Why Youth Ministry Is Crucial for the Future of the Church

By Greg Stier

Over the last few years, I’ve noticed there are an increasing number of churches that are eliminating the youth leader position at their churches and just appointing the catch-all position of family pastor to oversee children through college age. While I’m totally for family ministry (I’m the father of a teenager after all), I do believe that eliminating the youth pastor position in your church is not a good idea.
With this as a backdrop, here are 10 reasons why youth ministry (and, therefore, youth leaders) are more crucial than ever for the future of the church:
1. Youth ministry is the best bellwether (i.e., predictor) for the future of the church.
2. As Matt Reagan pointed out to me, youth ministry done well is the best “farm club” for future world changers.
3. Disciple-multiplying youth leaders often turn into disciple-multiplying church planters and pastors.
4. Well led teenagers can set the pace for prayer and evangelistic excitement church-wide.
5. Teenagers keep the pain reverberating in our society close to the surface so adults can know how to minister to their culture.
6. Godly, loving youth leaders are like parents to an increasingly un-parented generation of teenagers.
7. Teenagers have a built in “bologna barometer” that keeps hypocrites in our churches on their toes.
8. Every great movement of God since the beginning of this nation has had teenagers on the leading edge.
9. Family ministry alone tends to point teenagers inwardly, whereas youth ministry tends to point teens outwardly (and, according to Matthew 9:36-38, that’s where Jesus pointed his mostly teenaged disciples).
10. God has chosen the “foolish ones of this world to confound the wise” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). If that’s not a case for youth ministry, I don’t know what is.
Pastors, don’t give up on youth ministry or youth leaders. Instead, help them to build Gospel-Advancing, Disciple-Multiplying youth ministries that set the pace for the entire church.  

Greg Stier is the President and Founder of Dare 2 Share Ministries, which is mobilizing teenagers across America to share their faith. More from Greg Stier or visit Greg at http://www.dare2share.org

The Poor You Will Always Have With You

“What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor?” declares the Lord God of hosts. Isaiah 3:15

This verse was what Robert Putnam, author of “Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis” chose to read to kick off the Poverty Summit at Georgetown University. The three-day summit hosted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals, intended to raise awareness of poverty, and how to deal with it in our nation. 120 religious, civic and political leaders, including President Obama, attended to address issues like marriage, incarceration, and social responsibility.
While the topics discussed are as deep as they are far reaching, the reoccurring theme of speakers was the role of the church in alleviating the needs of the poor. In fact, Cathy Lynn Grossman from Religion News Services quoted Putnam saying:

Can we revive a communal sense that we are all in this together? Religion has a role, says Putnam. #Povertysummit

— Cathy Lynn Grossman (@CLGrossman) May 11, 2015

And President Obama pointed to the Pope as an example of framing the discussion on poverty:

“Our faith-based groups have the capacity to frame this, and nobody’s shown that better than Pope Francis.” —President Obama #PovertySummit
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 12, 2015

The focus on faith and poverty is nothing new. It is a debate that has been going on for centuries. And this summit is just another conversation of leaders talking about the poor and their status, with little (it seems) plan for action resulting from it.
As our nation’s leaders call upon faith-based organizations and churches to help the poor, there is a deeper question at hand. Why are churches increasingly absent in places of poverty in the U.S.? W. Bradford Wilcox in a recent Washington Post article, says the issue lies in money, sex, divorce and television. On the issue of money, in particular, Wilcox points out:

A key reason that working-class men are now less likely to attend church is that they cannot access the kind of stable, good-paying jobs that sustain a “decent” lifestyle and stable, married family life — two key ingredients associated with churchgoing in America.

Good-paying jobs and stable married life. Two definitive ingredients to going to church in America. When did these two things become the rule by which people are measured fit for church attendance? Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to be able to support your family and healthy marriages are part of the fabric of a vibrant community.
However, the Scripture has plenty to say about how God feels about the poor, starting with the above verse from Isaiah. The example Jesus set in His earthly ministry was pointed: the gospel is for all people; regardless of nationality, ability, income level, or relationship status. In Mark 14:7 He told His disciples, “For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me.” The verses He read out of Isaiah 61 speak of ministry to those who have nothing and are utterly destitute. He also outlines the fact that any ministry done to those who are poor, naked, hungry, in prison or sick; indeed the very least of these, is our ministry to Him.
The church must be a place where people can come, physically impoverished and spiritually destitute, and find life. Our arms should sweep wide open to welcome the cast off of society and embrace the homeless in our cities. We should be the place where people are treated with dignity and respect. I understand there are complications when it comes to these issues. As a pastor’s kid whose parents run a street and homeless ministry in Colorado, I’ve experienced the difficulties that come with this kind of ministry.
But the Lord does not qualify His command to help the poor with, “Unless it makes you uncomfortable.” Or, “Unless the work is too complicated. Or, “People will take advantage of you, if that happens, walk away.” He calls His church to minister to sinners, broken and in desperate need of Living Water. If we are faithful to follow Him in that call, He will lead.
You can follow the last day of the #PovertySummit on Twitter.

Carrie Kintz is a freelance writer and communication strategist. She works with ministries and individuals across the country, helping them figure out what to say and how to say it in the digital space. Carrie has also spoken at conferences such as Social Ecclessia, Think Digital and the Best of Social Media Summit. When she's not writing (or tweeting), she enjoys hiking, time with friends and a good cup of coffee More from Carrie Kintz or visit Carrie at https://twitter.com/CarrieKintz

Oldest Duggar Son Admits to Molesting Children as a Teen

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The Duggar family, made famous on the reality show 19 Kids and Counting and for its outspoken conservative leanings, is trying to contain the media blitz over the announcement that oldest son Josh had molested five underage girls when he was 15 years old. According to CNN, Duggar refers to a 2006 police investigation—which did not result in an arrest—of accusations against the eldest Duggar son of child molestation in 2002–03 in Springdale, Arkansas.
Josh, now 27, abruptly resigned yesterday from his position at the Family Research Council, a national faith-based activist organization; FRC president Tony Perkins said in a website statement, “Josh believes that the situation will make it difficult for him to be effective in his current work. We believe this is the best decision for Josh and his family at this time.  We will be praying for everyone involved.”
Josh wrote in a Facebook post: “Twelve years ago, as a young teenager I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. … I confessed this to my parents [and] we spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life. I sought forgiveness from those I had wronged and asked Christ to forgive me and come into my life. I would do anything to go back to those teen years and take different actions. In my life today, I am so very thankful for God’s grace, mercy and redemption.”
Josh’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle, also wrote in the Facebook post: “Back 12 years ago our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives. When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes and we were shocked. We had tried to teach him right from wrong. That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before. Even though we would never choose to go through something so terrible, each one of our family members drew closer to God. We pray that as people watch our lives they see that we are not a perfect family.”
For now, TLC has pulled all episodes of 19 Kids and Counting from its on-air schedule, saying “We are deeply saddened and troubled by this heartbreaking situation, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family and victims at this difficult time.”
(Photo credit: Facebook)

Viral Photos of Little Girl and Her Dad Capture Why China is a Ticking Time Bomb

Viral Photos of Little Girl and Her Dad Capture Why China is a Ticking Time Bomb
By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST Ministries and the ASSIST News Service
CHINA (ANS – May 21, 2015) -- On the eve of Chinese New Year, photos of a father and daughter traveling to see her grandparents have gone viral – picked up by dozens of blogs and media outlets worldwide, according to a story by Marisa Lengor Kwaning on the http://bound4life.com website.
“I saw a warning by police on the TV to take care as traffickers and pickpockets would be out stealing in the holiday rush,” said Mr. Chen according to reporting by The Daily Mail. “I don’t care about pickpockets, but I do care very much about losing my daughter.”
Kwaning’s story went on to say, “Such a stark image begs the question: how did China reach this point? The story stretches back over three decades, to a government policy that has resulted in the prevalence of sex-selective abortions.”
“Strict government control over family size has caused a serious gender imbalance due to a preference for sons, with today 33 million more Chinese men than women.”
One recent report said, “As more men remain unmarried, it raises the risks of anti-social and violent behavior.”
Kwaning said, “Major media outlets such as the New York Times and BBC News have recently touted a supposed shift in China’s totalitarian policies – from allowing Chinese parents to have a single child, to now proposing incentives for a newly revised Two Child Policy.
“Yet the true picture is not as reassuring as the ‘official’ story would indicate. Thirty-five years of national population control have had an undeniably troubling impact on Chinese society.”
According to China’s former Minister of Health Gao Qiang, China has 400 million fewer people today as a result of these policies. In other words, China has lost more people than the current 321.4 million population of the United States.
“The Chinese Communist Party has a long history of falsely representing its family-planning regulations,” stated Kwaning. “Originally implemented in 1979, the One Child Policy utilizes forced abortions, forced sterilization and forced contraception to manage population growth.
“A 2013 Chinese law sought to revise this policy, stating that families in which one parent was a single child would be allowed to bear two children. However, revising regulations has not reversed the human rights violations that persist.”
Human rights activist and former lawyer Reggie Littlejohn was quoted as saying, “Even if all couples were allowed two children, there is no guarantee that the Chinese Communist Party will cease their appalling methods of enforcement.”
Describing the violent methods that have persisted for decades, Littlejohn continues, “Women who get pregnant without permission will still be dragged out of their homes, strapped down to tables, and forced to abort babies that they want, even up to the ninth month of pregnancy.”
According to the latest report of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, family planning regulations in 22 out China’s 31 provinces explicitly instruct officials to implement coercive measures such as forced abortions as their supposed remedy to solve the issue of “out-of-plan” pregnancies.
“Pro-choice and pro-life advocates can agree: No one should support forced abortion, because it is not a choice,” concludes Littlejohn, who advocates for justice through Women’s Rights Without Frontiers (http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org).
Kwaning’s story added that Chinese families’ preference for sons became the subject of a 2014 New York City art exhibit, as artist Prune Nourry sought to raise awareness of the human rights injustices created by population control.
“Standing for the value of every human life is a cause that can change the culture of China,” says Matt Lockett, Executive Director of Bound4LIFE International, which is involved in many nations globally. “A prayer movement has already begun that is contending for life with the same determination as this father protecting his daughter at the airport.”
Photo captions: 1) The girl handcuffed to her father. (Photo: XJZ/Quirky Chinese News/ Rex). 2) In Shanghai, men search postings at the “marriage market” (Photo: Chris Bentley / Flickr). 3) Reggie Littlejohn speaks at a press conference in the Canadian Parliament (Photo: WRWF). 4) Dan Wooding reporting for ANS from Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
About the writer: Dan Wooding, 74, is an award-winning journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for nearly 52 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and he hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on the KWVE Radio Network in Southern California and which is also carried throughout the United States and around the world, and also “His Channel Live,” a TV show beamed to 192 countries. He is the author of some 45 books, the latest of which is a novel about the life of Jesus through the eyes of his mother called “Mary: My Story from Bethlehem to Calvary”. For more information, please go to http://marythebook.com/ , where you can find details of how to order the book.
Note: If you would like to help support the ASSIST News Service, please go to www.assistnews.net and click on the DONATE button to make you tax-deductable gift (in the US), which will help us continue to bring you these important stories.
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Atheist Saw Demons for two days in hellish vision

Atheist saw demons for two days in hellish vision, then Jesus brought rescue
By Mark Ellis, Special to ASSIST News Service
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (ANS -- May 22, 2015) -- He grew up in a small town in the Midwest, a bright student who got straight A’s. But in high school he sowed wild oats, which led to ongoing drug problems until he had an extraordinary 48-hour vision of hell and its demons.
“I had always considered myself an atheist,” says Paul Gill, the author of Anastasis: A Memoir. “I didn’t grow up in a religious household. It was a non-subject.”
Part of his alienation from God stemmed from a troubled upbringing. “I had a painful childhood and I blamed God. I couldn’t understand how he could have made such a place. I couldn’t see any good in it. Because of my anger I decided he didn’t exist.”
In high school, Paul began to hang out with the wrong crowd. “I got into a lot of trouble; I drank a lot; I partied a lot.”
By his senior year he had landed in jail several times. “I went to rehab at 17 to avoid a longer jail sentence,” he notes, and spent his 18th birthday in rehab.
After he was released he returned to drinking and his downward spiral accelerated. Following his high school graduation, he and a friend hopped on a Greyhound bus and traveled from Louisiana to Colorado. He finally landed in California, north of San Francisco, where he took up residence, working in a pizza parlor.
The job allowed him to sleep in and continue his party lifestyle. “I surrounded myself with people who drank,” he says.
In October 1998 his life changed after he experimented with crystal methamphetamine. “I was awake for close to a week,” he recalls. Toward the end of that week, a veil was lifted that allowed him to see into another realm.
“I looked at my bedroom door and I saw the ghost of a little girl holding a mug of beer. She was shivering.”
Paul approached the door, tentatively. “Why are you here?” he asked.
MORE

Mark Ellis is a senior correspondent for ASSIST News Service and also the founder of www.Godreports.com, a website that shares stories, testimonies and videos from the church around the world to build interest and involvement in world missions.
** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)
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Jesus Loves people

Jesus Loves People
By Brian Nixon, Special to ASSIST News Service
ALBUQUERUQUE, NEW MEXICO (ANS – May 22, 2015) -- Look around you: people are everywhere. From the coldest climates to the hottest deserts, over seven billion[1] of us share this planet—people are of different nationalities, colors, creeds, and social dispositions, from the poorest of poor to the very wealthy.
More specifically, people have fascinating features as well. Here are just a few:[2]
* The average person produces enough saliva in their lifetime to fill two swimming pools.
* Every minute, your red blood cells do a complete circuit of your body.
* Most Westerners consume fifty tons of food and 50,000 liters of liquid in their lifetime.
* It can take your fingernails and toenails half a year to grow an entirely new nail.
* The muscles that control your eyes contract about 100,000 times a day (that’s the equivalent of giving your legs a workout by walking fifty miles).
* Sixty percent of men and forty percent of women snore.
* The human sneeze can travel 100 miles per hour.
The Live Science website states that, across the globe, people do fifteen basic things each and every day: sleep, die, hiccup, blush, kiss, pass gas, laugh, blink, cry, zone out, see in 3D, get physical sensations (like "pins and needles"), shave, take risks, and have sex.[3] Of course, there is more to us than just our bodily functions and common habits. When you consider that we're also unique creation made in God's image, we also have trials, tribulations, and temptations each and every day. We can praise, use profanity, and think profound things. We ponder our existence, practice our beliefs, and presume lots of things about the world.
When you think about it, people are really complex creations, "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14), and true gifts from God.
Here’s the most amazing fact about people—and the greatest gift of all: God loves each and every one of us. If there is one truth the Bible clearly teaches, it’s that God loves people (see John 3:16); after all, God created us (see Genesis 1) and cares for us (see Matthew 5:45). Furthermore, God yearns for relationship and clear communication with us through His Son, Jesus (see Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus is God's clearest expression of His love for us.
Define: Determine your understanding of the terms and issue at hand.
The word love is derived from lufu, a Germanic word meaning affection and joy. The Bible describes four types of love: phileo (brotherly love), eros (intimate love), storge (affection) and agape (unconditional love).
The word people comes from the Latin word populace, meaning a nation or a people group. God's plan of salvation shows His great love for us, and it includes all people.
Discover: What does the Bible teach about this topic?
We should always look to God's word to see what He has said about a subject. Even if the Bible doesn't address an issue directly, it does have the principles we need to develop an understanding of what God thinks about people, life, love, and any other bottom-line issue we face.
Here's a sampling of what the Bible says of God's great love, and His love for people:
Psalm 86:15: But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
Zephaniah 3:17: The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 8:37-39: Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 2:4-5: But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
1 Peter 5:6-7: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Develop: Your understanding of the topic should form the basis of a plan to reach a person with the love of God, whether it is someone you know or someone you have yet to meet. Use the acronym LOVE as a guide:
L—Listen to people. Make a sincere effort to get to know them and their situation.
O—Observe their life. Where are they coming from—emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually? Find the root of the issue. Ask yourself, How can I assist them?
V—Voice God’s truth. What does the Bible teach concerning the topic, trouble, temptation or trespass?
E—Embrace them with the love of God in Christ. Empathize based on shared experiences, but keep Jesus the focus of your conversation and outreach.
Jesus loves people! Will you?
To learn more about the Jesus Loves People series, click here: www.jesuslovespeople.com
Photo captions: 2) Logo. 2) Brian Nixon.
[1] https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=how%20many%20people%20on%20earth,  accessed Dec.12, 2014.
[2] http://www.viralnova.com/strange-body-facts/ and http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/parts/16-unusual-facts-about-the-human-body.htm#page=1
[3] http://www.livescience.com/33197-10-weird-behaviors-humans-do-every-day-why.html
About the writer: Brian Nixon is a writer, musician, artist, minister, and family man. To learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Nixon. You can contact him at https://twitter.com/BnixNews
** You can republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)
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Mama Maggie Helps "Garbage Kids"

Mama Maggie Helps ‘Garbage Kids’ Dream Big
By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST Ministries and the ASSIST News Service
CAIRO, EGYPT (ANS – May 22, 2015) -- In recent years, Egyptian Christians and Muslims alike have suffered at the hands of Islamic extremists.
But, according to Gary Lane, Senior International Reporter for CBN News (http://www.cbn.com),  the light of Christ shines in the lowliest of places. One Egyptian woman picked up her cross and left an affluent life to bring hope to impoverished children surrounded by garbage.
“For the many Christians living in Cairo's garbage slums, the only life they know is garbage picking, sorting through tons of trash each day for recyclables,” said Lane in a report for CBN.
“Many of them had a lot of discrimination and persecution in the rural areas,” author Marty Makary explained. “And when they moved, migrated into the city, there was no place really to live except in the trash for many of them that were poor, mostly driven by the bad economy but in part by the discrimination for jobs.”
“They decided to sift through the trash. It's the most efficient recycling operation in the world,” he added.
And those who visit these Cairo neighborhoods will see garbage everywhere--in the streets, and even piled inside the homes of the Zabaleen, the garbage people.
“Many children here do not attend school. They spend their days picking through the garbage to help their families earn a few dollars per day,” said Lane.
“It's a hopeless existence, but one Christian's goal is to give them love today and a future tomorrow.
“Mama Maggie, as she is known, hopes to give them a chance at life outside the slums.”
Makary is the co-author (with Ellen Santilli Vaughn) of a new book about Mama Maggie's work called, “Mama Maggie: The Untold Story of One Woman’s Mission to Love the Forgotten Children of Egypt's Garbage Slums.”
Makary traveled to Cairo to learn more about the ministry of Mama Maggie Gobran.
“Unlike Mother Teresa, who came from poverty and took a vow of poverty, Mama Maggie came from wealth. And during an encounter when she was a successful marketing executive, connected with a child in the garbage slums--a famous district of Cairo that has been mostly neglected,” he said.
She found joy and happiness there and returned over time. She eventually gave up her marketing career and started a ministry called Stephen's Children.
“Many times when the kids are asked what do you want to do when you grow up, they've really never thought that far in advance. And some of the kids, can you believe, have never been called by their name by anyone,” Makary said. “But no one has ever valued them and asked them that question.”
Lane continued by saying that one girl said she only dreamed of having a piece of tomato to eat. Another child said his dream came true at a Stephen's Children camp where he actually slept in a bed.
But dreaming big means learning a skill. Mama Maggie's ministry (http://www.stephenschildren.org/)  teaches the children a trade like shoe and clothing manufacturing--marketable skills for earning money and serving others, whether in the garbage slums, or elsewhere.
Makary said they're not talking about getting out of the garbage district.
“They're talking about serving the garbage district. And sure enough, a good number of the full time staff were kids in the ministry themselves, have graduated and want to give back,” he explained. “I've met doctors in the clinics over there and they're working for almost no money.”
Seven of the 21 Egyptian Christians killed by ISIS in Libya last February were helped by Mama Maggie's ministry.
“They were kids that she fed and taught and were part of the group. Two of them had become leaders in the ministry and they are now using that story to teach forgiveness in the Middle East. They're teaching the kids to break the cycle of revenge,” Makary explained.
So, what impresses Makary the most about Mama Maggie? He said it's her humility.
“It is amazing to see that sort of genuine selflessness in a world where you so rarely see it,” he told CBN News. “You know, when I came back, the thought of being upset at the cab driver, or frustrated with the bank ATM, or something like that, it just put everything in life in perspective.”
A perspective of serving and helping, bringing hope and dignity to the most neglected places.
Photo captions: 1) Mama Maggie with one of her kids. 2) Working on the Cairo garbage dump. 3) Some of Mama Maggie's kids. 4) Dan Wooding on His Channel Live.
About the writer: Dan Wooding, 74, is an award-winning journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for nearly 52 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and he hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on the KWVE Radio Network in Southern California and which is also carried throughout the United States and around the world, and also “His Channel Live,” a TV show beamed to 192 countries. Dan has reported on the conflict in the Middle East when he made a two week reporting trip Northern Iraq.
Note: If you would like to help support the ASSIST News Service, please go to www.assistnews.net  and click on the DONATE button to make you tax-deductible gift (in the US), which will help us continue to bring you these important stories.
** You may republish this and any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)
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