- Neo-Youth Ministry Series Introduction
- Neo-Youth Ministry Part 1: “Youth”
- Neo-Youth Ministry Part 2: “Ministry”
- Neo-Youth Ministry Part 3: The Youth Minister
- Neo-Youth Ministry Part 4: The Youth Minister as Theologian
- Neo-Youth Ministry Part 5: The Youth Minister as Pastor
- Neo-Youth Ministry Part 6: Youth Minister as Spiritual Director
- Neo-Youth Ministry Part 7: The Youth Minister as Prophet
- Neo-Youth Ministry Part 8: The Youth Minister as Youth Advocate
- Neo-Youth Ministry Part 9: The Youth Minister as Interpreter and Synthesizer
- Neo-Youth Ministry Methods: Education and Teaching
- Neo-Youth Ministry Methods: The End of Bait and Switch
- Neo-Youth Ministry Methods: Local and Contextual
The recent Halo 3 controversy has caused quite a stir among some theologians. Go here for my post that links to other relevant discussions about the ordeal (the comment section over at The Fire and the Rose is especially intense).
My current intention is not to deal with Halo 3 specifically, but it provides a context for an issue that I had planned to blog on in this Neo-Youth Ministry Series: the bait and switch. The bait and switch originated as a marketing strategy. I tend to see it often at car dealerships: they advertise some fancy car at an unbelievably low price in order to get customers to walk in the door. Usually, they will only have one of those deals available, which is sold very quickly, so when subsequent people walk into the showroom, they are shown many of the other “great deals” on the lot that they hadn’t come to see in the first place. What baffles me is that this actually works and people will buy a car they hadn’t actually come in to see.
Well, if it works for marketers trying to swindle people into a car they don’t need, surely the church can use it, right? So, you have churches that advertise and push “fun stuff” (like Halo 3 on plasma TVs or a raffle for a free iPod) in order to get kids to come to church. While they are there, they also get to “hear the gospel”. They came for Halo, but they accepted Jesus while they were here!
Many things are troubling about this. First of all, means are separated from ends. The end result is a good one: introduce people to Jesus. Somehow, American evangelicalism has searched through the Bible in order to find biblical goals, but thinks that the Bible is silent on the means by which we achieve those goals. Thus, we think that we are in charge of finding whatever method “works best” in order to achieve our biblical goals. So, if the best way to get teenagers into a church building is to offer Halo 3 on A/V equipment costing thousands of dollars, so be it. We’ll do anything we can for the sake of the gospel, right? I don’t buy it. I mean, is the gospel really that weak? I believe that the scriptures not only tell us to make disciples, but also prescribes the kind of life that leads to accomplishing this goal: a life of hospitality, prayer, sacrifice, compassion, and love.
Second, such an approach short-changes the gospel. The gospel is more than a message that people come to hear. The gospel is something that the church bears in the way we live our life. Yes, that will include our speech and our telling of the hope of Jesus, but part of our message is how we embody it. To say that we will do anything to get people to hear a lecture on the four spiritual laws is to short-change a holistic, biblical understanding of the gospel. Scot McKnight’s book Embracing Grace is a good introduction into a holistic understanding of the gospel.
Third, such an approach is ecclesiologically weak as well. Drawing from above, the assumption is that the goal in evangelism is to bring young people to us in order to hear our message. So, instead of living creatively and missionally, evangelism becomes nothing more than a function of the size of the youth ministry budget. The more money at our disposal, the cooler things we can use to attract youth to hear the gospel. So are poorer churches not in a position to spread the gospel? Are plasma TVs necessary for the Spirit to move? Instead of relying on our budgets, I think we need to rely on the creativity and discernment of our youth and adults to–through the Spirit of God–see into the lives of those we know who do not know Jesus and share with them the hope that we have in him.
The rebuttal against my argument usually goes something like: that sounds great, but it doesn’t work in real life and ministry. My guess is that when people say, “doesn’t work,” they are saying, “such an approach would get me fired” or, “that would shrink our youth group.” That may be right. But the problem in such case is not with the methods or the results; the problem is in the expectations of parents and congregants (and even ourselves) we are supposed to live up to. I fully acknowledge that such a Neo-Youth Ministry approach might cost many people their jobs or shrink a youth group for a period of time. Youth groups could very well benefit from such pruning. I do believe the eventual result will be sustainable faith practices in our teens that nourish faith and commitment to Jesus and his church. Anything else is just video games and cool toys.
Very nice post Dr. Cleaver. Well said.
i hate how you beat me to everything…i just skimmed this but…i’ll play the advocate i think…just for entertainment value. (even though i do agree)
have you read all of the D.W. Congdon (http://fireandrose.blogspot.com/) post about it. 35 responses from the author and this other youth pastor…i lost interest after awhile with their banter of who knows best
blawg blawg blawg
again great thoughts matt
“but thinks that the Bible is silent on the means by which we achieve those goals. Thus, we think that we are in charge of finding whatever method “works best” in order to achieve our biblical goals.”
i think this is a great concept matt in that we have made the voice and life of Jesus and the saints almost voiceless on the topic. we conclude that things are different now and there for we have to use different means to get in touch with peoples souls…
which leads me to my prophetic sarcasm for the day was Jesus’ bait and switch HEALING! and miracles. if you think about it (sarcasm again) they followed and came in droves to get the miracles and then they heard the message…but after some of those evangelical tactics he changed them to giving the truth (more revealed) what it meant and they left Him….hummm!!! end sarcastic note as i’m afraid to venture any farther down sarcastic heresy
I had a talk along these lines with some of my students last year. I asked them what were their favorite things about church. One kid said his church had donuts. We coined the phrase “Come for the donuts, stay for the Jesus.”
I think this type of stuff happens all the time. Methods like this assume that all that salvation is is praying a prayer or “asking Jesus into your heart.” I think the real problem is the lack of discipleship that can take place within churches. So you got high numbers, but how many disciples of Jesus Christ do you have? That is the question we should be asking.
In order to this we will have to become creative in the ways in which we seek to minister to youth. The one thing I wonder is if there is ever a time that technology like this is appropriate. Can it be used for attractional purposes at all? Can it be used in discipleship? Can we redeem it for kingdom purposes? If so, what does that look like?
More questions…
Love the post ….
When commenting, please refer to matt as Dr. Cleaver.
Dr. Clever,
This is Dr. Castleman. Proud of you, dude. Jesus is proud of you. The Gospel is served well by you. Keep talking. Keep clear about the power of the Gospel. WHEN will we consider 2 Corinthians 2:17 and 3:1–2 is actually the God breathed word?
Much of American church culture chases down the rich young ruler and makes him a “better deal”, we have peddling the Gospel down to a fine art (let alone best-sellers and seminary courses!!) and it is time to remind ourselves that the “few in the narrow way” may not be attractive, but it’s not our idea either.
Matt, excuse me, Dr. Clever—cry out! Dr. C.