Servant Lifestyle

I just read a Fuller Seminary doctoral thesis from a friend who has done FINK junior high/confirmation at his church for a dozen years. He won't let me quote it until he hands it in, but it was wonderful and affirming to see the good stuff he's doing at his Maryland church. The one weakness in his system was in Christian servanthood. They have veered away from the Faith Inkubators Formula of youth work which divides each month into:

Week 1    Theme/Learning Event (large group learning, small group care & processing)
Week 2    Servant/Fellowship Event (in small groups)
Week 3    Theme/Learning Event (large group learning, small group care & processing)
Week 4    Leadership Huddle (at a home to ask "what's working, what's not working, how can we make this better?" of the speakers, musicians, techies, guides, skit team, and all other parties)

In this church, they left the monthly servant/fellowship event in favor of asking small groups to do two servant events a year. Here was my response:

Dear X,

IF your church is having trouble getting kids to do servant events twice each year (parent's don't think it's important)...

and

IF Christian servanthood is better understood and experienced as a lifestyle, not just as two annual events (which can be skipped)...

and

IF Christian servanthood bonds small groups, creates great memories and aids in group cohesiveness (translating into fewer discipline problems and more fun)...

and

IF Christian servanthood experienced at a young age creates life-long servants...

THEN

I'd strongly suggest St. John consider going back to the three legged stool and elevate servanthood by going back to the FINK Formula of monthly Servant/Fellowship events as "Core" to the program. "This is just what we do."

(-;

In the 15 years of experimenting with this formula, the churches that have the most kids active as sophomores, juniors and seniors are those churches who adhere to the three-legged stool most closely... and that includes two learning/theme events, one fellowship/servant event, and one leadership huddle (off site at a home, looking more like a party than a teacher training event).

Blessings!

Rich

PS - We have added a top to the stool in the last three years - and that's the "every night in every home" expectation of parents sharing "highs and lows" with their kids. Our new journals are the tool for this... since NONE of our xeroxed hand-outs EVER make it home.

Comments

[Angie]

I've only used the FINK confo materials for four years but know that it is the fellowship and servant piece that makes this confirmation system take root. Kids learn what it means to be a follwer of Jesus Christ by doing, working, playing, talking...and that means not only Theme Nights (class time) but more importantly hands-on service and play time. Knowing that you mean something to someone else and that someone else means something to you is incredibly important...but I'm preaching to the choir. Give your friend my name, Rich. I'm preaching this song everywhere.