What I am learning...

Have you ever been in a situation where no ones has what you're looking for? Well I've been in that situation for a little over two years now (And longer if you count the years of ministry when I was over multiple grades)! No! This has nothing to do with lawn mowers, although I need one. What I'm talking about is curriculum for preteens! I can't seem to find anything out there that connects to preteens. I am not trying to be harsh to the the FEW curriculum writers and publishing houses that have attempted to produce something for preteens, it's just that most of it is either out of date, and therefore out of touch, or like most of us in the church world - trying to play catch-up to the trends and needs of culture and people, so we are behind.

What I am learning to do is to be a hardcore student of preteens and preteen culture. I have come up with some observations that most of us already know about preteens: Firstly, they love to be active, almost to a fault. Secondly, they love to talk, especially about themselves. They want to be known (The old - preteens are shy and unsure of themselves has went out the door for most of them. Thanks to parents and culture that tell them that they special). Thirdly, they want to and have to trust the adult who is their authority over them, therefore causing us to share about ourselves (They want to know our biography). Next, they want to and are capable of authentic faith (And this means in anything). And they want this authentic faith to make a difference in their lives and the world around them! There are several other things I have observed and there are many variables that come into play in these observations, however when we put them all together - what do we get, well we get craziness!

What we have done in our preteen ministry is to use as our foundation seven focused principles or teaching points, that we believe are vital in helping preteens establish their relationship with Christ, help them make a diference in the lives of the people around them, and help them grow in and experience their role in the church. The seven are: Authentic faith, Spiritual priorities, Moral boundries, Meaningful friendships, Wise choices, Others first, and God-given authority (these terms were taken from North Point Community Church's 6th grade ministry. Most of us have been using these seven points as guidlines, they just know how to word things). Ezzo, in his book "Preteen Wise" - says that we need to move preteens from obedient kids, to responsible kids. I like to say it this way - From kids who listen, to kids who do!

Joe