It’s a new year and perhaps you’re considering making the move. Is your church ready to move away from traditional children and youth ministry by making the leap to next generation ministry? It is a leap . . . a leap of faith. What will the pastor think? What will the people (the members) think? Will they back you or will you lose your job?
Faith is the opposite of fear. Worry and doubt often creep in replacing peace and prayer. But don’t lose heart. Many great feats would never have happened had fear won the day. Would man have ever landed on the moon? Would Columbus have ever sailed the ocean blue? Missionaries GO because the risk is worth the reward — even if they lose their life, they know what awaits them in heaven.
You do need to get your pastor’s blessing before moving ahead and it would be good to give your families, leaders, and students a heads up with informational meetings preceding the move. But at the end of the day, you still have to jump. And you have to bring a significant number with you.
I can’t promise you everything is going to be smooth. I’m almost two years into my next generation ministry experiment and not everything has run as planned. Sometimes leaders don’t show, curriculum goes missing, and on some weeks, the crowd may wane, but it is important to stay the course. Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint. I know I am glad I didn’t go back. NGM is a great model because of the unity it will bring your church family as it works within an overarching strategy for making disciples of the next generation. NGM is also family-friendly and intergenerational-friendly.
Allow for me to give you two examples for encouragement as you near the cliff and attempt to jump to the other side. I recently went to the movies and watched Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. As I watched, there was one character that stood out to me, not to mention the sassy K-2SO droid. Chirrut Imre was a blind human male born on the moon Jedha. He was of the order of spiritual warrior-monks of a group called Guardians of the Whills. I’ll skip all the biographical information about Chirrut and just say I liked him because he could kick butt. A blind man who knows how to use a weapon and take names!!!
Second example: As a child growing up in the state of Georgia, I became familiar with a man who pioneered the genre of soul music during the 1950’s by combining blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel styles. Known as “The Genius,” this man was blind from the age of seven. I knew of him because he famously recorded the state song Georgia On My Mind. Yes, I am talking about Ray Charles, the African-American man who sat behind a piano with his shades on and could play you straight to sleep.
Both Chirrut and Ray were blind, but their lack of sight did not prohibit them from being great. Yes, one character is fictional and one is not, but in their own world, they exhibited a trait that goes against the grain. They went against all odds and came out on top. Helen Keller comes to mind too as she was both deaf and blind but still earned a college degree.
Go ahead . . . JUMP! But before you do, let’s add one item to the mix: a blindfold. If God is calling you to jump, he is going to make sure your feet land on the other side—so we might as well make this jump look exciting and daring. I can’t help but think of daredevil Nick Wallenda right now, known for his tightrope walks and high wire acts which are done without a safety net in place.
As you look across (don’t look down) and pray above, I feel led to leave you with Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”