Several years ago, my wife and I bought a house for our family of six. It was an older house, built in 1970. The previous owner had updated many rooms, no doubt in an effort to attract a younger family like our own. There was one noticeable exception... the upstairs hallway bathroom.
WHEN STARTING OVER JUST MAKES SENSE
It has that original pink bathtub with gold-flecked white tiles, very similar to the one I remember in my grandparents' house from days of old. Sadly, shortly after we moved in, we found that the tub leaked into the downstairs. After several attempts to fix the issue, we concluded it was best to just not use the tub anymore. (Which also meant we'd only have one shower for all six of us...) Flash forward, we now realize that the only way it will be a functioning bathtub again, is if we remodel the bathroom.
As old as our house is, there are days when we'd love to bulldoze the whole thing and start over. But honestly, that's not necessary, since we know that the foundation is still sound. Destroying the house altogether would be a vast overreaction. Ultimately, we just need to remodel the bathroom - especially since we know that someday our kids will move out and this house will better suit a new, younger couple looking for a home to raise their family.
DO WE DECONSTRUCT OR REMODEL YOUTH MINISTRY
Lately, I've come across an increasing number of stories, books, and articles written by or about people who are deconstructing their faith. Some specifically call for an end to youth ministry. Much like my house, I don't believe we need to tear down the entire Church, or even Youth Ministry, to build something brand new on a new foundation. But I do believe our churches and youth ministries may need some remodeling if we're to engage new and younger believers. Matthew 7 speaks to the sentiment that a solid foundation built on solid ground will hold up, even if the house itself takes some damage from the storm.
With this in mind, I am excited to see the launch of the TENx10 Summit in Chicago on October 10th at 10:10 am CST (Too many tens? Sorry, not sorry!). The TENx10 Collaboration came about through conversations led by Fuller Youth Institute with multiple, diverse youth ministry leaders seeking to address the mass exodus of young people.
MAKING FAITH MATTER TO YOUNG PEOPLE
Pinetops research has shown that nearly 1 million teenagers will leave the church after graduating this year. To reverse this trend, the goal of TENx10 collaborators is to see faith matter more to ten million teenagers over the next ten years so that they too can live the abundant life in Christ spoken of in John 10:10 (there's a tens reference for you again, in case you missed it earlier).
With over 100 partnering ministries, Tenx10 has curated a number of tools and resources to help disciple youth workers so they can more effectively disciple this generation of students. With 20+ denominations among these partnerships, there is likely something helpful for everyone, no matter if you are Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, urban, suburban, rural, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, etc.
BE PART OF THE REBUILD WITH US
I encourage you to visit the TENx10 website, take the quick survey, and check out the various resources provided.Incredibly, all of the resources, including the 10-week Kickstart, are avilable to you free of charge! There are also a wide variety of youth ministry coaching options available around the country to help you take a Deep Dive into your ministry.
Join the movement to help see faith matter more to ten million teenagers over the next ten years. The clock is ticking, and it's only the beginning!
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Phil Ball is the Northwest Regional Coordinator and part of the NNYM Training Team. He loves connecting with and mentoring youth leaders to encourage them to have an impact in the lives of students and the communities they serve.
