(This post is authored by Dwight Bernier, the keynote speaker at The Calling 2012)

If you are involved with a church, you probably have recently heard an increase in usage of the base word “mission.” Phrases like “mission-minded,” “mission-focused,” “heart of mission,” “missional community” and “missional” are now standard vernacular within gospel communities. I think it’s a good thing to have mission be one of the central things that the church is about – but are we actually about it? Or are we perpetually preparing ourselves to really “engage culture”? Are we always learning about mission and hearing new methods, strategies and techniques while never actually being on mission?

I think that we’ve both overcomplicated and oversimplified mission.

We’ve oversimplified mission by thinking that watching the latest movie, drinking expensive expresso or alcohol based drinks, or attending community events is somehow being missional. Now, while all of these can provide opportunities to dialogue and understand the differing worldviews, they in and of themselves are not missional. And often we don’t actually dialogue about culture with anyone. We just end up consuming.

We’ve overcomplicated it by thinking that somehow we need to find the silver bullet to converting souls. We can spend countless hours at conferences about mission, read lots of books about being on mission, go to seminary to study mission, study apologetics to give proper responses, exegete our communities to understand our neighborhood, and never actually be on mission. We end up missing what Jesus is doing because we’re looking for the complete and perfect way to understand it and how to communicate that in a systematic way. Don’t let me fool you either – I go to the conferences, read the books, study apologetics, and exegete communities. But it’s to grow in my understanding of the gospel and how to minister that gospel more effectively to the people I am in contact with – not to find the magic models.

A simple and complicated way to see mission is that we partner with Jesus on His mission. His mission involves speaking His gospel and living out the implications of that gospel within a community on mission.

This is complicated because we could spend all our collective energy to try to figure out just how the Holy Spirit opens up someone’s heart to see the glory of Jesus, and we would never arrive at perfect understanding. The mission started in eternity past – when none of us were there! The mission was predestined, foreknown, and pre-planned. And the mission to rescue fallen humanity had a chosen Savior – Jesus. It’s His mission and the authority for the mission is His as well. And He is still working. He is still building His Church. He is still making more people worshipers of God. I don’t understand the complexities behind how He does that.

What I do understand is the simple side of mission – that He uses us in the process. He uses us as we sow proverbial gospel seeds into the world. As we talk to our co-worker about the security Jesus gives, as we dialogue with our friends about the approval we have in Jesus, as we talk with a friend who’s been abused about our Father who will never abuse, and as we answer our teammate about why they feel so empty despite being the best athlete in the school, we are sowing gospel seeds. I want you to notice something about the people I just mentioned. None of them are people we are meeting on “mission trips.” These are everyday people in everyday situations. And this is where Jesus is working.

Someone recently coined the phrase “living ordinary life with gospel intentionality.” This is what the mission of God is about. He will use you as you walk to work or school, as you frequent your local café and restaurant (pick one and stick with it), as you hang with friends, as you play sports, and as you intentionally invest in a local organization for the benefit of the city or town you live in. But please hear me, that it is not your actions that will save anyone. It is us proclaiming (yes, that means speaking) the only One whose actions can bring rescue, redemption and salvation.

Yes, Jesus does work in the big flashy events – but most often He works in the everyday and ordinary situations you find yourself in. Don’t feel you need to go overseas to join Jesus on mission. Start asking the question, “How can I partner with Jesus in what He is doing here?” Pray through this, be patient, learn to listen to the Spirit, and when doors open up for ministry and conversation, walk boldly through them, confident that Jesus is answering your prayer. And if He’s not working in that situation, He will let you know that as well. Let Him open and close doors for you!

I’m excited to unpack more of this at The Calling conference and share some stories of how we’ve seen Jesus open ordinary doors for the gospel in the city of Montreal.

(This post is written by Bryan Page, Core Team member of Gospel Alliance NE.)

Inward Focused vs. Outward Focused Youth Ministry

What is the purpose of God’s blessing in our lives? Is it mainly for us to hoard and boast about in a selfish way?

Listen to how the psalmist prayed in Psalm 67:1-2: “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us…that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.” The driving purpose behind the psalmist’s words is for God’s blessing and saving power to be made known among the nations.

Does this apply to youth ministries? It should. My fear is that many youth ministries are driven by more of a consumeristic, inward approach to attract and please the flock within the four walls of their youth group, rather than being fueled by the gospel to live and lead kids in living with an outward, missional focus.

What do I mean by an inward focus? Humans are prone to being drawn towards people they like or things they prefer.  It’s self-centered in nature. It’s convenient, less messy, less stressful, safer, and doesn’t entail much sacrifice of ourselves. The driving factor underneath all of this is the idol of self. Many youth groups function with this inward mindset today. Events are planned, programs are formed, and activities take place that are geared towards attracting and pleasing the kids. While these aren’t necessarily bad things, the problem exists when these things act as an end and not a means. The value lies in how many kids we attract to come to our youth group, instead of the end goal of making disciples who live on mission for God. Ultimately, what we wind up promoting and fueling for kids is the idol of self, and not the gospel.

What are some telling signs of an inward focused youth ministry? A few questions to chew on:

• Are we valuing the program rather than the kids themselves? Are we spending more time caring for the welfare, maintenance, budget, and function of the program rather than leaders and kids?
• Is the end result of our youth ministry to get kids to attend a gathering and have fun?
• Are we functioning as a group of missionaries or as members of a country club?

In the end, an inward focused youth group is unwilling to be inconvenienced for the sake of others, an essential makeup of gospel ministry.

On the contrary, what might a missional youth community look like? I would define it in these terms: a missional community that sees itself as a community of sinners under the self-sacrificing grace of God. It is a community that exists “for others.”

• Its primary core value is squeezed directly from the gospel – self-sacrifice. Just as Jesus came and sacrificed his life for unworthy sinners (you and I), the student community lives this truth out in everyday life.
• A community that is willing to set aside preferences and be inconvenienced, distracted, and have plans altered for the sake of others and for the greatness and glory of God.
• A community that doesn’t carry the mindset of, “What can this place do for me?”, but views itself as a group of missionaries on a mission from God seeking the renewal of their school, neighborhood, or city through living out the gospel, both in word and deed.

The question becomes: Which direction do we find ourselves leaning? I’m not here to promote a “do more missions trips”, or “become more community service oriented” mentality. There first needs to be a reorientation around what the gospel is, and what its implications are. An honest look at the gospel shows us that our lives and ministries are not about us! Jesus came and sacrificed his life for sinners, and beckons us to do the same.

• Sexual Detox e-book by Tim Challies, courtesy of Cruciform Press.
• Gospel Powered Parenting by Bill Farley, courtesy of P&R Publishing
• Sex Is Not the Problem, Lust Is by Josh Harris, courtesy of Multnomah Publishing
• Get Outta My Face and Get Offa My Case by Rick Horne, courtesy of Shepherd Press
• Red Like Blood: Confrontations with Grace by Joe Coffey and Bob Bevington, courtesy of Shepherd Press
• The Little Black Books by Scott Petty, courtesy Matthias Media

Now, I am not a math guy, but the quick numbers show me that you will be getting over $60 worth of books, for only $10! We are excited to put these great resources into your hands, and are thankful to each of the publishing companies that were so generous in giving us these books!

So register NOW, as we only have a limited amount of resources and seats for this amazing one day conference. Register HERE

(This post is by Bryan Page, Core Team member of Gospel Alliance NE.)

Recently, a friend of mine asked me if I could assist him with a computer issue. The request seemed harmless, and I felt confident that I wasn’t stupid enough to not figure the issue out. Right away, knowing the incompetency I possess when it comes to computers, I should have directed him far away from me, but instead, decided to give it a go. After what seemed to be a simple request that my pride told me I could figure out, and a few minutes of plugging and unplugging things, the result was a mouse that would not work and a comforting grinding noise coming from the tower. I humbly informed my friend I had no idea what I was doing, and encouraged him to call the expert (fortunately, we’re still friends).

This little transaction got me thinking about youth ministry. How often are our youth ministries turning to the wrong source to fix the issue? Then again, it depends on what you define as “the issue.” For some youth pastors/leaders, the issue may be “the lack of fun” factor. So, we turn to a more fun-driven, high energy, activity consumed gathering, hoping this so-called expert will solve the issue for our kids. For others, it may be the “we don’t do enough” factor, which leads us to pack our schedules with all types of stuff, which may or may not be beneficial, thinking this busyness expert will solve the issue for our kids. Meanwhile, in all of this, consumeristic culture is vying for the allegiance of our kids’ hearts, and is doing a pretty bang up job at winning them over, leading them to believe that if they buy into this, or look like this, or find your identity in whatever you want, you will find freedom, independence, satisfaction, and joy.

While some of those so-called solutions aren’t necessarily bad things, they don’t solve the real issue: the self-sufficiency and sinfulness of the human heart to love everything else but God. I don’t think it takes a degree of some sort to figure out that something is wrong in the world and something is wrong within people. Listen to how James addresses this in James 1:21: “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” This is the same word that James refers to in v.18, in which he points out that it is God, who by this “word of truth”, the gospel, has brought us to new life.

Scripture is the expert at evaluating our lives. It’s able to cut through all the nonsense, posing, and games that go on within a human heart, and is able to diagnose what the real problem is. But it doesn’t leave us at that; it also gives us the fixing solution – the gospel. While we could not, and never will be able to fix ourselves, the gospel reminds us that God has fixed what we could not through Jesus’ finished work on the cross. If this, as youth pastors/leaders, is what we believe to be the solution to saving souls and enabling kids to grow in Christ, why would we ever go anywhere else to seek solutions? Our youth ministries must be driven by this “Word”, even within the temptations to look to other “experts” when we don’t see the results we would like to see. This “Word” will do the work it’s designed to do, partnered with the ministry of the Spirit, in transforming the lives of our students.

There are countless methods, models and forms of youth ministry out there. Family focused, purpose-driven, community shaped, outreach orientated to name a few.  None of these different styles of youth ministry are a problem in and of themselves. The problem comes in the center gravity of the style of youth ministry.

What I mean by center gravity is those things that define the ministry. Those things that make them who/what they are. They are the things that when someone is going to talk about your youth ministry they will go to. If your ministry’s center gravity is attracting students then most likely you and your ministry will be known for how fun and cool youth group is. If your center gravity is reaching the local school for Jesus, then you will be known for the way you reach out or maybe that you have so many different ministries that reach the school. These are the things that make you who you are; they are what drives you to do what you do.

There is nothing wrong with having a youth ministry that is focused on reaching the local high school. Actually, we would do well for all our ministries to focus on the local school. Also, there is nothing wrong with being a fun ministry. I would hope that our ministry is fun. The problem is not in these things simply – it is deeper than that. The problem is that for many people these things are the actual foundation for their ministry – the things upon which they build everything. The gospel is simply an add-on to their ministry, not the core operating focus of their ministry.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 that he always focused on the gospel because it is by the power of the Spirit that people will know they are saved. What Paul is saying here is that he is building his entire ministry on the gospel. The gospel is the center gravity of all he will do, all he will speak, and all he will point people towards! For Paul, the gospel seems to not only be the starting point of his ministry, but he seems to sit there and never move on. He never even tries. It’s gospel or nothing with Paul.

If we were truthful, we would have to say that in youth ministry the gospel is all we have. If we do not make it our center gravity, then we are hopeless. Yeah, we may draw large groups, but change will not happen without the power of the gospel (Rom. 1.16). The gospel is the only thing that can bring about joy everlasting, not just in eternity, but also here on earth now. The truth that we have been saved, adopted and accepted, not by our works or our own doing, but by what Jesus has done is the only thing that will bring about real hope to the student who is addicted to porn, cutting themselves, drinking or thinking about ending it all. Only in and through the gospel do we have any hope to minister to the students among us.

So, why are we so quick to move away from the gospel to something else? Paul warns against this in his letters to the Galatians, and it is not a very good warning. Actually, if we are to believe Paul and what he said, then if we trust in another truth beyond the gospel, we are damned to hell. The reason is that once we move away from the truth of the gospel, we have started to believe in another gospel. So for the sake of your students, their friends, and your soul: why don’t we just stick with the gospel.

(This post is authored by Dwight Bernier, the keynote speaker at The Calling 2012)

The book of Mark commences with the term “gospel”, which means “good news”. This seems to be a very awkward way to start a document. One would anticipate a story of sadness to hear of good news. So why is Mark announcing “good news” from the outset?

In order to answer that question, we must start before the book of Mark.

The Bible is the story of God. Unfortunately, it gets treated as a story about us, a cookbook for moral success, a guide to be more self-righteous than others, or a collection of ‘beautiful stories’ (those people have obviously never read the Bible because there are a lot of messed up stories in there). In the story (or reality) of God, He has no beginning – but He creates a beginning for everything else. He creates light, universe, water, land, birds, fish, trees, animals, and then culminates his creation with man – Adam and Eve. He creates mankind in His image and to be in relationship with Him, as well as to steward the earth that He created. He made them to fully enjoy one another and to glorify Him by enjoying Him. They were made to live harmoniously under His good and loving rule, which brought life. They were warned about death.

But the story didn’t stay wonderful. In Genesis 3, another ‘authority’ crawled onto the scene and convinced Adam and Eve that God was bluffing. He called into question God’s character and intentions and he convinced them that they were not going to die if they disobeyed God, but would rather be like God. They would be gods. Rather than preaching to the lie, they bought it and everything changed. Sin entered the world – and the curse came upon all of creation. The book of Romans talks about the groaning of creation because of the decision of Adam and Eve to rebel.

One would think that God would destroy them. Rather, He disciplined them and made two promises to them. The first was that they would die and that life would be really hard now. The second was that He would fix the problem of sin. For the rest of the Old Testament (which is enormous), the people were waiting for good news that the Messiah had come. Yet it did not happen.

But the opening line of Mark says just that – good news of Jesus. The good news that humanity had been longing for was here! He was here to rescue. He was here as King  and as Son of God with all authority. He would take away all sin & evil. He would rescue His people from oppression and enemies.

Jesus truly sounds like a hero unlike any other. But the thing about Jesus that no one expected was that He would suffer. He would die. He would be beaten. He would be crucified.

If you were reading Mark and you got to Jesus dying, that would deflate all your expectations. You would wonder why Mark said “good news” at the beginning of the book if He just dies in the end. You might think that perhaps he meant to write tragedy.

But Mark doesn’t end with death. He ends with the death of death. After being buried, Jesus rose from the grave, victorious over sin and death. Jesus conquered what Adam and Eve started. This is good news – that Jesus is King, is the living Son of God and invites messed up people to follow Him.

This is where all Christians begin – trusting in Jesus’ death in our place and for our sins, and His resurrection for our life. When we first meet Jesus, everything is new. Life is so exciting and thrilling. It’s a very euphoric time as we are really alive!

But that doesn’t last forever. Real life hits us and vies for our worship and attention. Our lives might be extremely hard as well. Mark’s initial readers in Rome were dying and being persecuted because of their faith in Jesus. They were really suffering. They were probably wondering if it was really good news.

Mark’s audience needed the gospel in their suffering. They needed to be reminded that though what they see and feel is extremely difficult – Jesus has overcome the world and will keep them. It would be the hope of the gospel that would keep growing them and bearing fruit in their lives. The gospel frees us to forgive enemies because we’ve been forgiven. The gospel frees us to pray for mercy for executioners because we should have been executed. The gospel frees us to be gracious because we’ve been shown scandalous amounts of grace.

Just as Mark’s audience needed the gospel over and over, so do we. Not only does the gospel save us, but it grows us. We see more of our sinfulness, more of God’s holiness and the cross looms large and sufficient for us. The good news isn’t that we’re saved and then called to work really hard. The good news is found completely in Jesus’ work. Because of His work, we are given new identities, new hearts, new desires, new community, new mission and above all, an eternity to enjoy the One that rescued us!

May we keep going back to where we began – the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is our only hope and is sufficient for wherever we are in life.

Youth ministry for far too many churches tends to be an afterthought. We will quickly reference Jesus and His love for children when we are dedicating a newborn, yet it seems as if we quickly move on from there. Now, I am not going to be arguing for a full time youth pastor, an elaborate youth ministry plan with the latest and greatest techniques, and events to make sure that we get all the students involved. But what I am going to argue for is that you actually think about youth ministry. 

Now, I don’t care if you are a small church plant with 30 people and only 3 teens (which is my current place in life), or if you are in an established church 200 years old (which was my old place in life), you must think through the youth of your church and those who are not in your church family, but are in your community. No matter where you are or what you do, if you are a part of a church family you need to be thinking about the youth you have.

I was a youth pastor for 5 years, worked with youth in our church youth group for over 8, have written a bunch on youth ministry, trained men and women in youth ministry, and have had hours of reading, study, and conversations about youth ministry and the best way to do youth ministry. So even though I am not currently a youth pastor, my passion and commitment to the next (I mean current!) generation of church leaders, church planters, lawyers, doctors, etc. has not waned.

One of the things that I am blessed to help do is think through youth ministry here on the Gospel Alliance blog and also through some of the events we are part of. One of our flagship events is The Calling – a one-day youth conference where men and women, students and parents, pastors and attenders all come together to listen, dream and trust the Spirit to help raise the next generation of men and women to live for the glory of Jesus.

This year’s conference is April 28th in Haverhill Mass, and it is only $10. (Let me let you in on a little secret: we are going to have a bunch of free books for you, just for attending. More info coming on the GA blog soon!) Leading up to the April 28th conference I wanted to invite a couple of my buddies to chime in about youth ministry and how we are to focus on Jesus.

So over the next 4 weeks we will be posting some thoughts about youth ministry. Our hope is that you would join in this conversation. The guys who are writing with me are Bryan Page and Dwight Bernier.

Bryan is part of the Gospel Alliance core team and the youth pastor at Haverhill Alliance Church, where The Calling will be hosted this year.

Dwight is a church planter from Maine, who is now planting in Montreal.

So make sure you subscribe to the Gospel Alliance blog and help us share the word about this short series on youth ministry. Finally, we would love to address issues that you can think of, so if you have anything that you would love us to cover, either leave a comment below or email us at  info@rhcommunity.org.