4 Things Youth Ministry could learn from A.A.

I was talking to a friend of mine recently about A.A. and I quickly realized that I can learn from one of the most successful organizations around. Sure, they don’t blow through Quarterly Earnings like Apple Inc. does but A.A. has a philosophy that is fundamentally sound and is quiet effective in helping people stay sober for a lifetime.

Going to this meeting, listening to others share and feeling the environment within the group, I learned a lot.  I saw that there was much we, as believers and Youth Ministers, can take away from this organization and apply directly to our lives and ministry.  Here is what I think we could learn from and apply:

1. Sponsorship is key. Finding a sponsor for an alcoholic or adict is key to recovery.  This is a person who holds you strictly accountable to not drinking.  They will call you at any point in the day and expect you to answer and talk with them.  One person shared that he was called at 12:15 am and said that he answered the phone because if he didn’t, “there would be hell to pay” the next day.  The level of accountability is very high with consequences higher.  They need someone to help them walk through the daily battle of sobriety.

HOW THIS APPLIES TO YOUTH MINISTRY:  We need tough accountability as we disciple students.  Students don’t need people to cheer them on as they teeter with the “grays” of following Christ.  They need people to call them at 11 pm or 12 am and see if they are staying away from that party they promised you they wouldn’t go to.  They need mentors to hold them accountable so they can make those tough calls.  Staying sober is far from easy with alcoholics.  That is why they need tough love.  Staying a believer is hard to do in life, especially the teen years.  They need tough love to keep them on track to becoming a disciple for Christ long term.

2. They keep the memories fresh. The Old Testament is filled with the followers of God setting up memorials to Him for the great work He had done for them.  Those memories were used to tell the story of how God brought them through a particular time in their history.  They use those memorials to remember and tell the story to others.  In the same way, at A.A., I heard someone say that he keeps coming back to remember how bad he was and to encourage those newcomers that they can make it.  They remember the past so they do not have to relive the pain and the tragedy.

HOW THIS APPLIES TO YOUTH MINISTRY: Are we raising up our youth to remember what God has done in their lives?  Do they remember just how bad things were before we met Christ?  God does mighty works in the lives of students all the time.  Sometimes they are small works that lead to big works or sometime they are huge acts that blow people away (figuratively of course) with amazement and wonder.  The point is that we are helping students remember all that God has done for them, especially how He brought them from death to life.  That will encourage them and help stay a disciple for Christ long term.  On a side note, it is also a great reminder for us as believers.  Do we take time to reflect on all that Christ has done for us, given us and brought us from?  HE IS A MIGHTY GOD who had DONE MIGHT WORKS in our lives.  Let’s not forget what Christ has brought us from as well!

3. Everyone is welcome. At A.A., they say the only requirement to join is the desire to stop drinking.  It doesn’t matter if you are black or white, rich or poor, young or old, if you have the desire to stop drinking, you are more than welcomed to join.

HOW THIS APPLIES TO YOUTH MINISTRY: I know we say this a lot at Church and in our youth programs, but is everyone really welcome to come? Does a student who has severe ADD or ADHD really feel welcomed?  Or do they feel that they are just annoying people?  Does a girl who “gets around” feel welcomed?  Or does she hear the same whispers she hears at school?  Does the long haired, tattooed, t-shirt wearing guy feel welcomed? Or do people stay away from him not wanting to “upset” or “anger” him?  The point is to have a plan to make sure every student feels welcomed and cared for the moment they walk into the door.  Do you have that plan in place?  Everyone matters to God and if they feel the same negative way at church that they feel at other places, why would they ever come back.  Christ calls us to love all people, so no matter what they look like or how they act, as believers, we need to be loving them.

4. One Day at a time. What a great saying!  Their goal is to not drink one day at a time.  They are not focused on the rest of their life, just that one particular day at a time. They wake up and decided that day, “I will not drink”.  They are not concerned about the next day or the day after that.

HOW THIS APPLIES TO YOUTH MINISTRY: In the same way, our relationship with Christ, especially for youth, should be focused on one day at a time.  To non-believers espeically, when you commit your life to Christ and throw away the past temptations of parties, hook-ups or other temporal pleasures, it is hard to say I can be committed to Christ for eternity.  But, if you give them the mindset that following Christ is one day at a time, it is more manageable and they could probably have a greater impact.  After all, if following Christ is one day at a time, you might take more risks for Him.  You might spend more time with Him, therefore receiving wisdom about a situation in life you are involved with.  God might be able to do so much more in our lives if we just give him the opportunity and take it one day at a time.  One day at a time is a great philosophy because it focuses people on following the Lord and doing all for him as you can that one particular day at a time.