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 LifePMB 14824 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 HallArea Director

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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.

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Course Schedule

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.

Homework

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.

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Week 1Foundations

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.

Pray.

Create Young Life staff website accounts and introduce the Young Life staff website and the Asian Young Life website.

Read and discuss “The Heart of the Mission” by Jim Rayburn (pp. YLM 3-4).

Discuss the “Young Life Way.”

Watch Living Legacy video.

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.

Take quiz on Week 0 readings.

Schedule

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.

Homework

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.

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Week 2Incarnational 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.

Pray.

Read and discuss “Signature of Young Life—Contact Work” by Neil Atkinson, Dick Langsford, et. al. (pp. FYL 3-7).

Discuss Bible meditation from John 1:1-14.

Watch For Every Kid DVD.

Discuss incarnational ministry and contact work.

Take quiz on Week 1 information and readings.

Schedule

Discuss Week 1 homework assignments.

Homework

Readings: 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.

Activities 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.”

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Week 3Contact Work—Levels 2 and 3 (Engaging in Conversation and Doing Activities Together)

John 6:1-131 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.

Discuss Contact Work—Levels 2 and 3 (engaging in conversation and doing activities together)—and how to “turn the corner” in relationships.

Read “I Stand at the Door” by Sam Shoemaker.

Pray.

Meditate on Bible passages from John 6:1-13 and 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

Take quiz on Week 2 information and readings.

Schedule

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.

Homework

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 face-to-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.

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Week 4Club

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.”

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.

Skim and discuss “The Traditional Young Life Club” by Fil Anderson (pp. FYL 61-72).

Meditate on Bible passage from Luke 5:27-31.

Pray.

Introduce club and its components.

Take quiz on Week 3 information and readings.

Schedule

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.

Homework

Readings: 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.

Activities 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.

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Week 5Campaigners

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.

Complete any additional paperwork for being an Asian Young Life leader.

Pray.

Read and discuss “What is Campaigners?” (pp. FYL 137-138).

Discuss Week 4 reading assignments, with a particular emphasis on Chapter 2 in Asian American Youth Ministry.

Take final exam.

Introduce Campaigners.

Take quiz on Week 4 information and readings.

Schedule

Share sample clubs, including sample club messages.

Homework

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.

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