Where we at, YO?

Where we at? That, over there to the left, has been the question on our mind lately. As is typically the case the question of “at” is usually followed by the question of “going”. This too has been on our mind lately. Where we at and where we going? It has been quite challenging over the last few weeks in our college ministry brain trust known as Get Closer. We have collectively wrestled with who we are, what we wish to be, and how we are going accomplish the task of both discovery and accomplishment. So far we have learned this is no easy task. But, we have come to some conclusions.
At Parkway, our student ministry is in a good place. But, it is very important to say that we have not arrived. We are moving, we are headed there; the only problem is that we don’t know exactly where there is. We feel pretty sure that we know the direction, but where we stop is completely up to God. While this may be disconcerting to some, we feel that God leads us and we trust God. So, we just go and listen, and turn when God says turn and stop where God says stop. It is fun.
So, what does all this mean? I feel that it is time to make some changes. In fact, we (core college student leadership types) have discussed it so technically I should say we feel that some changes are coming. Exactly how these changes will appear is still up to God, but I feel that we can certainly state some broad areas of change that we feel are important.
1. Get Closer, while still to be known as Get Closer, will change its focus a bit. Currently Get Closer is a bible study. A simple, sit around a table reading the bible, bible study. While studying the bible is definitely important, we already do that pretty well in other Parkway Student Ministry activities. So, no more just sitting around a table reading the bible. A refocus is coming.
2. How do we refocus Get Closer. Well we go out and make disciples, to quote a feller named Jesus. While this seems like a simple action, in some ways it is, but we find that the “going” part of that statement is the hard part. Granted you cannot make someone a disciple unless they are willing to become a disciple. You definitely cannot gauge their willingness to become a disciple if you don’t even know them. Seems when you know someone, you know as friends; you tend to talk about things. Even spiritual things. They can then either say, yes I am interested in Jesus or no Jesus is not for me. Either way you have gotten to know a new person, you may even get yourself a new BFF, or at very least a BFFN (BFFN- best friend for now, is an intentionally ironic joke gauging a Christian tendency to befriend non-Christian types in order to win them for Jesus without really caring for the person, if you should happen to be looking for a point to argue).
3. We must intentionally critic our efforts to insure that we allow an identifiable process. By this we mean that if someone is interested in Christ in a life altering way, we need to insure that they have an identifiable process by which they can check their growth. Not that Christianity, the act of following and being changed by Christ, is academic or procedural. Rather, a personal relationship with Christ is, well, personal. Though, ask anyone who seeks to follow and be transformed by Christ if the process is easy, honest people will very likely say no. So, a group of like-minded friends and acquaintances would seem a natural benefit. At this point, organization structure and group purpose become paramount. Thus we have government, because however many thousands of years of human existence we currently have under our collective belts we have learned that groups don’t always naturally behave in positive ways. So, group structure is important. A process that allows people to move as they develop is crucial, we must continually develop this process.

So, now you have three points, like a good sermon just no dead dog story to get you teary eyed. However, you do get a recap. Change is important to the development of our ministry. Get Closer will no longer be a sit around a table bible study. We will develop Get Closer into a missional endeavor. We will develop ways to interact with our community, live our lives getting to know people who may or may not wish to know more about Christ, and hopefully in the process be more like Christ. You know, do things like love folks. Not to forget that we shall purposefully develop our organizational structure to insure movement towards Christ.