I’ve often wondered what it’d be like to be a part of a church that is rapidly growing in numbers — to see an influx of new people every week that keep coming back. I’ve also wanted that for a youth ministry. Granted, I did see substantial number growth in the junior high ministry in Lincoln (at JSCC), but that is about it. Lately, I’ve been wondering what it really takes to get new people in the doors. I know this should not be my primary goal, but I can’t help but think about the thousands of teenagers in this area who have nothing to do with God. How do I reach them? How do I let them know about this Savior who can change their lives? How do I prove to them this is something worth looking into? I know I must depend on a team of adults and students doing that which I cannot do on my own, but it is still a series of questions that run through my head quite often. And it gets tough when I begin to think about the whole numbers thing. I know it’s not all about that, and I try not to focus on it. It has been great living in New England where the numbers comparison is not there as much, but for some reason it still is in my head. I believe it is because of the amount of people who aren’t involved in church. There are abut 100,000 people in this county, yet I would take a guess that only 2,000 are probably in a church on Sunday.
I know I need to be praying, because God can do anything. But it gets tough when that is all you can do at times. I want to find an answer and solution that solves these questions. I want to know how to let everyone know about God’s love and His amazing gift. It is an overwhelming thought, but I believe that I have this passion for a reason. So, until God gives me an answer, I will continue to pray.
It is tough when the standards of youth ministry through the ages do not work. For instance, this summer, I tried having several “friend events” where the students could invite their friends to a non-threatening environment. I tried to keep all the costs down, and tried to think of fun things to do. Well, put quite simply, that failed. Not only are students gone almost all summer on vacations in New England, they don’t seem to get excited about things like this. No matter how many times I try to invite them, I still only ended up with a handful of students, which usually involved no one new. The whole point of these events were to invite your non-Christian friends, but that hardly even happened. So, I’m back to the drawing board. How do I get more students experiencing God? Right now, I have decided to focus more on individuals. It’s going to be a much slower process, but that’s how it has to be for now. I will start doing things with 1 or 2 students at a time, telling them I want them to invite a friend along. If this doesn’t work, I am out of ideas, and I must go back to praying for answers once again. Ministry is all about trial and error, but I am getting tired of error. I would love it if something really worked here.
Anyhow, sorry about the ranting, but I had to get it off my chest. I’d appreciate your prayers. It looks like I am getting more adults who are showing an interest in helping, so keep praying for that. Thanks so much for your support.
Steve Cullum 