The Praying Youth Ministry E-Book

Mike Higgs

• Herausgeber: WS
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 214

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

The Praying Youth Ministry is a clarion call to try something new with youth ministry—let it be strategized by, bathed in, and run on prayer! Written for youth pastors and leaders, The Praying Youth Ministry will inspire, challenge, and equip you first in your personal prayer life, then in how you teach your youth to experience the presence of God through prayer, and finally, in how to experience the power of prayer within your ministry as your students practice prayer together.

Mike Higgs shares out of the personal successes and failures in his 45 plus years of youth ministry. The Praying Youth Ministry is loaded with practical prayer ideas that can inspire and teach your students to pray. Plus a special section includes inspiration and ideas from 4 younger youth pastors and leaders who are doing successful youth ministry based on a foundation of prayer!

Adopt the principles of The Praying Youth Ministry and can get your ministry operating under the direction and power of the Holy Spirit!

Get Copies for Those Who Lead Youth Ministry in Your Church!

Leseprobe

What Others Are Saying aboutThe Praying Youth Ministry

“The Praying Youth Ministry will be my go-to book for youth leaders. The style is very readable. It’s profusely biblically, and also very practical. Mike Higgs has created a gem.”

—Doug Clark, National Field Director, the NationalNetwork of Youth Ministries

“The Praying Youth Ministry is a must read for any believer concerned about the next generation on any level. Mike has legitimately made the case for a re-formation of youth ministry, beginning with a leader sincerely committing to cultivate an authentic relationship with God through prayer—and then modeling that pursuit for the young people they lead. I agree with Mike wholeheartedly that the fuel for revival is prayer. This book provides the inspiration for change, as well as practical recommendations to apply right away.”

—Debbie Bresina, President, Dare 2 Share

“Our defenses sound the alarm if told our precious youth ministries should step up prayer. ‘Why?’ we demand, and the reasons better be convincing. Alternately, someone might reassure us that our youth ministry can improve at prayer. In that case, our more relaxed, curious question is ‘how?’ Mike Higgs answers both questions with the seasoned wisdom of an original gangster in youth ministry. Youth ministry can pivot from today’s fruit-feeble, resource-rich, program-based models to centering around the living presence of Jesus Christ. (NYC youth minister Keithen Schwahn testifies about this during one heart-pumping chapter!) Higgs drew upon uncommonly cherished prayer to write these words. Profoundly simple. Deeply life-giving. Why not join our Fellowship of Facelessness? May this book provoke you to pray and obey for youth ministry’s glorious upgrade.”

—Dave Rahn, PhD, Senior Advisor, The TENx10 Collaboration

“One thing you can count on with my good friend, Mike Higgs, he lives the message of this book. He and I have walked side-by-side on the ‘youth ministry adventure’ for four decades, and early on we shared our common passion for ‘the praying youth ministry’—long before a book was in the works. We began praying together with a small group of youth leaders at a retreat in Colorado, and later we were on the National Prayer Committee together, but most importantly . . . we have shared the common vision and burden that the only way the younger generation culture will change, either in a person, youth group or church, is to experience a ‘Jesus revolution’ through in-depth, lasting, disciple-making youth ministry ignited by a ‘Pray with Passion’ fire in the hearts of pastors, parents, youth leaders and students.”

—Barry St. Clair, Vice President, Global YouthEngagement, East-West

“The youth leader who wants fresh ideas to ‘get prayer going’ in a student group will be drawn to The Praying Youth Ministry. That makes sense since the book contains more immediately useable prayer ideas than any book I have seen. The ideas are valuable and worth much more than the cost of the book. Even so, these excellent ideas are not the most essential elements of this important book. Even more valuable is the attention that Mike gives to the life of the youth leader. Higgs correctly suggests that personal holiness and purity are the most important prerequisites to prevailing prayer. He then points to the powerful influence of a leader who models a lifestyle of prayer. Only when purity and modeling are in place does he focus on mobilizing prayer initiatives. Mike Higgs has coordinated more multidenominational, national prayer initiatives than almost anyone. Those of us who know him best know that public stature flows from a pure life and modeling a deep life of prayer. He was just the one to write this important book.”

—Richard Ross, Ph.D., senior professor of student ministry,Southwestern Seminary

“Mike’s life and voice are the rarest of gifts to the Body of Christ. His pedigree of experience leading youth ministry locally, regionally, and nationally, is unlike anyone I’ve ever met in 30 years of leadership. His is a voice in the wilderness that needs to be heard by modern-day youth ministry practitioners. Mike is a personal mentor and when he speaks, I listen. I hope you listen carefully to the important message found within The Praying Youth Ministry.”

—Geoff Eckart, CEO, Never The Same and Claim Your Campus,Chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee

“Most of us know the future of the American church depends upon a rising generation who know how to pray. Our problem is we tend not to know how to nurture that generation. We’ve often tried the simple quick fixes. We’ve sometimes tried the intensives. And sadly, all too often the results haven’t been great. What I like about The Praying Youth Ministry is that it isn’t a quick fix. It is reflections based on 40+ years of experience. Nor is it over-intense. It is full of realism, practicality and above all, hope. It meets you and your ministry right where you are and gives pointers on how to go further on and deeper in to the Father in prayer. Refreshing, inspiring and insightful.”

—Colin Piper, NxtMove/World Evangelical Alliance

“The Praying Youth Ministry is a must read for every person with a heart for the rising generation. This book will help leaders prioritize presence over program, allowing youth to truly experience Jesus in a way that ignites their passions for seeing the kingdom of God and the good news of the gospel spread among their peers. Mike weaves together a beautiful picture of prioritizing character in our own lives, teaching students to pray, and a biblical understanding of the importance of corporate prayer. I’ve had the privilege of walking with Mike for over 30 years in ministry, and have experienced with him the stories shared in this book. He has modeled what he teaches, and has mentored and taught me how to mobilize prayer. This book will not only inspire you to lead through prayer, but will give you practical help along the way.”

—Renee Boucher, Western States Regional Director, 24-7 Prayer USA

PrayerShop Publishing is the publishing arm of the Church Prayer Leaders Network. The Church Prayer Leaders Network exists to equip and inspire local churches and prayer leaders in their desire to disciple people in prayer and to become a “house of prayer for all nations.” Its online store, prayershop.org, offers more than 150 prayer resources for purchase or download.

Copyright © 2024 by Michael Higgs. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of PrayerShop Publishing, P.O. Box 10667, Terre Haute, IN 47801.

ISBN (Print): 978-1-970176-31-5

ISBN (E-Book): 978-1-970176-32-2

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version,®NIV.® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Printed in the United States of America

Acknowledgments

NOT LONG AGO my wife, Terri, and I talked at dinner about how the themes of two of my books—Youth Ministry from the Inside Out (character), and Youth Ministry on Your Knees (prayer)—seem as relevant and needed today as when I wrote them more than 20 years ago. However, getting the message of two out-of-print books into the hands of today’s youth workers seemed elusive. So, our conversation turned into a prayer. Literally the next day, an email arrived from Jon Graf, publisher of PrayerShop Publishing, with an invitation to write this book. Thanks, Jon. And sorry, Lemon Oreos are just plain wrong.

Thanks to the men who, over the years, have taught me how to walk with God and how to pray. Dan Pitney fed me spiritual milk and baby food as a new believer. Gary Casady saw and nurtured the hidden youth worker in me. Terry Dirks, Chuck Pierce, Eddie Smith, Steve Hawthorne, Gary Bergel, David Bryant and Joe Aldrich, seasoned prayer leaders with global influence, invested in me personally. Someone once aptly called humility “the elusive virtue,” and these believers incarnated Christlikeness and a devotion to prayer in a spirit of humility. Their examples have marked me for life.

Tim Rohrer and Mark Jones have been scary accurate prophetic voices whom God has used in my life for many decades, to impart life-changing truths as well as life-altering ministry trajectories. Thank you for being His instruments.

Renee Boucher has laughed, cried, and prayed with me through many of the stories in this book. Thank you for your enduring friendship.

Also, thanks to the Upper Room Practitioners writers—Jarin Oda, Keithen Schwahn, Phil Togwell, and Olivia Williamson—whose lives and ministries we all can learn from, no matter what our age or experience.

It has been my great joy to be involved in both the International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOP-KC) and 24-7 Prayer movements since their early years. David Sliker (IHOP-KC) and David Blackwell (24-7 Prayer), thanks for the introductions and making me feel welcome in your “families.”

I especially thank my wife, Terri, the most devout woman I’ve ever known, and whose prayer life influenced this book more than any other person.

Finally, and most of all, thanks to the Lover of My Soul, Jesus, who informed every word that follows.

MIKE HIGGS

Contents

Introduction The Upper Rooms

Part One

The Upper Room of the Last Supper:Prayer Prerequisites

Chapter 1 Youth Ministry Re-formation

Chapter 2 The Holy Youth Worker

Chapter 3 Resting and Connecting with God

Selah Quantum Jesus: Paradoxology Prayer

Part Two

The Upper Room of Daniel:Personal Prayer

Chapter 4 Finding Your Own Prayer Rhythm

Chapter 5 Hearing His Voice

Chapter 6 Rethinking Spiritual Warfare

Chapter 7 Praying for One Another

Selah Upper Room Practitioners

Jarin Oda: The Practice of Prayer

Keithen Schwahn: Presence Over Program

Olivia Williamson: Claim Your Campus

Phil Togwell: Prayer Spaces In Schools

Part Three

The Upper Room of Acts:Corporate Prayer

Chapter 8 Creating a Prayer Culture

Chapter 9 Prayer for Big and Special Events

Chapter 10 Praying for the Campus, Community andCity

Chapter 11 Filling Bowls

Conclusion A Final View from My Upper Room

Appendix Books on Prayer

About the Author

Introduction

The Upper Rooms

FOR 15 YEARS of local church youth pastoring, I considered prayer a primary value in my ministry philosophy. After I burned out (more on that later) and transitioned to the nonprofit youth ministry world, prayer grew into a primary expression of my ministry.

I mobilized prayer for local, regional, and national youth ministry events for close to 25 years. Sometimes I recruited teams of intercessors to show up on site and pray for eight to 12 hours a day for the duration of an event (which was, and is, crazy).

On other occasions, I served as the roving prayer guy, supporting speakers, musicians, and volunteers through intercession in green rooms and hotel suites. I’ve trained students in prayer in conference seminars, and curated prayer rooms where students stood in line up to 45 minutes to get maybe three to four minutes of personal prayer and perhaps a prophetic word from gifted leaders. I’ve facilitated prayer summits for youth workers where the agenda was no agenda, other than to pray.

While I’m in a different season of life now, and don’t engage in as much of that as I used to, stories from those halcyon days (as well as present days) are scattered throughout this book. But my point here at the start: the reason prayer was a primary value for me as a youth pastor, and the reason I ended up doing prayer mobilization, was not because I was particularly good or gifted at prayer. I learned as I went. I made ample mistakes, and was mentored my some amazing people. But for reasons that to this day are not entirely clear, I understood early on that when Jesus said, “. . . apart from Me, you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5), He meant it.

Accordingly, I have always understood the importance of prayer and have been willing to go all in with it. Similarly, I’m writing this book to cajole my tribe of youth workers to do likewise. This book isn’t just a resource to help youth workers add prayer to their arsenal of ministry tools. This is a call to desperate, prevailing prayer because, as you will read, I believe the times demand it.

The Evolving Themes

My framework is complicit in the book’s subtitle: Upper Rooms. It didn’t start that way. My original intent was to do a radical re-write and update of my book, Youth Ministry on Your Knees. But God hijacked my intentions in an interesting way.

On the morning I began writing, I realized that during the previous night, God had spoken to me about three different kinds of upper rooms. I don’t know when or how this happened. I’ve no recollection of a dream or vision or divine encounter. Yes, my Bible reading had just taken me through the last part of the Gospel of John and the first part of Acts, where upper rooms are prominent in the narratives. Still, before that morning I didn’t make the connections I am going to unpack in the pages that follow.

The three upper rooms are:

The Upper Room of Prayer Prerequisites. While my Bible is not marked up like some I’ve seen, with the text almost obscured by highlighting and notes, I’ve used colored pencils liberally over the years, including highlighting in green every passage that mentions prayer, either directly or indirectly. The previous morning, when reading John 13 through 17, known as the Upper Room Discourse, I had noticed more than a few passages highlighted in green pencil, most with a common theme: prayer prerequisites. While not directly related to prayer, they are very much related to how we are to live our lives so that we are praying effectually (i.e. abiding, obedience, faith, etc.).

The Upper Room of Personal Prayer. Most are likely familiar with the Daniel, chapter 6 story of “Daniel and the lion’s den” from Sunday School or Vacation Bible School. What we might not be as familiar with is how Daniel responded when King Darius the Mede was provoked into issuing a decree that stated, basically, anyone who prays to any god or man other than Darius is lunch for the lions. The passage says, “Now when Daniel learned that the decree has been published, he went home to his upstairs room . . . and prayed . . .” (vs. 10). It’s a great example of personal prayer.

The Upper Room of Corporate Prayer. During the COVID pandemic, author and pastor Mark Batterson’s National Community Church in Washington, D.C. held regular “Upper Zoom” prayer meetings online using Zoom software. Were they the first to use that phrase? No clue, but it is a clever play on words, and I quickly adopted the concept and regularly participate in “upper zoom” group prayer sessions. Most of us understand that Acts, chapters one and two, serve as the biblical reference for this group practice, where early believers followed Jesus’ instructions and “all joined together constantly in prayer” (1:14).

Goals for This Book

In the following chapters I’ll flesh out the framework of those three upper room concepts by exploring many facets of prayer. But beyond that framework, it’s important to understand my goals for this book. Otherwise, you may find yourself wondering early on, “What does this have to do with prayer?” So here you go:

Ministry Re-formation.To show that youth ministry re-formation is essential if we’re to fulfill our mission of reaching the emerging generations. And that re-formation begins, and is sustained, with prevailing prayer. If you want a primer just on prayer, check the Appendix, where I’ve listed some excellent books. If you want a text on youth ministry praxis, they abound. But if you’re desperate for more of God in your life, and long to see youth ministry fulfill its destiny as an agent of spiritual awakening among the emerging generations, keep reading.

Godly Character.To make a compelling case that character—personal holiness and purity—is the most important prerequisite to prevailing prayer. Spoiler alert: I’m going to point out that personal holiness hasn’t been a great strength in youth ministry, and this needs to change. Growing a praying youth ministry starts at the top with the youth worker. “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Lk. 6:40). For this reason, there will be more content on character, holiness, purity, and the personal prayer life of youth workers than simply stuff on “how to get the kids in your youth group praying.” If the former happens, the latter happens.

Prayer for Everyone.To de-mystify prayer. Far too many times, I’ve shown up at an event and heard the following: “I’m sure glad you’re here. I’m not very good at prayer, and we certainly need prayer.” There are a number of fallacies in that statement, and I want to point them out. Mighty, prevailing prayer is for everyone.

Effective Resources.To offer resources and helps for those of the youth ministry tribe who desire to make an “all in” commitment to personal and ministry prayer. In this regard, I’ll pull from personal experiences, the wisdom of folks currently practicing innovative and radical prayer, and from the vast library of books published by prayer warriors over the years.

I bring strengths and weaknesses to writing this book. I’m not the next intercessory incarnation of great prayer-ers like George Mueller or Rees Howell, nor does my character match the piety of a Brother Lawrence, Thomas à Kempis, or John Wesley. But I’ve been mentored in prayer by godly people. I’ve had the privilege of swimming in many different streams of the prayer movement. I’ve served on America’s National Prayer Committee for more than 25 years. I’ve decades of exposure to, and involvement with, both the 24-7 Prayer movement and IHOP-KC. I’ve led many prayer teams, and have been wrecked before God, on my face, in too many venues to remember, much less mention. And although I’m no longer “in the trenches” of daily interaction with teenagers, I’m still engaged in youth ministry work and still call youth workers my tribe.

On the other hand, while I may practice intercessory prayer more than many, I don’t think of myself as an intercessor, per se. That term doesn’t appear in New Testament spiritual gifts lists, although the book, Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow by C. Peter Wagner (Regal Books, 2012), lists it as a gift and makes a good supporting argument. Legitimate spiritual gift or not, this much I know: I’m married to an intercessor, and I can’t match her fervency or frequency. Some make a distinction between intercessors and prayer mobilizers; if that is true, I’m probably more of the latter than the former.

To summarize: I do have some experience and, hopefully, wisdom to share. Perhaps even some knowledge that can help youth leaders building praying youth ministries. And in recognition that I have not been “in the trenches” for a while, I’ve also included the insights of practicing youth leaders. You’ll find them in the first Selah: Upper Room Practitioners’, young(er) members of our tribe doing cool stuff in the realm of prayer.

So, buckle up. Here we go.

Part One

The Upper Room ofthe Last Supper:Prayer Prerequisites

I LOVE THE SERIES, The Chosen. Terri and I have watched every episode multiple times. Good stuff! I love how the movie portrays biblical characters. While there is no direct biblical evidence that Matthew struggled with Asperger’s Syndrome and lived as a New Testament equivalent of Elon Musk—both different and brilliant—the attention to detail in his Gospel fits his portrayal in the show. Now John’s character in The Chosen especially aligns with my mental image of one of the Sons of Thunder. He exudes passion in his Gospel, his three epistles, and most certainly in Revelation. I’m thankful John also gives attention to detail in The Upper Room Discourse (Jn. 13-17), his account of Jesus’ last time with the Apostles before His arrest and crucifixion.

The discourse began in an upper room, which other gospel writers identify as the place where they celebrated the Passover Feast. (The iconic Last Supper painting by Leonardo da Vinci might come to mind). Two chapters into his discourse, Jesus pauses in the midst of His final teachings to announce, “Come now; let us leave” (14:31). The three chapters that follow are almost entirely red letters, the words of Jesus to His followers while walking with them from the upper room to Gethsemane.

The Upper Room Discourse is a very weighty passage; almost every verse seems to carry a profound truth. When my daily Bible reading took me there not long ago, I looked forward to more profundity. But something different caught me by surprise. Like I wrote in the introduction, I’ve marked up my Bible, including highlighting in green every verse and passage that, directly or indirectly, addresses prayer. Because of this, as I began reading John 13, I realized the Upper Room Discourse has a lot more to say about prayer, or more specifically prerequisites to prayer, than I had realized.

It’s hard to overemphasize the importance of these prayer prerequisites. This is true (as we will see) when it comes to both personal prayer–how you spend your time alone with God–as well as corporate prayer–how you disciple your youth group in prayer. I believe prayer prerequisites are the key to effective prayer. “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (Jas. 5:16). “If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (Jn. 15:7).

So please, please, don’t skip this section. This book focuses on developing a praying youth ministry, and our ministries won’t become prayer powerhouses ushering in youth ministry re-formation and spiritual awakening among the emerging generations (something we can all agree is desperately needed!) unless we grapple with the prerequisites.

Chapter 1

Youth Ministry Re-formation

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.

—Luke 5:37

IN MY TWENTIES I worked as a fledgling sports reporter for my city’s daily newspaper while moonlighting as a freelance writer. The church I attended started up a new high school ministry and needed the requisite guitar-playing song leader. That was my gig in college, so they recruited me to help out. Four months later I was an intern at the church, enrolled in seminary, and in training to become a youth pastor. Yikes. I didn’t see that one coming as a viable career trajectory.

Over four decades later, I think I’m still a youth worker, at least at heart. I lasted 15 years as a youth pastor before a nasty burnout precipitated a transition that led me into the nonprofit world. Since then, I’ve mentored and networked youth workers, written some books, and served as a prayer mobilizer for a variety of local and national initiatives and events. More recently, God has diversified my portfolio–I now run a Chamber of Commerce (I know, I don’t get it, either), serve as a county chaplain, and am immersed in civic affairs. My wife and I operate a private retreat house in the middle of nowhere in Idaho, and we recently launched the Hailey House of Prayer with a team of 16.

A Growing Unease

While I spend an increasing amount of time outside the genre, I still love youth ministry. Youth workers are still my tribe, and my passion to disciple the emerging generations burns as strong as ever. However, I acknowledge a subtle but persistent growing unease regarding the effectiveness of contemporary/postmodern/missional/COVID-impacted youth ministry (pick one or more labels) at making disciples among the emerging generations. I can’t shake the nagging feeling that there must be more, and that a prayer-driven re-formation is desperately needed in youth ministry praxis. Increasingly, credible research supports my uneasiness.

The late Mike Yaconelli, co-founder with Wayne Rice of Youth Specialties in the late 1960s, is remembered by many as “the godfather of modern youth ministry.” Edgy and provocative, while at the same time kind-hearted, Mike was a prophetic voice in a movement to adolescents that was entering its own adolescent phase. In June 2003, Yaconelli wrote one of his last columns, entitled “The Failure of Youth Ministry” (Youth Worker Journal, 2003). His column concluded like this:

So, let’s be honest.

Youth ministry as an experiment has failed. If we want to see the church survive, we need to rethink youth ministry.

What does that mean? I don’t have a clue. But my hunch is that if we want to see young people have a faith that lasts, then we have to completely change the way we do youth ministry in America.

I wonder if any of us has the courage to try.

Yaconelli wrote a follow-up column called “An Apology,” where he admitted to some overreach and hyperbole in his comments. But I do believe there was—and is—a prophetic accuracy in the closing wake-up call of his column: “…we have to completely change the way we do youth ministry in America.”

A Brief History of Youth Ministry

While youth ministry per se can’t be found in the Bible, the essence of youth ministry—preaching the Gospel of Jesus, advancing the Kingdom of God on earth, and making disciples among an unreached generation—is as biblical as baptism. Running on the timeless and tested tracks of relational, incarnational ministry, God clearly raised up youth ministry for a season in history, and that season has endured. But will it continue?