However, while family genealogy can reveal a great deal about a person’s family, we often overlook the value of group genealogy. Group genealogy? This is the history of a group as recorded in the people and events—andthe archives and memory—that help make a people who they are.
Every youth leader should take stock of this genealogy periodically, especially if one has longevity with a people group. Keeping a record of important decisions, photos from mission trips, testimonies, and now video and print media, can be important for identifying the culture and vision that drives your group. No doubt you will discover traditions, patterns, ministries and paths that are vital to your group’s identity and gifts.
While history doesn’t have to dictate the future (and shouldn’t), the past is an important ingredient in shaping the attitudes and energies of tomorrow. Often, the teenagers themselves enjoy creating this history—whether pictorial or written. Leaving behind this legacy can be an important key for the next generation.
What do you think are the traditions and gifts that drive your youth group? What have you carried forward from past generations? What are you leaving for the years ahead?
