There are some youth ministries (and churches) out there who believe that the level of emotion that one experiences in their worship, prayer times, testimonies, etc, is an accurate gauge of one’s discipleship and growth as a believer. The equation is pretty simple: the greater/deeper emotional response = the greater/deeper encounter with Christ. And while emotion should definitely not be suppressed or avoided, we must be careful not to blindly adopt this equation of ‘emotion = discipleship.’
I speak as one who was quite susceptible to emotionalism as a teenager in the youth ministry I was a part of growing up. Discipleship and spiritual maturity was all about who generated the greatest emotional response to a sermon, music set, at a retreat, an alter call, and so on. One particular night I remember my youth pastor challenging us during a time of corporate confession (around a bonfire of course) to "not hold back and be real before Jesus." As students began to share, I was well aware of my sin and didn't want to leave that night still 'hiding my sins from Jesus.' So, as a 17 year old teenager, I confessed everything in front of the group... Everything I could possibly think of. The mood had definitely been set by my youth leader and he later commended me for how open and honest I was. While I believed I was being obedient to God at the time by airing out all of my garbage, I look back at the whole experience and cringe at how honest I was before them... Not because confession is wrong but because of the young ears who heard all of those confessions. I lacked the discernment that 'confessing everything' might not have been the best thing to do.
Fast forward several years and I find myself as a youth minister. My first year at the church, we attended 'Acquire the Fire' because, as one student informed me, "that is what our youth group did every year before you became... It’s the best event that we go on." With the help of smoke machines, loud bands, and youth speakers who can tell gripping stories filled with well-placed tears and effective pauses, ATF has mastered the skill of evoking an emotional response from teenagers... And just like all highs, it is, and was, just a matter of time until the crash. How can we expect anything else? How are the teens supposed to get as excited back at their local church when our ‘worship band’ consists of just Bob… a balding middle-aged man who is still learning to play guitar? All that to say: I no longer attend ATF. Every once in awhile a parent or student will come up to me and ask why we don't go to ATF anymore. While my response varies depending on who is the one asking me, my most common response goes something like this, "Because discipleship is a marathon... It is a daily decision and a daily directing of our paths toward Christ. It is not about getting emotionally hyped up for 24 hours and trying to ride it out for as long as possible… only having to try and duplicate the experience later… We don’t go to Acquire the Fire because I don’t want to teach our teens that their ‘level of emotion’ determines the truth of the gospel and the necessity to pursue a deeper walk with Christ, even when we don’t feel like it… Something along those lines.
Up until just a year or so ago, I experienced quite a bit of guilt and shame when I would compare the current student ministry I find myself in with that of the one I was a part of growing up in my teenage years. I remember the emotion filled testimonies... I remember worshiping with my fellow teenage peers... I remember some great retreats that we went on together. And quite honestly, I don't see that as much with the youth ministry that I am currently leading. At times I wonder if I am in the wrong. I wonder if I have become so cautious about not being manipulative that I have actually robbed them of something deeper. However, what I have begun to see is something that has less highs and lows and something that appears to be more true and lasting.
I speak as one who was quite susceptible to emotionalism as a teenager in the youth ministry I was a part of growing up. Discipleship and spiritual maturity was all about who generated the greatest emotional response to a sermon, music set, at a retreat, an alter call, and so on. One particular night I remember my youth pastor challenging us during a time of corporate confession (around a bonfire of course) to "not hold back and be real before Jesus." As students began to share, I was well aware of my sin and didn't want to leave that night still 'hiding my sins from Jesus.' So, as a 17 year old teenager, I confessed everything in front of the group... Everything I could possibly think of. The mood had definitely been set by my youth leader and he later commended me for how open and honest I was. While I believed I was being obedient to God at the time by airing out all of my garbage, I look back at the whole experience and cringe at how honest I was before them... Not because confession is wrong but because of the young ears who heard all of those confessions. I lacked the discernment that 'confessing everything' might not have been the best thing to do.
Fast forward several years and I find myself as a youth minister. My first year at the church, we attended 'Acquire the Fire' because, as one student informed me, "that is what our youth group did every year before you became... It’s the best event that we go on." With the help of smoke machines, loud bands, and youth speakers who can tell gripping stories filled with well-placed tears and effective pauses, ATF has mastered the skill of evoking an emotional response from teenagers... And just like all highs, it is, and was, just a matter of time until the crash. How can we expect anything else? How are the teens supposed to get as excited back at their local church when our ‘worship band’ consists of just Bob… a balding middle-aged man who is still learning to play guitar? All that to say: I no longer attend ATF. Every once in awhile a parent or student will come up to me and ask why we don't go to ATF anymore. While my response varies depending on who is the one asking me, my most common response goes something like this, "Because discipleship is a marathon... It is a daily decision and a daily directing of our paths toward Christ. It is not about getting emotionally hyped up for 24 hours and trying to ride it out for as long as possible… only having to try and duplicate the experience later… We don’t go to Acquire the Fire because I don’t want to teach our teens that their ‘level of emotion’ determines the truth of the gospel and the necessity to pursue a deeper walk with Christ, even when we don’t feel like it… Something along those lines.
Up until just a year or so ago, I experienced quite a bit of guilt and shame when I would compare the current student ministry I find myself in with that of the one I was a part of growing up in my teenage years. I remember the emotion filled testimonies... I remember worshiping with my fellow teenage peers... I remember some great retreats that we went on together. And quite honestly, I don't see that as much with the youth ministry that I am currently leading. At times I wonder if I am in the wrong. I wonder if I have become so cautious about not being manipulative that I have actually robbed them of something deeper. However, what I have begun to see is something that has less highs and lows and something that appears to be more true and lasting.
My conclusion is a very predictable one. Emotions are some of the very fabrics that make us human. As youth pastors/leaders, we must seek the healthy balance of not suppressing and avoiding a Christian faith that is void of emotions, which would be unhealthy and lacking. Also, we must make sure that our chief aim is not to simply seek out an 'emotional response' from our students because that has little to do with the gospel and more to do with adolescent development.
May we all seek to honestly and faithfully preach, teach, and present the gospel in a manner that is accessible and understandable to our students.
May we all seek to honestly and faithfully preach, teach, and present the gospel in a manner that is accessible and understandable to our students.
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