What Does Your Letter to Youth Workers Have to Do With Me?

In a word, everything! Oh you may not be a youth worker, but the principles still apply. You see we need to hold on to a Kingdom perspective in all we do. You may not be playing gross-out games when you should be communicating the Gospel, but are you on mission? I chastised the youth workers for not using their three hours a week with their students wisely. You and I may have considerably less time with our “audiences.” Everything we do or create has an opportunity to connect with people, maybe even for only a second. How are we using the opportunities we have been given? Are we being faithful or are we wasting time? The way to know this is to understand what God has called you to do and gauging our activities accordingly.

We also need to mind the boundaries. Beyond the silly games, one of the things that has continually alarmed me on youth ministry pages is how influenced we are by the culture. I see some who are teaching things that stand in direct opposition to the Gospel. The thing we need to remember is that we are powerless to change the Gospel, but the Gospel has tremendous power to change the culture. Those of us with creative gifts are called to do precisely that. To speak the word of God into culture. This means we use our gifts to communicate God’s truth and to open doors for the Gospel. Will this be easy? Probably not. Will it make a difference? It can’t help but do that, because of God calls us to it, He empowers it.

Now one last thing I want to make sure you see, because it applies. I am not opposed to using games and other things that are fun. I am opposed to pointless games. Sometimes we are called to create things that are not overtly spiritual. The thing is even in these it should point to something more. I’ve seen people use games in youth ministry to tremendous success, if the game can be used to illustrate where the lesson is headed, it can be a great tool. Likewise our creative projects can be great lead ins. The thing is we need to make sure that everything we do, especially in a worship setting, leads to the point of what we are trying to communicate. One of the reasons I love to paint in worship is because it draws people into the message. I deliberately design my work to be as vague as possible for as long as possible and sometimes it is not overtly spiritual. The reason for that is simple. It makes people wonder what’s coming next. When I design a service, my goal is that every element of that service, every song, every piece of media, everything I use draws the worshipper to the point God has led me to communicate. Done correctly, nothing is wasted and everything draws the people in to God’s truth.

I would like to close with a perfect reminder from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians because I think it sums up this message perfectly. Ephesians 5:¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Let that verse be your guide as you create and I believe you will create something that draws people to the Lord.