New Leader Training Course

New Leader Training Course

New Leader Training Course Contact Information Area Director: Brian Hall Email Address: ayl@asian.younglife.org Website: asian.younglife.org Phone Number: (201) 674-7966 Mailing Address: Asian Young Life PMB 148 24 West Railroad Ave. Tenafly, NJ 07670 Course Description Welcome! This training course has been designed for new and/or potential volunteer leaders in an effort to help leaders minister to Asian American teenagers in a bold and exciting way. This course runs for five weeks, and attendance at each session is absolutely mandatory. (If you miss more than one meeting, it may be necessary to repeat the course the next time it is offered.) The course includes homework assignments each week. In the first few weeks, the emphasis is on developing a foundation, so most of the homework consists primarily of readings; in the later weeks, however, the emphasis shifts to practice and application, so there are fewer readings. Try to schedule your readings so that you do not have to cram right before the next session. There WILL be a quiz each week to make sure that you are learning the material. Please take these quizzes seriously as they are a precondition for leadership in Asian Young Life. It is my hope that the things you will learn by participating in this course will prove to be helpful to you not only in Asian Young Life but also in any other ministry in which you may one day participate. God bless you as you embark on this exciting new role in your life! In Christ, Brian Hall Area Director 1

Books and Supplies The following books and supplies are required and are available from the Asian Young Life office for a nominal fee: DJ Chuang, ed. 2006. Asian American Youth Ministry. Washington, DC: L2 Foundation. Donna Hatasaki. 2005. Collecting Lost Coins. Colorado Springs, CO: Young Life. Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg. 1994. Becoming a Contagious Christian. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. John Miller. 1991. Back to the Basics of Young Life. Colorado Springs, CO: Young Life. Rebecca Manley Pippert. 1999. Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World: Evangelism as a Way of Life (20th Anniversary Edition). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Bible (preferably New Living Translation). Young Life Journal. Leaders Notebook Binder. Pen. Additional supplies will be distributed at the meetings. 2

Course Week 0 In an effort to get prepared for our first meeting, please read the following selections BEFORE we meet. These readings will give you a good introduction to the ministry of Young Life as well as an understanding of what Young Life can offer to those who do ministry with Asian American teenagers. Readings: Chs. 1-3 of Back to the Basics of Young Life, pp. 13-72. Ch. 9 Incarnational Ministry for Asian Youth by Brian Hall and Cheryl Seid in Asian American Youth Ministry, pp. 97-109. 3

Week 1 Foundations For Week 1, we turn to the nuts and bolts of Young Life. We ll learn about the history of Young Life and of Asian Young Life, paying special attention to the thoughts of Jim Rayburn, the founder of Young Life. We ll also learn about the Four Cs of Young Life: contact, club, camp, and Campaigners. You will get your very own AYL email address as well as access to the Young Life staff website. Take quiz on Week 0 readings. Discuss Week 0 readings, with a particular emphasis on the four principles mentioned by Miller on p. 49 of Back to the Basics of Young Life. Discuss the history and scope of Young Life and of Asian Young Life, making reference to Good News For Adults Who Care About Kids brochure. Watch Living Legacy video. Discuss the Young Life Way. Read and discuss The Heart of the Mission by Jim Rayburn (pp. YLM 3-4). Create Young Life staff website accounts and introduce the Young Life staff website and the Asian Young Life website. Readings: Chs. 4-6 of Back to the Basics of Young Life, pp. 73-107. Days 1-7 The Search in Collecting Lost Coins (read one each day), pp. 15-47. Ch. 3 of Becoming a Contagious Christian, pp. 39-50. Practice: Find out everything you can about an assigned local high school and complete as many questions as you can from the Know Your School worksheet. Complete Young Life Webquest #1. Complete Defensive Driving elearning Course. Print out quiz results. 4

Week 2 Incarnational Ministry and Contact Work Level 1 (Being Seen) John 1:1-14 This week we ll be discussing the most important aspect of Young Life ministry: contact work. By spending time with teenagers, we essentially earn the right to be heard, and we model God s love for them through our actions and words. The concept of contact work is really just an imitation of what God did for us when He became a human being and lived among us, showing us the way to live. This kind of ministry has been labeled incarnational ministry, but it s really just sharing Christ with people by spending time with them, doing things they already like to do and loving them as they are. Take quiz on Week 1 information and readings. Discuss Week 1 homework assignments. Discuss Bible meditation from John 1:1-14. Discuss incarnational ministry and contact work. Watch For Every Kid DVD. Read and discuss Signature of Young Life Contact Work by Neil Atkinson, Dick Langsford, et. al. (pp. FYL 3-7). Readings: Activities Chs. 7-8 and Afterword in Back to the Basics of Young Life, pp. 109-162. Days 8-14 The Find in Collecting Lost Coins, pp. 49-83. Chs. 7-9 in Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World, pp. 94-128. Go to a place where Asian teenagers hang out and engage in Level 1 Contact Work for at least 30 minutes and record your observations in your Young Life Journal If you have not already done so, begin maintaining an electronic Contact Work Journal in Microsoft Excel. You will need to submit this to the AYL office on a bimonthly basis. Complete Young Life Webquest #2. 5

Week 3 Contact Work Levels 2 and 3 (Engaging in Conversation and Doing Activities Together) John 6:1-13 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 We leaders engage in contact work because we want to develop meaningful relationships with teenagers. And believe it or not, most teens want this. Timothy Smith author of The Seven Cries of Today s Teens says, Many adults assume that today s teenagers want to be left alone, but in actuality research suggests that most teens long not just for presence, but meaningful conversation. One of the easiest ways to get deeper with adolescents is to talk with them (not at them) and to enjoy doing activities together. This week we focus on how we can go deeper with kids. Take quiz on Week 2 information and readings. Discuss Week 2 homework assignments, with a particular emphasis on developing conversation skills as discussed by Pippert in Chapter 9 of Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World. Read I Stand at the Door by Sam Shoemaker. Meditate on Bible passages from John 6:1-13 and 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Discuss Contact Work Levels 2 and 3 (engaging in conversation and doing activities together) and how to turn the corner in relationships. Readings: Days 15-21 The Shine in Collecting Lost Coins, pp. 85-115. Chs. 10-11 in Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World, pp. 129-154. Ch. 8 in Becoming a Contagious Christian, pp. 105-117. Activities Engage in Level 2 Contact Work by having a formal faceto-face conversation with an Asian teenager of the same gender (and preferably a non-christian) for at least 30 minutes. Later record what you learn about the teenager in your Young Life Journal. Participate in Level 3 Contact Work by doing an activity with an Asian teenager of the same gender. If you desire, feel free to invite an experienced leader to go along with you. 6

Week 4 Club Luke 5:27-31 It is hard to describe Asian Young Life club to anyone who has never been to club, but to those who have, it is typically the highlight of their month. What some refer to as organized chaos is really a creative, seeker-oriented outreach meeting designed to introduce kids to what we do and to open up channels of communication between Christians and non-christians on spiritual matters. This week we ll learn about the elements that go into making a good club and why it is so important that in our club ministry we consider it a sin to bore a kid with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Take quiz on Week 3 information and readings. Discuss Week 3 homework assignments, with a particular emphasis on conversational models as discussed by Pippert in Chapter 11 of Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World. Meditate on Bible passage from Luke 5:27-31. Introduce club and its components. Skim and discuss The Traditional Young Life Club by Fil Anderson (pp. FYL 61-72). Watch Music in Young Life: The Lost Art of Song Leading video. Discuss Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World, Appendix 1 Gospel Outlines. Readings: Activities Ch. 2 Working With Parents in an Asian American Church by Danny Kwon in Asian American Youth Ministry, pp. 25-34. Ch. 12 The Humility and Reality of Ministry by Joseph Tsang in Asian American Youth Ministry, pp. 137-142. If club is in session, visit a non-ayl club and record observations of strengths and weaknesses in your journal. Develop an almost perfect club. Be sure to include all of the important elements including music, minutes, announcements, and a message as well as the less noticeable minor details. Make an outline of a message for the club you design. 7

Week 5 Campaigners 1 Thessalonians 2:5-12 Campaigners is the discipleship ministry of Asian Young Life. It is the name we give to the group of teenagers who are committed to growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ and who are also committed to sharing this relationship with their friends. It is also the name we use to describe all other aspects of our discipleship ministry, which include our weekly Campaigners meetings, our service projects, our overnight getaways, our one-on-one discipleship times, and so much more. It is, thus, much more than just a Bible study ; it is, in fact, our core ministry. Take quiz on Week 4 information and readings. Share sample clubs, including sample club messages. Discuss Week 4 reading assignments, with a particular emphasis on Chapter 2 in Asian American Youth Ministry. Introduce Campaigners. Read and discuss What is Campaigners? (pp. FYL 137-138). Complete any additional paperwork for being an Asian Young Life leader. Take final exam. Activities Observe an Asian Young Life Campaigners meeting and take notes on what you observe, paying careful attention to small details that enhanced the meeting (or that were overlooked that took away from the meeting). Share your notes at your one-on-one time with the area director. Complete any remaining paperwork necessary for being an Asian Young Life leader. 8