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A theology of hanging out :: incarnation
At a recent parent meeting, I explained how our students ministry has a relatively developed Theology of Hanging Out.
There is a reason we highly value time spent with students in a context void of expectations.
First is that I think it is the best example of “what Jesus would do” if he were alongside the same teenagers we are. I think he’d hang out. He’d invite them along to run errands. He’d turn a trip to Taco Bell into an object lesson. He’d let teenagers know that although they live in a world full of grades, judgmental peers, and performance expectations from their parents, He loves them. God loves them.
They could fail, underachieve and disappoint 100% of the time, and they’re still loved. There are A LOT of ways to get that message across. There is only 1 way of living that message: hanging out regularly.
In our student ministries, our adult leaders try super super hard to be mentally/emotionally/physically/spiritually prepared to hang out with students and show mad amounts of love.
Our theology of hanging out leads us to show love, and use words if necessary.
Austin Young
DmL
jason
Todd Hiestand
Kris
Matt Flinner
Raf
Sam Mahlstadt
Brandon Mouser
Chad Estes
Yep yep yep.
And maybe not just with kids, but with adults (of all kinds) too?
Twitter: adamlehman
September 1, 2009 at 2:14 pm #
@angela
totally true. In all reality, i try to base most of what I do on my theological and ecclisiological understandings and less on the age of our students…
SO….
it would make sense that this would translate very will into a “theology of hanging out” with adults as well…..
Too True. I’m always amazed that God would want to incarnate himself and hang with us. I don’t know if too many people understand how miraculous that is. Most are just like, “Yeah, of course Jesus came to earth…” and that’s it. It is accepted and not reflected upon. If Jesus is God, and he made himself a human being, how huge is that?! Wicked huge. So lets follow God’s example and hang with the young ones.