Several posts ago I talked about the need for a title change because “volunteer” wasn’t cutting it. I had a eureka moment and realized that my best job description is that of a missionary. (The dude on the left is a kick in the pants eh? I found this on Google and couldn’t pass up on his overwhelming enthusiasm!)
I probably won’t call youth ministry leaders missionaries, but I would describe their role or position as a missionary.
Think about it; Missionaries…..
A) Must learn a foreign language, ie text, slang, grunting from adolescent boys.
B) Should understand context and history before entering in.
C) Missionaries should always have the posture of learning.
D) They are “image bearers” of God in each context.
E) They are flexible.
F) They see what Jesus is already doing and join Him!
G) For survival, they must be fully dependent on Christ.
H) It helps to have an adventurous appetite. ( pop rocks, McRibs, atomic warheads)
But really, we have a mission (missio dei) and a specific people group who are in desperate need of a love that does not let up.
Nate Stratman 
March 8, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Hmmmm…does ministry in the church setting DESENSITIZE us to the truth of our calling to be missionaries? I think so!!!!!!!!!!!! (based on your criterion)
I certainly understood that I was a missionary when on staff with YL (your A-H above is BASIC training for YL staff), but now within the church…the purpose, intent, focus, training, etc…of ministry gets replaced with lots of other things.
I deliberately leave the “things” open for further conversation.
March 8, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Nate – I actually kind of like this. But it presumes you are actually willing to enter the culture and take on a mission mindset. Now, I hope you do and your leaders/vols/missionaries do, as the same for me and our crew. It definitely keeps mission at the fore!
Danny – you asked: “does ministry in the church setting DESENSITIZE us to the truth of our calling to be missionaries? I think so!!!!!!!!!!!!”
It certainly can, if we think doing ministry somehow means we are on mission. I go back and forth on this. Sometimes I think ministry comes first and results in mission, sometimes I think mission comes first and ministry grows from that.
I do not that missions is impossible with out a sense of the Lord’s call. Perhaps that’s something we need to take more time to discern with volunteers – do you sense the call of Jesus to step into this mission? If you don’t, no training/support/encouragement is going to fire that heart.
A
August 9, 2011 at 11:17 am
Before the restoration trip I gave a talk to our congregation about the youth ministry at our church and how it needs to be seen more as a mission field. Another Church in SC called New Spring approaches their youth ministry from this stance, considering multiple studies done by Barna shows that major spiritual development and choices happen before 12 and 19. Also why another guy Tim Elmore, who wrote Generation iY emphasizes the huge importance of short term mission trips and their impact on students spiritual and emotional maturity.
And yes working in a Church can to over time dissolve our sense of *true ministry and/or mission. Keeping a vision out front, as cliche as it may sound and annual if not bi-annual refocusing and evaluation of any ministry can be a huge help keeping a focus on our true ministry and/or mission.
Does this make sense?
*doing what God has individually called us to do with in the body of the Christ. Teaching, preaching, evangelizing, pastoral, apostleship… is apostleship a real word? haha.
August 9, 2011 at 11:23 am
Makes complete sense. One thing YOung Life has done is they use the word “mission” more and more describing what they do. The MISSION of YL, not the ministry or program of YL. In using that word over and over, we remind ourselves of our calling and true title.