CHAPTER 12
DEEP FOCUS GROUPS: IN THE MIDST OF BUSYNESS AND CRAZY EXPECTATIONS, HOW CAN WE MAINTAIN DEEP MINISTRY?
Kara Powell
DEEP DESIGN, STEP 1 (DISCERNMENT) : NOW?
DEEP DESIGN PROMPT
“We are half-hearted creatures…[Each of us is] like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”89
—C. S. LEWIS
Although it’s been decades since C.S. Lewis wrote about the vivid differences between the promises of the gospel and our own desires, his words ring true for youth workers today. For a time, a little water and a lot of dirt add up to messy fun. If we’re lucky, we might even find a few others whose simple tastes draw them to play with us.
But it’s only a matter of time (like about two minutes) before we realize that mud pies aren’t all that appetizing. Those who’ve been playing with us walk off, hoping to find more enticing entertainment. We end up alone with nothing but a soggy mess.
Hindering God’s transformation: We often play in the mud instead of spending time at sea.
Hopefully this book has helped us learn that the good news—scratch that, the GREAT news—is that God offers us more.
Much, much more.
He offers us a holiday at sea. He invites us to relish life’s bright sunlight and cool breezes. He beckons us to wiggle our toes in the sand and then swim into the deep, refreshing waters.
Creating space for God’s transformation: Offering us more than we ever dreamed.
At this point in the book, maybe you’re excited about deep ministry, but you’re also scared it won’t last. You’re worried that the busyness of life and ministry will keep you digging in the mud instead of racing through the waves.
The question is: what is it that will keep us from living and ministering with the same metaphorical mud in the same allegorical slum? What will keep us from returning to the shallow ways of youth ministry as we’ve always done ivt?
In the quote opening this chapter, Lewis gives one possible answer.
Imagine.
Good ol’ Clive was right. One major difference between a shallow life and a deep life is the appreciation we have for what it means to follow God in new and fresh ways.
Imagination and newness are imbedded in the Deep Design process. As we’ve noted, our Deep Design is in the shape of the mathematical infinity sign (a.k.a., a sideways figure “8”).
Creating space for God’s transformation: Inviting us to an ongoing process of deep ministry.
In research terms, we call this ongoing process a “feedback loop.” Every time you figure out How to live out deep ministry, you’ve created a fresh Now that you get to explore and evaluate.
We wish it weren’t this way, but the reality is that the problems we face Now are largely the result of yesterday’s solutions. Every time God helps us make some progress toward deep ministry, we’ll inevitably stumble upon—and sometimes create ourselves—new dilemmas and challenges. Often the answer to the question, “How did we get here?” is simple: “We brought ourselves here.”
This is exactly what happened to Kara:
I tried to recruit a more diverse adult volunteer team. Realizing I wasn’t a Superpastor (see Chapter 11), I assessed our adult volunteers to try to figure out their strengths and weaknesses. Not only did we need more adult leaders, but also we needed younger leaders. We had all sorts of parents involved, but hardly any college students or young adults.
We prayed. We visited college campuses. We made announcements in the young adult classes at our church. We asked our kids for names of young adults they’d like to spend time with, and then invited those adults to check out our ministry.
The good news is that God brought all sorts of dynamic, energetic young leaders to our ministry. The bad news is that a year or so later, we had a new need: we needed some more gray hairs in our leadership.
Hindering God’s transformation: Balance is something we swing through on our way from one extreme to another.
Balance is something we often swing through on our way from one extreme to another.
So the job of figuring out deep ministry in a shallow world is never done. We can’t reach a certain depth and stay there forever. We’ll get bored, our programs will get shallow, and our kids will start climbing out of the pool. If we want to maintain the right depth, we have to keep interacting with our kids, families, and community. We have to continue asking the important questions about where we are Now, what New directions to which we want to head, Who has already blazed a trail for us, and How we might get there.
DEEP DESIGN, STEP 2 (REFLECTION) : NEW?
An underlying theme in this book is that the God we serve is creative and keeps involving us in this creative process.
An underlying theme in this chapter is that the God we serve is also relational and models what it means to engage in this creative process with others.
In academic circles, there has been a resurgence of interest in the power and connectedness that God models in the Trinity. While the term Trinity never appears in Scripture, we can piece together an understanding of the three forms of God through various passages. From the New Testament, we know God is one (Galatians 3:20; James 2:19) but the Son (John 1:1; Colossians 2:9) and the Spirit (Acts 5:3–4) are also fully God.90
Scripture: There are three forms of God.
History: The three forms have distinct roles.
Though the Son and the Spirit share in the Father’s divine nature, they are distinct from the Father. The earliest Christian theologians often thought of the differences in terms of a double movement within God. The first movement is the “generation” that differentiates the Father from the Son, since the Father is the one who generates the Son. The second movement is the “procession” that differentiates the Spirit from the Father and Son, for it is the Spirit who proceeds from both.91 These two movements are evident in the three distinct actions involved in salvation. The Father plans salvation, the Son provides it, and the Holy Spirit applies it.92 Similarly, while all are involved in divine revelation through Scripture, it was the Father who had the creative idea for it, the Son who actively expressed it, and the Spirit who illumines it today.93
In the early centuries of the church, great debates emerged about the exact nature of the Trinity. Some questioned whether the three forms are “of the same substance” or “of a similar substance.” A second controversial issue was whether or not there are actually three forms of God. Some intellectual leaders of the church proposed that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not distinct persons but successive revelations of the same person. In this “modalistic” approach to the Trinity, God was described as one person with three different names and activities.
History: In the fourth century, God was described as “one substance in three modes.”
In the fourth century, leaders gathered at the Council of Constantinople issued a definitive statement addressing both controversies. They described the dynamic relationship among the three forms of God as “one substance in three modes.” In this description, the tension between two key facets of the Trinity is maintained—the three forms are unique in their roles yet united in their divinity and purpose.
History: The Trinity is a model for what it means to be in partnership.
In describing the unique but united Trinity, theologian Stanley Grenz writes, “The implications of this conception are immense. Above all, it suggests that God is himself relational. The Father, Son, and Spirit are the social Trinity.”94 Part of what it means for humans to be created in the image of God (in Latin, imago Dei), is that we are created with that same sense of relationality. As God interrelates in three complementary persons in divine work, so we humans have the opportunity to relate with others as we do God’s work. As we relate well and deeply with others, we live out God’s image in us.
When it comes to youth ministry, following this example means we realize we can’t bring about sustainable deep change on our own. As we observe in the Trinity, we reach our deepest potential by functioning as a united community with other members who have valuable and unique contributions.
Research: Focus groups help us figure out what others are thinking.
There are many ways to engage with others in bringing ongoing depth to your ministry. One is to develop the types of teams discussed in Chapters 7 and 11. A second way to draw from the unique perspectives of others is through a research tool that has been hidden and buried for all too long: focus groups. A focus group gathers six to 10 people for a thoughtful conversation about a particular topic. There are many advantages to hosting focus groups: they don’t cost much (a box of doughnuts usually does the trick); you can ask follow-up questions to probe beneath the surface of what is being said; and you get results pretty quickly. While focus groups have some limitations (e.g., they’re only as good as the questions being asked, the person doing the asking, and the group doing the answering), by following some basic and established focus-group practices, you can get some great New data that will help you figure out how to grow deeper.
Research: When done well, focus groups get us great information quickly and cheaply.
Research: The first step is to figure out the purpose of the focus group.
1. Figure out the goal and scope of your focus group. Do you want to assess your entire ministry? Or would you rather focus on a single element of your ministry, such as teaching or mission trips? Is there a program or ministry you’re launching soon about which you could use more input? These are all great goals and scopes of focus groups. 2. Determine who you’ll invite. You can only figure out who you’re going to invite once you’ve completed the first step and know what you’re hoping to discover. When our junior high ministry became concerned that our outreach to non-Christian kids was getting shallow, we decided to figure out why by holding two focus groups: one with kids who were committed to our ministry, and another with kids who had been invited by friends. Depending on what you’re trying to learn, you might gather a focus group of parents, or kids who have grown estranged from your ministry, or kids who have graduated from your ministry, or adult volunteers, or small group leaders, or youth workers from other churches. 3. Find one or two facilitators. You might be a good person to facilitate the group, but you may not be the best person. Students and adults might be hesitant to share if you’re in the room, or their sharing might be colored by your presence. You might also end up sounding—or even feeling—defensive in the type and tone of your questions. If possible, try to find somebody who’s part insider and part outsider. Maybe it could be a former volunteer, or a parent of kids who’ve graduated. The ideal is to have someone lead the group who “gets” your group but won’t take criticism personally. In general, it’s a good idea to find a cofacilitator who can assist the facilitator both by asking questions periodically and more importantly by taking notes about what is being said. 4. Develop your questions. Even if you have the right group of people, you won’t get much traction if you ask the wrong group of questions. There are several different types of questions you want to try to avoid. First, avoid questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”—they won’t stimulate much conversation. Second, steer clear of leading questions that might reflect your own opinions (e.g., “What did you think about the great retreat we had last month?”). Third, try to stay away from questions that begin with the word why, because it can make some people defensive. (Instead, try asking, “what are some reasons” or another similar phrase.) If you’re hosting a 60-to 90-minute focus group with six to 10 people, you probably want to have six to 10 questions prepared. 5. Have someone review your questions in advance. Questions and phrases that sound right in your head might sound confusing or jumbled in everyone else’s. Ask a trusted colleague or volunteer who will not be part of the focus group to read over the questions in advance. 6. Choose an appropriate setting and atmosphere. You want a place that’s quiet where you won’t be interrupted. (So the youth room might not work so well!) You want people to take their roles seriously, but you also want them to be comfortable—so make sure lighting is adequate and room temperature appropriate. You may also want to bring snacks to help people feel welcome and appreciated (hence, the doughnuts). 7. Start the meeting well. Your facilitators should introduce themselves and make sure everyone around the circle introduces himself or herself. It’s wise to explain that even though their comments will be shared afterwards, they will be shared anonymously so no one will know who said what—or even who was in the group. 8. Listen. Listen. Listen. Probe. Probe. Probe. The facilitator needs to be 100 percent focused on what people are saying. As a listener and facilitator, the leader should try not to express undue enthusiasm or disagreement with any comment made, since that will bias the discussion. When appropriate, the facilitator can ask unscripted follow-up questions to delve deeper, clear up confusion, and explore contradictions. It’s also the facilitator’s job to keep the session focused and steer the conversation back on course as needed. 9. Process by asking What? So what? Now what? In Chapter 9, we introduced three key questions that could be used in debriefing mission trips: What? So what? Now what? The facilitators can use the same questions to debrief the focus group experience after the session has ended and everyone has left. What was it that people seemed to be saying? So what are some conclusions we can draw for our ministry? Now what can we do to implement these changes? 10. Share the results. Determine who will most benefit from hearing the results of the focus group. Is it your leadership team? Your students? Their parents? Others in your community? Determine the best time and format to share your results (either through an oral or written report) and discuss what has been discovered.
Research: There is no shortage of people you could invite.
Research: You might want to find one or two people to facilitate your groups.
Research: Coming up with the right six to 10 questions is crucial.
Research: Make sure your questions make sense and are clear—to someone other than yourself!
For samples of questions used with an actual youth group, check out the free article entitled “Reading Between the Lines” on the CYFM site at www. cyfm.net.
Research: A good leader will listen and delve deeper.
Research: In addition to data, potential implications and solutions can emerge from your groups as well.
Research: Get the results to the right people at the right time.95
DEEP DESIGN, STEPS 3 (OBSERVATION) AND 4 (APPLICATION): WHO AND HOW?
In this final chapter of our book, we decided not to profile any youth workers or share their stories. We’ve done plenty of that throughout the rest of the book.
It’s time for you to be the story. It’s time for you to be the youth worker Who puts these principles into practice and lets the Holy Spirit unleash something New in your ministry. As you seek God, he will help you come up with fresh ways to develop deep ministry in a shallow world. Committing to ongoing evaluation sends the liberating message to others involved in the ministry that you will never be “perfect” but are on a constant journey of growth and depth.
So grab your towel and get ready for an adventure. It’s a wild swim that you’ve always wanted to try. And now you know How.
Application Questions:
Do you ever wish you could just figure out the right depth for your ministry, get there, and then stay there until you retire? What is appealing to you about that? What makes that unrealistic? What ministry issues are percolating in your mind that you think could be addressed through focus groups? Whom would you want to invite? Who would be a good facilitator and cofacilitator? What specific questions would you like to ask? How would you like to share the findings and with whom? What makes the Deep Design process a “wild swim”? Are you ready to try it? If not, what obstacles do you still need to overcome? If so, what are some good initial steps?
How am I going to go deeper in my life and ministry…
Source
1 Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1998), 40.
2 Had we been gearing this as an academic text, we would have labeled this filter “Christopraxis,” meaning that our “praxis,” or theologically grounded practice, is determined by God’s activity as seen through Christ.
3 There are obvious parallels between these four subquestions and the well-known Wesleyan Quadrilateral. Based largely on the writings of John Wesley, the Wesleyan Quadrilateral teaches that God’s revelation comes in four forms: Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Two of our New subquestions match the Wesleyan Quadrilateral in their focus on Scripture and experience. We have changed “tradition” to “history” because for many the word tradition means only current traditions while history more clearly communicates the thinking and practices of the church throughout its existence. We have changed “reason” to “research” to send the message that we want to gain New insights from others’ research and not just from our individual rationality.
4 Michael Henderson, John Wesley’s Class Meeting (Nappanee, IN: Evangel Publishing House, 1997), 112.
5 M.A. Albanese, “Problem-Based Learning: A Review of Literature on its Outcomes and Implementation Issues,” Academic Medicine, 68, no.8 (August 1993) : 615.
6 Alan Deutschman, “Change or Die,” Fast Company 94 (May 2005) : 53.
7 Edward Plass, What Luther Says (Nutley, NJ: Craig, 1973), 1:4.
8 Luther’s Works Volume 40 (St. Louis: Concordia, 1958), 19.
9 John P. Kotter, The Heart of Change (New York: Harvard Business School Press, 2002), 29–30.
10 Kurt Lewin, Field Theory in Social Science: 1 Selected Theoretical Papers, ed. D. Cartwright (New York: Harper and Row, 1951).
11 Mike Yaconelli, “The Failure of Youth Ministry,” YouthWorker Journal (Spring, 2003), cited from http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/Yaconelli/failure.php on August 4, 2005.
12 See Chap Clark, “Theological Uses of Adolescent Development,” in Kenda Creasy Dean, Chap Clark, and Dave Rahn (Eds.) Starting Right, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan/Youth Specialties Academic, 2001.
13 The research and background for this section are detailed in Chap Clark, Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers, Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004.
14 In the research for Hurt, I discussed this issue directly with several hundred students. While speaking to large groups I have invited them to let me know what they think of these observations. The overwhelming response of kids has been, “This is what we feel. This is what we think.”
15 These principles of contact work have been the core of Young Life’s ministry since the early 1940s. The idea of doing contact work has been floating around church-based youth ministry for decades as well, but few youth workers see it as a requisite beginning point in discipling students.
16 Granted, we may be the most important people to a few students during a particular season of their lives. But spiritual growth is a process in which God uses lots of people through a plethora of circumstances and seasons in our lives to shape us.
17 The use of the singular “in the name,” for instance, in reference to the Trinity, when the doctrine of the Trinity was still a long way from being formally articulated by the church, creates some interesting discussion.
18 Donald A. Hagner, Vol. 33B: Word Commentary: Matthew 14–28, Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, 2002.
19 “Into” is a better rendering of the Greek word eis than the more often used “in.”
20 Formerly known as PFR Youth Ministry (Presbyterians for Renewal).
21 Rodney Clapp, Families at the Crossroads (Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 1993), 81.
22 To peruse more asset-based resources developed by Search Institute, go to www.search-institute.org. You could also check out Peter Benson, All Kids Are Our Kids: What Communities Must Do to Raise Caring and Responsible Children and Adolescents (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997).
23 Paul Stanley and J. Robert Clinton, Connecting (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1992), 33.
24 C. Herrera, L. Sipe, and W.S. McClanahan, Mentoring School Age Children: Relationship Development in Community-Based and School-Based Programs (Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures, 2000).
25 Jean Rhodes, Stand By Me: The Risks and Rewards of Mentoring Today’s Youth (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2002), 60.
26 Ibid, 59.
27 Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy (New York: Harper Collins Publisher, 1998), 307.
28 Ibid.
29 Ibid, 41.
30 Jean Rhodes, ed., A Critical View of Youth Mentoring: New Directions for Youth Development, No. 93 (Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass, April 2002), 15.
31 Rhodes, Stand By Me, 64.
32 Ibid, 76.
33 Figure 6.2 is adapted from Stanley and Clinton, Connecting: The Mentoring Relationships You Need to Succeed in Life, 41. The original diagram contains two additional types of mentors: spiritual directors and sponsors.
34 Shortly before this book was printed, Stewart and his family moved to inner-city Toronto to plant a church where they are eager to apply what he’s learned through S.O.Y. to the youth there.
35 See William Damon, The Youth Charter, New York: Free Press, 1997.
36 See David Elkind, Ties That Stress, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1994, and David Elkind, The Hurried Child (3rd ed.) Cambridge, MA: Perseus, 2001.
37 Jeffrey J. Arnett, Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2000.
38 See Chap Clark, Hurt (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005).
39 Beginning with Mark DeVries’ book, Family-Based Youth Ministry (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP, 1994), there was a flood of articles, lectures, and books seeking to increase the involvement of parents and families in youth ministry, urging ministers to view parents as partners. While the majority of youth workers would probably say this is their understanding, the fact is that most youth workers and programs fall into one of these two ditches.
40 Although we won’t go into it here, there is ample evidence that this passage is meant for the adult community at large rather than just a mom and dad.
41 Ephesians 5:22–6:9 and Colossians 3:18–22 are considered examples of the apostle Paul’s “household rules,” a common way writers and leaders of his day taught people how to live orderly lives.
42 Regarding the Deuteronomy passage, many scholars suggest the phrase “Impress them on your children” is directed just as much to the whole community as it is to the nuclear family.
43 See 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 for examples of the different gifts we all need to experience from and with one another.
44 John 15:1–8.
45 See Galatians 6:10 and Ephesians 3:15.
46 For the most up-to-date research on adolescent religious attitudes, see National Study of Youth and Religion (http://www.youthandreligion.org, accessed September 3, 2005) and Christian Smith and Melinda L. Denton, ibid.
47 The VAST idea is included in Chap Clark, Youth Worker’s Handbook to Family Ministry, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997. See also Marv Penner, Youth Worker’s Guide to Parent Ministry, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003 and Jim Burns and Mike Devries, Partnering with Parents in Youth Ministry, Ventura, CA: Regal, 2003 for lots of ideas on partnering with parents.
48 Arnett, J. J. & Jensen, L. A. (2002). “A Congregation of One: Individualized religious beliefs among emerging adults,”. In Jeffrey J. Arnett, Readings on Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 93. At publication, this article can be accessed at http://jar.sage-pub.com/cgi/content/abstract/17/5/451.
49 See Christian Smith and M. L. Denton, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of America’s Teenagers (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005).
50 This phrase is so common that the original source is impossible to determine.
51 S. Harter, S. Bresnick, H. A. Boushey, & N. R. Whitesell, J. J. Arnett, & L. A. Jensen (2002). The Complexity of the Self in Adolescence. (111–119). In Jeffrey J. Arnett, Readings on Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 112. The authors state, “During adolescence, it has been shown that adolescents develop a proliferation of selves that vary as a function of the social context. These include self with father, mother, close friend, romantic partner, peers, as well as the self in the role of student, on the job, and as athlete…A critical developmental task of adolescence, therefore, is the construction of multiple selves in different roles and relationships.”
52 See Chap Clark, Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005, for a detailed discussion and analysis of living out of the multiple selves.
53 This is referred to as “layered living.” See Clark, Hurt.
54 Anita L. Vangelisti, Stacy L. Young, Katy E. Carpenter-Theune, and Alicia L. Alexander, “Why Does It Hurt?: The Perceived Causes of Hurt Feelings,” Communication Research, Vol. 32, No. 4, 443–477 (2005).
55 Craig R. Hullett “The Impact of Mood on Persuasion: A Meta-Analysis,” Communication Research, Vol. 32, No. 4, 423–442 (2005). See also Clark, Hurt.
56 See Elkind, The Hurried Child, and Clark, Hurt.
57 1Peter 3:15; see also Colossians 3:12.
58 See Trenholm, Persuasion and Social Influence (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1982), for a detailed explanation of Social Judgment Theory.
59 C. Sherif, M. Sherif, & R. E. Nebergall, (1965). Attitude and Attitude Change: The Social Judgment-Involvement Approach. Philadelphia: Saunders.
60 Trenholm, Persuasion and Social Influence, 239.
61 Janet Eyler, “Reflecting on Service: Helping Nursing Students Get the Most From Service-Learning,” Educational Innovations, October 2002, Volume 41, no. 10,453.
62 The Campus Outreach Opportunity League has popularized this three-question reflection exercise.
63 Rich M. Lerner, Adolescence: Development, Diversity, Context, and Application (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002).
64 Karen J. Pittman, “Balancing the Equation: Communities Supporting Youth, Youth Supporting Communities,” Community Youth Development Journal, 1, 2000, 33–36.
65 DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative, Notes from Workshop 21, Spring 2005.
66 William H. Willimon, Worship as Pastoral Care, (Nashville: Abingdon, 1979), 122–123.
67 Randy Butler and Terry Butler, ©1993 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing.
68 “Take My Life,” Scott Underwood, ©1995 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing.
69 Willimon, Worship as Pastoral Care, 63.
70 Chap Clark, “The Changing Face of Adolescence: A Theological View of Human Development,” Starting Right, ed. Kenda C. Dean, Chap Clark, and Dave Rahn, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 47–55.
71 Erik H. Erikson, Identity and the Life Cycle, (New York: W.W. Norton Co., 1959, 1980).
72 David Moshman, Adolescent Psychological Development: Rationality, Morality, and Identity (London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1999), 70.
73 Erik H. Erikson, Identity: Youth and Crisis (New York: W.W. Norton, 1968, 1994).
74 Adelaida Reyes, “Identity, Diversity, and Interaction”, The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Vol. III: The United States and Canada, ed. Ellen Koskoff, (New York: Garland, 2001), 505.
75 Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World (New York: Crossroad, 1992), 30.
76 A quick skim through further Scriptures that speak to aspects of our identity as created by God and redeemed by Christ: Deuteronomy 8:3; Job 38–41; Psalm 95:6–7; 100:3; 139; Matthew 5:13–16; John 1:12–13; 3:3–21; 10:3–8; 14:10–11; 17:21; Romans 5:1–11; 8:14–17; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 12:12–31; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 11:2; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 5:25–27, 31–32; Colossians 1:19–23; 1 Peter 2:9–10; 1 John 3:1–2; Revelation 19:7–8; 21:2,9.
77 While also universal, the local expression of the body of Christ takes on very specific features as a unique work of God in a specific place and time. Therefore, part of our job as leaders is to explore and discern the context of our community with missiological lenses—going as missionaries to our culture in the same way we would go to a foreign culture. Because of radical shifts in American culture and the lack of the typical American church paying any attention to these shifts, we certainly have work to do in contextualizing our ministries!
78 Walter Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary, (Augsburg Old Testament Studies, Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984), 51.
79 Kenda Creasy Dean, “Moshing for Jesus: Adolescence as a Cultural Context for Worship,” in Tim A. Dearborn & Scott Coil, eds, Worship at the Next Level: Insight from Contemporary Voices, (Grand Rapids: BakerBooks, 2004), 125–126.
80 Willimon, Worship as Pastoral Care, 102.
81 Ibid, 148.
82 Ibid, 154.
83 Don E. Saliers, Worship as Theology: Foretaste of Glory Divine (Nashville: Abingdon, 1994), 59.
84 Nouwen, Life of the Beloved, 48–49.
85 Adapted from Kara Eckmann Powell, “Focusing Youth Ministry Through Innovation,” in Starting Right: Thinking Theologically About Youth Ministry, edited by Kenda Creasy Dean, Chap Clark, and Dave Rahn (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing, 2001).
86 Kara Eckmann Powell, Expected Vocational Roles in the Pastorate: An Empirical Examination and a Practical Theology Intervention (Unpublished dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, 2000), 61–63.
87 Eugene Peterson, as quoted in “Leadership Forum: How Pure Must a Pastor Be?” Leadership Journal, Spring 1988: 12–20.
88 H. Newton Malony and Richard A. Hunt, The Psychology of Clergy (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse, 1991), 3, 4.
89 C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses, rev. ed. New York: Macmillan, 1980 (orig. 1949), 3–4.
90 Walter A. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), 502.
91 Stanley J. Grenz, Theology for the Community of God (Michigan: Eerdmans, 1994), 67.
92 Gordon R. Lewis and Bruce A. Demarest, Integrative Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 280.
93 Lewis and Demarest, Integrative Theology, 280.
94 Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, 76.
95 Many of these principles are described more fully in Richard A. Krueger, Focus Groups (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1994) and the Social Research Update, no.19, winter 1997, http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/sru/SRU19.html.