Mike King

How About... Farewell to the Rapture?

In light of all the recent goofiness surrounding the long expected Rapture happening last weekend (it didn't happen did it?), I think it's time to say "Farewell Rapture."

Are there any serious New Testament Scholars out there who believe in the North American invention of RAPTURE?  NO?  I didn't think so...  The problem is - a lot of North American Christian believe in the idea of Rapture (a word not found in Scripture). 

The good thing that has come out of the Left Behind series and further fueled by the latest Harold Camping fiasco targeting May 21, is that the eschatological framework involving Rapture and the left behind script has moved into the realm of being caricatured which makes it more easy to dismiss as a non-biblical concept. 

N.T. Wright wrote an article entitled "Farewell to the Rapture" in 2001.  Wright writes rightly, "Little did Paul know how his colorful metaphors for Jesus’ second coming would be misunderstood two millennia later.  The American obsession with the second coming of Jesus — especially with distorted interpretations of it — continues unabated." 

Read article here.

 

Youthfront Staff Member on New ABC Reality Show - Oh My...

At the first of the year Youthfront staffer Kelsey Fuller reluctantly resigned from her position to "go to graduate school."  Kelsey was pretty emotional in her departure.  However, instead of starting her graduate program she postponed her academic pursuit and mysteriously disappeared from civilization for a couple of months. 

She returned in a shroud of secrecy. 

Now we know that Kelsey and her two sisters are featured as one of the teams in the new ABC reality show Expedition Impossible premiering June 23rd.  The show's Executive Producer Mark Burnett, is also Producer of Survivor and The Apprentice

Kelsey's team includes her sisters Mackenzie and Lindsey.  We are happy she's back but she won't tell us how she did.  Of course, they will bury her alive if she talks too much, something that is a real challenge for our Kelsey.  This will definitely make for some great Youthfront Watch Parties.

Here is the trailer for the show.  Kelsey is the one who declares that her teammates are not only sisters but best-friends.  GO TEAM KANSAS!!!

May/June Immerse

Moshman Debunk's Teen Brain Myths

David Moshman, Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Nebraska, pushes back on the current groundswell of assumptions being made concerning the development of teenage brains fueled by interpretations of research coming out of neuroscience.

He addresses five assumptions about adolescents and their brains: (1) adolescents are categorically different from adults; (2) adolescents are less rational than adults; (3) adolescent cognition and behavior are explained by their teenage brains; (4) adolescent brain development is a maturational process directed by genes; and (5) the outcome of that process is a state of maturity achieved in adulthood.

He declares each of these assumptions to be blatantly false. Read how he responds to each assumption in the THE HUFFINGTON POST here.

To dig deeper into this subject get Moshman's book Adolescent Rationality and Development: Cognition, Morality and Identity.

Youth Workers LearningTogether

With the advent of social media, relationships are taking place in different arenas. To build connections among youth workers in conversation with respected youth ministry leaders no longer requires the high cost of participation in conferences around the country.

Last week we announced that Youthfront has developed an intentionally relational, yet theologically robust learning outlet to facilitate this kind of connectivity and collaboration. Youthfront’s Youth Worker Learning Cohort is designed to foster relationships among youth workers from a variety of contexts around theologically engaging and mutually enriching conversation.

We put it online here and I posted about it here.  All the spaces filled up in a couple of hours.  We are trying to expand the amount of people in the cohort by researching other technology tools.  We are also thinking about adding a second cohort.  If you are want to participate go here and fill out the registration stuff.

Poison and Wine

The Civil Wars were the best concert I've seen this Spring.  They appeared Friday night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  I love the lyrics to this song entitled, Poison and Wine.  So good.

Eli’s Transformation and an Angel Tree Full of Hope

A few weeks ago, the father of a teenage boy sent me a video of his son Eli’s baptism service. The video showed the pastor of the church conducting the baptism, speaking about the young man’s spiritual journey. The pastor described accompanying a group of young people from their church to Youthfront Camp and told a story about Eli’s deep spiritual quest to know God. He spoke about the environment at Youthfront Camp where young people are encouraged to seek God, to be still, to read scripture and learn to pray. He shared how an intense focus on God and scripture is very difficult for some people, but was not a challenge for Eli. The Pastor then surprised  everyone by announcing that he had taken a picture of Eli at Youthfront Camp. Before baptizing Eli, he showed the picture below to the congregation - and you could literally hear the grandmotherly “ooohs” and “ahhhhhs.” To say that I was a little emotional watching this would be an understatement. My heart was filled with joy because of the passion I have for young people to be transformed by the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. I love this picture and thousands of others like it that I’ve seen or taken over the years.

This is an exciting time of the year at Youthfront – church groups are preparing for summer missions at our ministry site in Croc, Mexico and in the Argentine Community of Kansas City; Something to Eat ™  continues to expand nationally; summer camp registrations are coming in, summer staff are being hired and our camp teams are in full-on prep mode for the upcoming camp season. Life is busy, but fulfilling, here at Youthfront!

We never ceased to be amazed at the incredible opportunities the Holy Spirit brings to us. Recently, we were contacted by Angel Tree ministry to consider a partnership with them.

You might be thinking, “I thought Angel Tree’s efforts revolved around providing Christmas joy for the children of imprisoned parents – what does it have it have to do with camp?” Angel Tree desires to go beyond the Christmas season alone by providing the opportunity for these same kids to experience the transformation aspect of Christian camp. Angel Tree has designated Youthfront Camps as the official camp for the Midwest region of North America. Prison Fellowship, led by Chuck Colson, launched Angel Tree to serve the 1.7 million American children who have a parent or parents in prison. These children’s lives are often filled with the abandonment, loneliness, and shame that come from having a mom or dad in prison.

We have received a generous grant to help send these kids to Youthfront Camp, but it doesn’t cover all the registration and basic camp fees. Because of this special opportunity your gift of $40 will complete the cost of sending one of the beautiful kids to Youthfront this summer. There are 1,700 Angel Tree youth in the Kansas City metro alone. You can make a gift online at www.youthfront.com to sponsor an Angel to send to camp.

In James 1:27 we are told that pure religion before God involves taking care of the fatherless in their afflictions. We hope you’ll join us in changing the lives of these young people!

 

Only 44 Days until the Wild Goose Festival

There are now 44 days til the Wild Goose Festival.

Here are a few names from the huge list of great folks who will be with us and some of the topics they'll be exploring. We have so many talented and courageous people speaking and performing.

Pete Majendie from New Zealand - magnificent performer (and worship-leading house-painter to boot) will bring his moving, funny, and thoughtful one man show about the life and work of Vincent van Gogh to Wild Goose.  Many people don't know that Vincent wanted to be a minister, but felt like a failure, and so painted to raise money to fund his own brother's missionary work.  Pete's show is inspirational to any of us who have wondered what we're doing with our lives, and where our gifts truly lie.

Derek Webb writes songs that face reality with a degree of fearlessness that is rare in so-called 'Christian music' (a term which Derek himself would disavow); and he also believes that Wild Goose could be the start of a very good story in US culture.  He & Mike Morell made a video for us to let us know this.  He'll be performing at the festival.  The blog post and video are here.

Margot Starbuck is a delightful writer, and even more delightful presence: she's one of those people who manages to talk about pain in a way that liberates.  She'll be with us to discuss issues pertaining to body image and questions to which none of us know the answer.

Richard Twiss believes that Christians who aren't Native American should experience missionary work on Native reservations - but as recipients, not evangelists.  He brings people to reservations for experiences of immersion in indigenous culture; learning and unlearning lessons about the history of this country, and his people, so that we might all build relationships that serve the vision of the beloved community inspired by Jesus. 

And our social justice program will include significant participation from people who have been on both sides of the criminal justice system: as the survivors of crime, and those who have been through prison.  Thistle Farms is a fantastic initiative that works with women, some of whom have been in prison, all of whom have been marginalized, to build a community of love that genuinely transforms the lives of participants.  They're bringing music and stories, and lots of their community members to the festival.

Those are just five examples of who and what will be available at the experimental, informal, farm-based, eco-friendly, non-hierarchical, sun-baked, brand new, God-bathed Wild Goose Festival.  I think we have the beginnings of something that can be a culture-shaping movement in the United States.  Do whatever you can to be at the Wild Goose festival to interact with issues about which you care about, to learn and be provoked, and to bring your own gifts to the table.

Ticket prices go up next Monday, the 16th May.  Visit the festival website here, and  buy your tickets here, The first Wild Goose Festival is an event you don't want to miss.

New Youth Worker Learning Cohort Launching this Fall...

A Theology of Youth Ministry Learning Cohort

With Mike King and Erik Leafblad through Youthfront

Of the impact youth worker events have, one of the biggest based on our experience and through feedback from others is the relationships that are forged among youth workers. From late night conversations to scheduled coffee meetings, youth workers love to connect to share ideas and insights with one another. Learning, like ministry itself, is built on relationships.

With the advent of social media, relationships are taking place in different arenas. To build connections among youth workers in conversation with respected youth ministry leaders no longer requires the high cost of participation in conferences around the country. Youthfront has developed an intentionally relational, yet theologically robust learning outlet to facilitate this kind of connectivity and collaboration. Youthfront’s Youth Worker Learning Cohort is designed to foster relationships among youth workers from a variety of contexts around theologically engaging and mutually enriching conversation.

Each Cohort member will participate in 10, 60-90 minute video-conference sessions facilitated by Mike King and Erik Leafblad. Each session will have a particular topic and theme so that the intent is to further dialogue among youth workers desiring a more sustained and focused conversation on a theology of youth ministry. Relationship building will always remain central to the cohort, so that connections will happen beyond the video-conferences themselves.

Details

Cost: $375 for 10, 60-90 minute video-conference sessions with Mike King, Erik Leafblad and others in your cohort.  The price includes five issues of Immerse: A Journal of Faith, Life and Youth Ministry; several books and other resources needed for the cohort.  The first Learning Cohort will begin in September 2011.  We will only accept five partners for this Youth Worker Learning Cohort.

Outline of Sessions:

1. A Way of Life - Developing a Theology of Mission, Formation and Community for Youth Ministry
2. Being Human - The Spirituality of the Youth Worker
3. Formed to Participate - Traditional Practices for Christian Formation
4. Thrive - Missional Living to the Full
5. Formed to Conform - Non-traditional Practices for Christian Formation
6. Fertile Soil, Organic Life - Nurturing Environments of Transformation in Youth Ministry
7. Rhythms - Developing a Way of Life for Youth in Community
8. Life Together - A Robust Connection with All of Creation
9. Being Embraced - Youth Ministry as Radical Inclusion
10. No One Left Out - An Eschatology of Hope in Youth Ministry

Mike King is in his 36th year in youth ministry and serves as President/CEO of Youthfront. Mike also serves as the Executive Editor of Immerse: A Journal of Faith, Life and Youth Ministry, is an Elder in his church in Midtown Kansas City – Jacob’s Well, is Co-founder of the Wild Goose Festival, serves on several boards and is an adjunct Professor at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City.  Mike’s book Presence Centered Youth Ministry: Guiding Students into Spiritual Formation (InterVarsity Press) has received widespread critical acclaim.  Mike and his wife, Vicki, live in Blue Springs, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City. They have two sons, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law and a granddaughter. He blogs at www.king.typepad.com and you can follow him on Twitter @MDKing.

Erik Leafblad is the Director of Ministry Initiatives for Youthfront, focusing on national initiatives such as Something to Eat and the Youthfront School of Formation. Erik has written for a few publications including Immerse Journal, and prior to joining the staff at Youthfront was a Youth Pastor in Minnesota. Erik is also adjunct faculty at MidAmerica Nazarene University and holds a Master’s of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, focusing his research on the missional theologies of Karl Barth, Lesslie Newbigin and youth ministry. Erik is married to Amy, and has two young children, Soren and Svea. He blogs at www.erikleafblad.com and you can follow him on Twitter @erikleafblad.

Two spots are already filled by word leaking out about the Learning Cohort.  If you are interested, there is a registration form here.

An eventful week...

We started last week with a wonderful worship gathering at Jacob's Well and spent the rest of the afternoon at Cameron Philgreen's High School Graduation reception with a lot of friends, family and students involved in our ministry.  Cameron is working on Youthfront Camp summer staff this summer and becoming a Jayhawk this fall.  What a stud.

On the way home our son and daughter-in-law, Micah and Anne, came by our house and we ate dinner together.  We got word that President Obama was addressing the nation later that evening.  The media heads were off with speculation that initially scared the hell out of those watching.  All four of us went immediately to the internet, three of us to  Twitter and one to Facebook, where quickly we had a hunch that OBL was dead, about an hour before TV media started talking about it.  I got on the phone or texted a couple dozen friends and family to make sure they were tuned in.  One of those nights we won't ever forget.  

Monday, always starts with a Youthfront All Staff Sit-down meeting.  We do some type of spiritual practice together, read an extended text of Scripture, prayer practice, etc. followed by sharing highlights of our previous week and discuss what's coming up in the week ahead.  Kate Obermueller trumped the day by announcing her engagement to Kyle Unruh.  So happy.  

Later in the day Chris Folmsbee, Mark Matlock and I met on several things, YS Palooza coming to KC next Spring, Publishing, future of YS, partnership, Theological Track, Ministry to Parents, etc.  Great time and exciting days ahead for youth ministry training, relationships and resourcing.  

Tuesday started early with a 6:30 am meeting with Mike Wilhote, a school principle, and a Youthfront Board candidate.  Mike is a Wheaton Grad, progressive, has the same first name as me and same non-hair style, so I'm sure it's going to be good, except for the fact that he's a damn Yankee fan.  Lunch on Tuesday was spent at Bucca's on the Plaza  with our team of wonderful Youthfront Administrative Assistants.  We also celebrated Tammy Nuckolls birthday.  Tuesday night, I went to the Royals game to watch  a great victory over the Orioles with youth pastor Ethan Bryan.  We had an awesome time together.

Wednesday was packed with meetings, writing, planning and scheduling.  I got a tour of our new Something to Eat warehouse and packing area completed by Ray Zuercher, Austin Averill, Sam Thiesmann and others.  Awesome setup.  Also, I finished reading and writing an endorsement for the upcoming book The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry by Kenda Creasy Dean and Andy Root.  I'm so excited about this book.  This is a very important book and I wish I could talk more specifically about it but we will have to wait until November.  If you are a youth pastor, PLEASE preorder this work and start reading it on day one of its release.  Also,  if you are a Pastor (senior, preaching, administrative, formational, whatever type of pastor or church leader) or a ministry leader or just a thinking Christian -- pre-order this book.

Thursday was our monthly formational day for Youthfront Staff.  This was the last one before summer ministries take us to a dozen different directions, so our plan was to celebrate together by tailgating and attending a Royals day game together.  Unfortunately, we woke up to rain, so we found a shelter to wait out the rain delay.  We ate and played under the huge shelter at Swope Park and then headed over to Micah and Jessica house to consume Murray's Ice Cream.  Half of us, (diehard Royals fans) went to the game as the clouds cleared and the sun appeared.  We were treated to a 9-1 Royals shellacking of the Baltimore Orioles.  

Thursday was also Cinco di Mayo so after a productive early evening Wild Goose Board Meeting, our son Daniel and granddaughter Lexi joined us for dinner at Rancho Grande Cantina.  We had a really good time together.  

On Friday we had an all day Youthfront Executive Team meeting.   We started at Broadway Cafe (best coffee in KC) and dealt with upcoming leadership and program issues before relocating to McCoy's outdoor deck for lunch and a discussion about future Youthfront Goals and objectives.  The weather was beautiful and the dialogue was energetic.  In the afternoon, I shut down the meeting to take the team to the movie Of God's and Men.  "Under threat by fundamentalist terrorists, a group of Trappist monks stationed with an impoverished Algerian community must decide whether to leave or stay."  This is a true story and was timely for a couple of reasons.  First, the current conversation concerning a Christians response to terrorism (OBL).  Secondly, the movie is a story of community and doing life together which we endeavor to do with our Youthfront community.  Excellent movie.

At 4:00 pm Friday afternoon we started a ten hour party to celebrate the 30th birthday of Anne King, our daughter-in-law.  We began at happy hour in McCormick and Schmick's, followed by a gathering at the Sheraton Suites on the Plaza as more revelers joined the celebration.  We had unlimited Trolley Passes and began a roving party through Mid-town KC.  Through First Friday's, KC Power and Light Entertainment District (loved watching the Royals game on the jumbo tron there), Martini Corner, Westport, Plaza, Waldo, etc.  The entourage filled a trolley at each stop and we had a really good and fun time.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNE.

Because it was such a late night, Vick and I stayed at Micah and Jessica's house.  We got up and did what we love to do on Saturday mornings when we are in town - go to the City Market in downtown KC.   The best market in the country.  We went to Summit Hill and had crepes at Chez Elle Creperie and Coffee House.  Ahhh, felt like we were in France.  The weather was so amazing, low humidity and 80 degrees, a beautiful Spring Day.  Vicki headed back to Blue Springs and I went on a 14 mile run from Youthfront (Woodside Club) through Plaza, Loose Park (stopped long enough to read the Battle of Westport historic signs), to the Trolley Trail, out to south KC and back.  I stopped several times to talk to friends I encountered along the way.  Felt so good. 

Vicki took her mom to a mother-daughter banquet.  I met my mom and dad at the Trio Cafe on the Country Club Plaza for a great dinner followed by a movie at the Tivoli.  We saw Win Win.  So good.  It was a wonderful way to top off a great week, hanging with Mom.  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.  And the Royals got another walk off win.