The Youth Worker's Big Book of Case Studies: Not Quite a Million Stories That Beg Discussion (Paperback)

Chapter One

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING YOUTH GROUP

Dan belongs to the youth group at a church that hired a new youth minister a year ago this week. Under the previous youth minister, youth meetings were always a fun place to go on Sundays. Every week 50 to 60 teenagers showed up. In addition, they had a youth group calendar packed with cool activities, like concerts, ski trips and amusement park trips.

Over the past year, under the new youth minister, attendance has dropped from a weekly average of 50 teenagers to just 15. The group has gotten a lot more serious. Instead of fun ski weekends, the group goes and works at homeless shelters and participates in work-camps-helping fix up homes for poor people. The new youth minister has serious discussions and asks hard questions about life and the future-stuff that Dan doesn't want to think about.

A bunch of Dan's friends who no longer come have invited him to a church a few miles away that's like how their youth group used to be. It seems "everybody" is going there. Dan has to decide which group he would like to belong to.

DISCUSS:

* What's the big deal?

* Does it matter which youth group Dan attends? Why?

* Aren't the fun and fellowship in the other group important as well as the serious stuff in Dan's youth group? Why?

* Should a youth group be more fun or more serious? Why? (What are the positive reasons for having a fun youth group? Negatives? What are the positive reasons for having a serious youth group? Negatives?)

* What are the most important things Dan should consider as he decides between youth groups?

* What's the difference between learning and being taught?

* What's important in this situation?

Read:

Matthew 13:9; Romans 8:28

* Think back over your life from a year or so ago to now. When have you grown the most as a person? Explain.

* How does your experience apply to Dan's decision?

* If you were Dan, what would you do?

SCHOOL

TEARCHER'S PET

David has Mr. Hawthorne as his teacher for two classes. Nobody likes Mr. Hawthorne. He gives a tremendous amount of homework and doesn't seem to care about his student's personal schedules and he doesn't put up with any fooling around. He has assigned more detentions and called more parent conferences than any other teacher. For some reason, Mr. Hawthorne likes David. He respects his work and says David shows "promise."

Spring Break is coming up and Mr. Hawthorne traditionally assigns a huge term paper to be turned in the day school resumes. Several of David's friends have asked him to use his influence with Mr. Hawthorne to talk him out of the assignment in order to protect their cool Spring Break plans.

David doesn't want to fall from Mr. Hawthorne's good graces, but he does want to have a good time on Spring Break with his friends.

DISCUSS:

* Is this teacher's expectation reasonable? Why?

* How easy is it to tell your friends "No"?

* How much respect do your teachers get from the students in your classes? How much do they get from you?

* Is respect earned or is it given to everyone, until you have reason to do otherwise?

* Who was the best teacher you ever had? Not your favorite but the one who was best at their job?

* Should the students just stop moaning, suck it up and do the assignment? At what point? Why?

* How difficult a situation is David in? Explain.

Read:

Matthew 5:14-16 1 Timothy 4:14

* What role does "pleasure-seeking" play in David's difficult situation? Explain.

* If you were David, what would you do to be respectful to Mr. Hawthorne? How would you respond to your friends?

CHURCH

Obey the Rules of Youth Ministry

Becca is a talented artist. When her friend Nicole was injured and had surgery on her knee, Becca visited her in the hospital and painted a Hawaiian beach scene on Nicole's cast. The woman who shared the room asked Becca if she would paint a design on her cast as well.

Before she knew it, Becca had done more than 20 paintings on various patients' casts in the hospital. She made friends with the nurses and the patients loved her artwork.

Several doctors complained that patients were not resting and staying in their rooms-they had taken to wandering around showing off their cast artwork.

One doctor told a nurse to ask Becca not to paint casts anymore since it was interfering in her patient's care (and the patients of other doctors). Becca has been considering this a mission or a ministry of her own.

She is heartbroken over not being allowed to paint casts anymore.

DISCUSS:

* What is the most important part of recovering from an operation or broken bone?

* What is most important to the "healing" process?

* Why would the doctors want their patients in their rooms?

* When you come up against rules that keep you from doing something you want to do, how should you respond? Why? What about when rules keep you from doing something you feel God wants you to do, how should you respond?

* Is it important for Becca to try and understand the doctor's rules? Why?

* Should Becca obey the doctor's rules? Why?

* Define "mission."

* What is the best way to react when a kindness you want to show is rejected/ stopped by another person? Explain.

* Are most rules put in place for a reason? Can you think of an example?

* What happened to some of God's best messengers?

Read:

Psalm 103:1 Luke 19:40

* How does this passage apply to Becca's situation?

* How can Becca best let her light shine ... by painting people's casts or by obeying the doctor's rules? Why?

* Would you go back to the hospital? Why?

(Continues...)