CBC Winter Retreat 2011:Counselor Training #2

Welcome back Counselors. Hopefully by now you have read the first training session to prep your heart for the excitement that awaits you. I shall now attempt to answer all your questions.

Theme & Vision: What are we hoping to accomplish this year? Our focus for our youth ministry this year was "missions." We have been teaching that missions isn't something we do once a year and it's not just feeding poor people...missions, according to Acts 17 (and mandated in Matt. 28) is wherever we go. Our hearts are changed because of the Gospel and therefore we herald the Good News to all that might not know him.

We wanted our Winter Retreat this year to continue to push this idea. We wanted our students to leave with two very big things:

1. Understanding the Biblical intent of missions and how it applies to each believer. 
2. For our students to leave with a practical plan and implementation of missions when they go home. 

We want their understandings to shift from inward focused consumerism to outward focused love and service. Your job, leaders, is to teach them what that looks like...challenge them to live and own it. So maybe some of you need to start researching Houston a bit more and see what is available. Start coming up with practical plans of implementing missions in their community and sphere of influence. At ACCESS (our weekly fellowship) we practiced talking with people and one friday we went out and did it. 

How Do I Get Ready to Counsel? First thing is to read through our document called "Core Values (leaders)" that is attached in your email. Second thing is look over your small group (emailed) and perhaps do some research on them. Most of our students have mentors that you might want to ask to get some help. Third, be sure that you know the schedule and where things are - if you're prepared, it helps the student feel more confident in your leadership as well as keeping you organized. Lastly, prepare yourself physical, spiritually, and emotionally. 

What Do I Do As a Counselor? 

1. Counsel: Your big responsibilities are:
1. Small Groups: Leading discussions in your small groups about the relevant topic of the night given to you by the speaker. Your small group material will be based off of the nights session. Part of this is helping the students think through what really happened that day. Your job is to coach and to challenge all at once. Get them to engage in discussion and teach them how to ask questions. 
2. Participating: Your role as a leader is to be fully bought in to - the vision, the goals, and the mission of CBC's Winter Retreat. So we're asking you to sacrifice a bit more in addition to what you've given already to being fully engaged with each student. Play, talk, and minister to the students. 
2. Talk: Each of you have a unique perspective when it comes to your spiritual growth (esp. as it relates to missions). Be constantly teaching the students about how you grow in your walk. Be honest with them about your struggles as an older christian and how you are currently/or have fought it. Help them see how you are doing missions and what are your efforts like. Other times, talk with the students about "deeper" issues - family, relationships, self-esteem, etc. Always remember, though, if you feel like you cannot answer the question, please refer them to Justin or Adam. 

Difference of 2011: If you've  been to CBC's winter retreat before this one is a bit different. If you haven't...well, you won't know any better. Anyways...we just ask you to be extremely flexible. The worst thing you can do is have a negative attitude about how things are turning out or whatever. Trust me, this one will challenge you as counselors...but we believe the book of James when it says that those things are for your good. 

1. Organization: We wanted to let our youth leadership take the lead on planning and organizing this retreat. I wanted to let them learn how to work together, think through things, and vision cast. They are doing a great job with it but there are things they still need to work through. This year, Adam Lee will be the winter retreat director. Which means he'll be behind the scenes instructing and organizing everything. He'll be leading the counselor meetings and he'll be the main one you report to at this retreat. We want to give him the leadership development that God has called him to and we trust that this will be another great moment for him to lead us. 
2. Speaker & Band: Last year we went without a speaker because it fit our vision best. This year we're bringing it back. And we're bringing in one of my personal friends Mark Heavener who is an expert in local and global missions. He works with the BGCT in helping second generation asian churches get together and organized. I've asked him to speak on some of his experiences and especially what specific needs there are in Houston so that our youth can go home and start meeting those needs. We've also invited a band with us this year (from Baylor) and they'll be ministering to us via music. 
3. Visitors: This year we have an exceptionally large group of visitors with us. Some of them are from other various churches in the area that we've made connections with but the bulk are Bhutanese refugees. We're extremely excited to invite a group of them to come and play with us during this retreat. A lot of our church members made a huge effort in providing so that they're able to come. So they'll all be integrated into your small group. Do your research. 

Everything Else:

1. Serving: As an act of service, we provide the cafeteria additional hands to clean up. A list of names will be posted on the wall with a meal time in which you are responsible for cleaning. 
2. Pine Cove: We'll be going to Pine Cove again for the 4th year and we love it. We've already built a great relationship with the staff and admin. If you want to see it please visit:  http://www.pinecove.com/retreats/outback
3. What to bring: bring what you'll typically wear to a 4 day retreat in hill country Texas in late December. There are beds and mattresses...no linens, no towels, or blankets. Must bring bible. Additional points if you provide your group with resources. Oh yeah, bring western attire for Thursday night. Giddy up!

CBC Winter Retreat 2011:Counselor Training #1

Dear Counselors and Leaders: You have taken on a very sacred and exciting role. You get to help equip, train, and transform the lives of many youth with the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a gift that not only the youth allow you to speak truth to them, but the parents, the church, the other leaders hand over the responsibility to you to carry out what they've been doing all year. We have prayed for you and now God has brought you to CBC Winter Retreat. So whether you are new or old to our youth group...we ask you to remember several things:


Remember: 

• That you are a counselor, leader, and/or musician because you were saved by the grace of God. That is your first identity - not in what you can do, or what you have to offer...you are first a child a God, adopted into his kingdom, were a slave to sin but redeemed by Jesus...Remember that it is never about achieving moral perfection but about admitting total surrender. This is not a "us" verses "them" mentality. Remember that at the end of the day...all that matters if your personal commitment to Jesus and the death to yourself. If you don't remember this this retreat is not for you and i'd ask you to humbly release your responsibilities.
  
• That you are here to serve to the best of your abilities. Please spend as much time equipping and training our youth for life AND holiness. Like Jesus, you are to have the thought that you come to serve rather than be served. And that you serve not because you "have to" but because you want to mimic your savior and be a servant to all. Please don't waste your time while you are there with us. Whatever needs to be done...please be the first to do it with expecting anything in return.
  
• Please leave your pride at the door. You no longer represent "UT" or "Baylor" or "A&M" or even "college student"...you represent a risen King. I'm begging you to be more about Jesus than you are about claiming worldly organizations. Teach them all day long about what Jesus is teaching you at college but never use it to point back to yourself and elevate your status.
  
• Live and Learn: as a counselor and leader...winter retreat is not a time where you discover yourself or for you to sort things out (i mean, it'll probably happen) but please have all that done before camp and be refueled and ready to give all you can to the students. If there are relationships that are broken, please go and fix those before camp. If there are issues that are present in your life...please begin to work on them before camp. Also, please brush up (keep up) with your spiritual growth - service, discipleship, bible study, etc. Come to camp spiritually ready counselors and leaders.
  

Assignment: Please take this assignment seriously as it is my intention to spur you into deeper growth. Consider it joy as you are challenged by this sermon and intellectually engage the material and ultimately put this into practice. 

• http://www.thevillagechurch.net/sermon/salt-of-the-earth/

Leadership Principle #1: Foundations

This is just from a simple youth pastor's perspective. I have no original thoughts...just those that God has graciously allowed me to learn through my own failings and wisdom gained from older and more seasoned saints.

I think one of the biggest things that I have had to learn early was the issue of foundations. I mean answering the question, "What is the reason why i'm doing what i'm doing?" I think how you answer that question is huge...just because after 3 weeks, 3 months..when things get routine and you don't see "progress" then what do you do? Do you move on? What happens when you don't see things changing? And when do you leave a dead end position and when do you tough it out?

What makes ministry all that much harder is the fact that it's more difficult to evaluate results. How do you go about evaluating a pastor? Is it based off of how many programs he has finished in a year? Is it how many people were "saved" that year? Is his ministry judged off the quality of small groups and discipleship? See it's hard. And esp. when you're not really sure what the job requirements are. But then you have what the church has as requirements for you...and then you have scripture's requirements for you (and hopefully those are one in the same).

But I do want to give you the reality of what it looks like after awhile. And ok, i know i'm young and it's only been 3 years and God will probably beat it out of me later (and i can't wait for that). But I don't want you to go in and just get completely blindsided with it all. And i think this can go for most anything...any project, any relationship, job, whatever. I think after leading for a bit, it gets routine and dry at times. You'll get tired. People will stop following you. You'll experience internal and external conflict. You'll feel like you're not being trained and equipped. You'll start seeing past sins and sins that have been stuffed start to come back to haunt you. The ones you are leading start to question your leadership and authority and then you begin to question your resolve to lead them.

So what do you do? Do you change everything up? Do you quit? Well, my friend, this goes back to our original question - "What are you doing this for? What's the goal?" If i can be honest...there are so many days that i wanted to quit not just this youth minister gig/call, but this whole "christian deal." Why? because it's easier to live the way that i want and it's so much easier to be the follower/bystander than to have the weight of leadership. But I always go back to the foundation.

A good foundation always comes from your understanding of theology. Who is God? What are we caught up in? What is true biblical theology and biblical conversion? So if God is true and God is sovereign and the Word of God is true...then the big questions of existence and purpose are answered. I exist to glorify God by enjoying him forever. While God controls all the details of the universe He knows me personally and intimately. And if God is the one who saved me and calls me...then my calling and place of leadership has been determined by him. Why is this so important? Because as a pastor...my "job requirement" is ultimately according to his standard. And if He is the one who saves people then all i can do is work hard and pray that He might be gracious to save right? So my job isn't to save people...and that is a great relief. Trust me...i'm not good at saving people. I mean, i can manipulate the mood and get people to feel guilty...but i don't see that anywhere in scripture. One of my mentors asked me before i took the job, "Would you still do this even if the youth group dropped down to 3 kids? Do you honestly believe that you'll do the same thing philosophically regardless of how many students you have?"

I ask myself these questions today. Why am I doing this? Because for the time being, God has gifted me with talents and opportunities and so until He makes it very clear that it is time for me to leave...i'll continue to work as hard as i can. Is it worth it? For me...i can't see anything else being more important. This is something that the world will never understand. Church is something that people go to on the weekends. Pastors are a dying breed. Well...if scripture is true and God is who He is, then i can't see anything else being more important.

So let me encourage you dear leaders to press on. The journey is harder than anyone told us it would be. The results are schizophrenic and bipolar. But if your foundation is truly based on the Gospel then remind yourself of the truths wrapped up in it. Remember, that your worth is NOT dependent on what you can produce as a leader. At the end of the day, you are still a sinner saved by grace, equipped by God the Holy Spirit, and we just play our parts well.

On Leadership

The concept is a bit strange. Why? Because when Scripture typically address the role of leadership in two ways - elders & deacons. I know there are a billion books out there on leadership principles and I'm all for them but your understanding of ecclesiology (the church) and soteriology (of salvation) should affect how you view leadership. This is what I mean. The invisible, universal church is made up of genuine believers who have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Simply put - Christians. From there a Christian publicly announces their allegiance by way of baptism into a local body - the visible church. *Side note: this is where there must be a distinction between para-church ministries (i.e. InterVarsity, Campus Crusade, Young Life, etc.) and the local church. Because the para-church, by definition, ought to come alongside ("para") and equip the church whereas the believer has membership into a church (where they participate in baptism, communion, and discipline)...but more on that in another document.

So for anyone to call themselves a "christian", there should be this understanding that they were saved from sin, death, and futility and saved to a local body on the path of sanctification (the slow process of dying to self and being made into the image of Jesus). Nobody is converted and is indifferent with their salvation and disregards the covenant community. That's why in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul reminds the church that the body of Christ is "a unit..made up of many parts." So serving, communing, disciplining, and doing life together aren't optional things that the believer can do...they are requirements of church. And if you continue to read the letters to the churches, the authors make it very clear that there's no partiality in the roles. All are called to serve the body. All are commissioned to be "light-bearers" to the world. So let's make sure we understand this important point. Believers enter through membership and are held responsible for the health of the church. On top of this, church structure in 1 Tim. and Titus lays out a system of elders and deacons and that's a whole other document. But i do have a lot of great books and articles on it. But now that you understand the groundwork, here are some things to remember about leadership:

1. The Glory of God, Not You: Do not forget the Gospel. 1 Cor. 9:14; 9:23; Mark 1:1; Phil. 1:16; Col. 1:5. You were saved not because of your greatness, not because of your faith, not because of your ability to be awesome...you were saved because of the grace and love of God. You were counted righteous only because the Son was crushed and the weight of eternal wrath was poured out on the Son. We are bought at the highest price and may we never boast in anything but the Cross of Jesus Christ. But too many people forget this after they become members and more so when they become leaders. They think they have things that might gain favor with God or they think that God Almighty needs their help. It's ridiculous! God has never needed our help and even our "partnership" with him is granted to us by his grace. So don't forget this. This isn't about us and what we can do for the God...there's no room for any shred of pride when it comes to leadership, salvation, or church. It was God who saved and it will be God who deserves the glory.

2. Persevering: What you'll find soon enough in leadership is that it's hard. People won't listen to you. You find your efforts bearing little fruit. Conversion and life change doesn't happen as quickly as you'd like. People seem like they wanna kill you. Your sheep get fat and lazy. Trust me...the first couple of years (maybe weeks) are great. You're new and have all these fresh ideas that might change the world and then after a little while, things just get routine and people in unison go, "NEXT!" It happens to all. I think that's why #1 was so important...because if your foundation is set on the Gospel...then results are just results that God will take care of and criticism can be taken with grace by shouldn't blow your ministry away. What has always helped me was to ask myself, "If everybody dropped out of this ministry that i'm leading...would i still do it?" And time and time again I respond "Absolutely" Not because it's fun watching your ministry blow up...but because your foundation is built on truth and all you are doing is being faithful to what God has commanded you to do. IT WILL BE TOUGH! I and all the pastors will guarantee you that it will be tough...but we also tell you that it is worth it. Persevere my friends like many that have gone before. Fix your eyes on Christ - the perfect example of one who persevered to the very end.

3. Speak the Truth in Love: Your ultimate goal as a leader is to shape and mold. It is NOT to complete an event. For this position, you have been granted the authority and responsibility to direct and equip. So the end goal should be lives changed into the image of God. And you do this by patiently teaching. It's always teaching, teaching, teaching. You're going to need to always be correcting, rebuking, pleading, and feeding your sheep. That's what a leader does. But again, like #2 your sheep will not always be where you're at...and to expect them to be "at your level" is just pride. Why does God grant you the grace to bring you to where you're at when you can't be patient to lead your sheep to that point? Here's the hard part...you can't allow the sheep to get away with everything for the sake of "i want them to like me" or "we need to be relevant" nor can you blow them up for not following the rules. Guide with biblical truth. Why? Because they can always question your authority...but when you bring a higher authority, then they go against that authority. Make sense? But Paul constantly encourages leaders to speak the truth in love.

4. Student Teacher: You must be first a student before/while you teach. We say here all the time that you can’t teach someone what you don’t know. What will happen is that you will end up

knowing all the right answers and teaching all the right answers and you yourself will NOT be living it out. Your soul begins to shrink and you lose all the power of what God has intended you

to possess. You need to constantly be growing, learning, studying, and on your knees asking God to grow you deeper. And here...be humble enough to admit when you're wrong or that you don't know the answers. Because the more you allow biblical guidance to challenge you, you'll see that we have a long way to go. So do your sheep a favor and be honest about it. But don't stop there and just make excuses. Go study for yourself. Find other people who are further along and ask them what you should be studying. Find out who they are reading and find parts of your worldview, theology, doctrine where you're weak and study, learn, and meditate on those things.

The one who uses leadership to bolster their position is in a dangerous position. Desire to lead because the Gospel has penetrated the deepest place of your heart. Lead because you understand that there are sheep that need caring and feeding. Lead with grace, patience, and wisdom that comes from God's revealed Word. And lastly, as you lead...be willing to follow THE leader that is so far greater than you and I. May we lead in such a way that only reflects His glory.