavily ‘prayed for’ meeting. Even during the hour leaders should cultivate the habit of praying without ceasing. This beautiful platform of expression, the Young Life Club, may become one of the most powerful influences for Jesus Christ in the entire community.

WHY DO KIDS COME TO CLUB? Similar to performing market research we study our audience. We must ask ourselves, ‘What are teens

wanting out of life?’

Kids want to be themselves; they want to get to know themselves better. Kids want to meet new people, especially those of the opposite gender. Kids need to feel accepted and important. Kids want to interact with one another, talk with one another, get to know one another. Kids want to hear about Christ in ways that they can understand and apply to life. Kids expect to have fun and be surprised. Kids want to be challenged in their faith. Kids need to be supported by one another. Kids don’t like embarrassment, predictability of club, or just another social event.

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THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A LEADERI. BEFORE CLUB

A.Arrive early – about an hour1.Not to plan club (it’s already been laid out ahead of time)2.Get organized – order of the meeting, skit, etc. (have it in writing)3.Last minute preparation4.Prepare room (talk about homes)5.Beat the kids there – be ready when the first one arrives…so you can hang out6.Pray together – before the chaos begins7.Be ready to pick up kids - often the ‘least of these,’ don’t have a car or parents who care to take them.

ALWAYS offer to pick kids up for club! Volunteer a leader of the opposite gender if you have to!

B.Patrol – help outside1.Park cars2.Keep kids from getting hurt3.Greet kids outside4.Meet parents5.Have new kids fill out Club Cards (address info.)

REMEMBER THE, “EVERYONE’S HERE vs. NO ONE IS HERE” principleAre kids out front? Does it look like people are there? Kids are likely to drive right past the club location if it

looks like no one is there. Be visual - make it look like it’s the place to be!

II. DURING CLUB

A.Do your assigned job – be ready and practicedB.When not involved – spread out and help control kids by sitting with them

1.How to Control kidsa.Looks, touch, wordsb.Be good naturedc.Give them the benefit of the doubt, but be firm (they’re the very ones we want here)

C.Don’t be up front unless involvedD.Don’t take away from who’s up front (by drawing attention yourself)E.Sing enthusiastically, laugh, pay attention. Draw kids into the singing – tease them into clappingF.Be alert to any crisis – Keep kids inside, don’t let them throw things

III. AFTER CLUB

A.Visit with kids1.Tell them you’re glad they were there2.Be available to answer questions3.Leave to do contact work with them (McDonalds, Sodas, etc…)4.Set up a time to hang out with them later in the week

B.Get kids home1.Again – be outside to patrol. This is a good time to meet parents and to provide safety2.Don’t leave while kids are still there, whether you meet at homes or at a meeting place3.Clean up the place

a.Not until kids leaveb.Everyone helpc.If at a home – be sure to vacuum, and take trash with you, SAY THANK YOU!

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The quality of Christ within the Leaders is what makes the Club.

1) In a class by itself in terms of importance is the leaders’ relationship with Christ. Club will always reflect their attitudes. They are the ones who set the whole tone of club. They should radiate Christ in actions, words and attitudes.

“The man makes the preacher. God must make the man. The messenger is more than the message. The preacher is more than the sermon. As life-giving milk form the mother’s bosom is the mother’s life, so all the preacher says is tincture, impregnated by what the preacher is. The man, the whole man, lies behind the sermon.” Power Through Prayer, by E.M. Bounds.

2) A successful club is one in which Jesus Christ is made known. It may have nothing to do with numbers of kids, how many laughs or how smoothly it was run. Club is geared to the kids and where they are. Nothing is pushed or forced since Christ does not force Himself. Making Jesus know at Club simply means doing things in His way, with His attitudes and His actions. The ‘fun and games’ of Club are all part of the nonverbal communication of Christ.

3) Don’t fall into the trap of feeling good when Club goes well and feeling depressed when Club seems to go poorly. Club is God’s, and so all that happens there; we can give thanks for. Many times a Club that seems to be going ‘poorly’ is still effective in proclaiming the Lord. Of course, we must work diligently to improve the effectiveness of our club.

4) Young Life Club is a team ministry. Christian kids and leaders living the Christian life are of major importance. They help set the atmosphere to be that of Christ’s love. Their love and concern at Club build a vital believing base for the message. Kids seep that Christ works because of the Christian person they are sitting beside.

5) When kids leave club, they should feel like something was different about that one hour. As they continue to come, they should find out for themselves that it was Jesus Christ’s presence that made it special. It was Christ in people, in the songs, in the laughs, in the message and in the attitudes.

6) Numbers are important! Christ’s command to all of us is to go to the all world and to every person. We will ask God to use us to reach as many kids as we can in our meetings. Well-attended meetings usually have a stronger feel of excitement and interest. Obviously, though, we hope lots of kids will show up, and we pray to this end. But be careful, not to use this as a benchmark of whether God is at work.

B. PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS

1) The club meeting features “planned informality”. The leaders are in charge, but the students feel it is their Club. They sit on the floor and any available furniture, usually in the home of one of the participants, but it could be held elsewhere. The parents are the hosts and should be within earshot of what goes on.

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2) The meeting should not last more than one hour, nor less than fifty minutes. In some urban or rural situations, the meeting may also involve recreational and social activities, and last for an evening. In places where the majority of teens do experience home as a place to escape FROM, club becomes a safe place to be and kids want to stay as long as possible.

3) It must be attractive – should move along smoothly and not drag.

4) The meeting is designed to introduce the disinterested high school crowd to Jesus Christ. It should not become a clique for Christian kids; we must always guard against this as some Clubs become safe Christian sanctuaries. Club is our program designed specifically for the “Furthest Out Kid”

5) It is open to any boy and girl in school. There is no such thing as ‘membership’ or dues.

6) Leaders make every effort to cooperate with the school activities and to help promote school spirit. Always be sensitive enough to include those who tend toward being ‘drop outs’. Strive to win them also.

7) Special care must be taken not to conflict with the program of local churches and to gently correct any teenager who might consider Young Life his ‘church’.

8) Information, both printed and spoken, must be given to parents. This may be accomplished through a prepared brochure, personal visit, phone call or Parent’s Night (Parent Club).

9) Most Clubs usually meet on a weekly basis, the same night each week. Continually shifting the night or calling off Club will seriously impair the outreach it has in a school.

10) Leaders are free to experiment with new features in club just so long as the Gospel is not obscured or the Club does not become mere entertainment.

11) Careful records should be kept in the form of the weekly and use of the informal ‘Club Cards’ filled out by the young people themselves once a year. It is imperative that the Club Leadership knows what kids he is ministering to. A good Club survey will reveal that information.

12) Leaders must exercise care in the protection of personal property, as well as in the conduct of the young people before and after Club, particularly those driving autos. Any damaged property must be replaced and proper apologies given.

13) The message is the climax of the meeting. All that is done earlier should prepare the way for the presentation of Jesus Christ.

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I. TRADITIONAL INGREDIENTS OF THE YOUNG LIFE CLUB MEETING

The Singing has particular value in getting young people doing something together and in preparing them for the message. Good singing can be a tremendous asset to the meeting’s atmosphere and effectiveness. The adolescent culture is highly influenced by the importance they place upon music in their daily lives.

The Mixer is an activity that includes everyone at the start of club to move them from spectators to participators.

The Minutes or Skit. This is not just a skit thrown into the program, but rather an important ingredient for breaking down barriers and making high schoolers laugh and relax in a happy setting.

The Announcements. Mainly used to break the stride of the meeting and cover any future plans for the Club. Camp promotion may often be best done at this time.

The Talk.(or message) An important part of any Young Life Club is when a leader has the opportunity to speak of Jesus Christ to young people who do not know Him Give them something to believe so the Holy Spirit can do His work.

The Close. Brief, but important in leaving kids with a good impression of the meeting and what was said. This might involve ‘I hope you’ll think about what you’ve heard tonight. Why don’t you meet us at Sonic to hang out for a while. We hope to see you around this week, and hope you’ll bring some friends to Club next week.’

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MUSICThere is something special about music. It is no surprise then that one of the tools we use in relational ministry is music. But today group singing is something to flee from for many kids, especially guys. We need to be both current and cautious using certain historical tools, which may turn kids off to Club. Most kids who dislike Club, list the singing as the chief reason. Likewise, most who love to go to Club, list the singing as a main factor. So take a regular pulse of the students in your program and experiment.

1. Purpose

a. Why have music in Clubs? It unifies a group It is enjoyable. It sets a mood. It entertains. It is disarms, breaks down barriers. It presents a message – some kids open their lives to Christ through the message of a

song. It identifies with where kids are. It creates involvement on the part of kids. (If they participate with their body, their

more likely to participate with their ears (or their mind))b. Why not have music in club?

Some kids in group don’t like to sing. Keeps some kids away who would otherwise come. Intimidates and embarrasses kids who are self-conscious. Group singing foreign to the suburban youth culture. Leadership team may lack people with gifts needed to make it effective.

c. Solution – As a leadership team, prayerfully determine the best course of action for your ministry in terms of singing. Losing sight of these reasons can mean we do music simply as a form, rather than as a function - which enables us to accomplish our purpose. The goal is to create a situation in which kids feel safe, where they drop some of their barriers to the Gospel and are open to understand both the verbal and nonverbal expressions of the Gospel

2. History of Music in Young LifeEarly singing in Young Life was primarily hymns and Christian choruses. Christian content was veryhigh. Very little was sung that did not have a Christian message.

By 1960, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley and others had put rock music in the heart of every teenager in America. And with this fad came a new emphasis on the guitar.

In the middle ‘60’s, the guitar and piano struggled for top position in Young Life clubs. By 1970, Young Life music was overwhelmingly strings instead of keyboards. A new phenomenon appeared also during the ‘60’s – the non-content song. Or, the song just for fun, or for ‘group interaction’s sake.’

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The floodgate was opened, and every pop or rock singer in the business might find his songs in the Young Life club.

Many who had remained on staff during the tumultuous ‘60’s shook their heads to sometimes hear non-Christian songs sung in club. Or at best, a few Christian content songs just before the message. In the late ‘70’s the pendulum moved somewhat to the right. More Christian content songs were being done. The Jesus Movement provided pop sounding Christian content songs, with the guitar as the key instrument.

Today, music continues to be a very powerful tool in helping build a platform for relationally sharing the Gospel. It often ‘can draw’ in a disinterested teen, much like humor will do for others. However, when music ceases to be an effective tool, for whatever reason, we must seek alternatives. We must always ask ourselves, “does this particular song enhance the proclamation of the Gospel, or does it present a mixed signal?”

Importance of Music in Different Cultural Settings

Music serves a different role in different cultures. For example, through much of Black history in the United States, music has been particularly meaningful. Through music, people who are not allowed to read, write, or speak openly found a collective voice.

Club music still plays a vital role in urban, suburban, and rural settings. Although, its form should always reflect the culture in which you are ministering. Music takes kids from fragmented situations and molds them into a worshipping group. It is important that we never make assumptions about what will work or not work, but that we study each situation and culture independently.

Preparation

We should work to make it high quality. If half the meeting is given to singing, then it ought not simply be a time-filler, but a vital and enjoyable component. Preparation is the key. Plan AND practice the songs that will be sung, in what key, how to start how to end. Can the musicians play the songs? Get there early enough to tune up and practice. Common sense dictates the necessity to be ready with the music.

Variety

Doing the same songs over and over is a negative for club singing. Expand the repertoire. Keep a list of songs each week so you will know which songs are repeated too often, or not often enough.

Use much discretion, but get Club kids involved in leading and as musicians. Have an occasional special solo by leaders or kids. Have a rhythm night where kids use some type of instrument or noisemaker. Have a talent night. Using kids as musicians affords an excellent opportunity to spend time with them – practicing for club. It also can be a wonderful self-esteem builder, and a way of giving them ownership in club. Use music as message themes. Use common themes found in many pop songs as message topics, (i.e. loneliness, need for love, anger). Don’t be afraid to teach new songs.

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Teaching New Songs

Teaching new songs will add variety to the music ministry. It can also be a disaster. Make sure in advance that the leaders know the new song well. With guitars, someone with a strong voice can sing it through once. Give an extra measure of practice with musicians for new songs. Keep an ear peeled for possible new material.

Doing too many new songs on any given night can hinder the tempo and flow of Club. One new song weekly may be healthy. Also, do not teach new song just before the message. It disrupts the spirit of the meeting at that time.

Who may Be Involved in Leading

It is certainly possible to have too many people up front. But generally speaking, having kids involved introducing songs, leading songs, as musicians, planning what sons to sing and introducing new sons is positive. This is obviously a good place to get new leaders participating. Interestingly, the leaders who can get the crowd singing the most are often those sitting with kids in the crowd – not those who are up front leading the song.

Beware of performance orientation. Club music should support the overall club purpose, not an individual who wants to be up front. This applies to both leaders and kids. If you currently have this problem, someone needs to take this person aside and explain the purposes of music in club.

Choice of Songs

Choose a variety of types of songs – slow, fast, heavy content, fun, hand motions. Be aware of what songs are saying to kids. In general, have a mixture. Be concerned with content. Keep in mind our intent to reflect the Gospel in all we do. Use of the same songs creates a clique, alienates newcomers.

Start on a lively note, end with more emphasis on harmony, unity, slow the tempo down to prepare for the message. It is usually wise not to open club with a new song. Open with something that will get the ball rolling immediately. The same is true after a break, such as minutes – come back with something they know to pull the crowd together.

Song-Leading Techniques

The more a leader uses his or her arms and hands to lead the group, the better the singing. (Especially with a microphone, a good song leader should be loud enough to get the song started and on beat, but then back away to allow the crowd to hear themselves sing rather than the song leader.) The basic job of the song leader is more timing than melody and that is more easily accomplished visually that audibly.

Enthusiasm and proper preparation will cover a multitude of sins. No preparation is always a quick way to failure. Give a strong down beat so musicians and kids begin together.

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For the Non-Musical Person

“Gifts were varied…” (Ephesians 4). Every Young Life leader does not have to be musically talented, and music may just not be your thing. But you can still contribute with enthusiasm.Don not be too quick to sell yourself short. There are a lot of good song leaders around who have little musical talent – but they compensate with good preparation and enthusiasm.However, keep learning yourself – especially from good musicians. You can improve!

Other Ideas in Place of Singing

Some have made great use of video – having kids make their own videos to show in club (screen first), going to the school or a local hangout and interviewing kids (can be done both humorously or seriously), going to kids homes (with parental permission) when they aren’t home and videotaping their room. Others have used videos from popular songs for group discussion and as an introduction to the message.

Others have used small groups effectively, getting kids talking with each other about various topics. Allowing kids to actively process information boosts their understanding of it. We use this premise at outreach camps with ‘cabin times’. We can creatively and appropriately use it at home, too.

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SKITSWhen a Young Life ministry is referred to as club, often a tongue-in-cheek slang for skits or entertainment is the minutes. Leaders must make certain the minutes are appropriate and in good taste. Some clubs have occasional games to loosen up the group. The whole purpose is to have fun. Your team leader can provide you with A Four Year Skit Cycle for Club.

The Purpose•Catalyst to cause kids to get involved with club (most important)•Something to catch kids off guard – especially new kids•Relaxes the crowd and unifies the group – as they all are laughing together at

something that is truly wholesome, Godly humor - emotional involvement•Breaks down barriers – breaks down the stereotype that nothing Christian can be fun.

Good Minutes/Skits/Competitions•Are usually short – 5 to 7 minutes.•Are never crude, in poor taste or destructive to personal feelings or property.•Are related to club and the people there – not always just a skit or contest.•Do not make humorous references to the spiritual aspect of club.•Are peppy and funny, and in this way help break down barriers that kids have regarding religious meetings

as stuffy and boring.•Don’t involve the same kids every week but involve kids who need and can handle up-front exposure.•Be very careful about involving new kids (first timers) – they may be embarrassed.•Use props, costumes and theme music when possible. If you’re not funny…you can always look funny.•Have someone else announce the skit and bring you out (to theme music of course)•Skits should fit the appropriate size of club (i.e. don’t say I need 10 volunteers in a club of 12)•Don’t get stuck in a rut where kids know they will always get messy or made fun of at the end – try giving

away prizes…it will be easier to get volunteers•Stay away from ‘Camp type’ skits – this cheats kids when they have their chance

Preparation•Suit the skit to the location•Get permission to do that type of skit at the place (i.e. something messy)•Anticipate problems, thing through each step of the skit logistically – walk it out (i.e. who will and how we

they clean up afterwards)•Practice!!! Leave nothing to chance. Remember, this is for the Lord.

Please RememberWe always want to be very sensitive to kids. Respect, uplift and add to their dignity. Not make fun of, humiliate or cause others to mock in any way. Kids will easily be turned off to Young Life because they felt they were humiliated in a club skit. Jim Rayburn like to say, “A fool for Jesus is an honorable thing.” In the early days of Young Life, leaders, not kids were the ones who got it in the skits. We should continue to show them we can take off our masks, and step off the pedestal; as we model how to laugh at ourselves…and not take ourselves too seriously. In Young Life, we are passionate about taking the Lord seriously…but not ourselves.

Use variety – do mixers on week, whole group activities the next, an entertaining skit after that, and a traditional skit the week after. Do not become predictable and remember to make it enjoyable for kids when they are up front. Allow them to do air bands and other things where they are built up and featured in a positive way. Remember…this may be the ONLY CLUB some kids every come to see – strive to make each one your best ever.

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Humor in Young Lifeby Lee Corder

In these last few months, I have witnessed the power of humor in delighting and engaging kids from China to Morocco to Portugal. I’ve also remembered with fondness and gratitude the passing of two of Young Life’s most talented, visionary and, yes, hilarious staff: Phil McDonald and Jim Shelton. Such moments remind me of the great privilege and responsibility we share as a mission that honors the sanctity of laughter. As I thought about sharing in Monday Morning, I had some wonderful interaction with great program folks around the importance of Jesus- honoring humor.*

You can be sure I always approach the topic of humor with great seriousness, for it is a sacred and holy task that demands much, even as it frees, heals and makes whole. (That of course doesn’t apply to the time I shot myself in the leg while leading a camp greeting at Windy Gap.) I continue to be in awe of our mission full of people who do laughter in such creative and life-giving ways. But it’s no surprise in a relational ministry like ours that our elders created a mission of joy when much of evangelism was deadly serious. From the earliest days, humor has been one of our most important tools. But humor as a kingdom expression demands we take great care in everything we do to tease laughter from our young friends.Laughter is not just a good mission strategy; it is grounded in the very image of God. “Joy,” wrote C.S. Lewis, “is the serious business of heaven.”

All of us who share the privilege of Gospel proclamation understand that Jesus lived out joy and celebration. In humor, I believe we find the following Gospel markers expressed in unique and powerful ways:

• Love — Making others laugh is a ministry of love that prepares the way for the Gospel. • Forgiveness — As we laugh, we are releasing the tension that comes with unrealized holiness. • Relationship — The people we laugh with are the ones we appreciate most. • Freedom — G. K. Chesterton said that “angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.” • Healing — Humor and laughter are God’s healing gifts to us. Just ask Abraham and Sarah or

their son Isaac (meaning, “he will laugh”).

• Trust — Good humor undergirds our willingness to trust Jesus for transforming impact rather than our own cleverness. If laughter, then, is the gift of God and its use is one of His most powerful means to meaningful relationship, we must ask whether such humor always reflects the holiness of God and the glory of His creation. But as humor can bring gracious gifts, it can also, because of our fallen nature, bring distortion in a way that demeans those for whom Jesus gave His life. The world in which kids live today teaches them to laugh at that which demeans and destroys. Such humor is often negative, abusive, sexual, sarcastic and degrading in ways enumerated in one of our old training documents that reminds us that negative humor:

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• Divides us as human beings. • Laughs at the expense of others. • Obscures hope. • Amplifies tension. • Destroys self-worth. • Destroys community.

But just as there is negative humor, there is healing humor that: • Adapts in difficulty. • Laughs humbly at itself. • Illuminates hopeful direction. • Decreases human tension. • Challenges prejudices. • Builds confidence and worth. • Involves others in enjoyment.

It is this kind of Jesus-breathed lightness that is the hallmark of Young Life humor. As stewards of that trust, our program friends offer a number of thoughtful applications that guide us into a joy that brings life. So in Young Life we:

• Always remember that humor is proclamation. Use humor that glorifies God and is consistent with His Word.

• Challenge culture as our humor lines up with the “fruit of the Spirit”(Galatians 5). • Use humor that reminds us to laugh at ourselves rather than at others. • Are careful to use humor and laughter that leads to the “lighter side” of life. • Express excellence in presentation with costumes and “go the extra mile.” We don’t just

announce the mountain climb; we sell it fully decked out in climbing gear. • Create an atmosphere that allows kids to relax and “forget about themselves.” •

So we work hard to offer easy laughter. We offer grace with joy. We invite our friends into the fullness of life for which they were made. As George MacDonald offered, “It is the heart that is not yet sure of its God that is afraid to laugh in His presence.” So generations of Young Life leaders have enabled kids to laugh in Jesus’ presence as they move toward full trust in Him.

MIXERS AND MINUTESMixer: Group activity involving everyone at the same time

Minutes: Up front game usually involving 2-6 kids1. Remember who our target kid is. The cynical non-Christian, uninterested farthest out kid in the back of the room. Will this mixer, minutes, skit or run-on dispel his preconceived notions of Christians or confirm them?

2. Walk through the activity in your mind before club. Visualize it (what do you want to see, hear, smell, touch, feel like, atmosphere, etc.). What will I need? (ie. Do I need a drop cloth, someone to hit lights, someone to set up props while I explain it? Towels for them to clean up with?) How should I stage this so the most people can see the punch line? What do I need to prevent? How? When the skit is over, what will need to happen to lead into the next part of club?

3. Be 10 times more enthusiastic than you want your kids to be. They are risking a lot by being up front, so we have to really take them into the activity, not push them into it.

4. Background music always draws in kids more. Loud and rockin’ helps. Also, leaders, student leaders, and campaigner kids must scream and cheer for everything. One of the greatest things we can do for a kid is to get a bunch of their schoolmates cheering wildly for them. For most it would be a first and possibly a last at this experience. Get people to cheer!

5. Kids are more into visual, obvious humor (slapstick, for example) than clever stuff. Big uniforms, exaggeration, action, screaming, craziness will go much farther than quips, puns, and subtle looks. Think big humor that’s hard to miss.

6. When you take a kid out of the room, give them a pep talk (therefore whoever takes them out of the room is just as important as the person running the minutes!). It’s scary and they need to know:

a. We aren’t just going to humiliate you. b. If you ham it up, you’re the star and everyone has fun. c. We’re doing this to have fun with you.

7. Laughing at us as leaders is one of our strengths in Young Life. Kids don’t laugh belly laughs much in their life and just burning a kid every week makes it scary for kids. Give them a chance to have wild fun.

8. Some minutes can be repeated and possibly done yearly.

9. Our main goal is not to be funny, but to be Godly.

10. You don’t need to be funny to be a Young Life leader, but you do have to have fun.

11. Humor is the difference between our aspirations and our achievements. The greater the disparity between the two, the greater the humor. In short, humor is one way to get people to deal with their failure and furthermore, their sin.

12. Always keep your priority: people over program.

13. We come to Christ as little kids…kids are too grown up today it is our job to help them be little kids again.

14. People aren’t laughing anymore…and yet laughter is medically proven to help people.

15. Know where you are taking them, why you are taking them and how you will get them there.

16. When we laugh at ourselves we quit being defensive.

17. The bottom line is that we need to know that we are loved and are wonderful. How can we best show kids that in our humor.

18. You must be willing to fail. Humor is risk…if you fail, simply teach them how to fail in the process.

19. We as followers of Jesus Christ have the most reason to laugh of anyone in the world!

20. May we always be in the mindset of making kids heroes, not goats.

21. Much of good humor has been lost, the reason is: it takes more work to do it the right way. We must be willing to go the extra mile and to do that we must be convinced of its worth.

22. Be wholesome. You don’t have to be gross or nasty to be funny.

23. Don’t involve the same kids every week. Mix it up.

24. Everything takes work! Put in the extra effort! Plan out mixers, minutes, skits and run-ons for the whole semester. Have different people in charge of them throughout the semester.

- Read this before doing any of the following. Obviously we must choose wisely which kids are up front; however, when it is a minutes with a "punch line" ending, we must select with prayerful wisdom. Often, we have done these minutes so poorly in the past that kids dread with fear being up front. That is because we might make them look stupid, in front of their friends. We must become masters at thinking through how these kids can be made heroes, legends talked about in a positive way the next day at school. It is a great lesson to learn to laugh at our own selves. First, make sure you and other leaders at times get it in the end, and second, you may even consider pulling a sharp kid aside and let him in on it so he/she is a part of the gag. Obviously it will be best if no one knows they were in on it, yet it may be worth it once or twice if you even explain why and how you want them to respond for future people. Every kid likes to be in on a secret. Also, continually lift them up after it is over and even thank them again with crowd applause for being so great before you start your talk. Another great idea is to get a note to them in the mail after club thanking them for being great sports, or at least find them after club to make sure they are doing okay with the outcome.

Often times people frown at competition as if it is evil. Instead, we need to teach kids how to compete in fun and Godly manner. Many times competition is the only way to pull a crass, pagan kid into what we are trying to do; likewise, many kids have only had bad examples of competition growing up (How many times have we all seen parents be bigger idiots about winning and losing than kids!). We have a great opportunity to teach many things to kids through this tool. We may even end up modeling success in failure. The story of The Gospel itself is our failure and God’s grace. We must teach campaigner and student leader kids to cheer for everybody. We must lift up the kids and teams that lose for being so awesome to take the risk and play. We must teach them that losing is not life and death and that we all are in this together. Find some funny lines like "winning is everything, but losing is nothing" and "it’s not whether you won or lost, but how good you looked doing it... and you looked the best" to keep things in perspective. These activities are often designed to pull kids in to just have some plain, old, crazy, off the wall fun! God created, and loves, laughter and fun!

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SOME DO’S AND DON’TS

DO’S

1. Skits ought to involve kids2. Time element ought to be well worked in with the club, i.e. short skit for long club.3. Well planned –advance planning. Check out each skit, especially if someone else does it.4. Props whenever possible.5. Practice especially for good timing.6. List of which kids have been involved – using new kids.7. Be confident of the skit, know it well, use one that suits you and your personality.8. Keep list of skits used to prevent repetition.9. Be enthusiastic, support other leaders even of skit bombs.

DON’TS

1. Don’t use the same kids all of the time2. Grossness is not necessary; Slapstick usually workds best.3. Skits ought to be designed for the size of the club – don’t have 12 kids in the skit if there are only 30

kids at club.4. Don’t do a pie in the face every week. Mix up the kids of skits.5. Stay away from camp type productions skits – this cheats from enjoying camp skits.6. Shouldn’t be a leader amateur hour.

MISCELLANEOUS IDEAS

1. Continuity of skits, or series: walk-ons are especially good for promotion. Bumphrey go Cart, Ticket Fairy, the Good, the Bad, and the Tickets, Chinaticket, Little Bo Billie, Elvin Preztel, Husky & Starch, Soap Operas, Melodramas, Commercials

2. Sources: Idea Books, Library – humor section often has old skits to update. TV shows, Saturday Night Live, Fernwood 2 Nite, Fun & Games, by Rydberg and Yaconelli, Young Life skit book.

3. Brainstorming - -involving others in club to come up with ideas.

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THE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Who Makes Them?•The senior club leader must be aware of the need to spread out the leadership

responsibilities to the others on the team.• Kids may be called upon for announcements, but if a selling job is necessary, the leader

may have to supplement what they say.• Whoever makes the announcements should plan them so they are clear, brief and

attractive. Remember Young Life is NOT the weekly club meeting, it’s relationships - a community. Announcements should invite kids to jump on board and become a part.

• Some clubs have made announcements into a fun weekly skit. Snicker Trivia combines a weekly trivia contest with announcements thrown in. Students award small Snickers to whomever answer correctly.

What Are Some Typical Announcements?a.Camp promotion or information. e. Announce special eventsb.Club meeting place for next week. (Parent Nights, All City etc.)c.Location of and explanation of Campaigners f. Contest results

(inviting new folks to try it) g. Community project plans/reportsd.Explanation of Club Card h. Introduce new leaders periodically

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PROCLAMATIONWe bear witness to the Gospel as we build relationships (incarnational contact) with kids. We bear witness to the fact that Jesus is indeed life in the activities that we experience with kids (incarnational events). We also bear witness to the gospel in the words that we speak (incarnational proclamation). As with so much of the mission of Young Life, we are indebted to the founder of this mission, Jim Rayburn, for our understanding of how to proclaim the gospel of kids. A very simple, yet powerful philosophy dominated Jim’s proclamation of the gospel: “Tell them about Jesus.” And that is exactly what he did, and what Young Life continues to do this day. We are a mission that is convinced of the attractiveness of Jesus. If we can simply give kids the opportunity to see Jesus as he really is, unencumbered by the religious and cultural baggage that makes Him appear at times to be so unattractive, then kids will truly respond and commit their lives to Him.

As simple as this sounds, there is great difficulty with telling a simple, straightforward message about Jesus. First, we need to make sure that we ourselves are truly in touch with Jesus as he really is, and not as we wish Him to be. Thus our own understanding and personal experience of the gospel becomes the cornerstone for our proclamation of the gospel.

Second, we need to understand our audience and talk about Jesus in language they can understand, using illustrations that are applicable to their lives. Thus we need to be good students of adolescent culture. Certainly as we read the Gospels we see that the power of Jesus’ message came because He spoke to the people in images and metaphors that were part of the common life of that people. We need to do the same.

Finally, as we proclaim the gospel we need to keep each message straightforward, simple and clear. Thus we need to be good students of the biblical text from which we speak.

Our proclamation of the gospel in Young Life, therefore, should always focus upon the person, work and call of Jesus Christ to every person. We are not called in Young Life to moralize with kids, although that may be an important byproduct as we proclaim Christ. We are not called to preach on specific issues or points of discipleship, though this must happen as we lead and disciple our committed kids (only as we are leading them toward significant involvement in a local church.) The distinctive call of God for Young Life is to: 1) befriend kids in their own environment in order to 2) share with them “Jesus Christ and Him crucified”, I Corinthians 2:2.

HOW TO BUILD A TALK: 1. What is my main point? This is central to the talk.2. Prepare the body. How do I develop my main point? What feelings are involved? What facts are involved?3. How do I illustrate my point?4. How will I introduce my point? This should catch their attention5. How will I move from one point or one phase to another?6. Say the talk out loud

THINGS THAT WEAKEN A TALK:

Christian wordsPoor transition from thought to thought No ScriptureToo much reading/reliance on notes“uh’s” or other nervous habitsToo many pointsUnorganized train of thought, confusion, lack of preparationBible too largeDistractionsInappropriate illustrations kids can't relateToo long or too short10-20 minutes

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Some helpful ingredients in telling kids about Jesus during the club talk are:

Jesus should always be mentioned. Strive to present Jesus and not a lifestyle or idea.

The Bible should always be used in every message – it is our only tangible source of truth.

Humor is helpful, if it is natural – most of us tend to overuse even our natural talents and overshadow Christ.

We must have only one thing in mind to say, letting the introduction serve to bring focus to that central theme. Each week should be a verbal snapshot of Him.

The scripture should be read and retranslated into modern language so that we won’t lose kids.

Always speak to kid who knows the least.

Respect kids enough not to go over 15 minutes.

Work hard at bringing the scriptures alive through animation and imagination.

Speak as we would to our dearest friend.

Be genuine. Utilize good eye contact. Talk with your friends, not to them. Let them see your heart.

Be enthusiastic. Be as excited about Jesus as you wish they could be.

There are many other kinds of talks we might give in club or camp situations. We should learn how to give

them all. We should get all the good speech training we can get, read good books on the subject, and, above all,

welcome any opportunity we might get to practice, practice, practice.

Speaking in public is a highly creative act. And, as in the performance of good music, certain rules or guides to

follow are legitimate. They should be thoroughly learned and practiced until they become a part of us. We want

to be men and women who are skilled in the art of communication.

Helps for Delivering a Message

1. Bring the Bible. Jim Rayburn felt strongly that "It's a sin to bore people with the Gospel” the most precious message in the world.

2. We should speak in a conversational manner. The old oratorical style should have died out long ago, but it still hangs on in the form of a "ministerial tone" we sometimes slip into. We should speak to a group like we speak to an individual. The only difference is the volume. Turn it up for a bigger crowd.

3. We should speak with enthusiasm. Professor Herbert Graves says, “Enthusiasm is the passion to persuade.” Someone else says, “it is though on fire.” The Greeks thought of it as a god within ”theos”-god; ”en”-within. He was a most enthusiastic person. It is not noise. It is a passion, a feeling. It shows in our eyes, in our face in our hands, in our voice. It comes out as an expression of the real us. If we are enthusiastic Christians, we will be enthusiastic speakers. To be otherwise is to be a fake.

4. We should use a variety of pitch and volume. It is easy to slip into bad habit of using only monotone.

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How to Tell if it was a Good Young Life Club: “All evaluations start with our expectations.”

If 30 kids came and you did these things, it was a great Young Life club. If you had 200 kids come and you didn’t do these things, it was a Young Life club.

A. Did you arrive at club “Prayed-up? Young Life really is the Lord’s business. We need to arrive at club ready to love kids for the Lord. Ask the Lord to make us ready and to go before us.

B. Did kids feel welcome? One reason we have club is for kids to begin to experience the Christian community. Kids must experience a personal, caring environment where they sense it is OK, they are awesome, and we are glad they are here.

C. Was there a personal connection? Every kid that comes to club needs to be treated as an individual. It would be a sad situation if a kid came to club and nobody said hello, made contact, made some gesture to make them feel included. Leaders and campaigners need to maximize the time connecting with kids.

D. Was it adequately organized? Our first priority is kids. Our club needs to be adequately organized as to not be a distraction from what we are doing. Do we look like we know what we are doing? Our planning and presentations need to be a positive experience. Be good, but don’t worry about perfection.

E. Was it fun? Club needs to be more fun than serious. Club needs to be attractive to those kids farthest from the gospel. Club needs to be entertaining, fun, light and festive. It does not have to be award winning, but it has to be good, fun and people-centered.

F. Were campaigner kids involved in ministry? The club is primarily a ministry of the campaigners. Were they a part of making the evening a success? If not, do they know how they can help? Get feedback from your campaigners on how others are responding to club. Let them help you generate new ideas on how to reach out.

G. Was it in good taste? There is a fine line to keep in mind. The kids can be used, but not abused. Laugh with them, not at them.

H. Were kids or leaders the stars? Club shouldn’t be viewed as a performance by the leaders. Quite frankly, most of us don’t have the talents or time to make it good enough. It isn’t just the leaders club, but it also is the campaigner kids club.

I. Was Jesus Christ lifted up? The good news of Jesus Christ must be shared in every club. Seeds must be planted in wise, appropriate and sensitive manner.

J. Did you help? Did you look for situations in which you could “help?” Remember that the reason club is good is because of the many people in support. “He who has eyes to see, let him see—and help.” Look for situations or kids that have been overlooked and initiate without being asked.

“If the gospel message is dull, then what in Heaven’s name is worthy to be called exciting? The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused Him of being a bore—on the contrary, they thought Him too dynamic to be

safe.” Dorothy Sayers

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One maturing believer, reproducing other maturing believers to the degree that they are also able to reproduce maturing believers.

YOUNG LIFE CAMPAIGNERSIn Young Life, some have said that there are two very distinct aspects of our ministry to high school kids – evangelism and discipleship. Evangelism is easier to grasp because it seems to have structure and definable parameters around it with the traditional tools of contact work and the club meeting. Discipleship is simply the continuation of that process, utilizing the tool of the Campaigner meeting. Therefore, we should think in terms of evangelism and discipleship as happening together, at the same time, and not as separate processes to be delineated.

In II Timothy 2:2 Paul is instructing Timothy saying, “And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to the faithful, who will be able to teach others also.” Not only are we to bear fruit that will remain, but fruit that will reproduce itself. I believe this is our target for Campaigners – taking the fruit of our ministry, building into their lives so that they would continue to abide in Christ, and then imparting them with the ability and vision to reproduce themselves in others.

The Young Life ministry in any school community is like an inverted funnel. It is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. The top represents a lot of kids numerically with varying depths of spiritual interests. The bottom of the funnel represents a very small number of kids who are very serious about their relationship with Christ, the “faithful” Paul is describing to Timothy.

The size of this group might range from 2 to 40 kids each week. The complexion of the group spiritually ranges from kids who don’t know Christ but are interested (or else they wouldn’t show up at all) to solid, growing disciples. The content for the study is geared at challenging kids to love the Lord “with all of their heart, mind, soul and strength; and their neighbor as themselves.” If Club focuses on the least common denominator spiritually; Campaigners should aim just above the heads of those attending. In other words, we want to challenge them to grow. “Raise the bar a notch or two.”

Campaigner kids should ‘take ownership’ of the Club. Helping to bring their non-Christian friends and participating in the planning and execution of Club. Through this they learn to have a ministry mindset with their friends, as they begin praying for their school to know Christ .Jesus used this model as he called the 12 disciples (campaigners) and sent them out to become fishers of men (Club kids). A healthy Young Life ministry needs a vibrant Campaigner group in order to have a strong Club.

Campaigners

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THOUGHTS FOR CAMPAIGNER LEADERSBy Kit Sublett and Henrietta Mears

“We would be very proud to say that we are a professor at Oxford or Columbia University; that would be an honor. But (Campaigner Leaders) are professors in Christ’s college. Is there any higher calling than ours? You and I are teaching in the best college in the world, for it was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Textbook was written by the Holy Spirit, and the students are boys and girls, men and women who God made in His image. This is the most important business in the world.” Henrietta Mears

Henrietta Mears was one of the greatest Christian teachers of all time. For 35 years she was the director of Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, California. Thousands of Christian leaders including: Jim Rayburn (founder of Young Life), Billy Graham (Evangelist), Dawson Trotman (founder of The Navigators), Robert Boyd Munger (author of My Heart, Christ’s Home), Richard Halverson (former Chaplain of the U.S. Senate), Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) considered her to be the foremost expert in training up young men and women to follow Christ. They have credited her with shaping their own ministries.

As Jim Rayburn said, “When I began my work among young people…I read everything she wrote and listened to everyone who could tell me about her. I tried my best to do things the way she would want them done.”

It’s my conviction that we, too, can learn a lot from what Miss Mears did at Hollywood Presbyterian. I would recommend highly for anyone who’s planning to lead Campaigners for more than a year to read anything you can find on Miss Mears, including Dream Big: The Henrietta Mears Story.

The thoughts that follow are based on Miss Mears’ “Ten Commandments as a Sunday School Teacher.” I have changed some of the wording to better suit the specifics of Campaigner work.

I. I will win the kids in my Campaigner group to Christ. I will expect a decision on the part of each one, and I will make sure that that decision is based on facts. I will never give up on a kid as “unreachable”.

While this sounds obvious, I’m not so sure it is. Let’s make sure that the kids our Campaigner groups are Christians – let’s not assume they are just because they come to our Bible Study…or even go to Church. Do you know when they decided to follow Christ? Could they explain to you how to become a Christian?

II. I won’t think the job is finished when a kid accepts Christ. I will help him to realize how necessity daily Bible reading and prayer. I will also put helpful books in their hands and will encourage them to unite with God’s people. I’ll always “be there for him / her.”We’re not doing a biblical job of evangelism if we think it’s done when a person trusts Christ. Follow up is essential.

III. I will see that he finds a definite place in some specified task. What she means here is that each kid needs to learn to serve and feel like he is important to the work of Christ – because he is!

Are we giving our Campaigner kids ownership in Club? Encouraging them to bring their friends to Young Life events? Teaching them to pray for their non-Christian friends? Giving them some sort of responsibility in the ministry – anything from licking stamps to sharing their testimony? Think back on your own Campaigner experience: did your leader do that for you? Do you wish they had? This is vitally important for a kid to begin to invest in his or her own Christian growth!

IV. I will bring Christianity out of the unreal into everyday life. I will show my Campaigners the practical things they should be doing as Christians.

How true this needs to be in America today, when the world is crying out for a faith that is real and has practical implications. Let’s think of creative ways that Campaigner kids can get involved in helping the helpless.

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V. I will seek to help each one discover the will of God, because the Master can use every talent. I will try to see in them what God sees. Michelangelo saw the face of an angel in a discarded stone. Christ saw a writer in a tax gatherer, a preacher in a fisherman, a world evangelist in a murderer. He takes the foolish things and the weak and despised to work His purposes.

It’s a good exercise for me to think back to the people who saw something in me and let me know it. One of my favorite prayers for my own Campaigners is that they may be of greater service for the Lord in their generation than I have been in mine. Dream big, because God makes dreams come true.

VI. I will instill a divine discontent into the mind of everyone who can do more than he is doing. In other words, challenging kids to do great things for the Lord. As Miss Mears put it, “not by telling him the pettiness of his life, but by giving him a vision a great things to be done enthusiastically, and passionately.”

The woman know of which she spoke: I once met a man who was the 400th person out of her Sunday School to be ordained into full-time ministry!

VII. I will make it easy for anyone to come to me with the deepest experiences of his inner life, not by urging, but by sympathy and understanding. I will never let anyone think I’m disappointed in him.

We need to be loving, accepting, forgiving, and encouraging of our Campaigner kids. I have long realized that more people are loved into the Kingdom or repentance that are argued into it. Remember back to when you were in high school – that usually keeps me from getting too self-righteous!

VIII. I will keep the cross of Christ central in the Christian life. Is the gospel faithfully presented in each Campaigner lesson? If it isn’t, it ought to be!

IX. I will pray as I never have for wisdom and power.

X. I will spend and be spent in this battle.

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THOUGHTS FOR CAMPAIGNER LEADERSTHE PRACTICAL STUFF

I. Create an environment where being a Christian is attractive.

Dawson Trotman, the founder of The Navigators, was once asked how he got people to memorize Scripture, Daws replied, “That’s easy! You just create an environment where memorizing Scripture is attractive.” This is the single greatest piece of practical advice I’ve ever gotten on how to do “good ministry”.

Use your creativity to shape an environment where being a Christian is exciting and attractive. You should strive to create an environment in which being in Campaigners is not going to a weekly meeting…it’s an adventure, a lifestyle, a community – was following Jesus a ‘Program’ for the disciples? It was everything – it was Life itself. In the same way we should help kids to see that we want to help them be better disciples of Christ, not just come to our weekly Campaigner meeting.

Would you go to your Campaigners if you were at the school you do Young Life at? Why or why not? What do you need to change to make it winsome?

II. Have a curriculum!

You wouldn’t dare start driving your car on a long journey without knowing first where you were going and secondly, how you were going to get there. You also wouldn’t think much of a school teacher if he or she didn’t have a lesson plan. Likewise, you need to have one for Campaigners.

Think through what you want to teach our group over the next semester, year, or 2-3 years. Plan each semester in advance. THIS IS VITAL. Ask your area director to help you.

III. Think ahead.

Little things make a difference. Do you know where Campaigners is going to be next week? What time it’s going to be? Do your kids know these things? Do they know how to get there? Whose house would attract the most kids (that may sound cynical, but I think it’s important)?

What questions might be raised concerning your topic of study? Be prepared to answer them all? Will there a non-Christians there? How can you work the gospel into your lesson?

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The Goal is Reproduction:

The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others. II Tim. 2:2

A. Life on life discipleship is the most effective way to influence the lives of kids, so we will have some kids deeply involved in our lives. Life-changing effectiveness comes from the personal time and not from meetings. A life on a life not only explains the truth but visibly demonstrates it. Kids who become a part of our lives have the opportunity to see our Christian faith lived out before their eyes. You can impress people from distance, you can only impact them up close.

B. Leaders who wish to reproduce themselves must focus their efforts on a few kids. Ask God to guide you to who He wants you to touch. Look for kids who want to go deeper, are compatible with you, and can be leaders of others. Then every time you are together look for how God might want you to help take the kid deeper in Christ. Pray together, share what God’s teaching you, memorize scripture, exhort, encourage, share your vision for their life. Give yourself away pouring your life into a kid’s life and you will find life. If you are in love with Christ yourself, then your life is God’s tool to use in the life of another.

Remember, the key to reproduction is to be growing ourselves.You are only going to take others as far as you’ve gone or have the vision to go.

Exponential Growth Chart: (shortened version)

Get 1 person each Leading 1,000 year and teach them vs. persons to Christ to also lead others every day Years (Multiplication) (Addition)

1 1 365,000 2 2 730,000 3 8 1,095,000 10 1,024 3,650,000 20 1,048,576 7,300,000 30 1,073,741,824 10,950,000

II Timothy 2:2 Matthew 28:19

Invest your life in few faithful We are to go and make disciples men who will be able to also [not converts] and teach them to will be able to also teach others. do all that Jesus commanded (including this command to go and make disciples).

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Campaigners Planning Sheet 1. Pray. Ask for help and direction as well as for the kids you hope to host!

2. Write out the specific objective for this discussion. This is your goal and the statement your friends need to grasp in order to move one step closer toward your goal. (For example: my friends will love God and others more because they have a better understanding of the truth that Jesus has come to live within them.)

3. Brainstorm scripture references. Write out any reference you know that deals with your statement. At this point you may want to consult a concordance or Bible dictionary. Comparing different translations of the same verse(s) can be helpful as well. Write where the verse(s) is found and a brief description of the passage, for example: John 14 Jesus promises the Holy Spirit:

4. Look at the verses you've chosen. Brainstorm scripture questions that deal directly with those verses. For example: John 14:1520 Who gives us the Holy Spirit? How long will the Holy Spirit be with us? What are some of the words Jesus uses to describe the Holy Spirit? As you brainstorm these verses, you may want to divide the following space into sections and keep questions written beneath the appropriate verse(s).

5. Brainstorm other discussion questions that relate to your main point, even though they may not be based directly on the scripture you read. For example: What images come to mind when you hear the words, "Holy Spirit?" What do you think some of the advantages would be to having God living within you?

6. Brainstorm sharing questions. These are questions that reveal more about the person answering the question than about the scripture or topic being discussed. For example: Since you've been following Jesus, what changes have you noticed in the way you think and feel?

7. Brainstorm stories, insights, analogies or personal experiences that help illustrate the point you're trying to make. Remember, no matter how good a story is, if it doesn't help your friends understand your point, save it for another day.

8. Action step for the week (What action can we take based on what we've learned today? Give the group time to discover and discuss this. Encourage them to come up with a specific, measurable or at least semimeasurable action for the week. For example: This week, each time I turn on the TV, I will first ask myself, "Is this something Jesus is going to enjoy watching with me?")

9. Finally, brainstorm icebreakers. Brainstorm questions or activities, attentiongetters or "hooks" to open the discussion and capture your friends' interest. For example: Who knows you better than anyone else, and how did they get to know you so well? You may want to borrow questions from previous numbers for this part.

Remember: What is expected must be inspected. Be sure you ask them for a report on their experience next week.

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FOR FURTHER READING/DEVOA Young Life Leader should know that they won’t know if they have TRULY evangelized someone, until they meet someone who was led to the Lord, by someone who was led to the Lord by them. We sometimes forget that Jesus didn’t send us into the world to evangelize…He sent us to make DISCIPLES. Matthew 28:18-22.

By definition, Evangelizing is focusing on the short term (Conversion), it is the first step in Discipling (Following Jesus for a lifetime), but is not an end in itself…rather a beginning.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a Discipler of people? Consider the call of Isaiah & Moses

I. DISCIPLING IS A MATTER OF WHO – NOT HOWA.The Call of Isaiah – Isaiah 6:5-11

1.I can’t do it – God is sufficient.2.They won’t listen or respond – It is a call to faithfulness, not results.3.How long must I go? – It is a lifetime of commitment.

B.The Call of Moses – Exodus 3:4-13

1.We come in the name of He who sent us – In the name of Christ2.We might not be adequate – “We can do all things through Him...” Phil 4:13

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Young Life believes in camping. It is an opportunity to "get out of the rut that hypnotizes most teenagers" and have an opportunity to spend hours sharing ideas and experiences. It is also a prime time to develop authentic communication on the verbal and nonverbal levels.

Young Life is based on the counselor-centered approach to camping which means that the counselor lives, eats, sleeps, participates with a group of six to eight high school people during the weekend or weeklong adventure. We have taken our philosophy of face-to-face, friend-to-friend, heart-to-heart and built it into all we do at camp. We believe the people and program need the right Property. God has richly blessed Young Life with some of the most beautiful, exciting and usable settings and facilities in the world. Their acquisition reads like a storybook of miracles. Here is the synopsis.

In the spring of 1946 serious searching for a camp property began. Mr. Guss Hill, a Colorado Springs realtor, took Jim Rayburn, H. J. Taylor, and Dr. Howard Hansen to look at a site that was for sale. Mr. Taylor offered to provide the money, $20,000. But without explanation the place was sold to another bidder. That fall, a clipping from the “New Yorker” advertising an unnamed boys’ camp in Colorado and specifying “$250,000 will handle” was put on Jim Rayburn’s desk simply as a joke. Well

Camping

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acquainted with Colorado, he knew that opening price could only be Round-Up Lodge, the most famous camp in the Rockies, one mile away from Silver Cliff Ranch! Some quiet inquiry verified his guess and brought to light an actual price of $450,00.

In January 1951, the Board approved the project, provided Jim got the money from other than Young Life's regular donors. Two months and many miracles later the bulk of the RoundUp property was purchased for $250,000. The total cost was met by ten donors plus pledges to the 1956 Fund Drive. The name of the property was changed to Frontier Ranch, which began operation in June 1951. When the staff first assembled at Frontier, they toured the grounds and held a prayer meeting of praise and dedication in every major building. Paul's testimony of "having nothing, and yet possessing all things" was being experienced in a modem miracle.

In March 1952, a Seattle businessman flew Jim into British Columbia to see an amazing property. The Malibu Club had been closed down by its owner, Tom Hamilton of Los Angeles, because it had not been successful as a "goldplated" adult resort. Neither at that time nor some months later when he first met Hamilton, did Jim think seriously about acquiring the property. The idea grew, however, as the mushrooming camp program began to crowd all the Colorado facilities. In December 1953, Hamilton set a price of $300,000 on attractive terms, provided the deal was settled that year. The buildings alone had replacement value of $425,000. In a whirlwind of action, the transaction was closed within the month.

The first $150,000 was received from four donors. The balance came from 1956 Fund Drive pledges. The Malibu camp operation began in the Spring of 1954.

In 1963 the summer home property of C. Gordon Smith of Winnipeg, a member of our Canadian Young Life Board, was given to Young Life to be used for summer camps in the Northern Minnesota lake country. It was named Castaway Club, and has been adapted to accommodate campers who enjoy the spacious lawns and water sports on big Pelican Lake near Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

Since the 60’s, Young Life has purchased over 25 camps in the U.S. Camping remains to be one of the greatest and unique tools in the ‘toolbelt’ of our ministry. They are world class, cutting edge, adventure. They provide the landscape on which we help kids get away from their ‘everyday,’ to both look back and reflect as well as look ahead and dream about their lives all while digesting the life giving and changing news of the gospel. Young Life camps are without stretch the best camps in the nation in how they are run, the excellence of the program, and the was they are staffed. They are a sweet gift we both get to receive and give away.

“Young Life is a group of people who are trying to get high school people to listen to the greatest message in all the world and who are seeking to communicate Jesus Christ by word

and example”Jim Rayburn, founder of Young life

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PLAN FOR FILLING BUSES FOR CAMPI. Develop a prayer strategyThe summer camp trip is a spiritual endeavor. We should pray for all aspects of the trip. Since many kids will meet the Lord, we want as many kids as possible to go; however, we should not neglect relationships for an exhausted effort focused only on numbers.

A. Prayer should involve leaders, committee, campaigners, and others who care for kids.B. Every possible kid should be prayed for. Don’t forget to pray for your relationships with them and that they would meet Christ, not just that they will go on a trip.C. Pray that kids would not go if it is not God’s will for them to be there. This builds confidence about the kids who are going. It also helps with the disappointments of kids who can’t go.

II. Develop a strategy to tell kids about the tripA. Know who is going and who might goB. Have some system for mutual accountabilityC. Have available camp sell tools, such as the camp video and brochuresD. Send out a letter and brochure, by April 1st, to all kids and then call every kid who got a letter.E. By April 15th, you need 3/4 of your deposits to reserve camp spots.

III. Camp sell in clubA. Mention summer camps throughout the year in talks, illustrations, sharing of past fun times. Talk one-on-one with kids about the plans for the coming trip.B. Show a camp movie or slides to help kids see what camp is like.C. Make a sign-up poster for kids interested in going and bring it to club weekly in February. D. Work early on signing up a core group of key kids (Key kids are excited themselves and their excitement can influence others). Get a deposit.E. Have run-ons at club to sell the trip through the spring.F. Plan to inform parents. Send a letter to all parents about the trip. Plan a parents night for late March. Have camp information present so you can get deposits that night.G. Have a kid who went last year share in club about camp and encourage others to go.H. Plan fund-raisers for the trip. Hold these in late March or early April.I. Plan a party for the week before the trip where you will collect the balance due and health forms. You can again show the video or slides. Have information available. At this time look for any late sign-up possibilities and follow through with them.

IV. Individual camp sell responsibilitiesA. Always have a brochure or information about camp with you. Know all the specific details about the trip.B. Be positive. Let the kids know that you would like them to go and that the trip wouldn’t be the same without them.C. Know who is going. The first thing kids want to know is who’s going. Try to know before you contact a kid who he or she would like to go with, then mention who is already going or strongly considering.D. Don’t ask kids to go to camp in a group situation. They may not say anything or if a kid says “no” it may influence the others.E. Know how to sell the best points of camp. Tell kids the benefits to them if they go. Give them positive reasons for going. Know what to say when you talk to someone you know about the trip. Someone you don’t know?

1. The trip will be a great time with their friends. 2. Everything at camp will be great: the food, the people, the activities. 3. You would like them to come.

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4. They will have a chance to think through what they believe about God. Make sure you are not being deceptive by avoiding talking about the spiritual side of camp.

F. Have a campaigner kid, or a kid who is going, ask other kids to come to camp.G. CLOSE THE DEAL. Get the deposit as soon as possible. Go to their house if necessary. No matter what a kid says, they have not decided to go until they hand in a deposit.H. Help kids get the money but let them make the initial deposit.I. Pray that God will let you know when to back off and when to be persistent. Do not let the trip become the whole focus of your relationship with them. Remember this is a spiritual battle and the enemy doesn’t want any kids to go on the trip. Pray, there is always hope. Ultimately, God is in control.J. Whenever a kid signs up, see if they have other friends they would like to see come on the trip with them. Do what you can to help them get their friends signed up.K. When you hear an excuse, know that some kids sincerely want to go, others are unsure, and some

just don’t want to go. With some kids, all you can do is pray that God will change their hearts.L. Do not become discouraged when some kids say no. See if you can help them overcome their obstacles. Have answers to these common problems:

• “My parents won’t let me.”• “That’s our family vacation.”• “I’m in summer school.”• “I have two other camps I’m going to.”• “I’ve got to work.”• “I’ll go next year.”• “I have no money.”• “None of my friends are going.”

M. Continue to follow through with the kids who are signed up. Getting their deposit does not guarantee that they will go. We need to keep in touch with them.

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GUIDELINES FOR CABIN TIMES A major responsibility of a leader at a Young Life camp is to run a cabin time for their kids. The purpose of the cabin time is to get kids talking so they can process the message. Cabin time also helps a leader understand what they are thinking. It is also a chance for kids to begin to share their lives with each other. As a leader, you are the key person, making sure that the camp staff’s attempts to communicate the gospel are, in fact, reaching your kids.

I. Be Prepared: A. Seek God’s guidance before you start. You need to depend on Christ.B. Pray!!! Be Prayerful before, during and after camp.C. Plan your times each night to get kids to talk openly about themselves and the gospel.

II. Set some basic guidelines the first night:A. Have them sit in a circle on the floor so you can make eye contact with everyone.B. Tell them you’ll meet each night and they will get to know each other better.C. Let them know that negative humor and teasing are unacceptable. They kill openness. D. I like to let them know of some of my rules for camp: be at meetings, meals and in the

cabin on time. Tell them you don’t want to be a policeman, but, if forced to, you will.E. Have them agree that what they say will be confidential.

III. The purpose of the cabin time is get kids talking so you can find out what they are thinking:A. Your job is to start the conversation, keep it on track and listen carefully. This is not a time

for you to give another club talk, but for you to listen to kids.B. You can start kids talking by beginning cabin times with a question everyone can answer.

These can be superficial early in the week (“What is your favorite movie?”) and become deeper as openness grows (“how would you describe your family?”)

IV. Get everyone to share:A. Go around the circle, letting each kid speak. Allow a kid to ‘pass’ if they do not want to

answer. Be careful where you start, try to avoid the kid who has all the answers.B. You can use a sock or ball to take turns. Toss it to someone who talks and then they throw

it to someone else.C. It helps to sit across from the quiet kids. Whoever sits directly across from you is more

likely to speak and whoever sits next to you is least likely to speak.D. You can share life stories to create an open atmosphere.

V. Try not to let the group stray off the subject:A. If you sense someone is asking a significant question, discuss it, answer it briefly and come

back on the subject. Tell them you will talk further after cabin time.B. Sometimes questions (i.e. “what about people who have never heard about Christ?”) are a

smoke screen to avoid the personal implications of the gospel.

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VI. If you don’t have an answer, don’t fake it:Kids will appreciate your honesty. Tell them you will try to find the answer. Head Leaders can help you.

VII. Coach Campaigners how to help:A. Ask them to be pace setters, helping you get the group together.B. Tell them to let their friends do most of the talking. Give them a signal for when you want

them to answer.C. Ask them to help you by listening closely to what their friends are saying and also by

silently praying during the time.D. Get feedback from them about what they see happening with their friends.E. Encourage campaigners to join you for a quiet time in the morning. Read Scripture, pray

with them, and give them a vision for ministry with their friends.

VIII. Use the Camp Staff:If it would help kids, most of the camp staff (speaker, program directors, head counselors, role play characters) are available to come to a cabin time.

IX. If your group seems to know “all the right answers”:Look for creative ways to challenge them. Sometimes playing devil’s advocate will help. Remember, just because they give the proper answers doesn’t mean Christ is real in their lives.

X. Close in prayer if you feel it is appropriate:You can close briefly, have a Christian kid pray, let kids pray silently, then you close or open prayer for anyone who wants to pray.

XI. The schedule is a secret:Remember to tell them only what they need to know about the schedule. Leave them wondering and wanting more. Tell them early in the week that you will tell them what they need to know. A good line when kid’s keep asking about the schedule: “I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.”

XII. Share a testimony: At some point during the camp, give your testimony or have a Christian kid share.

XIII.Cabin Discipline:A. Once kids are in the cabin for the night it is your job to keep them there. If you let your kids

out, you make it difficult for every other leader at camp. Try to make it fun to be together.B. Be sensitive to your noise level and to what is happening in other cabins around yours. We

are a community.C. Take leadership to get kids to sleep. If they are tired it is tough for them to understand and

pay attention to the gospel. D. Don’t allow practical jokes. They always demand retaliation and usually get out of control

as the week progresses. E. You need to make sure all your kids are at every meal and event. Head counselors are there

to help you, not to do your job.

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FOLLOW UP The Great Commission (Mt. 28:19,20) is to make disciples (followers), not just converts (one-time experience). Our goal should be “to present every man complete in Christ.” (Col 1:28) We are kid’s first contact with the Christian world. Their impression of who God is and what the Christian life is like will be influenced directly by us. We need to have a vision for the new Christian’s life and what they can become in Christ. I Thess. 2:7-12 has several key follow-up points:

• They are babes in Christ and need nurturing (vs. 7)• We need to…”impart to you not only gospel but also our very lives” (vs. 8)• Our example is our primary method of teaching (vs. 9, 10)• We should: exhort (don’t be afraid to confront), encourage, implore (vs. 11)• Our goal is to equip them to “walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you” (vs. 12)

I. Be Prepared:Make sure you will have Bibles and other beginning literature: “Beginning with Christ”, “my Heart Christ’s Home”, “My First 30 Quiet Times”

II. At Camp:One a kid makes a decision to follow Christ, discipleship starts. Encourage them to have a quiet time with you the next day. Give them a follow-up book and talk about it. Pray with them. We can get them started on the right or on the wrong foot.

III. Use the Bus Ride Home:A. Review a new Christian pamphlet with them. Memorize a verse together.B. Explain Quiet Time and have one on the bus. If you can get together a group who can

encourage each other, even better. Pick a passage, have them read it alone, get together and discuss what they learn.

C. Give them a Bible and begin to show them how to use it.D. Encourage them to tell one friend about their decision to follow Christ during the next

week. This helps them take a stand for Christ. It makes them act on their commitment, making it real back home.

E. Tell them you will be praying for them and will call them soon.

FOR FURTHER READING/DEVOCamp sell is a spiritual adventure. It helps us love faithful to our Christian call to: A. Go, Move, be the ones to take the initiative. (Matt. 28:18, Mark 16:15, Luke 4:18) B. Pursue to completion (Acts 20:24 C. Move out unashamedly (Rom. 1:16) D. Speak up boldly (Eph. 6:15) E. Keep the well being of the other in mind (1 Cor. 10:33) F. Have faith and confidence (2 Tim. 1:7, Heb. 11:6) G. Glorify God in answered prayers (Eph. 3:20)

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The key to unity is LOVE.The manifestation of that love is fellowship; and fellowship brings unity.

I. SCRIPTURAL BASIS TO LOVE

A. I John 4:19…because He first loved us…B. I John 4:7…love is from God…C. John 3:16…for God so loved…

II. DEFINITION OF FELLOWSHIP

A.Usage1. Company2. Community of interest, activity, feeling or experience3. A company of equals or friends; association

B. Fellowship can be translated as Koinonia or CommunionThe word refers primarily, though not invariable, to participation in something, rather than association with someone.

Team

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III. WE ARE CALLED TO BE UNITED

A. I Corinthians 12:20-26…many members, one body…B. John 1:12…as many as received…became sons…

IV. WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR STRONG FELLOWSHIP / UNITY?

A. DESIRE: You must first want to have fellowship with a person or a group of persons and then be willing to put some effort into it.B. COMMITMENT: No healthy relationship ever stayed healthy without a great amount of commitment.C. HONESTY: It is difficult to be able to commit yourself to someone who is not honest about him or herself.D. TRUST: People in fellowship must trust each other. This trust will grow as each member begins to honestly disclose themselves to each other.E. HUMILITY: If you fear being humbled, you probably will never experience fellowship in its purist form. One must be willing to be humbled as he/she learns to trust a group and honestly share their life with them.

V. PRACTICAL WAYS TO PROMOTE TEAM UNITY

A. Pray for one another regularly.B. Spend regular time together away from the team meeting, getting to know each other.C. Get out of town on an all day or overnight excursion as a team.D. Resist the temptation to compare different gifts and time commitments.

VI. DOING THIS TOGETHER A. It is a great help, especially for new leaders, to get to work in pairs 1. You can learn from each other 2. You’ll find solace in each other 3. Your strengths combined will be more powerful than your strengths alone. You will be

able to attract more kids simply because you’re more dynamic as a pair than by yourself 4. You don’t look as much like a stalker when you’re standing with someone else. B. Whenever you’re going to be with kids, check with other leaders - see who else might want to

come or invite their own. Share the wealth of your planning and foresight with others.

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THE 8 THINGS FOUND IN EFFECTIVE TEAMS

1. The Plans: Having a purpose. The plan is to create an environment in YL where Jesus is Lord and where people are loved. A) Matthew 22 love God and neighbor B) Matthew 28 great commission

2. The Structure: Creating purpose. Does your structure help people to love more or less? Does the way we do things increase or decrease our goal? Change it if you need to.

3. The Boss: Team builder or loving star? Do the team members trust the team leader who is in charge?

4. The Team: Recruiting and stacking hands - everyone is on the same page with what our goal is.

5. The Tools: Providing training - this doesn’t mean that we are all at the same competency. it means that we are moving towards competency and using our gifts.

6. The Atmosphere: Building community - does your team feel warm or cold? Warm teams are effective; cold teams are ineffective.

7. The Commitment: An audience of one A) Prepare, prepare, prepare - instills ownership, loyalty, and excitement in leadership B) Encourage well-rounded living - we’re healthy people doing ministry, not people being used to do a task. C) Point them to Jesus Christ - there is a devotional aspect to everything we do.

8. The Party: Making it fun - if youth work isn’t fun, then people will leave.

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Recommended Reading List:

Hurt, Chap Clark (Kid Culture)

Soul Searching, Christian Smith (Religion and Kid Culture)

Almost Christian, Kendra Creasy Dean (Religion and Kid Culture)

Simply Christian, N.T. Wright (Christianity)

Speaking of Jesus, Carl Maderis (Evangelism)

Who is this Man?, John Ortberg (Jesus)

Dance Children Dance, Jim Rayburn (Young Life Mission)

Back to Basics, John Miller (Young Life History and Philosophy)

Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning (Christianity)

Every Young Man, God’s Man, Steve Arterburn (Young Men and Christianity)

The Allure of Hope, Janice Meyers (Young Women and Christianity)

Dream Big: The Henrietta Mears Story (Prayer and Vision)

Dear Lord,

Give us the teenagers that we may lead them to Thee.  Our hearts ache for the millions of young people who remain untouched by the Gospel and for the tragically large proportion of those who have dropped by the wayside and find themselves without spiritual guidance.  Help us to give them a chance, oh Father, a chance to become aware of thy Son’s beauty and healing power in the might of the Holy Spirit.  Oh, Lord Jesus, give us the teenagers, each one at least long enough for a meaningful

confrontation with Thee.  We are at best unprofitable servants, but thy grace is sufficient.  Oh, thou Holy Spirit, give us the teenagers.  For we love them and know them to be awfully lonely.  Dear Lord,

give us the teenagers.”

- Jim Rayburn

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