In leadership part of our job is casting vision.  We paint a picture of where we’re heading, why we’re heading in that direction, and how we’re going to get there.  This is a huge role for a leader.  But easier for some than others.  I’ve learned a few lessons the hard way about casting vision.  I’ve found the following 4 things to greatly hinder our communication of vision:

1. When we say what we’re NOT doing. For instance, we can easily say what church “is not”  (like buildings and programs) more than we can accurately communicate what it “is” and how that ought to play out in every day life.  But communicating what we’re not doing is not helping people understand where we are heading.  I have made this mistake many times and I can say from experience, it doesn’t help.
2. When we use too many words. When telling people where we are going and how we’re going to go about it we have to be clear and concise.  The more we think through things, the more concise we can be.  The more concise we are the more helpful it is.  When communicating vision, I believe, less is more.
3. When our leadership uses different terminology. If people use different vocabulary vision is confused in everyone’s mind.  A great deal of time must be spent on getting everyone to “speak the same language” if we want to cast vision.
4. When words are not clearly defined. Everyone tends to attach connotations from our past experiences to words.  So, if we’re going to clearly communicate our vision we have to make sure everyone knows how we define terms.  For example, if we desire people to live in “community” we will have to define what it is we mean when we use that word.  If we don’t, expectations aren’t met and confusion sets.  This inevitably leads to frustrated people who don’t see the vision we’re seeking to cast.

This is a pretty cool depiction of where youth are today and what they want and what they don’t.  I think, at least in ways, this applies to our ministry to college-age people as well.  This is put together by Student Life and, in my opinion, it’s very well put together.  Anyway, just some reminders of who we are reaching out to and what it is they are want/need from us…

I just read an article by Mike Yaconelli that was, well, cool.  Inspiring in many different ways and yet dangerous in others.  But good.  He wrote an article called, “Letter To A Young Graduate” that would be a good, fairly brief, read for you.  Here’s a brief blurb from the beginning…

“Dear David,

When I think of you getting out of high school I think of the Prodigal Son (see Luke 15). In this parable from Jesus, the younger son goes to his father and says, “Give me my inheritance.” In my perspective, the younger brother wants his inheritance not because he’s greedy or shallow or disrespectful but because he’s dying inside. He wants the inheritance because the light in his soul is going out, because life at home is dampening his spirit, because something in him tells him that there’s more. More!

So the younger son tells his Dad, “I’ve got to get out of here. I need to see if there’s more to life than being a good . . .” And the father (who is supposed to represent God) says, “Sounds like a great idea. You’re making a great move. Any time you want to go and seek life, I’m all for it. Here’s your money. Go with my blessing. Seek and you shall find.”

So off the young son goes with his dad’s blessing and for the first time in a long time he feels alive. He feels free and full of possibility. He’s finally following this burning in his chest. He’s following this desire…”

To read the full article, click here.

Today I decided to come down to Oregon State University to work.  I’ve never been here before.  Odd, I know, being that I live in Oregon.  But, I live about 90 minutes away and there are over 100k students on campus within 20 minutes of where I live.  In other words, I’ve had plenty of other campuses to visit.  Anyway…

I came here today to just check it out and get some work done from a coffee shop around campus.  I love hanging out around campuses, especially when I’m writing.  But, as usual, I met some people.  It’s amazing what can happen if you just hang out around campus.  I wasn’t here for much more than an hour when I met Isaiah and Amy.  They work at a coffee shop called, “The Beanery.”  Conversation moved from coffee, to their lives, to Isaiah heading off on Friday to Thailand to work with children caught in slavery.  Long story short, before I knew it I had met 6 different students and listened to their story of what God is doing through them here on this campus.  They even took me upstairs to their “upper room” where they rent an apartment to set aside for prayer.  The picture on the left is their prayer request and answer wall.

From what I understand the rent for this apartment is funded solely by student donations.  So cool.

It was fun to meet them, hear their story, and to pray for them and be prayed for by them.  Great, and encouraging time.

I guess my point is this: Not frequently hanging out around college campuses only causes you to miss out on so many things.  Don’t miss it.  Get out, frequently and consistently, to campus.  Pray for God to bring up fruitful conversation.  We don’t need to force it – I never do.  But it’s amazing what happens when we pray……

In The Slow Fade we discuss something we call, “Non-mentor Mentorship.”  I recently did a seminar in Atlanta on this concept.  In that seminar I described 3 major shifts a Non-mentor Mentor makes from the traditional idea of “mentoring.”  How do you compare?

1. From Information to Imparting Wisdom. The shift is moving away from our tendency to view mentorship as giving information and moving toward a focus on living out the information we already know.
2. From Fixing to Mutual Fascination. The shift here is moving away from viewing a college age person as someone who needs to be “fixed” – or as a project that we need to move toward completion – and moving toward a relationship where the mentor and mentee are simply fascinated with what God is doing in one another’s lives.
3. From Teaching to Mutual Transformation. The shift here is moving away from the mentor simply making sure their conclusions (or the church they attend) are being known by the mentee and moving toward a relationship where both are being transformed by the way God is using each in the other’s life.  It’s a movement from conversation focused on conclusions to walking together in/through daily life as followers of Jesus.

In a book I co-authored called, The Slow Fade I wrote an appendix where I articulate 5 characteristics of churches that embrace college age people.  I didn’t intend on this being an exhaustive list, but simply 5 things churches who are effective in reaching college age people are embracing.  So, I thought I’d include a very brief outline here:

1. They define success by relational connections.  Churches that focus on relational connections with people in their church as a whole, and specifically between younger and older believers, versus numbers of people attending (or even participating in a weekly gathering) are effective in having a long-term ministry to college age people.
2. They hold older believers accountable to embracing their responsibility to invest in younger people. And the extent they can do this is the extent they consider themselves successful.  See 2 Timothy 2:2 for men and Titus 2 for woman.
3. They seek to minister to the family as a whole. Churches that embrace family ministry, in it’s purest sense, tend to be more effective long-term with college age people.
4. They place a healthy value on difference. Churches that promote the beauty of differences between people are more effective in bridging inter-generational relationships….and thus are more effective long-term with college age people.  These churches value differences of personality, giftedness, and age stages of life.  Giving all a voice in their churches – which means they don’t just say this is a value, they actually embrace it.
5. They give college age people a voice. Churches that actually listen to college age people are usually very effective in their long term ministry to them.

I was on a plane recently and was looking out the window at the clouds.  I love doing that.  It free’s my mind from so many things.  Nobody can call my cell, I typically can’t check email, and I always request a window seat.  I used to request the aisle, but have found that the window allows me to really think, pray, and process much better.  Plus I don’t feel so confined – just a personal issue, I guess.

I’m often praying for God’s favor and blessing on our ministry.  And I’m always, of course, seeking to be in tune with what He wants for us.  Well, recently as I was enjoying the beauty of clouds and mountain tops, I was praying through ministry.  And something hit me like a ton of bricks.  And that is that I can’t expect God to bless what I’m doing.

Yeah, I said that.

All the sudden I realized that God doesn’t bless what I’m doing.  He blesses what He’s doing.  And, in fact, He always blesses what He’s doing.  The question is: am I in line with what He’s doing?

Are you asking God to bless what you’re doing…..or are you in tune with what He’s doing?  If it’s the latter, then no worries.  God always blesses what He’s doing!  We just have to be in line with that…

I am NEVER surprised at what college age people do, can do, and won’t surprised at what they will continue to do.  For instance, I have friends that started organizations like Invisible Children…in their early twenties.  Jason Russell, the founder of Invisible Children, used to crash in my room at Hume Lake in the summer of 1999. We worked there together. He was always passionate, went to film school at USC, and wanted to be a part of something amazing. It’s crazy to see what God has done through them there!

And I just came across this video, which happened to win Donald Miller’s video contest for a person living a great story.  At the end of the video take a look at who’s invested in this.  Yep, college age people….

“Slipping through the cracks” is a cliché term used for many things, but unfortunately it’s all too familiar in our churches. Mostly it’s come to define what happens to many kids as they transition out of high school youth ministry.

Ministries intentionally reaching college-age people cannot solve the entire issue, but the lack of them certainly contributes to the drop-off during this transition. Most churches have yet to embrace a ministry specifically to this life stage, leaving them without guidance and often feeling unwanted and detached. They don’t fit in our traditional ideas of student ministry anymore, and they certainly don’t feel like adults.

Means vs. End
The evaluation of whether or not a high school ministry is successful must include how it helps students transition into adulthood. Without embracing this idea, we hinder the growth and maturity of our young people.

Once our kids graduate from high school ministries, many disconnect. Yet our actions scream, “We don’t care about you anymore! You don’t belong in our church! You’re not important enough for us to address your life stage issues!” Of course we would never say that and our heart certainly doesn’t feel that way, but our actions seem to be speaking louder than either.

Is the point of our high school ministry to get students to come, or is it a small part of the life long discipleship process of individuals? Is our high school ministry the end, or is it a means to a greater end? For both questions I hope it’s the latter. If not, we’ve falsely defined success in ministry.

Necessary Recognitions
Before we look at practical ways in which we can help our graduates transition into adulthood, I want to make sure we understand why we………….to read the rest of the article click here

I recently read an article in USA Today called, “Millenials Are Honest About Faith.”  In the article Mark Driscoll articulated a few things he recognizes across the country.  I agree with much of this with some nuances I might add, re-clarify, or subtract, but I’m wondering if you agree or disagree…?  Here’s what he said:

“One, adolescence is extending into the early thirties. Practically, this means that young people are delaying most major life decisions from career path to marriage, children, and even which set of spiritual beliefs they will adhere to. Subsequently, their ambiguity and lack of certainty about Christian doctrines is not surprising in light of their entire life.

Two, young people are committed to churches not built for them but built by them. Around the country young people are flocking to churches that have clear authoritative Bible teaching about real life issues, are lead by authentic leaders, include night services, use online social media, embrace technology, serve the poor and suffering, strive for community, encourage creativity, and allow young leaders to lead at the highest levels.

Three, young people are more spiritually honest. The days of feeling some sort of cultural pressure to adhere to historic Christian truths is simply gone. Subsequently, we may not be seeing younger people less devoted to Jesus Christ but simply more people being honest so that those who in the past would have professed faith they did not possess or practice are simply being honest which is more admirable than being a hypocrite.”

What do you think?  Seen this in your context or ministry?

If you’d like to read the entire article, click here.