No Future Without Forgiveness

It is hard to imagine making a decision to build a list of South African reading without including Desmond Tutu's No Future Without Forgiveness. It's Tutu's own accounting of the work of The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a body formed after the abolition of apartheid in South Africa (read the Wiki summary here). Archbishop Tutu headed the commission which was formed by mandate when South Africa's new constitution was adopted.

It's not an exaggeration to say that the work of this commission is the hinge upon which the New South Africa sits. If it had failed South Africa fails.

This book lays out Tutu's own understanding of what the Commission was called to accomplish and it serves also as a sort of apologetic, since the TRC also had (and has) its detractors.

The book isn't very well written, and it does have that tone of hagiography I distrust, yet I found myself captivated. Tutu's own definition of reconciliation, his pursuit of ubuntu, and his overtly Christian leadership in seeking both for the sake of a nation are compelling.

The atrocities, what people did to others under Apartheid, are stunning. The system itself was always savage and crippling in its evil. The book contains testimony from victims and perpetrators alike that bring this home. The instinct is for justice: exacting, clear, punishing justice. Instead, what we get is Tutu's insistence that reconciliation is justice, the only kind of justice that will move his country (or ultimately the nations) forward.

He is steadfast in assuming that 'my humanity is caught up, inextricably bound up, in yours.' That's radical, and seeing him walk this line on a national scale without offering some sort of cheap amnesty to offenders is worth the price of admission in reading the book.

Ubuntu. I've been trying to live it this last week or so just by keeping it at the forefront of my thoughts as I interact with others:  

my humanity is caught up, 
inextricably bound up, 
in yours.

Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors

Today I finished Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors by Mark Riddle. No, this isn't an exercise in seeking self understanding. While I might need that, I'm not sure I'd explore that notion in a blog for all the world to see. Instead, I've been thinking about what advice is out there for churches and head pastors when it comes to nurturing those who are often our youngest paid ministry leaders.

The book is cut in two sections, the first concerns how to go about hiring a person for youth ministry. There is some good solid advice here for churches thinking of  hiring (or replacing) a paid youth worker. There are dangers for churches who do this; primary among them is the temptation to simply hand off the youth ministry to the church's staff.  He's quick to point out that the youth director/pastor is called to lead the leaders of the youth ministry... the youth ministry should be able to exist without its youth pastor. If not, something is off balance.

I wonder how long our church's youth ministry would survive without paid staff in these vital positions? How long should it survive without staff attention?

The second section offers guidance to head pastors as they seek to develop a healthy relationship and ministry partnership with the youth pastor. Again, good solid advice. It recognizes the particular vulnerabilities and passions a youth pastor might have, especially one who is younger and newer to youth work. Senior pastors would do well to consider the advice in this second section, and ponder how their own supervision and ministry to their youth staff could be improved.*

And this is why I picked up this book. I've been thinking about what I might have to add to this particular discussion about developing young staff people. What needs to be said, that hasn't yet been said with clarity, about how to create a ministry partnership that is mutually affirming, healthy, and discipleship oriented? I have ideas... but you'll just have to wait for the book.

*As an aside, I suppose it's possible to read criticism of my senior pastor into this paragraph. Let me simply say that my relationship with my last senior pastor was a gift to me and my ongoing development as a pastor. I am thankful for the years of time we had together before he recently took another position.

How to Volunteer Like a Pro

Today I screamed through Jim Hancock's How to Volunteer Like a Pro. It's been sitting on my shelf for a couple of months. It's written as a resource that churches might give to adults who find themselves working with teenagers. For what it's intended to be, it's good. The advice is solid, pithy, and it runs the gamut: relationships, camp, parents, crisis behavior, simple listening skills, youth culture, and more.

All the same, every time I picked it up I couldn't shake the impression that the guy on the cover is a young Bill Clinton. What do you think?

Back to the Basics of Young Life

I finished Back to the Basics of Young Life by John Miller today.I didn't love it, but it was good. I have a Young Life background. My first foray, real foray, into youth ministry leadership was in leading a Young Life club.

First, what I didn't like about it. John Miller was a very good friend, and disciple of Jim Rayburn's, who founded Young Life. Written after Jim's death there are sections that are pure hagiography. I don't have a specific complaint about it. I do believe Rayburn was a great man of faith and courage. I'm just not into canonization.

Besides that, I found myself stopping and pausing to mull over a number of things. Many of them have to do with the various and sundry discouragements that come upon those who are involved in ministry. Miller names them and gives solid advice on how to think about them faithfully. Two that stand out to me:

• The various financial concerns that come with being in ministry.
• The steady and ongoing question of 'progress' in my ministry. Am I making even one iota of difference?

I won't belabor this post with his sage advice, accept to say that Miller reminded me that God is always faithful and that the laborer works the ground for 364 days for a 1 day harvest.

More provocative for me was the simple 4-point summary of Young Life's ministry:

1. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without.
2. It's a sin to bore a kid with the gospel.
3. Win the right to be heard.
4. Assume our young audience does not know anything about the Christian faith.Therefore always be in the posture of a teacher--and not a preacher.

Perhaps this appears too youth ministry specific to be applicable to you if you don't work with students. Maybe, but the first point at least is saturated in Scripture. See Col 4:5, 1Tim3:7, 1Thess 4:12. The whole notion of walking toward those who are without, and having a good report among the non-Christian hit me afresh.

Where may I do this with ever more credibility? Do I have the courage to do it? Do we?

My Study Place

A very generous family in our church has allowed me to study at their
home while I'm on sabbatical. My house is small, and with 3 children
there it's hard for me to focus there.

Instead, I get this. Not a bad view. Quiet. Room to ponder. I also just found out on
my first break of the morning that they have the Soccer Channel. Heaven!

Marriage Therapy

So let's not panic, but Amy and I went to see a Marriage and Family Therapist today. It's all part of the sabbatical theme, which I realize I haven't really talked about all that much.

So, in brief, the theme of my sabbatical is simply seeking deeper health for the next season of ministry. That has meant relational health with friends, extra sleep, healthy doses of time with family and books. It means some other things too - a look into our finances, trying to find a sustainable pattern for working out, and last (but not least) checking under the hood of the ol' marriage.

I'm sure I won't publish much about our time together with the MFT, but I thoroughly enjoyed our first session. Amy and I are in a pretty good spot, so it felt more like good attentive care of our relationship rather than a fraught panic-button visit. Since this was our first time, the majority of our time today was spent getting some background on Amy and I and then working through what shape we want the rest of our time to take. The plan right now is for us to meet for a number of sessions (close to once a week) over the remainder of the sabbatical.

Like I said, I won't do more than only refer to marriage counseling here in my sabbatical blog, but if you want to know a little more about what it was like, or my thoughts about it, you're welcome to ask me about it (and Amy too!) when you see us post-sabbatical.