a number of years ago i wrote a post listing reasons why i love middle school ministry. and recently, i re-wrote that post as a column for youthwork magazine (in the UK). here’s my list (realize that “middle school ministry” doesn’t mean anything in the UK, so i use their term “11 – 14s” or young teens instead):

12 Things to Love About Young Teen Ministry

1. Young teen ministry is about shaping. What an opportunity! Everything I learn about young teens continues to affirm and re-affirm that this is not merely a holding period until the good stuff of older teen work.
2. 11 – 14s are easy to connect with. Years ago, a youth ministry mentor shared this simple observation: 11 – 14s, in their decision as to whether they’ll allow you into their lives, are only asking the question, “Do you like me?” Older teens complicate it more by adding, “Do I like you?” And university students ramp up the complexity by layering on the additional question, “Do I like what you stand for?”
3. They’re willing to try anything. The young teen years (in a post-puberty parallel to the first few years of life) are all about discovery, or sampling. Young teens, in the earliest stages of self-conscious identity formation, want to try everything. They don’t start testing conclusions until the middle teen years. This is a wild ride of unpredictability, of course, and can feel very scattered and capricious. But there’s willingness—even desire—to try things that makes young teens prime for creative and participatory youth work.
4. The wonder of abstract thinking. 11 – 14s are far from experienced with abstract thought. But the capacity is there (I like to think of it as God’s puberty gift). And they’re dipping their toes in the water, checking it out.
5. The process of doubts and faith development. Tied to the development of abstract thinking, young teens are on the leading edge of stumbling onto doubts about their faith. This is a critical aspect of faith development, and should never be shamed or shut down. Wrestling with complexities is the necessary detour from childlike, inherited faith to a more robust, owned faith.
6. They’re unpredictable. Maybe you find this frustrating, but I love it. Young teens regularly and consistently surprise me. They surprise me with their random questions. They surprise me with their hidden talents. They surprise me with their insight. They surprise me with their interpretations (often different than I expect). The unpredictability of 11 – 14s keeps young teen ministry fresh and untamed.
7. Parents are still involved. Sure, there are plenty of older teens with involved parents. But there’s a drop-off in parent involvement throughout the teen years, as many parents retreat out of fear, exasperation, or a misguided understanding of what it means to give their teenagers independence. We know that parents have a significantly larger shaping role in the lives and faith of their teenagers than we do; so this higher level of parent involvement creates an easier path to coming alongside parents, partnering for greater impact.
8. They have more time than older teenagers. Yes, young teens are busier than ever; but they still have more time and availability than their older peers. Mix this in with their #3 above (their willingness to try anything), and you’ve got a potent pot of “let’s do stuff!”
9. Most are not yet jaded. 14 year-olds can start to get a little jaded (some of ‘em). Older teenagers—holy cow—can wear cynicism and “been there, done that” as comfortably as Lady Gaga wears a meat suit. But most young teens possess wonderfully low levels of cynicism, and a naiveté that looks a lot like hope.
10. They’re passionate. I love the “all in” attitude of most 11 – 14s. It’s not only their willingness to try things (mentioned in #3 above); they’re also passionate about the things they try, the opinions they voice, the beliefs they hold. The funny thing is: they’re passionate about things that, often, they won’t be passionate about in two months or two years.
11. They’re forgiving. When you mess up, or have an off night in your teaching, or plan a lame event, or say something dumb, young teens are quick to forgive (particularly if you ask for it). The travel time back to normal (whatever that is!) is extremely short.
12. They’re fun! Young teens keep me feeling young (not so easy at 50 years-old). They’re playful and hilarious, goofy and unselfconscious. Young teens remind me, regularly, of what a joy-filled life should look like.

if you agree with me on at least most of these, then you need to join us at the third annual Middle School Ministry Campference. the earlybird registration price (and $50 bonus back of free stuff and campference munchies) runs out in two weeks, on june 30!

our third annual Middle School Ministry Campference was this past weekend. and it just doesn’t do it justice to say that it was a blast. there’s something so completely unique about this event and the vibe we share that makes it very, very different than other youth ministry events (even the good ones!).

as i told the group in my “camp rules” during the first session, those who have been before know that the really great breakouts and seminars and main sessions aren’t the best thing about the event. even though they’re really great, lots of youth ministry events have great breakouts and seminars and main sessions. the best part of campference is doing life together with 100+ people who love middle schoolers. it’s the long conversations around meals. it’s the laughter during breaks. it’s the 30 people running into buffalo wild wings. it’s the group of people making s’mores around the fire pit while another group are screaming their heads off on nighttime zipline runs. it’s speakers who are player/coaches, present the entire weekend and more accessible than anywhere else. it’s the slight irreverence. it’s the lack of a “plane” between “the stage” and “the audience.” it’s praying for one another.

here’s a little sampling of photos from my iphone (adam will have much more lovely photos from his good camera):

springhill camp in seymour is a very different setting for a youth ministry event, for starters. and this sort of view sure doesn’t hurt set the tone.

kurt johnston and katie edwards were our main session emcees for the 2nd year in a row, and are just such a blast.

a week out, we scrambled to organize a lip-sync competition. and it was a total win. 10 competitors gave us loads of laughs.

this moment, saturday night during free time (really, the whole event is free time!) captured some of the essence of this event for me. at one table, kenny & elle campbell were leading a discussion about marriage & ministry; and at the next table, there was a texas hold ’em game getting going.

each year we invite two keynote speakers who are a little outside the middle school ministry tribe. this year those were dave rahn and amanda drury. both were uh-maze-ing, not just in their main session talks, but in the way they were present to people all weekend long. mandy talked about the role of doubt in her main session talk, and this moment was brilliant. she used the balloons to represent doubts, and the bowling ball to represent faith. she summarized with “one grain of faith is more powerful than all the doubts in the world.”

the campference is also about relationships and friendships, new and old. this is me with tim mauriello. tim is a 40-something middle school pastor in indiana. AND, he was a junior higher in my first church!