That's Entertainministry!

Am I the only one who thinks it is maddening to reach people for Jesus by seeing who can put on the best performance? But isn't that really what most of youth ministry has become?
Who can have the coolest name?
Who has the flashiest logo?
Who has the best band?
Whose teen room looks the coolest?
Which group does the best ski/rafting/fill-in-the-blank trip?
Now, before you run off and accuse me of advocating boring speakers, irrelevant lessons, and no fun, hear me out. I am all about having fun while we live for and learn about Jesus. I think Jesus enjoyed life. As a matter of fact, didn't He tell us following Him would bring more abundant life? Of course. But here is the question of the hour...what did this life look like?
Did His abundant life come by seeing how much entertainment we could shove in our lives? Did it come by going on trips designed to entertain? Did Jesus get a rush by riding roller coasters, watching movies, or taking excursions? (I'll give you a minute to refer to the Gospels if you need to.) I don't see any of that in the Bible.
The last time I checked, the abundant life Jesus spoke of consisted of serving others, putting your life on the line for the outcast, and giving up everything else for the sake of following Jesus. I doesn't seem as though many youth ministries are buying into that model.
Let's consider what Jesus might embrace...
Racing down a river in a raft or reaching inner-city children?
Movie nights or a night in prayer?
Lock-in or looking for ways to serve senior citizens?
Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with having fun. Buy how much more fun (and abundant) is it to enjoy life while aiding God in redeeming creation? Why not find the kind of peace and fulfillment Jesus talks about in His "Sermon on the Mount?"
From what I see, most youth ministries look more like another club at school than they do a movement going against the grain of culture. They seem more concerned with how many students come to an event than how many students are transformed to look like Jesus.
I will conceed that most youth ministries do strive to "convert" students. But convert them to what? A self-serving experience that says we can still have our life but come to church events and worship? A club where we feel good because we go to church. A place where sins often reigns 153 hours a week and Jesus makes an appearance the other three?
I know I am being hard on my vocation. And I will readily admit that many of the things I have said above are self-condemning. I am not innocent at all in regards to the way I "do" ministry. I still struggle with the balance between relevance and faithfulness. I often wonder if I am too hardcore or if I am selling out to society's expectations and norms.
The bottom line is this. Jesus did not ever want us to look like culture. He did not come so we could feel good in the midst of our sinfulness. Jesus never intended following Him to be a self-help adventure or a chance to just escape Hell. No way. No how.
Jesus calls us to something much more profound and life changing. We are challenged to engage this world of darkness to bring light. And when youth ministry doesn't look much different than the rest of a teen's world and doesn't challenge young people to find their identity in Jesus, what kind of light is that? Who wants to subject themselves to more rules and waking up early on Sundays while they don't significantly change the way they live the rest of the week?
When youth ministry strives to create churchgoers, good citizens, or someone who saves sex until marriage, we have completely missed the point. Jesus wants radicals. People who buck the status quo. People who live in contrast to the self-centered, consumeristic world we find ourselves submursed in.
Hey! This makes me think about the experience of baptism. When we dedicate ourselves to God in baptism we are submursing ourselves into a new world. A new way of living. A new appraoch to life. We are making Christ our LORD and Savior. When Jesus calls Himself the Way, the Truth, and the Life, He is not only talking about a path to heaven. He is talking about a new path here on earth. The Way to restore creation to the way God intended. The Truth about what is really important. The Life that is abundant here and in the world to come.
It's time for youth ministry to get out of the recreation business and into the transformation business. Let's stop worrying about how many teens we can entertain and start worrying about how many teens we can change. Now there's a cross I'm ready to bear.

shine!
Jason