Weston Blaha

Tag: Student Ministry

  • Keeping the Fire Alive: Parenting Beyond Camp

    Keeping the Fire Alive: Parenting Beyond Camp

    For fifteen years, I walked alongside teenagers in youth ministry. This week, I have the privilege of leading a youth camp that gathers students in our presbytery for a week of worship, the Word, and wild games. I’ve witnessed the mountaintop moments over the years of summer camp—the tearful confessions, the arms lifted in praise, and hearts awakened to the beauty of Christ and his work on our behalf.

    But I’ve also seen what happens two weeks later. What was burning becomes dim. What was fresh fades into habit. Parents (and often the students) ask, “What happened? Camp was so powerful—why didn’t it last?”

    Here’s the hard truth: summer camp was never meant to last on its own.

    “Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valley.”
    —Billy Graham

    The Campfire Needs a Fireplace

    In Deuteronomy, Moses stands on the edge of the Promised Land and speaks to a generation who had not been at Sinai. They hadn’t seen the plagues. They hadn’t walked through the sea. And yet, Moses doesn’t lower the bar or appeal to sentiment. He calls them to covenantal faithfulness rooted in doctrinal clarity and community accountability.

    “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children…” (Deut. 6:6–7)

    The command is not first to the elders or “pastors.” It is to the parents. Israel was not told to rely on charismatic prophets or emotional gatherings. The Word was to be engraved in the home.

    And the surrounding chapters make this clear: doctrine is not a list of abstract ideas—it’s the story of God’s faithfulness, taught and embodied daily. Deuteronomy is thick with covenantal rhythm: teaching at meals, binding Scripture on hands and foreheads, writing it on doorposts (6:8–9), reenacting it in liturgical ceremony (ch. 27), and calling the whole community to live in view of blessings and curses.

    In short: Christian formation was never meant to be outsourced.

    Truth Witout Roots Will Wilt

    Let’s borrow one of Jesus’ favorite illustrations, and use it in a slightly different context: At camps and conferences, we plant and water seeds. Sometimes they sprout fast. Sometimes they sprout slow. But unless they take root in the soil of the local church and the water of Word-saturated homes, they will wither.

    Research confirms this: according to studies from Lifeway and Barna, nearly two-thirds of teens who are active in church during high school will walk away from the church in their twenties—most of them beginning that drift during late high school and early college. The drop-off doesn’t happen after graduation—it begins long before.

    Why? Often it’s not because they reject Christianity outright. It’s because they were never deeply rooted in the first place. They had inspiration but lacked integration. They were moved but not formed.

    A Fireplace for the Fire

    Your students need more than campfire worship–they need a fireplace to keep the flame hot. When fire is kept in a fireplace, it is easy to stoke, revive, or increase in temperature. It is when you pull it out of the fireplace that the fire begins to struggle. It loses heat quicker. It’s exposed to outside elements. Once the flame loses its heat, we end up doing weird and foreign things to keep it going. We stop putting in wood. We hit it with a 5-second squirt of lighter fluid. We toss in paper trash. In short, we use abnormal means to revive the flame so it can burn at an acceptable level. But the only true and lasting remedy is simple: Put the fire back in the fireplace.

    So, the question becomes: is your home a fireplace? What about your church? Or do you find yoursleves constantly doing weird things to keep your child interested in their spiritual walk? Your student needs more than campfire worship a couple times each year. They need:

    • Doctrinal instruction at both home and the church that connects their identity to the story of redemption (Deut. 5–11)
    • Moral worldview shaped by God’s law as wisdom and life (Deut. 4:6; 30:19)
    • Ritual rhythms that habituate faith—church attendance, communion, prayer, confession (Deut. 12; 26)
    • Covenant community that calls them back when they stray (Deut. 29)

    You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to do this. But you do need to be present. The Word of God is not just a Sunday event—it’s a way of life. And the home is the primary stage.

    A Word to Parents

    If you’ve sent your kid to camp, thank you. Seriously. It matters.

    But please don’t see camp as the climax of their spiritual year. See it as a spark. A moment to build on. A reminder that your child is being invited into something deeper than a one-week experience—they are being summoned into a lifelong covenant with the living God.

    And in that covenant, you have a vital role. The same God who said, “I will be your God, and you shall be my people,” also said, “Teach them diligently to your children.” Camp can light the fire. But the fireplace—that’s your home. Your church. Your rhythms.

    Let’s not give our kids an emotional high and then abandon them to spiritual cold–that’s just “lighter-fluid Christianity.” Let’s give them doctrine. Let’s give them covenant. Let’s give them Christ, again and again.

  • The Billy Graham Crusades Were Good, Right?

    The Billy Graham Crusades Were Good, Right?

    At some point in the modern American model of Christian church growth, a subtle yet significant shift occurred—let’s call it the “Billy Graham” shift. In 1948, Billy Graham began his “crusades,” which reached an estimated 210 million people in over 185 countries. The obvious merit of these events was the explosion of the Gospel message across the globe. Many Christians today point back to one of those crusades as the moment they became secure in their salvation in Jesus Christ, and for that I am genuinely grateful. However, I believe that there is a rarely-discussed downside to the crusades, which is worth exploring.

    What happens when a generation of Christians are saved with the words, “This is about you and Jesus—no one else?” I still see this all the time in youth ministry culture. When the moment arrives for the altar call at the end of camp, the speaker wants everyone to close their eyes and bow their heads. Then, he calls for students to stand up if they feel that Jesus is calling them. One of the encouragements in this moment is usually something along the lines of, “This isn’t about what anybody else is doing, don’t worry about them—this is about you and Jesus.”

    For what its worth: this is technically correct. The moment of faith, the moment of regeneration, is not something between the student, the crowd, the speaker, and Jesus. It is an act of the Holy Spirit to enable the student to embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior. But the problem is what happens next: the student comes forward, everyone cheers and celebrates, and then life goes on.
    That speaker goes home.
    Those students from other churches go home.
    That new, teenaged Christian goes home—often to non-Christian environments.
    And what is left?
    Just that student and Jesus.

    The Christian life was never meant to be an exclusively personal experience.
    One of the most significant reasons for bringing a child to the temple for circumcision in the Old Testament was to make a public statement that the child was a member of the covenant community and would be raised as such. In baptism today, we see the same idea: public, visible inclusion with the body of Christ. And herein lies the shift: we celebrate public inclusion via baptism, yet the moment afterwards demand our relationship with Christ be between “me and Jesus.”

    And this has significant ramifications:
    Church discipline for those living in sin is lacking, to say the least.
    Accountability for those who are church members, yet routinely neglect the gathering of the saints, is dismissed.
    Jesus can be worshipped on the ball field, lake, or deer stand.
    Jesus can be worshipped via livestream or podcasts.

    I believe that the problem Billy Graham furthered was that of the “personal Jesus,” the Jesus in my heart. And while, yes, Jesus is in every way our personal Lord and Savior, he is also our corporate Lord and Savior. He not only saves the stones which build his temple, he sets them in place among the other stones. There is no defense in the Scriptures for a Christian who chooses to be disjoined from the fellowship of believers. There is no argument to be made that the Christian life can be walked alone. We are stones of the temple. We are members of a body. You cannot claim the name of Christ yet reject his body.

    When this happens:
    Finding a church turns into church-shopping (and hopping).
    Church discipline becomes offensive.
    Church membership seems irrelevant.
    The body cannot function as it should.
    Iron cannot sharpen iron.
    It is their decision, their Jesus, their faith—please don’t confuse it with Christ’s temple, Christ’s body, or Christ’s church.

    Unfortunately, the Billy Graham movement pushed forward the Great Awakening’s uniquely independent strand of Christianity.
    I don’t believe it was intentional.
    I don’t believe he was aware of it.
    I don’t believe it is his fault.
    I don’t believe the crusades were all bad.
    But I do believe this is a reality that must be addressed.

    The corporate body of Christ must recover from an ideology of individualism and autonomy. Friends, embrace the body of Christ. Join a local church. Be honest about your faith. Be willing to be vulnerable. Don’t deprive the body of your gifts, nor you of theirs.

    We are stones of the temple, parts of the body, members of his Church. There are no biblical grounds for having it any other way.

  • Winnowing Isn’t Winning

    Winnowing Isn’t Winning

    The protestant church is slowly shrinking from within. And while it can be suggested that this is simply the winnowing of the chaff, that shouldn’t relieve the Church of her duties. She should not shrug with indifference when the sown seed springs to life only to wither under the heat from the sun—there is no pride of perseverance to be had when this occurs. Nor should the church observe the withered shoots and think, “if only we shaded them from the heat, this wouldn’t have happened.” Instead, the Church should be asking, “why?” Why does so much sown seed blossom, only to wither in the sun?
    Admittedly, there are theological ramifications that must be considered when answering that question. From a Reformed perspective, it is the Lord who decides these things, and we are not privy to all of the mysteries of salvation. However, from an earthy, limited, human wisdom perspective, there are steps that we could and should take when we see the withering and wilting shoots of “exvangelicalism” littering the landscape of Christendom, and they aren’t what most churches assume.

    The Statistics
    To provide a statistical example of this: research shows that in the lives of young children from protestant, church-going families, the “top spiritual activity” they were involved in was regularly attending Sunday School or Small Groups—68% of responders. However, only 29% said that “reading the Bible regularly” was their top spiritual activity growing up. This means that–like it or not–the physical programs of the church are currently carrying the most influence in the lives of teens and young adults—and these physical programs only occur for a few hours each week. Now, consider the long-term effects of these statistics: middle-aged adults have grown up in a Christendom pervaded by dependance upon church programs for the majority of their personal biblical, intellectual, and spiritual development. In other words, for most adults, there is little to no spirit stimulation outside of the local church—unless you count motivational bible verses taken out of context and plastered all over Facebook!
    This statistical reality has significant ramifications for the Church. While it is ultimately the work of the Spirit that determines if the sown seed is effectual, the Lord uses the work of the saints to help prepare the hearts of those he calls. It suffices to say that you cannot prepare soil for healthy growth by only investing two or three (or less) hours each week. Just as real soil preparation takes time and effort—clearing weeds, conditioning dirt, eradicating pests, fending off seed-eating fowl—the “soil” of the heart requires much work.

    We Need Kaved
    I believe that this means there must be a significant shift in the way the average church understands its duties of discipleship. The local church must be kaved (כבד), “weighty, heavy, or honored.” In other words, we must bring gravitas back into the local church. Yes, ministry will always need to be culturally sensitive, but as David Wells so neatly states, culture determines your context, not content. We must press upon our flocks the weightiness, heaviness, and honor of the Gospel. We must regain the understanding that it is an honor to be considered worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus’ name (Acts 5:41). We must do the difficult (and often dirty!) work of conditioning the heart so that it looks like the good soil in Matthew 13:8—soil that is not longer limited by the lack of depth or nutrition when confronted with tribulation.

    So What?
    While I do not have all the answers, and I will admit that every context is different, it is my belief that local church ministry as a whole often fails to properly bring the depth and richness of the Scriptures to flocks who desperately need it. We must never forget the second seed in the parable of the sower—we must not judge effectiveness by summer camp baptisms or church attendance. Instead, what is the testimony of your church in times of trial? What biblical demographics are you reaching? Does your church attract mature believers, immature believers, or both? The withered and wilted remains of exvangelical Christendom will not find its answers in shallowed, non-confrontational, soft-truth presentations of the Gospel. I believe those attempts at a culturally appealing, socially inoffensive Gospel are precisely the reason we are seeing the evangelical fallout. The Gospel is by nature counter-cultural.

    Instead, I have six initial thoughts on how the church can “till” the hearts of hearers of the word:

    1. We must deepen in a world that is shallowing. We must be “seeker-challenging,” not seeker-sensitive.
    2. We must broaden Scriptural knowledge, not narrow it. If you offer a Cliff-Notes version of the Gospel, you will get a Cliff-Notes spiritual walk. Teach the Old Testament. Teach the New Testament. Teach the hard truths. Teach the whole council of God.
    3. We must confront with truth, not conform. The church fails to faithfully present the truth of sin when we “grey out” what the Bible shows to be black and white.
    4. We must assist in spiritual disciplines, not replace. The programs of the church are supportive ministries, not replacement ones. We must work to help our members study the Scriptures faithfully on their own.
    5. We must engage in worship, not entertain. The local church is where the body of Christ “does life,” it is not a venue from which to entertain. There is a difference.
    6. We must model rich soil, not merely instruct. No one is perfect; we all sin. But how we respond to correction, hurt feelings, and the difficult aspects of living amongst the body of Christ must be demonstrated among the brethren. Head knowledge must produce heart change. A well-tilled heart will be evident when the sun scorches down.
  • A Youth Ministry From Scratch

    A Youth Ministry From Scratch

    So, I’m starting a youth ministry from scratch. My new church has one consistent youth-aged student attending, with the potential of some friends or inconsistent others. In my fifteen years of youth ministry experience, I have always had–at the very least–some form of critical mass. This will be a very different experience.

    So, as I have been praying and considering how to begin with one student, I came up with six tips for growing a youth group with one student.

    1. Prepare as if I am expecting twenty students. Now, I should clarify, this does not mean I am ordering pizza for twenty students. But it does mean that my preparation time, the amount of effort and thought that will go into games, lessons, projects, or events will be the same as if I were preparing for twenty. Whatever the activity–make it the best activity possible for the student(s) who come.
    2. Engage community events. When critical mass is hard to drum up, go find it. This means being more active in local schools, activities, and events. Go to where the people are and take your group with you.
    3. Invite the community. One of the more common complaints I hear from youth directors is “no one brings any friends.” Maybe we can discuss why that might be in another post, but for the sake of this post we need to be prepared to invite students ourselves. Remember, the youth ministry is a ministry to and for the youth of your church. It is really not their job to bring people, although it would be wonderful if they would.
    4. Be visible in the community. The easiest mistake for a small church to make is to hide within its own walls. Small churches have the ability to use the precision of a surgeon in reaching their community. Get out there and make your church a name in the community.
    5. Embrace change. Growth will mean change. Think about it: in a small group, one new student can shift the types of games, activities, and interests of the group. Small youth groups need to learn to break out of the small “clique” environment where everyone knows your name, and become comfortable with the changes that growth will demand.
    6. Be Patient. Perhaps the most difficult piece of advice for me to handle. I am an instant gratification person. I want to see immediate results. But growth takes time and time requires patience.

    So, there it is. If I were going to give advice to myself, this is what it would be.

    It will not be easy.

    It will not be immediate.

    But it will bear fruit.

    It will grow the kingdom.

    And that is the calling of the ministry.

  • Youth Ministry “Monsters Under the Bed”

    Youth Ministry “Monsters Under the Bed”

    What are those things that student ministry leaders fear? I am not talking about injuries, teaching a poor lesson, or forgetting to register for summer camp. I’m thinking about those deep-seated issues that tend to surface at night like monsters from under the bed. Here’s the thing about monsters under the bed: we don’t like to talk about them. We prefer to turn off the light, run to the bed, and pull the covers over our eyes. But, if you are ever going to rid yourself of the monsters, you need to clear what’s under the bed. In this post, I want to focus on five monsters that healthy Student Ministry Leaders must vanquish, or at the very least, shine the flashlight upon.

    1. Fakeness

    One of the saddest quirks that I commonly see in youth ministry is leaders who aren’t personally invested in the lives of their students. It’s not that they do not like the students they work with or even wish they were doing something else. However, they put on such a quality job of pretending to be invested that church leadership, parents, teens, and sometimes even themselves can often not identify what’s amiss. Deep down, these students and parents know something is “off” but lack the experience or face-time to recognize it quickly. Now, it’s worth noting that students will eventually notice. Teens are experts at identifying “fake” but often poor at articulating it. If you find yourself struggling to have meaningful relationships with your teens, ask if this monster is haunting you.

    2. High School Onlyist

    There is a section of people known as “King James Version Only Bible Readers,” otherwise known as KJV Onlyists. Thus, “High School Onlyists” would be those who put the overwhelming emphasis of their ministry focus upon the high school students (if you are hired as a High School Pastor/Director, you are excluded from this category). If you oversee both Middle School and High School yet allow the High School to dominate your attention and time, you won’t have a High School soon. When building and sustaining a youth ministry, you must focus on the groups coming up. This means you should value the Children’s ministry’s success. You should invest in the goofy Middle School students who will one day be the all-too-cool High School students. HS Onlyism leads to dying ministries, cliques, and often, a job search.

    3. Fear of Parents 

    This is usually a monster endured by young or immature youth leaders. The young leader often views the parents of their students much like the students do: as their parents. This can make it difficult to stand your ground in a disagreement or take the initiative to ask a parent out to coffee. Additionally, for immature youth leaders, parents are a threat. In my experience, one of the signs of an insecure and immature youth leader is that they do not want parents anywhere around the ministry. This may not be a universal rule, but it is common. If this is you, click on the flashlight and point out the monster.

    4. Isolation from Mentorship

    Everyone needs a mentor—someone you can text, call or meet on a whim. Having a mentor does not need to be a formal, contractual arrangement. Instead, it needs to be a relationship of trust, one in which you can hear the difficult truths about yourself or your actions. This also requires someone willing to be honest. There is nothing worse than making big decisions that will affect your students’ lives and making them alone. Find a mentor. Listen to their advice. This monster will debilitate you and undermine your confidence.

    5. Being the Smartest Person in the Room

    Now, this one is different than the others. I would hope that an adult youth leader would be the smartest person in a room full of teens—at least as far as biblical knowledge and wisdom are concerned. However, the danger of always being the smartest person in the room is that you minister without a challenge to grow. This is one of the benefits of having adults in the room. You are not only preparing for the teens, some of whom are very young, but you are preparing a lesson that the parents will judge. We can slump into low-effort teaching all too often because it only takes low effort to impress and challenge the students. Don’t fall into this trap!

    Well, there they are, five monsters that youth leaders face hiding under the bed. What would you add to this list?