There's a riveting scene in the 2000 Academy award winning movie Gladiator that has left a lasting mark that reinforces my commitment to building vibrant youth ministry networks in our communities.
"Back to Back, Men!"
In case you haven't seen the movie lately, let me recap the scene that I have in mind. The scene unfolds in the Roman Coliseum where General Maximus who was sold into slavery returns to Rome as a gladiator and is forced to join other gladiators to fight Roman soldier in the reenactment of the Battle of Carthadge. As the Roman chariots come charging toward the small band of gladiators, Maximus exhorts them to get "back to back". One lone gladiator charges to the oncoming chariots and is cut down.
"Back to back, men!" Maximus yells. A tumultuous battle scene unfolds as the gladiators fight as one. Ultimately, the gladiators defeat the Roman horde and stand triumphant to the crowd's amazement.
"Spur One Another"
When I first saw that scene in the theater, I was struck by the profound picture for us as believers and ministers. The life of a Christ follower or Christian youth worker was not meant to be lived alone in isolation. The writer of Hebrews admonishes us in Hebrews 10:24,25 "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, But let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching." In essence, we need to live and minister "back to back."
Stand Together
The gladiator scene is also a graphic example of NNYM's role in youth ministry. Our purpose is to provide the vision and means for youth workers at the national level and at the community level to stand together in the exciting challenge of reaching our young people.
In light of this reality, let me ask a couple of questions.
- Are we carving out time in our full schedules to cultivate some "back to back" relationships?
- Do our local ministry networks provide the environment for us to build "back to back" trust with the youth worker up the street? Without trust it's not likely that we will ever work together effectively to reach out beyond the four walls of our churches or ministries.
The realities of youth ministry today can seem much like being gladiators in the middle of the coliseum. There are many times that we can feel totally overwhelmed by external issues and feel totally under resourced to respond or make a difference. It is in these times that having a "back to back" relationship with like-minded colleagues can make all the difference. In fact, it may be the difference of not only thriving in our ministries, but surviving.
It's our heart at NNYM to help build the kind of youth worker networks that will sustain us in our efforts to win the hearts and souls of precious young people.