Some students naturally shine when they walk through the
door of your student room. Their personality, appearance or verbal skills make
them stand out from the crowd. Others will shine through athletic or academic
achievements at school or travel competition. Many students however will only shine
when they have opportunity to use their gifts and talents within the student
ministry platform. While this creates huge opportunity for student ministry and
for the individual youth, remember one principal: Floodlights are usually
better than spot lights. Let me share six benefits of floodlights over
spotlights:
1.
Flood lights allow students to move in and out of the
beams with greater anonymity. If they need the positive attention to blossom
they can move to the center. If they are more inclined to serve and grow
without attention they may gravitate more to the edges where light is
diminished. This approach provides students with greater flexibility along with
opportunity.
2.
Flood lights lessen the temptation to focus ministry attention
on those who are natural standouts like the athlete, magnet, beauty queen, pied
piper and general extrovert.
3.
Flood lights allow you to spread opportunity and
attention more equally among youth. Giving students equal amounts of attention
will not go unnoticed. Parents of students who do not naturally shine will quickly
move to your corner. Students who have a low opinion of themselves will take
notice and translate your deliberate strategy into authentic concern and love.
Shy students will feel more comfortable, less intimidated as well as a sense of
ownership in the ministry.
4.
Flood lights send the message to the church and
community that your front door is wider than that of pop-culture, wider than
that of the world with loads of acceptance, love, and support distributed with
equity.
5.
Floodlights give the hard to love, hard to know, and
hard to handle student the opportunity to move out the shadows towards the
light.
6.
Floodlights unite students of diverse backgrounds,
family systems and ethnic origins. Conversely, spot lights lend themselves to
division, separation, and individualism.
As you implement your strategic student ministry vision remember
to reach for your floodlight more often than your spot light, giving youth
equal attention and demonstrating unconditional love. Developing a flood light
ministry will not cause all students to respond, but at least it gives every
student an honest shot at shinning.
“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.” Isaiah 56:6-8
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in
Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 3:28
“To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I
might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the
Law, so that I might win those who are under the
Law.” I Corinthians 9:20
