Lost In The Shuffle...

Youth workers for the longest time have struggled with the numbers game. Usually it centers around how many kids you can get out for a weekend event. Numbers make us feel important...numbers give us a sense of accomplishment. For many of us who have survived our first few years in students ministry, we think we know better. Our "wisdom" has allowed us to see past the trap of the "more the merrier" mentality in ministry. Our "wisdom" causes us to say things like, "Numbers don't matter if those kids aren't being transformed by the love of Jesus." And so we wise men (and women) begin to yearn for a different type of number...converts...we want to see kids saved.
This is great. But there is one problem.
What happens when no one "gets saved" at our winter retreat? What happens when no one comes forward or raises their hand when prompted at the end of an event? Was it all a waste?
Although we may have outgrown the numbers=success issue (which if we were honest, we haven't and we struggle with it every week), we have fallen into another trap. The saved numbers=a good retreat/event game.
What God has been teaching me lately is that "decisions" aren't what matter most. Don't get me wrong, seeing kids saved by the grace of God in Jesus is great! But here is what happens when our mindset and goals are focused solely on getting kids saved. We forget about the kids we have who are saved and are justified and are looking for someone to teach them what it means to be a Christian in a crazy, confused, jacked-up world...what is means to be a sold out disciple of Jesus. It is like getting someone to sign up to run a marathon. It is great that they signed up, but if we think the battle is won, we are kidding ourselves. That is just the beginning...they need training, tips, and somone to run along with them. If we leave them to themselves and spend our time only getting kids "signed up", those who have signed up are going to most likely bail out of the race without any support, love, and guidance (enter those crazy %'s of kids leaving the church). Should we stop focusing on seeing kids come to know Christ for the first time? Not at all! But don't forget about those kids who need someone to show them what it means to go deeper with Jesus everyday...what is means to be a Gospel-centered student. This is a numbers game worth playing...