10 Stupid Things

I started reading Geoff Surrat's book 10 Stupid Things that Keep Churches from Growing yesterday. I'm only at the first stupid thing, but already see a lot of wisdom in what he's saying. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to pull out the concepts of each chapter and reframe them a little bit to talk about some stupid things that keep youth ministries from growing. I'll use his 10 things in subsequent posts, because the same stupid things that stifle a church will also cripple a youth ministry.

In twelve years of youth ministry, I've been through some times of great growth. Students stepping out of the familiar, new kids catching a glimpse of God, students reaching out to their friends and the outcasts, serving with a genuine love... It is truly amazing to see what God can do with a handful of kids learning to recognize, willing to listen, and excited to obey His Voice. I've also been through times when the only growth happening was merely the physical consequence of adolescence and good nutrition. Few students engaged, very little actual ministry happening, no one really interested in what God might want to do, "Why aren't we playing dodgeball?"...

While it definitely is God who is at work in any flourishing ministry, and He can certainly overcome any obstacle we may present, there are some stupid things we do that keep us from experiencing the kind of growth He could catalyze. I look forward to digging through the book and talking with you about some of the stupid things that keep youth ministries from growing.
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What's the stupidest thing you've seen in student ministries? (Go ahead... hit me!)