A Distractional Model of Youth Ministry, Part 2

I see in this story an echo of the tension between the attractional approach to ministry and the contemplative approach practiced in places such as Taizé. As is often his custom in the gospels, Jesus seeks God's presence not in crowds and activity but in silence, solitude, and prayer. It is in these moments of contemplation that Jesus deepens his understanding of the important mission to which God has called him. In this story from Mark, his time spent in quiet prayer guides Jesus to the realization that staying in one spot and drawing crowds to himself is not the mission. Rather, he is called to go to meet the people in the midst of their daily lives.

Given this, I wonder: What would happen if, for a season in our ministries, we gave ourselves permission to let go of using flash and noise to attract youth to God and instead trusted that what they might really desire is silence, contemplation, solitude, and prayer? What would happen if we let go for a time of the idea of trying to attract youth into our buildings and instead focused on helping them to experience God's presence in every aspect of their lives, particularly beyond the walls of the church? What if we decided to see what our youth programs might look like if we locked the doors of our youth rooms and sought to do ministry together out in the world?

In fact, many churches are using this exact approach, centering their youth ministries around experiencing contemplative worship, exploring forms of creative prayer, and spending time in silence and sabbath rather than with games and technology. Many ministries have found that rather than succumbing to the approach of pop culture, youth find value in "unplugging" themselves from the distraction of Ipods and Xboxes and TV, seeking God in candlelight, lectio divina, centering prayer, and the simple act of sharing communion. Many youth ministries are learning to become more "missional," decentralizing their efforts away from buildings and youth rooms, and sending their teens out to serve the needs of their communities, meeting in homes and coffee shops, working for justice in their schools, and bringing healing to their families and friendships.

In my own ministry, I've discovered that this approach sets a very different tone for our youth program. I no longer worry about trying to convince my youth that the Christian faith can be fun and exciting and entertaining. Instead, I'm free to help them discern how serious the call to faith is, for it is a call to carry a cross and follow one who worked tirelessly to speak against injustice, heal the sick, care for the poor, advocate for peace, and draw people to a life centered not in distraction but in the very heart of God's love and grace for a hurting world.