Every fall, youth ministers are faced with the challenge of re-launching their ministries. After summer vacation, how do you rally teens and welcome a new wave of students? The temptation undoubtedly is to make a bigger and louder splash; but do our programs, lights and staging need to be grander than ever? Or, does raising the bar mean going deeper and building upon the disciple-making we’ve already put in place?
Hollywood faces the same struggles with each summer of sequels. How do they reinvigorate their most successful franchises? Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen chose to invest in special effects rather than story. The resulting film was more like cinematic junk food, satisfying for a few brief moments but with no lasting nutritional value. The most enduring sci-fi and fantasy films respect their audience’s intelligence, managing simultaneously to enlighten and entertain.
The reinvention of Star Trek served as a stirring example of how to usher in a new cast of characters. It paid loving homage to those who’d gone before, even incorporating the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy. However, director J.J. Abrams introduced a fresh set of faces into pre-established roles by concentrating on their back-story. Star Trek revealed the roots of Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise. It answered questions of who, what, when and most importantly, why. Perhaps youth ministries can move forward by embracing the historic origins of our faith.
Hugh Jackman returned in X-Men Origins as a younger version of Wolverine. It turns out Logan and his brother, Victor, served as indestructible soldiers of fortune. So how do they respond to their mutations and gifts? Logan/Wolverine resists his most violent tendencies, while Victor feeds his bloodlust, becoming Sabretooth. Youth ministers may find intriguing parallels to Cain and Abel, the biblical story of brother versus brother.
Terminator: Salvation is also an origin story. It is about securing the future by preserving the past. John Conner (note those initials!) must protect a younger version of his father, Kyle Reese. While the timeline can be confusing, the emotional heart of Terminator: Salvation rests upon a death-row prisoner who donates his body to science. How does Marcus Wright pay for the sins he’s committed? Terminator:Salvation is loaded with images of self-sacrifice.
Pixar provide the most stirring example of how to build upon success. Its unprecedented string of audience-pleasing hits continued with Up, which bridges the generation gap by pairing a widower with an Explorer Scout for a most excellent adventure. What is the secret of Pixar’s excellence? The company functions as a creative team, allowing a unified group of writers and animators to bring their gifts to each project. Perhaps the best way to expand our youth ministries is to follow Jesus’ sequel-making method: equipping the next generation of leaders.
