Presentation Matters

Youth Ministry is beginning to think globally. Mission trips and awareness programs have become a staple. Your youth group though, do they care? Do the youth God has entrusted you to disciple share His same heart for the nations? If not, I suggest it may be your fault. Not because you aren’t hip to the times and aren’t putting the issue before them, but rather because how you are presenting the information.

Check out this article recently released by Psychology Today.

As Americans, being obsessed with productivity and efficiency you would assume we would be more willing to give to a cause that offers us the best return on investment. We’d be most concerned with our money impacting as many lives in as many ways as possible. But an article recently released by Psychology Today states otherwise. Their research shows that Americans are actually far more likely to respond to appeals made on behalf of just one person.

My perception is most Americans, like myself (see previous blog), are obsessed with productivity and efficiency, which would cause me to assume the exact opposite of Psychology Today’s research. It appears that most who have built awareness projects for youth groups have followed my assumption. They focus on large scale issues and attempt to motive by showing the desperation of an entire community or situation. My assumption was false, and therefore I believe you need to rethink how you attempt to motivate your students. Don’t do famines that are simply teaching them about huge global issues. Don’t quote statistics about the millions of youth living on less than a dollar a day. Rather, tell them stories of a youth that is struggling with material poverty, or tell them the story of one youth that was affected by the last natural disaster. Introduce them to their peers around the world, and statistically speaking, they will be more likely to give or go.

If you need help making that transition in your youth ministry let us know. We would love to help.

This recent blog about new partnership with Hunger Strike is a good place to start.