A Lunch worth Name-dropping

Just got back from a little round table lunch with Rick Lawrence, editor of Group Magazine
Sorry for the name drop.

I was sitting around the table with various Youth Ministers "talking shop." Lunches like this remind me why I love working in the field I'm working in... because the conversation aways seems to lead back to the heart and desire to do ministry as an overflow of an intimate relationship with Christ. Seems like it would be an obvious conclusion, but it isn't always what happens.

Some highlights from our lunch:

• Rick is in the midst of finishing a book, "Jesus-Centered Youth Ministry" (may not be the exact title). You can obviously figure out the thesis of the book. Our converstaion was focused around how we feel our ministries are leading back to the focus of Jesus Christ. It's an obvious statement every youth ministry makes, yet upon examination we can all find areas of our ministries where we have to ask, "How is this leading students back to Jesus?"
• A parent who is nominally involved in their student's life will still have exponentially more impact than the best youth minister.
• Students are sick of Christianity, but are very interested in the idea of being a Christ Follower.
• Some of the most successful Youth Ministries are marked by the longevity of their staff. That staff has had to be able and willing to reinvent themselves and their methods as they've grown.

Many more thoughts, but I've got to get ready to travel around the world.