Mark Yaconelli
Was at Mark Yaconelli’s day on ‘Tending the Adolescent Soul’ in Birmingham on Wednesday. Here’s some thoughts/notes.
Mark talked about the primary role of a youth worker (or perhaps any minister) as being a spiritual guide for young people - helping them to journey through the landscapes of their own spirituality. So much of what he said could apply to church leadership, pioneer ministry, community work - any role involving encounters with other people.
He also suggested that often our cultural responses to young people, as well as our youth work, is fueled by anxiety or fear, rather than love or trust.
Although the whole thing could have seemed a little ‘overspiritual’ at times (is it the film, Donnie Darko, which has the whole Fear vs. Love pseudo-Christian guy?), I quite liked his ideas, and in particular his kind of step-by-step model for interacting/developing relationship with young people:
- See - See the young person through the soft eyes of Jesus
- Be Seen - Allow yourself to be seen and accepted
- Hear - Mark suggested that ‘Heaven is a place where your voice is heard, fully and properly’
- Be Heard - Be heard and understood as a real human being, with weaknesses and flaws
- Moved with Compassion - The natural response to seeing and hearing someone for who they are, and being seen and heard
- Moved with Compassion - This compassion is then reciprocated by the young person in response
- Acts of Kindness - The natural response to being moved with compassion for someone
- Acts of Kindness - Reciprocated back by the young person
- Delight - Delight in the relationship, in the encounter and in the other person - the natural response to an act of kindness from another
