Nikomas

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 12:30:00 +0000

THE SUN IS BACK! And you know what that means: Spring Break! Chances are your ministry is likely taking a break from Small Groups for the Spring Break week. I know we are. My leaders need it. But more importantly, their groups need it! And whether you’re a youth minister, a youth sponsor/worker/volunteer/leader/coach…you need one too!

Someone once told me, “When you’re working in the ministry, it’s hard to work on the ministry.” It’s hard to make adjustments when your in the weekly swing of things. When you get a chance to break, take some time to make adjustments. So here’s my advice to you: While you’re on break and not “in” group, take a few moments to work “on” your group. Here are my four tips to doing just that:

1. REST

Ok, I realize you don't get a Spring Break from work, but try to find some time to rest. If you’re going to take care of your teens, you must first take care of yourself. Make time to spend with family. Make time to spend with God. And by all means, make time to spend on the couch!

2. RELATIONSHIPS

Your group may not be meeting, but that doesn’t mean you have to abandon them. Do something relational with your teens over Spring Break. Some teens don’t have the money to go on vacations. Many of them dread Spring Break because they know they’ll be bored to death! Invite your group to do something fun over the break. Many may not show up, but that’s ok! The ones who do show will be blessed by the opportunity! You could schedule a day to serve together, visit a park or go visit them at one of their games. If you’re on a Spring Break vacation, send your group a postcard from your trip. They’ll be floored that you were thinking of them while lounging on the beach. Whatever you do, just don’t go the entire break without contacting your students. Show them that you care about them beyond the “regularly scheduled program”.

3. READ

When you're pouring into students all the time, it’s hard to remember to "fill up". Take some time this spring break to read some good books about Christianity or Jesus. The Bible’s a great place to start, but here’s a link of a few books that might be worth checking into that would greatly benefit your group!

4. RE-GROUP

How did your group go this past semester? Now that you have a moment to breathe, this is the perfect time to evaluate! Take 30 minutes to an hour this break to sit down and regroup. Evaluate the past semester and then write down some goals to finish the year off strong. Some good questions to ask might be:

· What kinds of things did you want to happen that didn't?

· Which teens have I not seen in awhile? How can I follow up?

· How has my lesson prep gone? Do I need more time to prepare?

· What is my groups biggest need? How can I resource them for that?

· How have I been doing with partnering with the parents of my kids?

After answering some of those questions, pick a few to make your top priorities this semester. Them turn them into tangible goals for the last part of the semester.

I’d love to hear what kinds of books you’re reading that fill you up, or what kind of “Re-grouping” that you’re going to be doing in your small group. Throw down your plans in the comments…I may steal them for my own group!

5 Ways We Train Small Group Leaders

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 17:32:00 +0000

Recently I was asked how our ministry trains leaders. Instead of just sharing it with that person, I thought I'd share it with you as well. Our ministry has 5 specific ways that we train and pour into our leaders. So, without further ado, here they are:

1. Interview Process
Training starts before a volunteer joins your team. The interview process is a great place to set the foundation for the rest of their tenure in your ministry. Before they decide to join you, and you decide to select them, volunteers need to understand your vision for a small group leader, and what's expected of them. All the trainings you do for the rest of their tenure is designed to resource them to accomplish the vision you cast for them. This is probably the most valuable, yet most skipped portion of training in youth ministries today.

2. Large Group Trainings // once a semester
Our ministry only does two large group trainings. That's crazy, I know. Most ministries get the whole group together a lot. But we only do it twice.

Our first training is a few weeks before we kick-off the school year. We refresh them on the vision, the wins and expectations of a small group leader, and the logistics of running a small group. We want to set them up for immediate success as they relaunch their group for the school year.

The second training we do is after Christmas break. We use this night as a way to appreciate them for their hard work. We also bring in a guest speaker who talks about our vision and wins from their own perspective.

The reason we can get away with only getting everyone together for two large group gatherings a year is because of the next 3 things we do:

3. One-on-One Coffee // once a semester
Each semester of the school year I try to get together with our small group leaders over coffee. This is the most intentional training that we provide. This gives me an opportunity to hear exactly how their group is going and provide any wisdom or advice that specifically meets their needs. I also get to hear how our leaders are doing personally. You don't get that at large group gatherings. These one-on-one's are especially beneficial for newer volunteers. I try to schedule theirs as early into the semester as possible.

4. The 10:Before
This is a new one for us. If you're programming is anything like mine, you don't get to interact with your leaders all that much. We are all too busy running around with the teens, and prepping the night. I hated that. So, a few weeks ago we started 10:Before. The name says it all. 10 minutes before we kickoff, we meet together for a pep-rally of sorts. We get to greet each other for a few seconds, then I fill them on any random details for the night, as well as pray for them and their groups. Though it's new, I'm already seeing a deeper relational connection happen between leaders. That's a win in my book!

5. Weekly Review // weekly
Two days after our program is over I send out a Weekly Review. This (mailchimp) newsletter allows me to help the leaders process everything that happened in light of our vision and goals. I realize some nights can be rough for leaders and it's easy to lose track of why we do this. The weekly review allows me to answer the why, but also give some wins from the night. Here are some of the other things I include in the Weekly Review:

Links to articles that help train them in leading a small group.
Calendar of upcoming events (info they can pass onto their teens)
Attendance Numbers and ways they can help their teens invite.
Shoutouts to leaders who I want to recognize.
Opportunity to send me their group "Highs/Lows" so I can pray for them.

This environment of training has produced not only great leaders, but great friends. When you can have great leaders and great friends, ministry is so much more fun.

What does your ministry do to train leaders that I could steal?

The Key to Spiritual & Numerical Growth in Youth Ministry

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 12:30:00 +0000

I used to think that spiritual growth and numerical growth were exclusive of each other. If you focus on one, you can't focus on the other. But I'm discovering that's not true.

I'm embarrassed to say that there have been seasons of ministry where I was so focused on growing numerically that I lost focus on helping Christian students grow to love Jesus more. But I'm equally embarrassed to admit that there have been seasons where I was so focused on helping Christian students love Jesus all the while ignoring the non-Christian students who had yet to Jesus.

Over the past few years of ministry I've discovered the key to doing both at the same time. And here it is in a nutshell:

1. The Key to Spiritual Growth: Adults leading teens in relational discipleship.
This is nothing new. It's a no brainer. If we're going to see students grow spiritually, we need to put them in an environment with caring adults who invest in relational discipleship. When a teen has access to an adult who knows them and challenges them for an extended period of time, they are in a great position to grow spiritually.

It's an exciting thing to see students grow spiritually. So exciting that many begin to wonder, "How do I get more teens into this environment?" The key to getting more teens is to think less about getting more teens and more about getting more adults.

2. The Key to Numerical Growth: MORE Adults who leading teens in relational discipleship.
The best way to grow numerically is to grow MORE adults to lead teens in relational discipleship. If you are in desperate need of 5 adults, recruit 10 instead! If you have just the right amount of adults, recruit more anyway and get them plugged in. Don't wait until you need them. Put 3 or 4 leaders in a group if you have to. If you can build a ministry that is flooded with adults who are excited about investing, you will soon have a ministry flooded with teens ready to be invested in.

Evaluating Evangelism in Youth Ministry

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 02:36:00 +0000

It seems like Youth Ministries these days are knocking it out of the park with discipleship. But when it comes to evangelism, we’re better at bunting! Our students are getting better at spending alone time with Christ, but not doing so well at spending any time with non-Christians. So, we plan big crazy outreach events, give away iPads to the person who brings the most friends and preach sermons on why students should share their faith…

…but nothing, nada, zip.

(Well, there was that one kid…oh wait…he’s from that other church. Carry on...)

It’s crazy, because youth ministry was originally created to reach unchurched teens. But over the last 20 years, the ministry has primarily become a discipleship engine for Christian families. Nothing wrong with that, but why are we excelling in discipleship, but not in evangelism?

I don’t think it has to do with culture or programming. I think it has to do with the youth pastor.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that your ministry is strong on discipleship, because you are strong on discipleship. You read. You study. You spend time in community with other believers. You’re nailing it (for the most part), and so is your ministry!

I’m also going to guess that the reason your kids aren’t investing in non-Christian friends might possibly have to do with your in ability to invest in your non-Christian friends. This is definitely true of me! In fact, here are 5 questions that I use to evaluate my own evangelistic temperature. I invite you to ask yourself these questions and let your answers sink in:

1. When was the last time I invited a neighbor to go to church with me?

2. When was the last time I talked to a neighbor about Jesus?

3. When was the last time I even talked to a neighbor?!

4. When was the last time I baptized someone who wasn’t a teen?

5. Are my illustrations on evangelism recent or experiences from the distant past?

These are some sobering questions! If you’re like me, you begin to make excuses:

· I’m too busy serving Jesus to bring people to Jesus!

· My friends are all Christians!

· I don’t get along with my neighbors!

And the funny thing is, these are the same excuses my teens use. Maybe I am teaching them evangelism after all. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong message. Maybe my programs, events, giveaways and students aren’t the problem. Maybe my teens aren’t good at evangelism, because I’m not good at evangelism.

If we’re going to grow the evangelistic temperature of our ministries, we have to start by turning up the heat in our own neighborhoods. So, I’ll ask you (and me) the same question I ask my teens:

Who are you going to talk to about Jesus this week?

Our teens will never have an answer until we do too.

Are you afraid of the Dark?

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 16:13:00 +0000

[Tag teamed a 10 minute devotion on "Darkness & Light" at Harvester Christian Church's Christmas Eve services. I talked for 10 minutes on darkness before our Senior Pastor, Brian Jobe, talked about light. Here's my portion of the talk]

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5)

Were you ever afraid of the dark as a kid? When I was in Middle School I used to watch a show on Nickelodeon called "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" Inevitably, at the end of every show, the answer to that question, for me, would be "Yes! Yes I am very afraid of the dark!"

What is it about darkness that’s so scary? It could be the make believe monsters, or scenarios that lurk in our minds now finding a place to play in the playground of reality. You know, those times when you’re the only one in your house and you hear a noise, a creak? It’s probably just the furnace…but what if it’s not?! Darkness gives room for our imaginations to run wild! And maybe even worse for me, darkness hides the things that bring me comfort. Walls, structure, reality, existence brings me comfort. Empty, black voids just bring uncertainty and stubbed toes. Whether we’re children or adults, darkness is a scary concept!

But the thing about darkness is that darkness doesn’t really exist! You can’t create darkness. It’s not tangible. Darkness is literally nothing. You can’t make darkness. All you can do is remove light. And the more light you remove, the darker a room becomes. So, maybe we’re not really afraid of the dark. Maybe we’re afraid of having no light.

Genesis 1 describes the beginning of the world as dark, void, and empty. And the very first thing God does in the darkness is to turn on the light. And he doesn’t do it with his hand, but with his Words. The first act of God in the Bible was to speak. And when he spoke, light appeared. He said, “Let there be light” and there was light. All of a sudden the darkness, the emptiness, the void was a little less dark, a little less empty and a little less void. Now, it was filled with light. With a few words God flipped a switch, and the lights came on. Darkness still existed, but God made sure that even the darkness had a light. He created the Sun to govern the day, and moonlight to govern the night. But truth be told, the real hero of day one wasn’t the sun or moon, it wasn’t created until day 4! The real light of the world was God and his Word.

When mankind was finally created on the 6^th day, the world was no longer dark. It was adorned with creation and lit up beautifully with the sunlight of God and his Word. But you know the story. Through a series of poor choices, Adam and Eve chose to live in darkness. Through disobedience to God’s word, they flipped the light switch off.

We can’t blame them because we do the same thing. Every time God says, “Let there be light.” We seem to respond, “No thanks, we prefer the darkness.”

The Old Testament is essentially the story of God turning the lights back on. But every time he turns the lights on, we turn the lights back off. Then, like little children who are afraid of the dark, we cry out from the darkness, afraid, begging for God to give us light again. And like a loving father, God turns on the lights. We are comforted for a little bit…but then we turn the lights off again.

It happened in the Garden, and it happened on Mount Sinai. Israel had been living in the dark slavery of Egypt. They were begging for God to remove them from their darkness. Like little kids afraid of the dark, Israel cried out “Save us from darkness! Save us from slavery and oppression! We are afraid!” So God led them out of Egypt to Mount Sinai. And on this mountain God speaks Words to Moses. And they’re recorded on a stone tablet. These words are so “light giving” that as Moses is walking them down the mountain, the Bible says his face is glowing! God literally gave Israel a “Glow in the dark, bobble head” Moses. But just as quick as God gave man these commandments, they immediately broke them, choosing to live in darkness rather the light.

Time and time again this happened. God sends his word to give light, and man chooses darkness. And once again, in the dark man would cry out for help.

God eventually sent “Prophets” into the darkness. These men were bearers of God’s Word. They would speak His word of hope but they would also speak against the darkness. God’s Word would give glimmers of hope, glimmers of light in their darkness, but they would eventually kill the prophets. Turning the light switch off once again. Every time God flips the light switch on, man flips it off.

One of these prophets, Isaiah, talks about the darkness that has fallen upon men. For the first 8 chapters of his book, he talks about the consequences of living in the darkness, the pain of living in the darkness. But then in chapter 9 he speaks of an ultimate light that is coming, one that will dispel the darkness forever.

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2)

Isaiah is essentially saying that God will no longer just “flip light switches”. This time, instead of using his Word to create light, he would send his Word into the darkness to become the light. And his Word will bring with it a light that will never cease.

And hundreds of years later, John tell us about this inextinguishable light finally entering our darkness as the Word and as the Son of God:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-5, 7-14)

Make people count...as you count them.

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 20:50:00 +0000

One of the most uncomfortable questions I get as a youth minister is "How many kids do you have?!" or "How big is your church?!" It makes me uncomfortable because I don't want people to think that bigger groups means bigger success. One of my favorite adages is "Don't count people, make people count."

But the longer I do ministry the more I realize numbers can't be ignored.

Recently I've been studying the book of Acts, and I'm floored by how often the early church counted people. I'm only through chapter 14 but here's what I've found so far:

2:41
"...about three thousand were added to their number that day."

2:47
"...the Lord added to their number daily those being saved."

4:4
"...many who heard the message believed and the number of men grew to about five thousand."

11:21
"...a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord."

11:24
"...and a great number of people were brought to the Lord."

11:26
"...and [Saul] taught great numbers of people."

14:1
"...they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed."

14:21
"They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples."

Size and growth were important details in the re-telling of the church's beginnings. Now, I agree the most important part of ministry are the individuals and their spiritual health, but we can't deny that the church was meant to grow numerically as well!

Publicly, I still hate talking about numbers. But it's poor leadership to ignore them in planning and evaluating meetings.

Make people count. And as you do, go ahead and count them too.

Approved

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 05:53:00 +0000

Soooooo....today we were approved!

After 4 years, we are finally on the waiting list!

Our dossier was translated, mailed to Bulgaria, and....

....APPROVED.

It's nice to finally be on the 24 month waiting list!

24 months has never seemed so short of a time!

6 Notes about my time in Mexico.

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:42:00 +0000

I spent all of last week teaching a class in Queretaro, Mexico. I taught for 5 hours each day on the History of the Restoration Movement. Here are 6 random notes about my time in Mexico:

1. Queretaro is Beautiful!
The city wasn't at all what I expected. I was expecting something a little older, but what I found was something modern, clean, elegant and historical. The downtown area has a very romantic feel to it, and there is tons of culture (pyramids, aqueducts, fables, and old churches).

2. The Food was Amazing!
Mexican food is one of my favorite foods. And Mexican food in Mexico is better than Mexican food in America (surprise!). I had homemade food and food from street vendors. Every meal was a delight! A few strange things: We had tortillas at every meal. Lunch was at 3:30pm. We had beans and salsa at breakfast a few times.

3. The People are Incredible!
Everyone was so generous and hospitable. Rarely could we have extended conversations, because of the language barrier, but smiles are easy to translate.

4. Spanish Comes Back
The further along I went in the week, the more spanish I began to remember. I think Mrs. Toth and Professor Allcorn would be proud. In fact, by the end of the week I could understand about 70% of what my class was saying without the help of the translator.

5. The Restoration Movement Principles are Inspiring
For my class I focused on the 4 restoration movement principles. These principles seemed to really inspire these young church leaders. By the end of the week students were talking about re-restoring the church, taking the church back to a place of unity and love. It was gratifying to see all of the time and work I put into this class actually pay off in their minds. The four principles are:

"We are not the only Christians, we are Christians only"
"We have no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible."
"Where the Bible speaks, we speak. Where the Bible is silent we are silent."
"In essentials unity, in opinions liberty, in all things love."

6. Teaching a college class is more relational than I thought.

Probably my favorite part of the week was getting to know the students. Teaching them was enjoyable, but the time we were able to spend between class and outside of class was just as fun. They took me to see the city, and then a group even wanted to go to the airport to say "bye". Great people.

St. Louis Cardinals iPhone5s Playoff Backgrounds

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 22:21:00 +0000

Now that the St. Louis Cardinals have made the World Series, I thought I'd make a few iPhone backgrounds commemorating some of my favorite playoff moments in Cardinals history. And I thought I'd give them to you for FREE. Take them, and then leave a comment to let me know which one you like the best! (note: click on the picture to see see actual size)

Albert Pujols

Chris Carpenter

David Freese

Ozzie Smith

Yadier Molina

Maestro Perez

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 18:56:00 +0000

Next week I travel to Queretaro, Mexico to teach my first college course. I'm teaching a class on the Restoration Movement at the Universidad Cristiana de Mexico. Here are a few pre-trip thoughts on the experience:

I just got my Masters Degree, and have never taught a college class before! I'm pretty excited for that opportunity. I hope they call me Maestro Perez. (Note to self: Learn to say your last name properly. Pérez. Pérez. Pérez.)
These students probably already know my name. So their first impression of me will be "Wow...this hombre is a Mexican and he needs an interpreter?! We can't trust him!"
When I think about it, the translator is the real hero. I'm just the middle-man. All I'm doing is reading the books and speaking what I've read. Then the translator speaks what I've read. It would save a lot of time and flyer miles if he just skipped me and read the books himself.
I'm a funny guy when I speak...but my humor comes from my personality, not from jokes. I hope the interpreter can convey my personality, facial expressions, and my keen sense of irony. (Note to self: jokes about being a Mexican may not fly in Mexico)
The class I'm teaching on "The History of the American Restoration Movement". I'll probably leave off the American part. I just hope they don't know what a "Kentucky" is.
If the Cardinals make it to the World Series, I'll be dismissing class early. They won't know who the Cardinals are, but I'm sure they won't care.

Keep praying for me on this trip. It comes at a really busy time in my life and ministry, but I believe it'll be worth the experience. Also pray for the Mexican churches. This class is focused on the idea of unity, which is an issue that churches all over the world can benefit from.

Dossier Done

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 14:04:00 +0000

On Friday we received our final document back from the State of Missouri. That means that our Dossier is complete! This moment has taken seemingly forever to arrive. Hundreds of papers in hundreds of days finally completely compiled into a single binder. And finally ready to be handed over.

Honestly, handing the dossier over is a non-event. All you do is take it to the agency and give it to them. That's it. There are no bells and whistles. No balloons and cheers. But in our minds all of those things were happening, along with fireworks...and sparklers...and Dr. Pepper spraying like champagne.

Getting to this moment was a pretty big deal to us. Not only did we have to get all of the paperwork completed, but we also had to have the money to turn it in! Nearly $7,000 had to accompany our dossier. We weren't exactly sure how this would happen. Our church is in the middle of Generosity Initiative so we've sacrificed quite a bit to be all in with that. Giving our tithe (and beyond) was our first priority. However, to make this dossier payment in the same year meant that we would have to sacrifice even more so we could save more...which we did. But by the end of the day we were still short.

We kept honoring God with our tithe to the church (and even up'ed it!) and kept trusting that God would provide.

And He did.

Through great friends (Matt & Suzanne Bushjost) and an anonymous gift, we had exactly enough to make the dossier payment. We are so grateful for those people! And we are grateful to a God who honored our commitment to tithe by taking care of us when we couldn't.

Completing this dossier is a testimony to the faithfulness of good God!

What's Next:

Translation of Dossier (takes approx. 1-2 weeks)
Approval from the Bulgarian Government (takes approx. 2 months. Maybe by Christmas!)
Put on the waiting list for 18-24 months.
The big payment is due then we make Flight Plans to pick up our boy.

Adoption and Our Story

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 16:59:00 +0000

For the past few years my wife and I have been in the adoption process. We are adopting a 2-4 year old boy from Bulgaria. We are about 2 years away from completion now, and boy has it been a journey.

The Reasons for Adoption

We want to live a life that tells a good story. You see, our life has been good. We are happy, we love our family, we have been very blessed in life. Those are all good things, but that's a rather boring story that many people live. So we decided to go on a journey of living a better story, one that's not about making our lives better, but making others lives better. One way we've decided to do that is by adopting. We want to give away our family to a child who didn't have one. So 3 years ago we set out to to do that...and now an amazing story is unfolding.

The Frustrations with Adoption

Every good story has frustrations. But I never would have thought adoption would be as frustrating as it has been. There are so many forms, so many deadlines, so many approvals from so many different people. It takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r! And if one document has a sentence in question, it sets the whole process back. For example, we had finished our dossier, but the government had a question about my father's suicide. That question, meant we had to reword one document and by time that document was updated most of the rest of our documents had expired...meaning we had to re-do (and re-pay!) those documents as well! You can add that to the long list of foreign governments red-tape, shutdowns and re-elections that we've had to endure. But you know what? Great stories always have conflict. And we want to live a great story.

The Sacrifice in Adoption

From day one of our marriage, we have decided to live life simply. Our goal is to die on empty. We want to try to live on less rather than live on more. When we moved to St. Louis (2007) we chose to buy a small townhouse near my workplace, instead of a big house further away. Living close allowed us to continue to be a one-car family. We are going on 12 years with only one car! And buying small allowed us to put financial resources in more meaningful areas.

Adoption was only a possibility for us because of these initial life decisions. However, since starting the adoption we've had to make even more sacrifices. This year we cut TV from our budget (like completely...not even the basics), greatly reduced our spending and re-negotiated most of our bills. I've taken on more freelance design work and speaking engagements while Rachel has begun working. But you know what? Great stories always have sacrifice. And we want to live a great story.

The Blessings in Adoption

We thought adoption would be something that would bless an unknown child. I didn't realize how much it would bless us. Our family is living out an amazing story, with twists and turns, frustrations and sacrifices. It's a fun story to live. It gives our daughters a journey to travel that's greater than going to school and celebrating birthdays. It's showed us the value of "each other" and the value of "the others". It's showed us the lie of the American Dream. We've discovered bigger is not better and more does not equal happiness. With every sacrifice we make, we seemingly get many more blessings in return.

God seems to always work that way. We set out to bless a child, but He blesses us instead. There is so much more road to cover with our adoption. We don't know exactly how this chapter of our family's story ends...but we know it'll be an amazing journey.

Uthmin.net

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 23:31:00 +0000

It has been a long time since I've blogged. And to be honest, I've missed it. But there's something I've learned about blogging: Blogging can be taxing! This blog started in 2007 as a way to share information about my life. Thus: "Nikomas.com". But as I went it transformed into talking about Youth Ministry. Then I began to feel guilty sharing personal stories, 'cause if you're here to read about youth ministry, you don't care about my cat.

All that to say, I'm making a few changes!

Change #1: Uthmin.net

I will no longer be blogging about youth ministry here. However, I'll be writing at a new middle school ministers site. Uthmin.net is ran by Tom Schefchunas (North Point) and Jeremy Lee (Parentzilla), and features the collaborated blogging efforts of some of the best middle school pastor minds in the country, as well as a few other things that'll be released in the future.

As far as the blog goes, I love the idea of a collaborated blog. Download Youth Ministry is a great example of bringing minds together to think together. I truly believe this site will be valuable to Middle School ministers as well as to the whole of youth ministry thought. After all, Middle School Ministry is starting to lead the way in for youth ministry in America these days.

There are a variety of ways you can keep up with what's going on at Uthmin.net:

Change #2: Nikomas.com

I'm going to use this site to talk about my personal life. On occasion there may be some thoughts on youth ministry (because that's deeply engrained in me), but for the most part it's just going to be about my journey through life, adoption, spiritual growth, etc. I'm no longer going to worry about page hits, target audience, etc. I'm just going to go back to the roots of this blog and use it as a way to give a peek into my life. No pressure. No checking my blog stats. No marketing. Just me, a few friends and my cat.

So what have you learned today?

Join me at Uthmin.net (and add it to your Feedly) to converse about youth ministry.
Join me here to converse about life.

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PS
I don't own a cat...and you would know that if this were a personal blog again. :)

They're Not Middle Schoolers Forever

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:27:00 +0000

Here's a little note I sent to my Middle School leaders today. It applies to them, but if you lead Middle Schoolers it applies to you too :)

Hello Team!

I am less than 24 hours away from taking a group of High School students on a Spring Break Mission Trip. I go on this trip every year. I like going because it serves as a yearly reminder of our ministry to Middle School students.

I know what you're thinking, "Nikomas, you said it's a trip for high schoolers, not middle schoolers!"

True, but I remember just a few years ago when these were our Middle Schoolers. They've gone from rambunctious, out of control weirdos, to a group of students who are giving up the indulgences of spring break to become servants of the broken. I'm so proud of who they are becoming!

Never forget, the kids you are discipling now will not be middle schoolers forever. One day they will be high schoolers who sacrifice for Christ. They'll become college students making life long decisions. They'll become mothers and fathers passing on their faith to their own kids. They'll do radical acts of love. They'll have conversations about the intricacies of the Christian faith.

Sure, you don't see that now, but that day is coming! When that day comes look back on 2013 and remember the long nights, the hard work, frustrations, and sacrifices. And then stop and praise God that He was faithful to grow them into maturity. In that same moment, God will stop and thank you for being a good and faithful servant of the broken. (so that's where they learned it!)

I'm proud of them, but I'm extremely proud of you. So from me, and from your grown-up Life Group in the future: Thank you!

Nikomas Perez

Two Ministry Goals for 2013

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 20:35:00 +0000

Every year our ministry develops thematic goals to focus on. These are the two goals our student ministry team has decided to pour energy into this year:

1. Team Leadership:
Our ministry has two tiers of leadership. The first level is our paid staff. This is the decision making team. And we also have our volunteer team. These are the people who serve at our weekend and midweek program. However, we're missing that in-between level of leadership.

Level 1: Staff

Vision and evaluation team

Level 2: Volunteer Leaders

Strategy and planning teams

(currently missing)

Level 3: Volunteers

Programming and hands-on teams

Right now, our Staff is doing both vision and strategy on our own, and training our volunteers to serve from those plans. There are two problems with this:

First, it adds more to our plate. The more time I spend planning and creating ideas by myself, the less time I can spend leading vision at the 30,000 foot level. The more time I spend creating next week's creative programming elements, the less time I spend evaluating and tweaking our overall strategy. Worst of all, if I'm the only one planning the strategy of our ministry, it becomes limited to what comes from my mind. That's no good. My mind is small. God can do so much more with a team of bigger brains.

Second, it keeps volunteers from leading. Our volunteers are amazing. There are some who are so amazing that they are being held back by serving. There are some who are leading a small group, who could actually be leading our entire small group program and strategy. But right now, there is now leadership structure for them to do that. This year we plan on building teams that allow volunteers to lead at a higher level, which will in turn allow us to lead at a higher level.

2. Evangelism:
In my 12 years of youth ministry, I've discovered that it is difficult to keep a healthy balance between discipleship and evangelism. Some years we swing so far towards evangelism that our discipleship falls apart. And when that happens our adult volunteers spend less time mentoring a few and more time wrangling a bunch.

Right now, our ministry leans heavily into the discipleship arena. With that, we have lost a lot of our evangelistic flare. In 2013, we want to reach students who are not Christian and then plug them into our amazing discipleship structure. Instead of replacing discipleship with evangelism, we want to use discipleship as a way to better evangelize.

So this year, we're adding some evangelism training, outreach nights, and old school youth ministry events to reach new students. However, our ultimate goal is to get them plugged into our small group discipleship atmosphere.

By the end of this year, God willing, our ministry will be giving more leaders the opportunity to lead and more students the opportunity to meet God. If you have a moment, I'd appreciate your prayers that this becomes true; not for my sake, but for the sake of His kingdom.

7 Books I'm Reading

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Now that I've finished my Masters degree, I can spend time reading books I want to read. Ironically, now that I'm done with school, I think I'm learning more! So here's a quick run down of some books I've finished in the last two months. (note: all have been read on my iPad...so, no you can't borrow them)

Resonate (Nancy Duarte) - 4 stars
This is a book about giving presentations that are meant to connect. It's not a preaching book, or a Christian book for that matter, however it offers a lot of insight into speaking. If you're getting ready to preach your ministry's vision, or cast the vision for a new program, this book will help you learn how to communicate it most effectively!

You Lost Me (David Kinnaman) - 4 stars
Have you heard that trillions of students are leaving the church every day? Me too. David Kinnaman (author of 'Unchristian') puts these often quoted stats into perspective. He shows that while many students are leaving after high school, most are just leaving the church not their faith. This is still a problem, however. He provides a few ways the church can better minister to a younger generation before it loses them.

Deep & Wide (Andy Stanley) - 5 stars
This is a book that is going to change the way I evaluate our student ministry. Andy provides a lot of insight into how they run Northpoint. This book however, is more about understanding why. The things he says in this book are going to be a valuable resource to helping my volunteer leaders understand the heart behind our student ministry. In fact, I purchased enough to lead my Student Ministry staff and Middle School volunteers through in 2013.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Seth Grahame-Smith) - 2 stars
I was really hoping to dig this book. I only read one fiction book p/year...so when I pick one, it better be good. While I found parts of it entertaining, most of the time I found myself wondering "Where's this story going?" Turns out, it wasn't going anywhere. It's more of a biography of Lincoln with some vampire stories thrown in. There was no one big event that all plots led to.

Simply Jesus (N.T. Wright) - 3.5 stars
I've never read anything by NT Write before this book. In fact, I picked it up thinking "This will be an inspirational and quick read about Jesus." Turns out, that's not Wright's style. It's much more academic than I thought (especially since the word "simply" is in the title!). However, I learned a lot through this book. I look forward to reading another of his books. Next time I'll be prepared for his depth!

I'm also currently in the process of reading these two books:

The Imitation of Christ (Thomas a Kempis) - 4 stars
This is a book written in the 1500s. I've read so many modern day authors that I want to spend the next few months reading some old authors who are outside of the American lifestyle. This book is broken up into many, many short chapters. Most only being 2 pages. I'm reading it during my morning devotions. He has a lot of simple insights, but they're very convicting. The hardest part is the old english language. If you read it, find a version that is updated to a modern day reading. If you like old english, and want to read along with me, it's free on iBooks.

The Pursuit of God (A.W. Tozer) - 5 stars
To be honest, I'm only reading this for two reasons: 1) I like his Twitter quotes, 2) my assistant Teresa is reading it and highly recommended it. While he's not an "old author", he is dead so I decided to give his books a shot. I'm a little ashamed that I've never read anything from this guy. I'm only a few chapters in and I'm loving it! This will be a book that I will end up recommending to students who are looking for something inspirational and convicting. I can't wait to finish it.

After I finish these two books, what would you recommend I pick up?

St. Louis Cardinals iPhone and iPad Retina Wallpaper

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 05:50:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but I'm already missing baseball season. The St. Louis Cardinals haven't any major moves during the offseason. In my opinion, the biggest move they made was the addition of an old school jersey! I really dig it. I love the "St. Louis" on the front.

In fact, I like it so much that I wanted it as a background on my iPad and iPhone. So I designed it and decided to freely share it with the world. Leave a comment below if you take it. I'd love to know who's sporting the new look.

St. Louis Cardinals iPhone 5 retina wallpaper

St. Louis Cardinals iPhone4s or iPod retina wallpaper

St. Louis Cardinals Retina iPad Wallpaper

The December Slow Down

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 01:53:00 +0000

December is the month I take it slow (not because I'm super spiritual and do it for Jesus' birthday, thought that's a great idea and I should think about that next year). In youth ministry, December seems to be the month where not a lot happens.

Schools out.

Midweek programs are on winter break.

Plenty of students are available to help with task lists.

Vacation days need to be used up before their lost.

Students attend "big church" with their families on Christmas weekend (no program to plan).

In my setting, the elders give us from Christmas Day to New Years Day off.

Needless to say, I've been looking forward to December. The lack of busy work has allowed me to plan for the future, read a few books, get home on time and rest up. Spring is busy; Summer is busy; Fall is super busy. And then there's winter. I don't like winter, but I'm beginning to.

Which time of the year is your "slow-down" time?

Dear Volunteer, I'm Jealous of You.

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 03:52:00 +0000

Dear Volunteer Youth Workers,

Did you know that I'm a little jealous of you? I'm not sure if that surprises you, but it's true. I know what you're thinking, "How can you be jealous of me?! You get to stand up and speak eloquent truths every week; hundreds of teenagers run to you and beg for your attention every time you step into a room; you are so very brilliant, you're a rockstar!"

Ok...maybe you're not thinking those exact words. But there's something you need to know: I can't wait until I get to do what you're doing!

Don't get me wrong, I love my role in the church. I take joy in this ministry more than you know! But, I can't wait until I get to do what you're doing! For me, sometimes the ministry gets in the way of doing ministry. While I'm managing, you're the one ministering.

I look forward to the day (in the far off future) when, like you, I get to pour all of my energy, time and resources into a handful instead of a room full. Right now, I know faces but you know lives. I know numbers, but you know stories. I can't wait until I get to be so intimately involved in discipleship like you are.

So, forgive me if I envy your role. I hope you hold onto it; I hope you enjoy it and make the most of it; I hope you minister to teenagers for a long time. The students need you, and I can't do it without you.

Love,
Youth Pastor

Connecting "Big Church" students

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:41:00 +0000

Like most churches, we have a lot of students who attend "Big Church" services on the weekends rather than our Student services. And to be honest, I'm ok with that!

However, I began to wonder: "Are these students also involved in adult small groups?" My assumption was that they weren't. And to be honest, I want every teenager who attends our church to be involved in a group of peers that will help them live out their Christian faith. I'm ok if they don't attend our events and worship services. But if they're not in a small group, our ministry needs to help make that happen.

This year, our Student Ministry replaced our Fall Kickoff event with an event designed to plug "Big Church" students (and regular students) into small groups. When all was said and done, 30% of the students in attendance were plugged into a small group that were not involved in a one before. Here's what we learned:

1. Make it a "Connecting" event rather than a "Kickoff" event.

A kickoff event is advertised, "We are starting last years Life Groups back up!" Inherently, it's marketed towards students who are already involved. A connecting event is advertised as, "This is your chance to join a Life Group." Advertise and plan the event as if nobody in your church was involved in a Life Group last year. We made everyone register for a group, whether they were involved last year or not. This made sure that Big Church students didn't feel disadvantage for not being involved last year.

2. Use the Adult Ministries to promote the event.

The students who go to big church may not be connected to your ministry, but they are connected to the adult ministry. There is some level of trust there. If you are going to connect those Big Church students, they need to feel like they the event is a Big Church event for teenagers. If it seems like a Student Ministry event, they assume that it's only for teenagers who are already members of the student ministry. In all of our advertising pieces, there was no mention of student ministries or student pastors. We even held the event in the main auditorium rather than in our Student facilities.

3. Use the Adult Pastors as the mouth piece of the event.

When your Pastors announce the event, make sure that they use "we" terminology, rather than "they" terminology. "We are planning...." rather than "The student ministry is planning...". Most likely, you will be the one doing all of the planning and preparation, but make sure credit is given to the church...not to you or your ministry. That's hard...but here's the harder part: Have one of your adult pastors be the speaker at your event, instead of you; that's a hard role to let go of, but Big Church students likely know them better.

4. Plug Big Church students in at the Event.

Finally, when students come to the event, sign them up for a small group immediately. This is your ministry's chance to shine. Put them in a group, and then build time in your programming for them to meet their adult leader and their group. We built in time for them to participate in fun, "kickoff" style activities with their group. Our hope was that by the end of the night a Big Church student will have met a Student Ministry leader, started Student Ministry friendships, and become connected to a Student Ministry small group.

5. Follow Up Immediately.

After the event is over make sure to follow up. Have the Big Church's new small group leader give them a call to thank them for coming and invite them to their first small group gathering.

The event went so well this year, that we are going to pour a lot more energy into it next year. Our typical kickoff event has had bigger attendance in the past, but has done nothing to increase our weekly programming numbers. This event, though it was a little lower in attendance, has dramatically increased the number of students involved in small groups. So much so that this year, our small group program is the biggest thing our ministry does now.

I'm Part of an Amazing Church

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:15:00 +0000

I am part of an amazing Church, but today I'm thankful that I'm also part of an amazing church. The Church is doing some amazing things in this world, and I'm proud that my church is doing its part.

Today I was thinking back on the past month at Harvester Christian Church and it has showed me why I love this church. Here's what our members have done in just the past few week:

November 10 & 11: They gave $39,000 towards helping families in need
November 17 & 18: They baptized 114 people into Christ
December 1/2 & 8/9: They told the Christmas story to 19,000 people.
December 9: They donated & gave away 1,011 winter coats to the cold.

And these are just their joint efforts of making a difference in our community! The personal stories that are being told are just as impactful, and too numerous to tell here. It is a joy to see God at work in St. Charles through this church.

...and word on the street is that this is just the beginning.

Deciding to be Rebaptized: Ch. 5

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 16:29:00 +0000

(Read Chapter 1)

(Read Chapter 2)

(Read Chapter 3)
(Read Chapter 4)

Chapter 5 – Integration Theology and Social Science

Sean’s dilemma is one that many church-going teenagers across America face. Teenagers experience a deeper connection with God after developing the ability to understand His abstract nature. Because of that, many have a desire to be rebaptized in order to renew their faith commitment in a rediscovered God. However, most churches agree that there is no theological foundation for rebaptism. Social science explains why teens seek rebaptism, and churches explain why it is not necessary. All the while, teenagers are left confused on their next step. How does a teenager recommit herself to God with this new ability to think deeper about God?

The solution to this dilemma is to combine what we have learned about theology and social science into practical experiences. First, the church must teach more than what a person must do to be saved, but also how a person is saved. The church’s needs reemphasize that salvation is both punctiluar and progressing. Second, the church will need to promote concrete, decision-making experiences for teenagers to re-align their faith or to mark new stages of their progressing salvation.

Teaching Punctiluar and Progressing Salvation

The New Testament makes it clear that salvation is something that happens at a point in time (punctiluar), but it is also something that is ongoing (progressing). We were saved, but we are also being saved. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2,

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ^{^[1]}

Paul makes clear that salvation is past event (“you received”, aorist active indicative), it is a present reality (“in which you stand”, perfect active indicative), and it is an on-going progression (“being saved”, present passive indicative). The church spends a lot of time talking about the first, but not the last. We have emphasized a teenager’s initial salvation (justification) so much that when moments of further salvation (sanctification) occur their only understanding of how to respond is through the framework of their initial experience. So they decide to replicate that experience by being rebaptized. If the church is going to help teenagers understand how to continue in salvation, it must first start with an understanding that salvation does happen at a point in time (justification) but it is also a progressing reality (sanctification).

Teaching Punctiluar Salvation: Justification

Justification is God’s first act of salvation, signified through baptism in the New Testament. The book of Acts shows that a person is justified when he repents of his sins, confesses Christ and receives the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ death and resurrection is applied to the sinner, and his relationship with God changes from saint to sinner. All of this is symbolized in the baptism experience. Justification is an abstract reality wrapped in a concrete experience at a point in time. The date of justification is often written on a certificate, given to the new Christian to frame and hang on the wall to remember forever. Therefore, baptism serves as a real, tangible memory that teenagers can look back on and say, “I was saved.” Since baptism marks a point of salvation in the past, it is easy for teenagers to assume that salvation only happened in the past. Later in life, when they experience moments of further salvation, they either assume that salvation must re-happen. However, salvation is not just an event in the past, but an ongoing reality.

Progressing Salvation: Sanctification

Salvation is punctiluar, but it also progressive. Each day after punctiluar justification, the new saint should progress into a more Christ-like state, in heart and mind. This on-going process of being saved is known as sanctification. The difficulty with sanctification is that it is an abstract concept that has no Biblically mandated experiences that mark it in time. Justification is easy to mark in time through baptism. Teenagers can understand justification because it wraps an abstract idea (formal operations) into concrete principles (concrete operations). They can look back on it and think, “I took a step forward at this moment.” Moments of sanctification are a lot harder to pinpoint. Like justification, it is an abstract idea. It is ongoing process that involves our hearts and minds being transformed into a more mature, perfect state than it was yesterday. Like justification, sanctification is established on repentance and confession of Christ that allows us to examine who we are and what Christ calls us to become. These are all abstract concepts. However, the church offers no concrete, baptism-like experiences that help teenagers realign their faith on a deeper level. There are no certificates to frame and display that tells the world, “At this moment in time I became more like Christ.”

Wrapping Abstract Concepts in Concrete Experiences

Adolescents who are new to formal operational thinking need to wrap abstract ideas into concrete experiences. The church can help adolescents do this by providing ways for adolescents to pinpoint mile-markers in his or her faith journey.

First churches need to help adolescents understand that what made their baptism significant was the concepts of repentance and confession. Repentance and confession are not punctiluar concepts that happen once in baptism and never again; they are daily disciplines meant for a progressing salvation. When an adolescent asks to be rebaptized, what they are really asking for is an opportunity to act on a desire to repent, or a desire to re-confess that Christ is their Lord and Savior. What they really want is to pinpoint a step of sanctification with a concrete experience. Most evangelical, protestant churches do not have any such rituals beyond baptism, so adolescents assume that repeating baptism is their only solution.

If the church is going to help adolescents mark moments of growth and maturity without rebaptizing them, it will need to develop experiential ways for adolescents to express repentance and confession with concrete experiences. In the Old Testament, the culture marked abstract ideas with concrete expressions of faith. Adolescents were involved in routine experiences (sacrificial system, festivals, etc.) that wrapped repentance and confession in concrete experiences. If the church is going to help modern-day adolescents feel confident in their salvation, past and present, we need to grab onto similar, contemporary experiences.

Concrete Experiences of Repentance and Confession

There are a variety of experiences that the church can use to help teenagers mark the progression of sanctification with concrete experiences. Jesus instituted one of the most obvious ones: The Lord’s Supper (i.e. Communion). Communion is a regular way that adolescents and adults alike can wrap an abstract idea in a concrete experience. In my context, we participate in communion every Sunday. We regularly emphasize that it is more than thanking Jesus for his death; it is a way to repent and re-confess that Jesus is who you said he was when you were baptized. In baptism they confessed that Jesus died and rose again, and the same is true during communion. It serves as a regular confession that Jesus died and offers ongoing salvation when one communes with him.

Since our congregation participates in communion weekly, it can sometimes be easy to take without thought. Some consume the juice and bread while failing to consider that they are participating in a realignment experience. Because of that, we have regular services where we change up the experience. Sometimes, we devote an entire service to the experience. Other times we may just change how the elements are served. By doing this, our entire community is given an opportunity to realign their faith, and take a stand for Christ again.

A “Baptismal Remembrance” ceremony is another way that adolescents can experience repentance and confession again. A Baptismal Remembrance ceremony is designed for people who have already been baptized. The ceremony’s purpose is to help students reminisce about their initial baptism and then make a conscious decision to realign their faith in God again. It reminds students that Jesus’ death and resurrection was important on the day of their baptism and still important for their lives today.

Typically, a Baptismal Remembrance ceremony has a clear basin of water displayed in front of the group. This serves as the concrete, visual of baptism. After some scripture reading on the topic, the officiator offers all interested students to come forward one at a time and tell about their initial baptism. While they tell their story, students are able to interact with the water. When they are done telling their story, they speak of how they desire to recommit their lives. Most of the time, students will use it as a time of repenting of areas where their hearts and minds have yet to reflect Christ. Students end their testimony time by retaking the confession of faith they stated at their baptism. It serves as a way to honor their first confession of Jesus, by reconfessing it in their new cognitive understanding.

While these experiences are beneficial, other teenagers will seek to be recommitted outside of a programmed time. I have had numerous one-on-one conversations in my office with teenagers who are seeking to realign their faith. Most of them request rebaptism, but I know they are likely just seeking a concrete experience to mark a growing faith. On these occasions I recommend that he or she spend a moment praying with me. During our prayer time we renew their commitment by retaking their commitment of faith. I then recommend that they schedule a “Spiritual Renewal Day”. I ask that they spend an entire day alone with God. I recommend that they go somewhere quiet with their Bible, a journal, a pen and nothing else. During the day students are to spend time walking, praying and listening. They should also spend time journaling their thoughts, prayers and emotions. By the end of the day they will have had a tangible experience and a journaled reminder of what they have experienced.

These are just a few concrete experiences that churches can offer adolescents who are seeking rebaptism. None of these are biblically mandated sacraments or experiences, yet they offer a world of comfort to teenagers seeking to realign their faith. Churches do a worthy job of offering concrete experiences for adolescents seeking God for the first time; it would do well to offer similar concrete experiences for adolescents seek God a second and third time as well.

Conclusion

When religious teenagers reach adolescence they will reevaluate the decisions they made as a child. This is can be a very stressful time for the adolescent and families. Like Sean, some will question their initial decision, stating that they did not know what they were doing. Many of them will seek to start over, and be rebaptized. Rather than viewing this as a turbulent time in an adolescent’s life, churches have the unique opportunity of turning it into a moment that honors the adolescent’s first baptism and celebrates the new stage of cognitive and spiritual growth. Churches can explain that God is not asking the adolescent to start over, but to step up. In order to do that, we need to steer teenagers in the direction of concrete steps that help them to re-repent and re-confess instead of being rebaptized.

If churches are going to help families navigate sanctification in a way that takes into account theology and cognitive develop theories it will need to develop routine, concrete experiences for abstract decisions. If we can do this families allowing their child to be baptized at an early age will be comforted knowing that further opportunities to re-choose God await their child in the future. If we can do this, adolescents will receive concrete experiences that commemorate their latest moments of growth. If we can do this, churches will have helped adolescents decide to choose God again.

^{^[1]} 1 Corinthians 15:1–2, ESV.

Bibliography

Allen, Jimmy Raymond. Re-baptism?: What One Must Know to Be Born Again. West Monroe, LA: Howard Pub., 1991. Print.

Anthony, Michael J., Warren S. Benson, Daryl Eldridge, and Julie Gorman. Evangelical Dictionary of Christian Education. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001. Print.

Balswick, Jack O., Pamela Ebstyne King, and Kevin S. Reimer. The Reciprocating Self: Human Development in Theological Perspective. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2005. Print.

Beilin, Harry, and Peter B. Pufall. Piaget's Theory: Prospects and Possibilities. Hillsdale, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 1992. Print.

Case, Robbie. The Mind's Staircase: Exploring the Conceptual Underpinnings of Children's Thought and Knowledge. Hillsdale, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 1992. Print.

Case, Robbie. "Theories of Learning and Theories of Development." Educational Psychologist. 29.3 (1993): 219-33. Print.

Chafin, Kenneth L. “Evangelism and the Child,” Review and Expositor 60 (Spring 1963): 165.

Cyprian, Novatianus, Felix Marcus. Minucius, Perpetua, Dionysius, and Robert Ernest Wallis. The Writings of Cyprian: Bishop of Carthage. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1873. Print.

Demetriou, Andreas, Michael Shayer, and Anastasia Efklides. Neo-Piagetian Theories of Cognitive Development: Implications and Applications for Education. London: Routledge, 1992. Print.

Estep, James R. "Childhood Transformation: Toward an Educational Theology of Childhood Conversion and Spiritual Formation." Stone-Campbell Journal 5.2 (2002): 183-206. Print.

Estep, James R. The Implications of Neo-Piagetian Theories for Understanding Childhood Spiritual Formation. Proc. of Third Triennial Children's Spirituality Conference. Print.

Hodge, Charles. “Systematic Theology”. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997: 246.

Holy Bible, The: English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001).

Konrad, George G. "The Conversion of Children." Direction 9 (Oct. 1980): 24-36. Print.

Marini, Zopito, and Case, Robbie. “The Development of Abstract Reasoning about the Physical and Social World.” Child Development, 1994, 147-159.

Oden, Thomas C. Ministry Through Word and Sacrament, Classic Pastoral Care (New York: Crossroad, 1989). 116.

Pressley, Michael, and Christine McCormick. Child and Adolescent Development for Educators. New York: Guilford, 2007. Print.

Robertson, A.T. Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933). Ac 19:5.

Sternberg, Robert J., and Cynthia A. Berg. Intellectual Development. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992. Print.

Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley and Gerhard Friedrich, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964-).

Deciding to be Rebaptized: Ch. 4

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 21:42:00 +0000

(Read Chapter 1)

(Read Chapter 2)

(Read Chapter 3)
(Read Chapter 5)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chapter Four: Insights from Pastoral Practice

I have the privilege of working with middle school teenagers who are experiencing the transition from concrete operational thinking to formal operational thinking. It has become obvious to me that while their bodies and their emotions are transitioning, so are their brains. This transition is never smooth. At one moment a middle school teen makes a decision that seems incredibly mature. In the next moment the same teen does something that seems incredibly childish. Some seem to start the transition before their peers, while others take longer to start transitioning. Research suggests that formal operations gradually develop over the entire period of adolescence. [1] Individual factors, opportunities and experiences help move these skills along, but no teen has the same experiences in life. Needless to say, it can be difficult to minister to so many teenagers on such a variety of different cognitive levels. Over the last 40 years churches have added youth ministers to their staff in order to help large groups of teens with the spiritual transition from childhood to adulthood. Dettoni states that adolescents “need helpers who will come alongside them, affirm them, encourage their quest, and be ready to assist when necessary. They need adults who will share their journey”.[2]

As one of these youth ministers, I have noticed that adolescents require assistance with cognitive development if they are going to experience spiritual development. This is most evident when navigating the issue of rebaptism.

I recently surveyed many youth ministers across the country to ask about the issue of rebaptism. Of the eleven that responded, all stated that the rebaptism of adolescents was an issue in their ministry. I wanted to find out what they have discovered from navigating the issue, so I asked them to explain:

1. How they have seen churches prepare children for making a decision,

2. Reasons adolescents have given for wanting to be rebaptized,

3. Their insights into why adolescents seek rebaptism,

4. Instances when they would/would not rebaptize an adolescent,

5. and what alternatives to rebaptism they would recommend.

The following sections are a summary of their responses.

Baptism of Children

Since many adolescents desire to be rebaptized after being baptized as a child, I wanted to know how these youth ministers have seen churches handle a child who requests to be baptized. If teenagers are saying “I didn’t understand my decision”, I wanted to know if churches are being intentional about helping a child understand what their decision means? While there are some differences to how each church handles it, there are many similarities.

According to the surveys, a child’s decision to be baptized is can be brought up in the context of a “Decision” class or by a child who takes the initiative to talk with a family member, church staff member or volunteer. In each case, the surveyed youth ministers stated that parents were involved and informed throughout the entire process. Parents either attend the class, or the children’s ministry staff meets with the family.

Andy Hall of White Flag Christian Church (South Telegraph, MO) states that his church initiates the conversation by holding a decision class for children in the 4^th or 5^th grade. He states that the goal of the class is to open the door for conversations between a child and his or her parents. While they initiate the discussion, the church makes sure that families are involved in the discussion from the very beginning. Similarly, Tyler Mulvaney of Red Brush Christian Church (Louisville, IL) says that his church initiates the conversation through an annual, 3-week class for 3^rd to 5^th graders.

Not all churches initiate the conversation. Some allow the decision to be initiated within the family structure. James Hudson of The Rock of NEA (Jonesboro, AR) says that they rely on the parents to lead their children through the process. Families are responsible for initiating the conversation and leading their child in understanding their decision to be baptized. If families are satisfied, the church will perform the baptism. However, James states that his church does discourage baptism if the child appears to be too young.

All surveyed youth ministers stated that if the parents and/or church feels like the child is making an uninformed or inauthentic decision the baptism will be postponed until they are older. Kurt Smith of Rocky Fork Fellowship (Hallsville, MO) says that after the child’s parent meets with a church representative the church “will decide with the parent whether the child is ready to make the commitment.”

Churches today seem very mindful of protecting children from making the decision to be baptized too soon. Chris Sandel of West Side Christian Church (Springfield, IL) states, “Our church has an age limit of 8 years old for public baptism. We will do private baptisms for younger children in circumstances that parents feel they are ready, but we don’t want children/families observing baptisms of younger kids and feeling pressure [to] start that process too early.”

There is no doubt that most churches understand that there are some cognitive benchmarks that are required to make this kind of decision. If a child is too young, most churches will request that the child wait. Churches have put classes in place that help children understand what the decision to be baptized involves. Churches are doing a lot to make sure that if a child is baptized at a young age he or she is ready, understands the decision, has the support of the family and makes the right choice. Still, after all of that, some of these children will grow up to be teenagers who say, “I didn’t know what I was doing.” It seems possible that this statement reflects a teenager’s new stage of cognitive development more than a church’s inability to prepare children for baptism.

Deciding to be Rebaptized

If churches are so careful to avoid baptizing children who are not ready, why do many adolescents still desire to be rebaptized? Neo-Piagetian theories provide one explanation, but I still wanted to know what experienced youth ministers thought. According to my survey there are two main contexts that foster a desire for rebaptism.

The first context of rebaptism was mentioned by every youth minister surveyed. Without fail, they all stated that spiritual experiences (i.e. retreat, camps, conferences, etc.) cultivated an atmosphere where teenagers sought rebaptism.

Chris Sandel said, “Most often it comes up at events like camp where there is a prolonged period on baptism and life changing decisions.” Josh Hough from Gateway Christian Church (St. Louis, MO) stated that he typically saw it during “high experience settings where a student will have an emotional experience…and a cool story is heard.”

The second context of rebaptism happens in communal times of decision. When teenagers are involved in a community of peers that are making the decision for the first time, the possibility of them reseeking baptism is greater. They see their friends making crucial faith decisions and in solidarity they are moved to realign their faith. Andy Hall believes that some teens make the decision to be rebaptized because “everyone else is, so they feel like they should.”

Beyond just the context of the decision, I wanted to know what these youth ministers thought was going on in the teen’s mind that called them to seek rebaptism. Camps and communities may made the atmosphere receptive to a decision, but I wanted to know what they have experienced as it relates to a teenagers cognitive processes. So, I asked the youth ministers what reasons teens have given them for being rebaptized. Their answers were variants of these:

· “I was too young to remember it.” (Infant baptism is often cited.)

· “I’ve made a lot of mistakes since then.”

· “They experience a true surrender moment. The previous one did not.”

Others, like Titus Benton from Current Christian Church (Katy, TX) state that it’s “Almost exclusively some variant of ‘I did not know what I was doing.” Jeff Chamberlain from Cornerstone Christian Church (Shiloh, IL) responded, “They feel like they didn’t know what they were doing the first time.” Each reason given cited by the youth ministers hinted at a cognitive change that happened in their teenager’s brain. It is apparent that something has switched on that was off before. The teenagers felt like their first decision was made in the dark, and now with the light switch on they are able to make a better decision.

Neo-Piagetian theorists would say that the switch that was turned on is Formal Operations. With Formal Operations, adolescents are able to grasp the concept of an abstract God. They can think about their decision from a communal point of view. When they see other teenagers making a decision, they can hypothetically put themselves in their friend’s shoes and remake the decision. Teenagers are able to experience the deep spiritual truths presented at a camp on a level that is not so black and white. In these contexts, the students are give the opportunity to act on the cognitive light switch that has been flipped on. However, the only way they know to act on this new cognitive capacity is through baptism; even if it means getting rebaptized.

Pastoral Practices Regarding Rebaptism

Since rebaptism is a ritual that many adolescents are seeking, I asked the youth ministers, “In what cases would you and would you not rebaptize a student?” Jay Reynolds from Hope Community Church (Raleigh, NC) says, “I would feel comfortable rebaptizing if it was understood that the student didn’t make the decision for themselves, i.e., infant baptism.” Most of the other surveyed youth ministers said they too would rebaptize a teenager in similar circumstances. Some would even consider rebaptism if the teenager was unswerving in his desire, even though they would rather not.

Outside of those scenarios, the surveyed youth ministers would not rebaptize a teenager. Jay and Andy agree that if a teen makes the decision based off of feelings rather than repentance they would discourage rebaptism. Tyler stated that he would avoid rebaptism even if it was because the teenager felt like there is sin in his or her life. Jeff agreed. If the reason a teen gave for rebaptism was because “they have fallen away from their commitment” he would not do it. Most believed that rebaptism was intended to be a one-time decision that was to be built off of, not repeated. Chris Sandel sums up the thoughts of most of the youth ministers well,

Most often [the issue of rebaptism] comes up at events like camp where there is a significant emphasis for a prolonged period on baptism and life changing decisions. Often it’s with kids who were baptized at a young age and don’t feel like they really knew what they were doing. Depending on how young they were, if they have a memory of it and kind of knew what they were doing, we typically discourage rebaptism. We don’t want them to feel like they need to be rebaptized every time they recommit. We should renew our commitment to God daily. Baptism is an initial decision. As long as it was originally your choice (i.e. you weren’t an infant) you likely just need to grow into that decision.

Contemporary pastoral practice seems to agree with theology: Baptism was not intended to be a repeated practice. However, if rebaptism is not an option, how does an adolescent who was previously baptized recommit himself to God within this new cognitive framework? Integrating New Testament theology that is wrapped in Old Testament style experiences and based on cognitive theories can provide suitable replacements for the practice of rebaptism.

[1] Balswick, 172.

[2] “Adolescent Development.” Evangelical Dictionary of Christian Education, 25.

Deciding to be Rebaptized: Ch. 3

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Ready for Chapter 3? Once again, this is a rough draft...any help editing it would be much appreciated! Put your edit suggestions in the comment section on this blog.

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Chapter Three: Neo-Piagetian Insights into Adolescent Rebaptism

Combining Theology and Social Sciences

“I didn’t understand what I was doing the first time I was baptized.” That is what many churches are hearing from adolescents who were baptized as a child. As we will see later, most churches do a decent job of making sure children do understand what they are doing before being baptized. With a few exceptions, I would argue that most children do understand what they are doing. They have been taught the theology of Christ and salvation in a way that their preadolescent brains can understand. However, social science reveals that as children mature into adolescence their brains are able to process the same information in a way that was not possible earlier.

Cognitive Development theories have long been an avenue for understanding how people think and process all kinds of information. These theories, while not founded on spiritual principles, can speak volumes into understanding how children and teenagers process spiritual information and experiences. While there are many cognitive developmental theories, the Piagetian theory, even more specifically Neo-Piagetian theories, lends itself to answer these kind of spiritual formation questions quite suitably. While most theorists would deny a spiritual foundation for Neo-Piagetian theories “the relationship between them is indeed evident”.[1] These theories, when studied in the realm of spiritual formation can offer a lot of insight to churches. In this case, we will find that Neo-Piagetian theories provide many insights into why teenagers feel like they didn’t know what they were doing at their initial baptism.

Review of Neo-Piagetian Basics

In order to talk about Neo-Piagetian theories, we must first start with the theory that it is constructed from: Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development. Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a developmental psychologist who advanced this four stage developmental theory. Piaget’s hope was to develop a theory that explained how people progressively acquired and processed knowledge. Piaget’s theory states that as a person ages from birth to adolescent, he or she advances through four universal stages of cognitive development:

1. Stage 1: Sensorimotor Stage (birth to 2 years)

2. Stage 2: Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 years)

3. Stage 3: Concrete Operational Stage (7 to 11 years)

4. Stage 4: Formal Operational Stage (11 to 16 years) [2]

As individuals age, they “begin to acquire new systems of cognitive operations that radically alter the form of learning of which they are capable”.[3] According to the Piagetian theory children are limited in the knowledge they can acquire (be it mathematics or theology) until they reach certain stages of development. As a person ages, the brain undergoes internal operations that gradually change allowing it to organize and reorganize information in ways that allow a person to acquire new knowledge.[4]

In recent years, Jean Piaget’s theory has been critiqued and updated. Theorists have edited his developmental stage theory by adding new emphases and concentrations. These theorists are referred to as Neo-Piagetians (New-Piagetian). There are many different Neo-Piagetian theories, so it is difficult to isolate what makes something neo-Piagetian.[5] However, most of them preserve the basic ideas of Jean Piaget’s theory. For example, most Neo-Piagetian theories share Piaget’s constructivist approach to knowledge, rather than a static view. They also tend to accept the general notion of developmental stages that progress through an age range.[6] Still, Neo-piagetians do make various modifications to Jean Piaget’s original theory. Robert Sternberg sums up a few of those nuanced changes:

Neo-Piagetian theorists can be characterized as being particularly interested in (1) understanding how cognitive structures are applied more locally within a domain and not universally across domains, (2) understanding individual differences in cognitive structures or their application, and (3) characterizing the integration of cognitive and emotional or affective structures.[7]

Michael Pressley gives a practical example of the differences between the two:

Rather than explaining the superiority of the 8 year old in relation to the 4 year old on conservation as a function of acquiring concrete operations, neo-Piagetians explain it as reflecting development of capacity, with the 8-year-old having the capacity to meet the demands of conservation tasks and 4-year-olds lacking the required capacity.[8]

When it comes to rebaptism, Neo-Piagetian adaptations to the Cognitive Development Theory show that an adolescent can understand theology at a deeper level because he has developed a greater cognitive capacity, allowing a greater understanding of information to fit into his brain. Before complicated information can be retained, a cognitive capacity must be present for it to be contained in. That capacity, Neo-Piagetian theorists say, arrives during sequential developmental stages as a person ages.

If churches can grasp the science of how a child understands theology compared to how an adolescent, they will be much more suited to provide assurance to frustrated families. Churches will be able to explain that the child understood God at the time of their initial conversion, but as they develop into adolescents they developed a greater capacity to understand God. Their initial decision was not wrong; it was a full, and right decision, made in an elementary stage.

Child Cognition: Concrete Operational Thinking

Nobody is able to fully comprehend God and His work. Whether you are a child, adolescent or an old scholar, you will never be able to fully grasp His existence. Even so, it is possible to understand some things about God. That understanding may never be complete, but it should develop and grow as the individual develops and grows. Neo-Piagetian theories teach that while children are indeed more limited when it comes to grasping abstract ideas, such as God and conversion, they are still capable of assembling some concrete truths about such topics. In other words, a child can understand some aspects of God and as she grows her capacity to understand more should grow as well.

Many children who make a decision to be baptized do so as they enter the Concrete Operational stage (Stage 3). Around the age of seven children begin to develop a capacity to turn concrete thoughts into concrete decisions. They can take information learned at a younger age and organize them into logical principles and decisions. In earlier stages this connection of information and application was not possible. Even though this is a basic process for adults, this new capacity provides children a whole new way of thinking about the world! In this stage, religious children being to develop a fresh, concrete understanding of God that often leads to a concrete decision to follow a concrete God. A concrete operation child may decide, “If Christians are supposed to be baptized, and I love Jesus and want to be a Christian, I should be baptized too.” Obviously there is much more that can be known about God and baptism, but this is all the child sees as necessary to make a decision. Many children, in full enthusiasm, celebrate their new understanding with a concrete action: baptism.

This kind of decision is what I believe Jesus calls a “child like faith.” It is a concrete decision that can be likened to the saying, “When He says jump, I jump.” Is it a wrong decision? No! It is a faithful decision made with the complete understanding of a child. Though the child may not fully understand God or how one is saved, the decision still aligns with the scriptural requirements of baptism that we discussed earlier. It just lacks the understanding of a more mature thinker. Even still, nobody makes decisions with a full understanding of God.

In order to help children advance to a higher level of understanding, Neo-Piagetians teach that children must learn through disequilibrium. Disequilibrium happens when a child is faced with two concrete ideas that cannot both be true. This cognitive conflict happens when children are unable to organize concrete information into a concrete principle. Solving the problem requires them to acquire “a little bit more than they currently know.”[9]

An overly simple example of animals illustrates the point well: A child may know that his cat is a family pet. When introduced to the idea of a lion, he may at first not agree that this animal is also a cat since it cannot be a family pet. These two concrete pieces of information may conflict at first creating disequilibrium. The child must reorganize his thought structure to accept the idea that all cats are not pets, thus creating a new category of understanding. This conflict of thought motivates the child to find a resolution, often resulting in the construction of new thought structures.[10]

As children grow in their faith in God, they are constantly being introduced to new ideas that do not fit old thought structures, so they develop new thought structures that contain old and new information. With each new thought structure, the concrete, black and white knowledge a child obtains is organized and placed into neat, tidy ways of thinking about the world. When a new, conflicting idea emerges, the child again builds another new thought structure so that the knowledge fits into his or her concrete operational brain. Eventually, as the child ages into adolescent, he comes to realize that some ideas are too messy to fit into neat and tidy categories.

Transition to Adolescent Cognition

As a child transitions into adolescence, her brain begins to transition as well. Cognition is constantly reaching capacity as the child ages, and just like the hardware of a computer, “we have to keep upgrading to grow”.[11] One of the biggest upgrades the brain makes during adolescence is a dramatic increase in the ability to process abstract thoughts.[12] Abstract thoughts are messy; they are not black and white concrete concepts. They do not fit into neatly organized thought structures, so most children do not spend time pondering such thoughts. Some may be able to handle abstract ideas one at a time, but it is not until Piaget’s fourth stage of cognitive development that they are able to handle multiple abstract ideas simultaneously.[13] This stage is known as “Formal Operations”. According to Piaget, this represents the last phase of thinking and begins to develop around eleven years of age.[14]

Adolescent Cognition: Formal Operational Thinking

The foundation of an adolescent’s ability to process abstract information is her ability to “think hypothetically as well as consider the real and actual, to process information in a sophisticated and complex manner, to consider multiple dimensions of a problem at once, to take to take other people’s perspective and to reflect on oneself.”[15] Previously, she could only think in concrete realistic term. In the formal operational stage of development, she can think of things that could be. Adolescents become fixated on the questions of “why” and “why not?”[16] In essence, adolescents develop the ability to “think about thinking.”[17] This sort of hypothetical thinking allows them to create scenarios and understandings that allow them to mentally explore the reality of all aspects of their lives, including what following God could require of them. Previously, deciding to follow God was based on learned, concrete information. Now, a decision to follow God includes what it would mean for their life now and in the future.

Formal Operational brings a fresh, new way of seeing the world again. Adolescents begin seeking out ways to answer the deep epistemological questions about everything around them. John Dettoni says, “Youth look for people who can help them answer every conceivable question about life from the simple to the most complex, from the totally secular to the deeply spiritual.”[18] Many of these efforts are focused on uncovering their identity by answering the question: “Who am I?” Formal operational teenagers develop a desire to make definitive statements about their self-identity and who they want to become. Jack Ballswick states that,

“An understanding of self incudes physical and physiological self-descriptions, stable social-personality characterizations of self, and the tendency toward conceptual integration of diverse aspects of self into a unified self-system. Abstract thinking, especially self-reflection, is necessary to attain a self-concept. A young person must have the ability to reflect on themselves and discriminate what makes them unique from others.”[19]

A child uses concrete information to know who they are; adolescents create hypothetical scenarios for themselves in order to explore who they who they could be.[20] Understanding the difference of thinking between children and teenagers is key to empathizing with teenagers who seek rebaptism.

Teenagers who decided to convert to Christianity as a child did so based on concrete information passed on to them by people they trusted. They were not able to deliberate and choose between life with God or a hypothetical life without God. Nor were they able to comprehend the possible life consequences of deciding to surrender their will to God’s will. Their only option was to make a decision based on learned, concrete knowledge. Now, at a more mature stage in life, teenagers are able to consider other hypothetical options, other scenarios and other possibilities for their life. They are able to make a decision, not just on what they should do, but on who they could be.

It is evident that Neo-Piagetian theories can provide a great deal of insight to adolescents struggling with rebaptism. Neo-Piagetian theories show that their decision was not made from a lack of information, but from a lack of cognitive ability. This can be incredibly comforting to adolescents struggling with their faith. They do not have to be leery of making commitments to God. Dettoni talks about the uneasiness teens feel with making decisions,

Even as they move into a state of commitment, they do so with tentativeness. They have had enough experience to know that what has been accepted as true today might not be so tomorrow. So even though commitments are given, they can also be renegotiated. Absolutes are often seen as relative absolutes, not as absolutes for all time.[21]

Neo-Piagetian theories can help adolescents understand that it is not the truth of their decision that has changed. It is their ability to process the decision itself that has changed. The God they chose as a child is the same God they would be choosing through rebaptism today. Even though the scope of their decision is larger now, the accuracy of the decision remains. Instead of denouncing their childhood decision by being rebaptized, adolescents should be shown how to embrace their decision more fully in other ways. The churches that develop concrete experiences for teenagers to do that will succeed in giving hope in what could be a time of frustration for families.

[1] Estep, James R. The Implications of Neo-Piagetian Theories for Understanding Childhood Spiritual Formation. Proc. of Third Triennial Children's Spirituality Conference: 2.

[2] Sternberg, Robert J., and Cynthia A. Berg. Intellectual Development. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992: 5.

[3] Case, Robbie. "Theories of Learning and Theories of Development." Educational Psychologist. 29.3 (1993): 219.

[4] Anthony, Michael J., Warren S. Benson, Daryl Eldridge, and Julie Gorman. Evangelical Dictionary of Christian Education. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001: 81.

[5] Estep, The Implications of Neo-Piagetian, 3.

[6] Ibid., 4.

[7] Sternberg, 6.

[8] Pressley, Michael, and Christine McCormick. Child and Adolescent Development for Educators. New York: Guilford, 2007: 73.

[9] Ibid., 67

[10] Ibid.,

[11] Estep, The Implications of Neo-Piagetian, 11.

[12] Ibid., 5.

[13] Marini, Zopito, and Case, Robbie. “The Development of Abstract Reasoning about the Physical and Social World.” Child Development, 1994: 148.

[14] “Formal Operational Thought.” Evangelical Dictionary of Christian Education, 299.

[15] Balswick, Jack O., Pamela Ebstyne King, and Kevin S. Reimer. The Reciprocating Self: Human Development in Theological Perspective. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2005: 173.

[16] Adolescent Development.” Evangelical Dictionary of Christian Education, 25.

[17] Ibid., “Formal Operational Thought.”, 299.

[18] Ibid., “Adolescent Development.”, 25.

[19] Balswick, 173.

[20] “Adolescent Development.” Evangelical Dictionary of Christian Education, 25.

[21] Ibid.

Deciding to be Rebaptized, Ch. 2

nikomas21@gmail.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:46:00 +0000

This is the rough draft of chapter 2 of a 5 chapter paper that I am writing for my Master's Degree. Feel free to make edit suggestions in the comment section on this blog.

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Chapter Two: Theology of Childhood Conversions and Rebaptism

Dilemma of Childhood Conversion

The concern with adolescents seeking rebaptism must begin with an examination of childhood conversion. The issue of an adolescent’s rebaptism is founded on his or her decision of being baptized as a child. Many people wonder, “If there are so many adolescents seeking to be rebaptized after a childhood conversion, shouldn’t children just wait to be converted until they are older?” This is a practical question that churches need to be able to answer with sound theological teaching.

From day one churches have had theologies and strategies for dealing with adult conversions. In Acts 2:38, a large crowd of adults asked Peter how they should do in respond to their newly discovered faith in Jesus. Peter responded, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.^{^[1]}”. Peter informed the crowd to make a conscious decision to re-direct their hearts and minds towards God (repentance), and proclaim their devotion to Jesus Christ (confession). Simply stated, Peter’s formula for adult conversion was repentance and confession within the context of baptism. The church, for the most part, has taught this basic principle for converting adults, but what about children? After all, in Acts 2:39, Peter’s next words are, “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself”^{^[2]} (emphasis mine). That is where our dilemma begins. Is Peter suggesting that children have the same capacity as adults to repent of sins and confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? If not, maybe children should wait to make this decision until they are older. If so, how does the church answer adolescents who felt like they were too young their first time around?

Confusion abounds. Historically, the church has struggled to develop a consistent strategy for childhood conversion based on its understanding of theology. Delbert Wiens says, “Because we have a technology of conversion appropriate to adults but no adequate theology of [nurturing faith in children], we know what to do with pagans but now what to do with our own children.”[3] The lack of clarity in the Bible with childhood conversions the issue gives the church more cause to be hesitant on the issue.

The issue of childhood conversion gained steam when the post-canonical theology of original sin came to being. The teachings on original sin dictated that all children come into the world as sinners. If a child were to die before it was able to make a decision, its inherent sinfulness would doom the child for eternity. Unsurprisingly, churches accepting original sin saw that children were converted as soon as possible.

Other churches decided to wait until children could make their own decisions to be baptized. Some children grew up to fully embrace a matured version of the faith of their childhood. Others grew up to dismiss God, their faith and baptism as a childish following of nurtured beliefs. Numerous churches and families have experienced honest childhood conversions turn out for the good and for the bad, with no seemingly consistent pattern. It seems like a crapshoot to many churches. Childhood conversions may hold, or the may not.

Possibly the leading hesitancy surrounding childhood conversion is the Bible’s seemingly unclear guidance on converting children. Churches struggle to teach on childhood conversion simply because the Bible does not contain an in-depth theology of anything related to childhood or children.[4] Throughout the Old and New Testaments, children are seen living in faith communities, but rarely are readers given explicit models or guidelines on how children decide to choose God. Most of the time, it is assumed that children inherit their faith from their parents and seamlessly maintain that faith from adolescent into adulthood. The Old Testament is a prime example of this.

Old Testament Teachings on Childhood Conversions

In the Old Testament, choosing God was not primarily a matter of faith, but rather a matter of family. Israel was a monotheistic nation with a unified faith in a singular God. Their faith in the “one true God” set them apart from other nations. It became their identity. Because of this, their faith was not just personal, but communal. It was upheld by a covenant that the nation of Israel would always be God’s people: “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”[5] If you were born into a Hebrew family your inclusion into the faith was not based on a personal decision, but rather on Israel’s covenant with God. Your birth to a Hebrew father and mother was how you inherited your faith. There was no defining decision. There was no option to deny inclusion into the faith community. The Old Testament assumes that if you are born into the nation you are also born into the faith. Even after the child entered adolescence and gained responsibility “the Old Testament assumes no change in the relationship of the child to the worshipping community before and after such a time of individual responsibility.”[6] Once a monotheistic Hebrew, always a monotheistic Hebrew.

Even though children had no say-so in choosing their faith, the Hebrew culture provided many concrete experiences and rituals that gave people the choice to rechoose God and the teachings of their faith. As children participated in the life of the community, they also participated in its re-alignment rituals. Throughout its history, Israel was constantly directed to realign itself with its God through repentance and confession. Whether or not you were personally responsible for sin, a “sense of common guilt led to the appointment of penitential exercises”^{^[7]} that included people of all ages in the community. These exercises wrapped deep, abstract realities in concrete experiences that were understood by all the people. These experiences of repentance and confession included animal sacrifices, times of mourning (Nehemiah 9) and times fasting. In fact, Joel 2:15-16 even makes it explicit that children were to be involved in these rituals,

¹⁵Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; ¹⁶gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. ^{^[8]}

These rituals became regular experiences that children participated in with their families. Repentance was not a one-time act for Old Testament children; it was an on-going part of their citizenship. Re-aligning ones life with God through concrete experiences was part of everyday life in the Old Testament.

Many teenagers who were baptized at an early age are seeking a concrete experience that will help them realign their faith in adolescence. They assume that since baptism worked as a child, it should suffice as a teen. Thus, common sense leads teenagers to conclude that rebaptism must also serve as a re-alignment ritual for their faith. The Old Testament shows that there were rituals, but the New Testament ended many of those rituals. So, what does the New Testament have to say?

New Testament Teachings on Childhood Conversions

Childhood faith in the Old Testament is much easier to find than with the New Testament. The Old Testament contains long genealogies and stories of children being born into the faith and passing it on to their children. While genealogies can be some of the most boring passages in the Bible, these lists contain a heritage of faith being passed on from generation to generation. These are not found in the New Testament. This is primarily due to the fact that the New Testament only coves a few short years. That timespan leaves little opportunity to record second-generation conversions. We have teachings and stories about adults being led into the Christian faith, but rarely do we read detailed accounts of those same adults passing their faith on to their children. There are, however, a few passages sprinkled throughout the New Testament that churches have grabbed hold of and used to teach on childhood conversion. Examining these few verses will give us some insights on how churches should handle children who seek to be baptized at a young age.

Household Conversions in Acts

The book of Acts contains numerous conversion stories. Some of these stories even refer to entire households being baptized. It is never stated whether children or adolescents are involved in the conversions, but a valid argument could be made for it. On the surface level, these accounts seem similar to Old Testament conversions; if the head of the household is Christian, the rest of the household automatically follows suit. If this were true, faith in the New Testament is inherited not chosen. Parents make the cognitive choice, and children receive the choice. The faith of the father would be the faith of the family, period. However, a deeper look at these household conversion accounts show that the father (and on a occasion the mother) may have initiated the conversion of his household, but each member was converted and baptized after a cognitive decision of his or her own. Faith was passed down, but each individual had a choice to receive it or not. The conversion of Cornelius and his household is a great example.

Cornelius was a gentile Centurion, a soldier of Rome. He and his family were devout believers in God, but had yet to hear about Jesus. So, God sent Peter to Cornelius’ home to tell his first hand account of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. By the end of the evening Cornelius and his entire household had received the Holy Spirit and was baptized.

^“44While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. ⁴⁵And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, ⁴⁷“Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.”^{^[9]} (emphasis mine)

The passage does not tell us who was included in Cornelius’ household, but it is clear that faith came from to each member because they all “heard the word.” Their conversion was not something that was inherited. If a child or teenager was converted it was because he or she first heard the message and understood it. Their faith was one that started in their heads, not with their family membership. Again, it is not clear if there were any pre-adolescent children present, but if there were it seems that their conversion was a cognitive decision of their own.

A few chapters later in Acts, we read another household conversion story. This time it is Paul telling a fearful jailer that his entire household can be saved:

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³²And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.^{^[10]} (emphasis mine)

Once again, it is clear that the gospel message was presented not just to the head of the household, but also to the entire house. Faith started with the hearing of the gospel not with a relationship to a biological father. If there was a pre-adolescent child in the family this decision was a personal one made by the child after hearing the gospel.

Time and time again during household conversions (Acts 16:5, 18:8 and 1 Corinthians 1:16) the gospel is presented, heard and then accepted through a cognitive decision to be repent and confess Jesus through baptism. In each account, the decision starts with cognition not with familiar relationships. We never hear from these families again in the New Testament, so we get no information on whether or not faith stuck when children became teenagers. Should children wait until children are older to be baptized? The book of Acts seems to be more concerned with the persons ability to make a cognitive decision, not necessarily his or her age.

The Conversion of Timothy

Timothy’s conversion is the closest account we have of a child being led to the Christian faith in the New Testament. Timothy was a third generation Christian. He was the son of a mixed marriage; his father was a gentile and his mother, Eunice, was a Jewish believer. Her mother Lois, Timothy’s grandmother, was also a Jewish believers. The New Testament does not go into much detail about his conversion, nor is it clear how old he was during his conversion. Timothy likely would have been in his late teens or early to mid twenties. Some reason that his believing relatives converted him.[11] While he was definitely influenced by his family, Paul may have ultimately been responsible for Timothy’s conversion from Judaism to Christianity. If so, his conversion likely happened during Paul’s first missionary journey while passing through Lystra, Timothy’s hometown (Acts 14:6). Throughout his letters, Paul often refers to Timothy as his “son” in the faith (1 Corinthians 4:17, 1 Timothy 1:2 and 2 Timothy 1:2), indicating that he assumes responsibility for Timothy’s conversion to Christ. Either way, one thing is sure: as a young man Timothy made a cognitive decision to trade in Judaism for the Christian faith. Interestingly, as a Jewish boy, Timothy should have been circumcised on the eighty day after his birth. [12] It was a way families passed on the Jewish faith, heritage and covenant to their sons. However, due to his father’s heritage as a non-Jew, Timothy’s family never had him circumcised. It was not until after Timothy became a Christian that he chose a Jewish circumcision.[13] Even Timothy’s circumcision into the Jewish heritage was a cognitive choice of his own, rather than one passed onto him from his family.

Confusion on Childhood Conversion

For the past nineteen centuries, churches have failed to develop unified teachings on how to deal with child converts. The Bible offers some theoretical guidance but no practical solutions. Do we baptize children as infants or should the choice be their own? Do we allow children to be baptized when they can make a decision, or do we wait until they are adolescents so they can make a better decision? The church’s confusion on this issue has led to frustrations in families who are seeking to raise children in the faith. There are two specific frustrations that families have in regards to the Bible’s teaching of child conversion:

Frustration #1: How do families balance an owned faith versus an inherited faith?

Many parents trying to raise a child in the Christian faith struggle to find a balance between the Old and New Testament methods of conversion. Parents want to pass on their faith to their child, but they also want their child to make his or her own decision. Some parents swing so far to the Old Testament method that they end up pushing the decision onto their child. The child agrees to be baptized, but it takes a lot of convincing from the parent. Faith becomes inherited rather than owned.

Other parents take a “hands off” approach to conversion. They are so fearful of forcing their child into a decision that they leave it completely on the shoulders of their child. The parent prays and watches, but offers no encouragement, leadership or advice. With the weight of a decision weighing on a child as everyone watches, they know the best release is to simply make the decision and be baptized.

In each case, rarely does the child regret the decision at the time but sometimes it comes later. I see it happen in adolescents all the time. When they reflect back onto their decision they wonder, “Did I make the decision myself? Do I need to re-decide? I wasn’t forced to decide by my parents, but I still feel like it wasn’t my decision. Am I really a Christian?”

The New Testament example of household conversions should offer some guidance onto this frustration. The book of Acts shows that families can play a direct role in the conversion process for children. Parents are responsible for leading their children to faith opportunities, but children are ultimately responsible for choosing it. Parents can actively position their children to hear the message, but eventually children must make their own cognitive decision.

Frustration #2: Do children have the cognitive ability to understand such a complex decision?

One of the other questions of childhood conversions is: Can a child truly understand the nuances of the Christian faith enough to accept them completely? Children can easily understand the informative facts of who Jesus is. They can know that Jesus is God’s son. They can know that Jesus was born in a manger. They can know that Jesus died and rose from a tomb. They know who Jesus is, but do they know who Jesus calls them to be? Can they know what conversion means for their lives from that day forward? Kenneth L. Chafin writes,

At a time when he is too young to choose his clothes for himself, at a time when he is too young to choose a life’s vocation, at a time when he is too young to serve on a church committee, at a time when he is really too young to vote intelligently on business matters in the church, at a time when he is not considered legally responsible by any agency in the community, there has been a tendency to feel that he is sufficiently responsible to make a life-binding decision concerning his relationship to Christ and his church. If we are unwilling to feel that the child is capable of making lesser decisions, how can we justify our confidence in the efficacy of this greater decision at this age?”[14]

In the next chapter we will see that social science, specifically Neo-Piagetian insights, tell us that a child processes information much different than a teen or an adult. Therefore, a child’s understanding Jesus will be different when he or she is a teenager. They may not know the nuances of the faith now, but eventually a teenager will be able to understand the complexities of making such an abstract decision.

When you take the Bible’s practical silence on childhood conversion and add it to a parent’s deep desire to lead a child to faith, and then throw in a teenager’s new cognitive ability to understand abstract decisions, families are left with a lot of confusion. When a teenager reaches adolescence, and decides to rechoose his or her faith, many families do not know what to do. They feel guilty that the initial baptism might have been too early, and wonder what has changed now that the child is older. So, for many families rebaptism is the most obvious solution.

Thoughts on Rebaptism

As mentioned previously, the Old Testament has concrete rituals and experiences whereby people of all ages can realign their faith and rechoose God. They may not have chosen to be born into the faith community, but through the sacrificial system and times of fasting and mourning, a maturing Hebrew child and teen can take personal responsibility for his or her faith. Modern day Christians who desire the same realignment of faith have turned to rebaptism as a means of owning their initial decision. However, that presents a theological problem. The New Testament does not have much to say about rebaptism, because it assumes that baptism is a onetime act. The only example of rebaptism in the early church is recorded in Acts 19.

Rebaptism in Acts 19

When Paul first entered the city of Ephesus he spent time with twelve local disciples. During a conversation with them, Paul asked if they had ever received the Holy Spirit—apparently it was evident to Paul that they had not. As it turns out, they had never even heard about the Holy Spirit. This seemed to confuse Paul. From his experience, everyone who was baptized into Christ had received the Holy Spirit. So, he asked them about their baptism. The Ephesians stated that they were baptized in “John’s Baptism”. Paul explained that John’s baptism was one of repentance, but baptism into Jesus involved repentance as well as a confession of “the one coming after him, that is, Jesus.” After his explanation, the disciples were rebaptized into Christ and immediately received the Holy Spirit.

The twelve Ephesian disciples were rebaptized, yet this is actually an account of their first baptism as defined by the New Testament. They are not being rebaptized in order to take their faith in Jesus to the next level. Rather, they were “rebaptized because of an inadequate faith.”[15] Robertson states,

The point here is simply that these twelve men were grossly ignorant of the meaning of John’s baptism as regards to repentance, the Messiahship of Jesus, the Holy Spirit. Hence Paul had them baptized, not so much again, as really baptized this time, in the name or on the authority of the Lord Jesus as he had himself commanded^{^[16]}

All of the accounts of conversion in the book of Acts show that when a repentant heart and a confession of Christ converge in the context of baptism, a person receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul realized this and knew that a central feature of their faith was missing: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So, though the Ephesians had been baptized into John, he had them baptized into Christ for their first time. They heard the message, made a cognitive decision and chose Christ through baptism.

Rebaptism in Church History

Although the New Testament gives no solid examples of rebaptism into Christ, it is a question that has been deliberated by leaders of the church throughout history. In the second century a Christian author named Tertullian spoke against rebaptism, “We enter, then, the font once: once are sins washed away, because they ought never to be repeated.^{^[17]}” Tertullian believed that when one receives forgiveness of sins through baptism, it is a forgiveness that cannot be outrun by sin.

Later in church history the issue of rebaptism became an issue in the context of heretical teachings. Some began to wonder whether or not a person should be rebaptized if he or she was baptized into Christ by a church official that held heretical views. Thomas Oden records the account of an anonymous Pre-Nicene author struggling with that very question,

The point is whether, according to the most ancient custom and ecclesiastical tradition, it would suffice, after that baptism which they have received outside the Church indeed, but still in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, that only hands should be laid upon them by the bishop for their reception of the Holy Spirit, and this imposition of hands would afford them the renewed and perfected seal of faith; or whether, indeed, a repetition of baptism would be necessary for them, as if they should receive nothing if they had not obtained baptism afresh, just as if they were never baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.^{^[18]}

Even Martin Luther seems to struggle with this question as well. He answers it by teaching,

Do not rebaptize children, as, it is true, Cyprian did. He had the false idea that he could not consider the Baptism of heretics a valid Baptism. Therefore he rebaptized them. But this reasoning is wrong, for we must distinguish office from person. A public sinner is also not in the unity of the Christian Church, and yet the office he holds in the church is not to be despised on this account. The reason: The office is not his but the Lord Jesus Christ’s. However, if he intended to break the command of Christ and wanted to baptize, preach, and administer the Sacrament in a way different from that commanded by Christ, then we would have reason to reject his Baptism, his preaching, and other activities. But if he changes nothing that Christ has ordained, the fact that he is personally wicked and sinful does not detract anything from the office.^{^[19]}

Luther taught that the only reason to reconsider baptism is if, like the Ephesians in Acts 19, the baptism was not done in the name of Christ. If the baptism was done in the name of Christ, and the person doing the baptism had poor motives, Christ’s work through baptism still transcends heretical motives.

For centuries the Church has struggled with the question of child conversion and rebaptism. Some believe the answer to this dilemma is to have the child wait until he can fully understand Jesus before allowing him or her to be baptized. The assumption is that if a child waits, he or she can more fully understand the reasons for baptism and then decision will stick when they are adults. Jim Allen argues, “Must one know all of the reasons for baptism before he can be scripturally immersed? If so, there are not any Christians living today. Furthermore, there never have been any.”[20] I tend to agree. Our knowledge of Jesus will always grow. If wait a person waits until he fully understands, nobody would ever be baptized! Scripture shows that baptism is attainable for anyone who can make a genuine, cognitive decision of repentance and confession; even for preadolescents. So, how do churches handle teenagers who seek to be rebaptized later? Most teens today are seeking rebaptism, not because the person who baptized them was a heretic or because they were baptized into John’s baptism. They seek rebaptism because they have experienced a cognitive change that has altered the way they process God. If the church is going to faithfully guide families through this issue, it must understand the changes that trigger an adolescents desire to remake this decision.

^{^[1]} The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001). Ac 2:38.

^{^[2]} Ibid., Acts 2:39.

[3] Konrad, George G. "The Conversion of Children." Direction 9 (Oct. 1980): 24.

[4] Estep, James R. "Childhood Transformation: Toward an Educational Theology of Childhood Conversion and Spiritual Formation." Stone-Campbell Journal 5.2 (2002): 189.

[5] Ex 6:6-7, ESV

[6] Konrad, 24.

^{^[7]} Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley and Gerhard Friedrich, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964-).

^{^[8]} Joel 2:15–16, ESV.

^{^[9]} Acts 10:44–48, ESV

^{^[10]} Acts 16:30–33, ESV

[11] In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul reminds Timothy that the faith he has is one that dwelt in his grandmother and mother first.

[12] Gen 17:12

[13] Ac 16:3

[14] Chafin, Kenneth L. “Evangelism and the Child,” Review and Expositor 60 (Spring 1963): 165.

[15] Allen, Jimmy Raymond. Re-baptism?: What One Must Know to Be Born Again. West Monroe, LA: Howard Pub., 1991: 53.

^{^[16]} Robertson, A.T. Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933). Ac 19:5.

^{^[17]} Oden, Thomas C. Ministry Through Word and Sacrament, Classic Pastoral Care (New York: Crossroad, 1989). 116.

^{^[18]} Ibid.

^{^[19]} Ibid.

[20] Allen, 20.