Recently I had the privilege of going with a group of nine men on a mission project to help a small church near the Canadian border. The project was to hang sheetrock in four bedrooms and a bathroom of a church parsonage in expectation of the new pastor arriving. The small church could not do the project on their own and so these men had decided to go help out.
Included in the group were three teenagers from our youth group. To be honest, I expected them to lose interest in the project about half way through the day. To my pleasant surprise, they worked just as hard as the adults and were a significant help to the overall completion of the project. In a day and time in which many people think of teenagers as slackers, it was a wonderful experience to work with some that are very focused on helping others and serving Christ through mission involvement.
I have to wonder if more teens would be involved in such projects if we just asked them. The next time your church heads out on some kind of mission effort, why not invite the teens to come along. They may be more help than you realize.
I am very proud of our teens!
ReplyDeleteLooking for practical ways to put some of the principles in this blog post into action? Purchase my book, Developing Leadership Teams in the Bivocational Church. The first part of the book explains why bivocational ministry is biblical, normal and missional. The second part of the book explains how to mobilize the laity to do high level ministry in a team setting with the pastor so that the church can be effective in reaching its community for Christ.
ReplyDeleteThe book is published by Crossbooks and you can buy the book directly from them at:
http://www.crossbooks.com/BookStore/BookStoreBookDetails.aspx?bookid=58188
The book is also available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobles.com and a many other online bookstores.
If you live in Central Vermont, you can purchase a copy at the Faith Community Church in Barre, VT.