Interview #3
For my next interview I spoke with Greg. I have known him for about five years; we graduated high school together and have very similar interests. Greg has attended church before and has since moved away to college and has been searching for answers and understanding. I really appreciate Greg as a person and a friend, this interview was neat for me because it helps me to understand him better. Greg is very open minded and looks to learn something new as often as he can. He said that from his childhood the greatest need in the Douglasville, PA area is a place for kids to hang out and for activities for them to participate in. He said he kids need to have option to things to do so that they do not just sit around and cause trouble. He believes that most people do not attend church because of the “radical ideas,” and the preaching that says “this is the only way,” also he thinks that people are just lazy and unmotivated or uninspired to go. I asked him what kind of church he would look for if he were to attend and he said, “A church that is welcoming, friendly, energetic, and positive.” He also believes that Jesus was a good man and teacher but that he was not the Son of God and that he was not resurrected from the dead. Greg is a deep thinker and everything he says he can support by some kind of theory, but I appreciate that he is open and willing to hear new things and discuss them. He compared Jesus to John Lennon and Martin Luther King. I really like talking with Greg and think that his heart for truth will lead him to the answer. He really appreciates nature and says, “When I hike and climb up a mountain I experience God in the same way that other people experience God in church.” I learned a lot from this interview and think it will be helpful in speaking with Greg in the future.
Friday, April 20, 2007
SMALL GROUP:
Small Group-
My small group project comes from RealLife youth group at Glad Tiding Assemblies of God church in Sinking Springs, Pa. I have been the seventh grade boy’s leader for about two years. The name of our group (chosen by the boys) is the Steel Toe Burger Bro’s. Doing small groups and getting to know people on a different level has been really neat and has taught me a lot about how to relate to people. Seventh grade boys are a challenge in themselves, but I love every minute of it. They are very full of energy and excitement which makes small groups a bit difficult at times but also makes it very fun and interesting. I have found that every guy has a different story, home life, personality, idea of God, and attitude. The variety of guys in the small group makes relating to them hard to do sometimes. One thing I have learned though is that as we grow together as a group, and as they learn to trust me more, and I understand them better, we all can become unified. There are usually about five core guys that come every week and sometimes we can get up to about twelve. Pastor Erin Holt is the youth pastor and our small group focuses on the message using a small group packet that guides our discussions. We meet for about 45 minutes and our night goes as follows: go over announcements, discuss our weeks and anything new, fool around and have fun, go over our small group packet, discuss and talk about ideas from the message, and end in a short time of prayer. Growing with the guys and praying with them has been a great experience for me. They have challenged me to think differently and I pray that they have also learned form me. I have noticed that most of the seventh graders in the group are very influential and watch what others do; I pray that my example as a leader in the group will reflect positive things to them. The neat thing about small groups is that in such a small group you are able to notice everything. Some of the boys really step out and show character of a future leader in the group; others show posture or an attitude that reflects pain or frustration from there week or family. I feel that my role there is not to be so much of a leader as much as a director. I do not want to lecture or preach more then I have to, I really enjoy hearing them talk about issues and ideas that they have. My goal for the group is to be unique, energetic and open. I have gotten to know the boys pretty well and I am able to pray with them and be open with them about things that take place in there lives. I think that our time in small group has been very effective and has help every individual person in the group grow and understand each other and Christ in a deeper way.
Interview with friend
Interview #2
For this interview I spoke with my friend Pat. He is from Glenmoore, PA and I have known him for about two and half years. Pat is a really personable and friendly kind of guy. He is married and has three children. When speaking with Pat I can see his desire to understand and know Christ better. He is a hard worker and feels pressured by trying to grow in many areas but being stretched to thin. The biggest thing I noticed about our interview was that he felt as though his life was filled with too many things. He felt as though his family was suffering because of there busy schedule. I feel as though many people today have the same mindset as Pat, they want to grow in there walk with God and with there families but they are over committed and “too busy.” Over and over in the interview the subject of time and simplicity surfaced. He thought the greatest need in the area was “less activities tempting families to over commit in activities and time. He said that at the current time he was interested in slowing down in the rat race of life and spending more time with his family and also pursuing God in a better way. Pat seems to really desire a relationship with Christ that goes deeper then the surface and that also effects his life and surroundings. He said if he could choose a church to attend it would be small, personable, uncomplicated, and independent (speaking of denominations). He believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only way to heaven. From the interview I learned a lot about Pat and about his views of religion and family. I feel as though in some ways he views church as being overly religious and that he wants to see God in a new way but that he has not time or means of doing so. One other thing I asked Pat was: what do you think youth need in your area? He responded with, “A Godly influence, being happy with what they have and always not trying to be like the crowd.” I think that this interview has helped me to understand Pat better in a way that will help me to better shine my light and relate to him and his needs.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Faith Formation #3
Section 3: What kind of ministry are you trying to start?
A. State up to, but not exceeding, eight core values of your new ministry.
I believe that core values are important and vital to the ministry; I also think that the people in the youth group should be able to form the core values. I would like to have the youth help in picking core values that are important to them once the ministry has grown.
1. Christ centered
2. Friendly and warm atmosphere
3. Safe place
4. Having fun
5. United
6. Authentic and genuine
7. Respecting others
8. Loving people as Christ loved us
B. State and expand your mission statement.
The mission statement for this youth ministry is something that will guide and direct the ministry as a reminder of the values and goals that it is built on. I want the mission statement to be something simple and easily understood, and also something attainable. Youth are in need of a place to hang out and a good atmosphere and teaching, youth need encouragement, fun and help. Helping youth to feel Christ’s love and finding friendship would be something important and stated in the mission. Mission Statement:
Demonstrating Christ to searching youth in a fulfilling and energetic way; while promoting unity, friendship, Biblical values, and fun.
C. What style of ministry will this be? What "model" will you use?
This youth ministry would be aimed toward contemporary modern Christianity. Using models of many youth groups to fit the areas needs and the youth’s interests would be important. I would really aim toward something contemporary that was open and relaxed. I would use examples from RealLife youth group from Glad Tidings, Reading, PA.; I like the look and style of there ministry. I also would model the ministry after RealLife’s small groups once the ministry grew. I would like to use sports and outside activities to draw youth in a non-threatening way. I would follow different aspects of the models given by pastors who were interviewed such as Dan Miller, Jason Lamer, Brian Knorr, and Courtney Bancroft. I also like a lot of the things from Rob Bell and would incorporate some of his ideas into the ministry. I also have heard many great things from youth retreats and seminars that I have attended relating to youth. I want to reach youth with more traditional services that incorporate multimedia and a variety of aids. I also want to have after school programs including, sports teams, small groups, tutoring, and other activities. Reaching youth will take a commitment and the model of the ministry will have to adjust and change to fit the youth, the area, and the needs of the people. No model can be perfected and always evaluating motives, health, and direction will be important.
D. Draw your ministry flow chart as you’re presently envision it.
E. Describe your ideal launch team.
Launch teams are vital to the health and success of the ministry. As well as a launch team as building or location is also key. The ideal launch team would have to fit into the characteristics and values that are stated in the church and in the youth ministry itself. Commitment and love for the ministry would be important and something I would look for in a leader or teammate. An ideal team member would work together to accomplish goals, would be established in prayer, would be creative, energetic, and loving. I think that younger adults are able to reach and relate to youth easily, but I also think that older members with experience and wisdom would be an important part of the team. The best team would be a core group of unified leaders aiming toward helping youth and accomplishing common goals in the community.
A. State up to, but not exceeding, eight core values of your new ministry.
I believe that core values are important and vital to the ministry; I also think that the people in the youth group should be able to form the core values. I would like to have the youth help in picking core values that are important to them once the ministry has grown.
1. Christ centered
2. Friendly and warm atmosphere
3. Safe place
4. Having fun
5. United
6. Authentic and genuine
7. Respecting others
8. Loving people as Christ loved us
B. State and expand your mission statement.
The mission statement for this youth ministry is something that will guide and direct the ministry as a reminder of the values and goals that it is built on. I want the mission statement to be something simple and easily understood, and also something attainable. Youth are in need of a place to hang out and a good atmosphere and teaching, youth need encouragement, fun and help. Helping youth to feel Christ’s love and finding friendship would be something important and stated in the mission. Mission Statement:
Demonstrating Christ to searching youth in a fulfilling and energetic way; while promoting unity, friendship, Biblical values, and fun.
C. What style of ministry will this be? What "model" will you use?
This youth ministry would be aimed toward contemporary modern Christianity. Using models of many youth groups to fit the areas needs and the youth’s interests would be important. I would really aim toward something contemporary that was open and relaxed. I would use examples from RealLife youth group from Glad Tidings, Reading, PA.; I like the look and style of there ministry. I also would model the ministry after RealLife’s small groups once the ministry grew. I would like to use sports and outside activities to draw youth in a non-threatening way. I would follow different aspects of the models given by pastors who were interviewed such as Dan Miller, Jason Lamer, Brian Knorr, and Courtney Bancroft. I also like a lot of the things from Rob Bell and would incorporate some of his ideas into the ministry. I also have heard many great things from youth retreats and seminars that I have attended relating to youth. I want to reach youth with more traditional services that incorporate multimedia and a variety of aids. I also want to have after school programs including, sports teams, small groups, tutoring, and other activities. Reaching youth will take a commitment and the model of the ministry will have to adjust and change to fit the youth, the area, and the needs of the people. No model can be perfected and always evaluating motives, health, and direction will be important.
D. Draw your ministry flow chart as you’re presently envision it.
E. Describe your ideal launch team.
Launch teams are vital to the health and success of the ministry. As well as a launch team as building or location is also key. The ideal launch team would have to fit into the characteristics and values that are stated in the church and in the youth ministry itself. Commitment and love for the ministry would be important and something I would look for in a leader or teammate. An ideal team member would work together to accomplish goals, would be established in prayer, would be creative, energetic, and loving. I think that younger adults are able to reach and relate to youth easily, but I also think that older members with experience and wisdom would be an important part of the team. The best team would be a core group of unified leaders aiming toward helping youth and accomplishing common goals in the community.
Faith Formation #2
Section 2: Who is your ministry focus group?
A. Describe your ministry focus group. Include appropriate demographics
My ministry focus group is going to be based toward a youth group setting in Gray, Maine. My focus will specialize on the youth of the area including youth brought up in church and also focusing on bringing youth in that have never gone to church before. I would like to focus in on Southern Maine. I grew up in this area and feel that there is a need among the youth there. Maine has a very liberal and closed personality; the people in some ways are hard to reach and are set in there stubborn ways. Southern Maine in particular has a large percentage of well to do people. The people there are generally comfortable and do not look for outside help or need, aka God. Gray, Maine has several churches and all of which have low attendance. Cumberland County is dominated my Catholicism, then mainline protestant, followed by evangelical protestant. 44.8% of the population of Cumberland County attends some type of church; although unproven I believe that this 44.8% is very largely over the age of 21. My focus group will directly relate to this missing gap, middle school and high school age youth. Over 31% of Cumberland County is under the age of 24. The great need is for a ministry that will reach out to the youth of the area and present the gospel of Christ in a loving way that relates to there generation and styles.
B. Describe the particular needs of your group/community.
Growing up in this area I felt the greatest need was for a place to hang out and spend time with friends. Now that I am able to reflect back on this I see that there is a great need for someone to love and care about youth in the area. There few if any programs or places for youth to hang out that promote any types of values or character. I feel that for the most part youth are allowed to find things to do in places that lead to trouble. Drugs and alcohol are prevalent there, just as any other area, and I believe that there is nothing to discourage or show youth anything else. Besides Christ being the ultimate need of every community, youth in Southern Maine especially Gray need a place in which they can grow and learn in a positive environment that works along side the community and operates with a youth group style of ministry.
C. Describe the proposed location, if necessary.
The location would specifically be based out of Gray, Maine. Gray is a central location for other thriving towns and areas such as Windham, New Gloucester, and Raymond.
D. What are some possible names for your new ministry?
E. How will you determine the name?
I was thinking of some names that would be non-threatening in a way that did not seem directly related to a church. I want the name of my ministry to not scare people away that might have bad feelings toward a typical church service or youth group. I want the name to also sound exciting and to be attention grabbing! Choosing a name should be something that is done carefully and should be looked into. I think a name that reflects the ministry goals and vision is important, also a name that matches the demographics of the area.
Some thoughts were:
- Subsidium, this is a Latin word that means to support, help, or assist, but in a military stance it means reserve troops, or auxiliary forces.
-Forefront Youth
-Dunamis Youth Center, This is a Greek word meaning dynamite, Holy Spirit, and power.
A. Describe your ministry focus group. Include appropriate demographics
My ministry focus group is going to be based toward a youth group setting in Gray, Maine. My focus will specialize on the youth of the area including youth brought up in church and also focusing on bringing youth in that have never gone to church before. I would like to focus in on Southern Maine. I grew up in this area and feel that there is a need among the youth there. Maine has a very liberal and closed personality; the people in some ways are hard to reach and are set in there stubborn ways. Southern Maine in particular has a large percentage of well to do people. The people there are generally comfortable and do not look for outside help or need, aka God. Gray, Maine has several churches and all of which have low attendance. Cumberland County is dominated my Catholicism, then mainline protestant, followed by evangelical protestant. 44.8% of the population of Cumberland County attends some type of church; although unproven I believe that this 44.8% is very largely over the age of 21. My focus group will directly relate to this missing gap, middle school and high school age youth. Over 31% of Cumberland County is under the age of 24. The great need is for a ministry that will reach out to the youth of the area and present the gospel of Christ in a loving way that relates to there generation and styles.
B. Describe the particular needs of your group/community.
Growing up in this area I felt the greatest need was for a place to hang out and spend time with friends. Now that I am able to reflect back on this I see that there is a great need for someone to love and care about youth in the area. There few if any programs or places for youth to hang out that promote any types of values or character. I feel that for the most part youth are allowed to find things to do in places that lead to trouble. Drugs and alcohol are prevalent there, just as any other area, and I believe that there is nothing to discourage or show youth anything else. Besides Christ being the ultimate need of every community, youth in Southern Maine especially Gray need a place in which they can grow and learn in a positive environment that works along side the community and operates with a youth group style of ministry.
C. Describe the proposed location, if necessary.
The location would specifically be based out of Gray, Maine. Gray is a central location for other thriving towns and areas such as Windham, New Gloucester, and Raymond.
D. What are some possible names for your new ministry?
E. How will you determine the name?
I was thinking of some names that would be non-threatening in a way that did not seem directly related to a church. I want the name of my ministry to not scare people away that might have bad feelings toward a typical church service or youth group. I want the name to also sound exciting and to be attention grabbing! Choosing a name should be something that is done carefully and should be looked into. I think a name that reflects the ministry goals and vision is important, also a name that matches the demographics of the area.
Some thoughts were:
- Subsidium, this is a Latin word that means to support, help, or assist, but in a military stance it means reserve troops, or auxiliary forces.
-Forefront Youth
-Dunamis Youth Center, This is a Greek word meaning dynamite, Holy Spirit, and power.
-Foundation Youth Center
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Interview with Bryan Koch
Pastor Bryan Koch:
Pastor Bryan is my home church pastor, and he has been an influential part of my life over the last several years. He is a very special man with a strong heart after God and for service toward Gods people. Pastor Bryan is the senior pastor of Glad Tidings A/G in Reading, Pa. He has been in the ministry for twenty years and comes from a background of pro baseball, business school, and Bible college. Glad Tidings averages about 1,900 people during its weekend services, which shows the large role in the community. Even though it is a large church pastor Bryan and the church aims toward keeping the focus on community, friendliness, and Christ’s love.
I really appreciate Pastor Bryan’s hard work and love for Christ. His leadership reflects Christ in a way of organization and discipleship of people. Glad Tidings, from my perspective, does a great job in reaching out and helping non-believers and believers of all maturities grow and understand Christ and what it means to live a meaningful Christian life.
Pastor Bryan’s sense of humor and practicality make him very approachable and easy to talk to. I appreciate that he is very open and humble about his leadership position and that he is a servant for Christ. Pastor Bryan uses a lot of really neat approaches to ministry such as there foyer, living room, and kitchen outline for reaching all people. Glad Tiding offers many programs ranging from over 85 small groups, to 4D the young adults group, RealLife youth group, and a great children’s program as well as many other things.
I really appreciate Pastor Bryan’s hard work and love for Christ. His leadership reflects Christ in a way of organization and discipleship of people. Glad Tidings, from my perspective, does a great job in reaching out and helping non-believers and believers of all maturities grow and understand Christ and what it means to live a meaningful Christian life.
Pastor Bryan’s sense of humor and practicality make him very approachable and easy to talk to. I appreciate that he is very open and humble about his leadership position and that he is a servant for Christ. Pastor Bryan uses a lot of really neat approaches to ministry such as there foyer, living room, and kitchen outline for reaching all people. Glad Tiding offers many programs ranging from over 85 small groups, to 4D the young adults group, RealLife youth group, and a great children’s program as well as many other things.
Interview with Dan Miller
Interview: Dan Miller
Like all the interviews so far Pastor Dan brought a special and unique aspect of ministry to the table. His ideas and church planning were appropriate and geared toward his community and toward loving people in a Godly way. I really appreciated Dan and his openness for Christ and for loving and serving people.
Dan is the senior pastor at Back Mountain Harvest Assembly in Trucksville, Pennsylvania. He began youth ministry around the age of 16 and his passion for ministry has continued to grow since then. He really pushed that character comes before calling and gifts; I really agreed with him on this point, I believe that once you can get yourself together then God can better use you to serve and love others in a biblical way.
One thing I enjoyed about Dan was his friendly, warm, and loving attitude. He stressed that once people can trust you and know you care they will allow you to teach and love them. He was very easy going and energetic, not someone you would traditionally see as a senior pastor, as a good thing. I really enjoyed the passion and energy that you could see in everything he did. One of the really neat things about the church is that they own a recreation center and gym. They open it up to the community and do all sorts of Christ centered work outs and activities. Although it is Christian centered it is not “cheesy” like some Christian things, it’s a real professional gym. They also do a program called UPWARD Basketball that sounds really neat. This basketball program is something that the church uses to reach out to the community in a non-threatening church way. It is geared toward all ages and allows people to gather together and have fun while being in a Christian environment.
Like all the interviews so far Pastor Dan brought a special and unique aspect of ministry to the table. His ideas and church planning were appropriate and geared toward his community and toward loving people in a Godly way. I really appreciated Dan and his openness for Christ and for loving and serving people.
Dan is the senior pastor at Back Mountain Harvest Assembly in Trucksville, Pennsylvania. He began youth ministry around the age of 16 and his passion for ministry has continued to grow since then. He really pushed that character comes before calling and gifts; I really agreed with him on this point, I believe that once you can get yourself together then God can better use you to serve and love others in a biblical way.
One thing I enjoyed about Dan was his friendly, warm, and loving attitude. He stressed that once people can trust you and know you care they will allow you to teach and love them. He was very easy going and energetic, not someone you would traditionally see as a senior pastor, as a good thing. I really enjoyed the passion and energy that you could see in everything he did. One of the really neat things about the church is that they own a recreation center and gym. They open it up to the community and do all sorts of Christ centered work outs and activities. Although it is Christian centered it is not “cheesy” like some Christian things, it’s a real professional gym. They also do a program called UPWARD Basketball that sounds really neat. This basketball program is something that the church uses to reach out to the community in a non-threatening church way. It is geared toward all ages and allows people to gather together and have fun while being in a Christian environment.
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