How do you plan to reach the youth in your city?
To be quite transparent, the question posed this week and the
accompanying article made me have to really take a good hard look at
two important points of focus in my Youth Ministry. One, has my Youth
Ministry even considered formulating a plan for our city, let alone,
even have a plan in mind? The second point being, exactly how much
emphasis I have even put forth when comes to the issue of prayer in my
personal walk and in my minstries?
In my first full year on staff as Youth Leader, my biggest challenge
was to rebuild, from the ground up. a ministry that had been
leaderless for 8 months. I went about the task as I had approached
most of the tasks in my life. A mission to be accomplished, a
challenge to overcome, a puzzle to be solved. Not as a group of young
souls that needed a strong spiritual mentor to teach them about what
it means to be a disciple of Christ and a child of God. I know see
that my initial approach was a result of pride and arrogance on my
part. Now, my plans are to reach the youth under my care first, before
I can even begin to think about reaching the youth in my city.
That being said, this article by Bob Tolliver has really opened my
eyes and my spirit to the steps needed to be taken to reach not only
cities but reaching people for Christ. Actually, when I began reading
the article, I had no idea that the direction of the author's intent
for reaching cities was prayer. I was expecting a more, let's say,
practical and hands on approach to it. Which is exactly what we do as
humans. We are always letting our minds guide us into what WE can do,
not what does God want us to do. The points he discusses about finding
the spiritual entrances and knowing the spiritual history of a city
were subjects I had never considered in being effectective towards
reaching a city for God. I know see that any ministry trying to make
any effective effort towards reaching and changing a city and those
who live there, begin with one thing....prayer. I also like the way
the author broke it down into the different types of prayer that are
needed in these situations. The normal prayer we would pray for
change, access, wisdom, direction and discernment. We also need
strategic prayer that is more specific and aimed towards those issues
that need the most attention. Lastly, prevailing prayer that continues
through all types of setbacks, stresses and concerns. Prayer that
prevails through so that it may do all it was sent out to do.
This gave me even more hope that one day, with the help of other like
minded, loving people of God; that not only we will be able to reach
cities but states, regions and nations with prayer being at the
forefront and the base of all that we accomplish for this world
through God's strength, love, wisdom and guidance.
On Jan 16, 11:07 am, New York Youth Leaders Association
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youthleaderstr...@gmail.com> wrote:
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http://www.cityreaching.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/applogic+ftcontentserver?G...