Stac’s Place

Every so often, we chunk our “sing & speak” model of youth ministry out the window for the night in favor of some interactive/experiential prayer exercises.  We’ve seen some pretty remarkable things over the past few years.

Not everybody gets into the singing=worship model that seems to be prevalent in most youth ministries (and churches.)  Likewise, there are some people who have a more difficult time than others connecting with God through some of the prayer stations that we develop.  But it’s good to give people other avenues of experiencing God’s presence.  The prayer stations are usually put together by our team of (mostly) college students.  Some of them are home runs; some of them miss the mark.  But the bulk of our efforts have been pretty solid, well-thought out ideas, implemented with creativity and personal touch.  We try to incorporate the senses as a way to connect with God, not just the vocal chords and the mind.  Some people might find this approach unappealing, but we like it.  Having the students read scripture, meditate on the main idea, involve a smell/taste/touch is a way to get beyond the “yeah, I know all this” that we run into.  There’s usually some form of write-react to what you’ve experienced, which is a way to help people apply what they’ve experienced.

One of the things that I’ve noticed about these prayer station nights:  when we allow students to share what they’ve learned from the night, the sharing is usually deeper than surface/facts.  Sharing also allows for other people (friends, leaders) to follow up with what’s happening in their friend’s life.

I think that’s a win…

for more info on alternative worship and prayer, check out this link.