Happy Martin Luther King Day to you. On this day we remember not only a great speech but a better dream. MLK’s  speech was not a list of How To’s or upcoming events MLK wanted to have in order to enact a civil rights law. He shared his dream and that’s all it took. If I am going to see any of my dreams come true for our youth ministry I need to be less of a planner and more of a dreamer when it comes to communication.

This quote from this article made me come back to the fact that plans don’t excite people, dreams do.

“He gave the I have a dream speech, not the I have a plan speech” Simon Sinek

So, if you allow me , I’d like to articulate my dreams for our youth ministry and maybe while reading you’ll find a dream of your own.

I dream of authentic worship; unprovoked, zero hyped, an all out love fest of God. I want our services to be Christ-centric not entertainment based. I’d love to see students who, through the Holy Spirit, come to an altar with out me asking but because they feel the need to repent, be empowered, seek answers, or just get closer to The One who loves them most. I dream of a band who is less interested in getting the music set right and more interested in leading their peers to the throne room of God.

I dream of students reaching out to their friends, not just to invite them to church but to lead them to Christ, their Christ, The One who saved them. I desire students to be aware, as their adolescent development will allow, on the spiritual condition of others. I’d love to hear testimonies of how they prayed with someone in their school for healing, salvation, and deliverance. I’d love to see Facebook status’ that read “I told my friend about Jesus today and they are now a follower of Christ. ”

I dream of students who love God’s word more than X-Box, food, sex, YouTube, and texting. I want to see a hunger in students to know the God of scripture and not just a few verses that will carry them through the day. I want them to see the Bible as the greatest story ever told and not just the story that gets preached to them every week. I want them to see it as a reliable guide and not a book of rules to follow. I’d love to see them launch their own small groups where they read and study God’s word without me launching it, promoting it, or leading it.

I dream of students who will lead our services and not be spectators. I have a dream that every leadership opportunity I offer on our ILead Station (formerly the Endeavor Board) will be taken and used including preaching the Word from time to time. I dream of students who don’t have to be asked to do anything but realize their small part contributes to the edification of the whole. I dream of a group of students transforming into the Body of Christ.

I have a dream of families being restored like Ezekiel’s dream of dry bones. I dream of working with them to see their families reflect the glory of God. I have a dream of whole families seeing their lives as missional rather than a day to day hassle. I dream of mom’s and dad’s who see the youth ministry as more than baby sitting but an equipping center to help their kids become all Christ has called them to be. I dream of seeing them as prayer partners and visionaries to reach other families in our community who desperately need the love and grace of God.

I dream of students whose passions and dreams move from mundane to miraculous.

I dream of a youth ministry known for it’s love not it’s lock ins. It passion not it’s programs. It’s faith not it’s fellowship.

These are big dreams, not on par with trying to end inequality as Dr, Martin Luther King eventually did, but my dream is no less valuable, no less daunting, and no less impossible with God’s help.

How how can I help you reach your dream or put your dream in motion?

Your Turn:

What are you dreaming about your youth ministry?

How are you communicating that dream to your students, parents, and pastor?