Potluck Youth Ministry Part II

Earlier I wrote about Potluck Youth Ministry in the Superbowl Potluck Snacks Post and I wanted to expand upon this some this morning. The idea of Potluck Youth Ministry is something that so many youth ministries across the country are doing, but it is falling short in producing students who are grounded and deep in their walk with God. Let me explain...

Doesn't everyone love Potlucks? Of course they do, but how healthy are they for you? Imagine if for every meal you had a big buffet potluck dinner. It would be great in that you could eat as much as you wanted and you would never be hungry. You would be satisfied with whatever food you wanted. I suppose if you were like most people you would load your plate up with the things you love and want and not even think about touching some of the foods that you need. Then after you have filled yourself up you will make your way to the dessert table where you will not only each one little slice of cake, but you will get a slice for every kind of cake, then top it off with pie, brownies and cookies. Sounds pretty good doesn't it?

Well, we all know that if we really ate like that we would be raising up an overweight, unhealthy generation.

So how does this relate to youth ministry? I have seen and talk to many youth pastors who look at their youth ministry with the mindset of potluck youth ministry. These take the forms in strategy & programming, and teaching. Sometimes in ministry we are so concerned about giving people what they want we forget to give them what they need.

1) Strategy & Programming - Many youth pastors have a great mission statement, vision statement, and they genuinely want to reach students for Christ. However, if you talk to them about strategy of accomplishing the vision it is based on the concept of giving students what they want and focusing on just fun stuff (As you read you will see I have nothing against fun stuff, in fact I think it is a huge part of having a balanced ministry). The problem with just focusing on fun stuff is that if your mindset is to create disciples then you should focus your energy on moving students toward maturity in Christ. If our strategy is fun then we move students toward fun and when that fun event is over they move back to whatever else is fun. Ultimately we want students coming to church because of Christ. Fun is an open door to get students connected but it is not the goal of youth ministry.

2) Teaching - Oftentimes we teach with the Potluck Youth Ministry mentality. We do this in our messages by not having a plan to take people from where they are in their relationship with Jesus and going deeper in the Word of God. Instead, our messages don't really have a plan except for that night. What about being led by the Spirit? Absolutely we should be led by the spirit. I believe God gives us messages for his people for the moments they are living in. However, the Bible is written with powerful truths and if you do not understand the foundation of it you cannot understand the rest. You have a difficult time enabling people to get a firm understanding of the Bible if we are not laying down the foundations and building on them with our students.

Understand that I am not against topical teaching. But if our topics are not leading the students to get a firm foundation in Scripture then what happens when they get to college and they face people who have questions that shake their weak foundation? Many of the student’s faith will crumble and they will turn from God.

As a youth pastor I have parents who want to know what I'm teaching their kids. I know it is on the hearts of many youth pastors to move true discipleship to the homes and in the family. Do you have a plan of where your leadership is taking the students you are ministering to? Do you have strategy of one that enables students to get what they need in a balanced way? Do you have a balanced meal approach to youth ministry or a Potluck dinner approach?

Don't forget, these students are in a place where we can impact them during some of the most crucial years of their lives. Is our goal to get students to say "wow, I had fun in youth" or "that was fun, but man God changed my life in my youth group?" Having a Balanced Ministry means, incorporating fun, and learning in an effective way. I know students and if you don't have fun with them then relationships will suffer. But if we don't teach the Word of God and how important God's truth is to students then their relationship with God will suffer. Feel free to email me (kevin@youthministryhelper.com) more about this if you have questions.

Kevin Deming