Malvaro's Cozy Library

[RevDWW]

We are told to not be weary in well doing that in due season we will shall reap if we don't faint. Persistence pays.



But above all we have to remember that no matter how much we plant and water, it's God that gives the increase.

[Malvaro]

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[BoredOutOfMyMind]

Some good seed message material here!

[Malvaro]

http://www.christianitytoday.com/out...ationlost.html

Generation Lost?
Author/apologist Josh McDowell says the American Church is losing a generation as youth leave the Church in alarming numbers. What do they believe? What are the issues? And how can churches turn young people back to God?
Interview by Lindy Lowry
from Outreach magazine, May/June 2006

After examining the research on today's youth (ages 11 to 17) and reflecting on his interactions with thousands of young people, 66-year-old apologist Josh McDowell knew he had to sound an alarm.

"I didn't want to," he says. "I've been struggling with this for 14 years and have been praying for God to just wake up some people."

But more discouraging conversations with youth, parents and church leaders only reinforced his need to write the newly released book, The Last Christian Generation (Green Key)—a warning to church leaders and parents that the Church is losing the younger generation.

Recently, McDowell sat down with Outreach Editor Lindy Lowry to talk about what young people think about church and Christianity, the need for intergenerational ministry, and what church leaders can do to help avert this growing crisis.

Lindy Lowry: Josh, you say that Christian young people are walking away from the Church. Are they walking away from the modern traditional church or Christianity?

Josh McDowell: It's a balance. Parents tell me, "Josh, my child is losing his faith; he no longer believes what we've tried to share with him his whole life." Basically, any parent with a child 15 years of age or younger, will probably hear phrases like, "Well, Mom, that's your truth" or "If it works for you guys, wonderful—but it doesn't work for me."

My research and observations tell me that youth are walking away from their perception of what Christianity is and teaches. They're saying, "The church I've attended since I was young is no longer relevant to me." They're not really saying that Christianity is irrelevant, but it's how they've understood Christianity.

LL: How do they understand it?

JM: They define Christianity primarily by their experience with their church's youth ministry or youth group, which they see as boring. They attend for the fun, food and fellowship, but for most kids, the youth leader's "spiritual devotional" is boring. Remember, though, that half of today's churches run less than 75 attendees overall, and can't afford a full-time youth leader. So for most kids, youth group involves a small number of students led by a volunteer youth worker with little expertise and little time to prepare.

They also see church as non-stop activity. The traditional approach of many full-time youth ministers is entertainment, entertainment, entertainment—high-energy games, interactive participation, trips, retreats. The problem is that most church activities simply don't engage young people in a relational interaction about the truth of God's Word.

The research also reveals that church seems like just a series of events to youth. To most of our young people, church is more like a tennis match than a block party. They see church as more of an observing and listening place than a participating and interacting community. They're there, but nothing really gets through to their minds and hearts, and as a result, we see little transformation in their lives. And that's why when they get to college and their philosophy professor starts to talk about other faiths and beliefs, they fall away. They were never grounded in the first place, even though they were at all the church events. Events are only valid if they initiate or intensify the transformation process. The idea of just throwing in events with no real purpose other than to keep young people busy or entertained is counterproductive, as the research shows.

LL: Do you sense that churches are beginning to realize that youth have a distorted view of God due to their church experience?

JM: Yes, I think churches are starting to understand that we are going to need less programmed ministry and more process-driven ministry.

LL: How would you define process-driven ministry?

JM: It's a radical shift in the way we do youth ministry. In process-driven ministry, everything you do—the events you plan, the resources you use, the lessons you teach—is designed to move youth toward Christlikeness. To kids, today's "structural church" model often appears to be more concerned about events and making a Gospel presentation to a spectator audience than about perpetuating a constant relational interaction with God. Kids just don't relate to this structural model; it doesn't translate. I think we must shift to a "missional church" model—one that's engaged in a spiritual formation process with youth, leading them to know the person of God so that they can respond to Him and become conformed to the image of His son.

LL: Why does process-driven ministry resonate with youth?

JM: Because it's all about relationships, and today's teenagers are perhaps the most relational and community-oriented generation in history. Studies reveal that relationships score extremely high in the hearts and minds of our young people. God gave us truth relationally, through His Son. So we must teach truth relationally, which means understanding that we have a relationship with our heavenly Father, which drives how we live. In Psalm 26:3, David says, "I've been constantly aware of your unfailing love, and I've lived according to your truth." Now, if David had not seen that unfailing love, even when he stumbled big, he would never have lived according to that truth. We've stopped teaching truth that way—and we're losing our kids.

When kids understand that God is passionate about them and wants to have a relationship with them, it's like the light finally goes on. But today, it's difficult for a kid to grasp that because most youth don't even think that their own dad is passionate about a relationship with them. Moreover, our first perception of God is the image of our earthly father. That's why we need more adults involved in youth ministry who have passionate relationships with God, their spouses and their children. They can model those values for kids.

LL: What are the first steps to becoming process-driven?

JM: I am a big believer in intergenerational youth ministry. We have such a departmentalization of Chris-tianity when everyone goes to his or her respective, age-specific areas on the weekends. The toddlers go to one place, the tweens, another. The youth have their spot. The marrieds gather here, the singles there. The seniors are someplace else. Kids need to learn the truth of the scriptures from other generations and see how it's worked out in their lives. Hardly any family sees that today. Churches should offer one or two classes for the whole family on Sunday morning. Youth come with their family, and they learn truth and experience community among the generations.

We've got to get the generations interacting with each other. We need to proactively recruit spiritually mature adults to help youth leaders. For every eight to 10 kids, you need a married couple involved in the youth ministry. They're at the youth meetings, the outings; the youth go to their homes.

Now, here's another thing I'd propose. It's extreme, but I would say to every church, "First, fire your youth pastor." I'm serious. Every youth pastor in America should be fired. Second, fire your family pastor—and rehire the family pastor as a family and youth pastor. Then rehire the youth pastor under the family pastor. Youth pastors are normally single and in their early 20s. Because of their age, they have no authority with adults, and you need someone who has authority and commands respect with parents. That would be the family pastor. So now, it's the family and youth ministry. That kind of restructuring is the first step to having an intergenerational youth ministry.

LL: Many churches are struggling to have two pastors on staff.

JM: You're right. But even then, the direct line should be either the senior pastor or the affiliate pastor. On the organization chart, one of the affiliate pastor's responsibilities would be family and youth.

*continued*

[Malvaro]

*continued*

http://www.christianitytoday.com/out...ationlost.html

LL: How can leaders evaluate their youth ministry to determine if it's process-driven and transformational? Are there any signposts they can look for?

JM: They need to observe their youth, then ask themselves some questions: Has there been a change in the belief systems of my kids? As I talk to them, is it different from talking to a non-Christian young person? Have I seen distinct changes in their character? Are they more involved in how they talk about God and Christ? Has there been a change in their pattern of worship? What are their relationships like with their friends? Are they influencers or are they influenced? Are they sharing their faith? Also, if their parents are not playing a big part in their spiritual lives, there's a great chance that youth will walk away.

LL: If you could give senior pastors three messages to help them avert this generational crisis, what would they be?

JM: First, if youth ministry is not your top priority, it will fail! Youth ministry rises or falls, not with the youth pastor, but with the senior pastor. I think about Church on the Move in Tulsa , Okla. The pastor, Willie George, is so passionate about youth that he led the church's youth ministry for a year and had others speak for him from the pulpit. As a result, the youth ministry totally turned around.

A few months ago, some church leaders came to me and said they were thinking about letting their youth pastor go. And I told them, "Before you do that, you should take a long look at your senior pastor—maybe you need to let him go." Youth ministry needs to be emphasized from the pulpit. And that includes preaching sermons on the importance of parents being there for their kids.

Second, you must live out what you're saying—in your own marriages and with your children. If the congregation doesn't see that, it doesn't matter what you say from the pulpit, both the youth and their parents will reject it.

Third, you need to mentor your youth pastor or whoever leads the youth. It breaks my heart that so many youth pastors say their senior pastor is not involved in their lives or their ministry.

LL: A lot of senior pastors are former youth pastors, so they should know how it feels.

JM: Yes, but they never had anyone model a mentoring relationship to them, so now they don't feed back into their youth pastor. They don't know what it looks like. It's the No. 1 comment I hear from youth pastors: My senior pastor isn't involved in the youth ministry or my life.

LL: Do you have hope that this young generation can be saved?

JM: Yes, because God is God! Moreover, the Gospel is about transformation. And if it can happen in the first century, it can certainly happen here. My daddy, when he was sober, would tell me, "Son, a problem well-defined is half-solved." So I feel like we've defined the problem; now we have to solve it.

And I'm seeing church leaders starting to ask, 'How do we solve this?' In all my 45 years of ministry, I haven't seen this many youth leaders concerned about teens. And that plants hope within me. I'm also starting to see senior pastors become a little desperate.

And I think we're starting to see a cultural reaction to postmodernism and subjectivity. In the last four to five years, more teens have used More Than a Carpenter (Tyndale), which I published in 1987, than ever before. Today's kids are interested in spiritual things—they're on a quest to fulfill themselves. So right now, we're in a beautiful place to engage and influence this young generation.

This content originally appeared in the May/June 2006 issue of Outreach magazine, the gathering place for ideas, insights and stories of today's outreach-oriented church leaders. For more ideas and information, visit outreachmagazine.com.

Here are a few of the points that jumped out at me....

• youth are walking away from their perception of what Christianity is and teaches
• They define Christianity primarily by their experience with their church's youth ministry or youth group, which they see as boring
• They also see church as non-stop activity...The problem is that most church activities simply don't engage young people in a relational interaction about the truth of God's Word.
• They see church as more of an observing and listening place than a participating and interacting community. They're there, but nothing really gets through to their minds and hearts, and as a result, we see little transformation in their lives
• In process-driven ministry....is designed to move youth toward Christlikeness
• When kids understand that God is passionate about them and wants to have a relationship with them, it's like the light finally goes on
• We've got to get the generations interacting with each other. We need to proactively recruit spiritually mature adults to help youth leaders. For every eight to 10 kids, you need a married couple involved in the youth ministry. They're at the youth meetings, the outings; the youth go to their homes.
• First, if youth ministry is not your top priority, it will fail! Youth ministry rises or falls, not with the youth pastor, but with the senior pastor
• Youth ministry needs to be emphasized from the pulpit. And that includes preaching sermons on the importance of parents being there for their kids
• Third, you need to mentor your youth pastor or whoever leads the youth

Any thoughts?

[Malvaro]

http://www.baptistboard.com/showpost...08&postcount=1

"Lifestyle Evangelism" vs. Soulwinning

Posted by: DanielFive

A lot of Christians attend churches where they talk about getting people saved. Very few Christians are actually
seeing people getting saved. The difference is between "Lifestyle evangelism" as practiced by a lot of churches
and old-fashioned Soulwinning as practiced in the Bible. What are these differences? I've listed a few:

1. Lifestyle evangelists go on visitation.
2. Personal Soulwinners go Soulwinning.

3. Lifestyle evangelists give out tracts to salve their consciences and to be read later by the lost person.
4. Personal Soulwinners use tracts to introduce themselves and to read to the lost person as they give the plan of salvation.

5. Lifestyle evangelists drive around and wave at people.
6. Personal Soulwinners get out and talk to people.

7. Lifestyle evangelists choose carefully who they talk to.
8. Personal Soulwinners talk to everybody.

9. Lifestyle evangelists use every new program that comes along.
10. Personal Soulwinners use God's tried and true program.

11. Lifestyle evangelists talk about themselves and their church.
12. Personal Soulwinners talk about Jesus and His power to save.

13. Lifestyle evangelists think if they "live the life" people will notice and someday want to get saved.
14. Personal Soulwinners know that "living the life" includes talking to others and telling them how to be saved!

15. Lifestyle evangelists hang baggies on doors and have soulwinning "contacts."
16. Personal Soulwinners look folks in the eye and have converts!

17. Lifestyle evangelists expect sinners to come to them for information about salvation.
18. Personal Soulwinners rely upon God to have somebody waiting for them to GO to and to GIVE information about salvation.

19. Lifestyle evangelists wait until "people are ready" to get saved -they do a lot of waiting!
20. Personal Soulwinners "wait upon the Lord" - they spend most of their time Soulwinning!

21. Lifestyle evangelists use modern "Bibles" so that they can be understood.
22. Personal Soulwinners use the preserved word of God so that the Gospel can get through!

23. Lifestyle evangelists preach a works/"Lordship" Salvation.
24. Personal Soulwinners preach salvation by Grace and nothing else!

25. Lifestyle evangelists spend a lot of time accusing Soulwinners of preaching "easy prayerism" or " easy believeism."
26. Personal Soulwinners spend a lot of time Soulwinning and seeing people saved!

27. Lifestyle evangelists get mad at Soulwinners who are getting the job done.
28. Personal Soulwinners get mad at sin and the devil!

29. Lifestyle evangelists are lazy buzzards who have fallen for the Devil's lie.
30. Personal Soulwinners are crazy nuts who want to punch the Devil in the eye!

31. Lifestyle evangelists have a real burden to reach folks with a lot of "disposable income" who can tithe.
32. Personal Soulwinners have God's burden to reach sinners!

33. Lifestyle evangelists can be found knocking on doors in the finest neighborhoods.
34. Personal Soulwinners can be found where the police are afraid to go!
.....

"Lifestyle Evangelist" or Personal Soulwinner - which are YOU?

and no, I don’t frequent Baptist forums.... I found this while searching for “lifestyle evangelism”....

[mizpeh]

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