Shepherding Students Through Conversion
Every head bowed. The spacious room now has the illusion of shrinking walls. Every eye closed. The house lights feel as if they’re burning a little hotter. No one looking around. A blade could cut the tension in the air.
This tension is why so many teenagers in the room have a difficult time following the speaker’s instructions. They want to see how this plays out. Who will go forward? Who will raise their hand?
The students aren’t alone in their suspense. As the speaker offers his final plea, leaders survey the grounds and get into place. It’s the last night of camp. An invitation is being given. This is what they’ve all waited and prayed for—a moment they hope will change their students forever.
THE COST OF ‘CAMP MOMENTS’
Most of us have witnessed God using these “last night of camp” moments in a positive way to draw students to himself. These moments tend to be effective because they involve kids at an age ripe for evangelism and conversion. The teenage years are some of our most formative, especially at a spiritual level. This is why many churches invest in youth camps and retreats.
But there’s more than this at play, and here’s why: Twenty-four hours from now, the auditorium will stand quiet and empty, and all the campers will return from wherever they came. Will it be worth everything it cost us pastors if we go home without something to report? Can (nonprofit!) conferences and organizations afford to watch these precious few minutes go to waste?
“Have we embraced winning decisions over making disciples?”
Buried underneath our “last night of camp” moments is a more sinister invitation for the adults in the room: Come and see how significant your offering has been.
These factors inform the “invitation” environment we now find ourselves in. Could it be that under such pressure we are sacrificing efficacy at the altar of efficiency? Have we embraced winning decisions over making disciples?
If so, what is it doing to these students? What is it doing to us?
EFFICIENT DECISIONS
As I’ve taken my own groups of students to these kinds of camps, I've noticed a recurring theme that leaves me uncomfortable. It's what we do after a student raises their hand.
At one camp we attended, an invitation was given on the first night. The pastor asked students to come forward if they were receiving Christ for the first time. In a leader meeting beforehand, we were trained (in about five minutes) on how to handle students with decisions. There were about forty leaders, which would mean many leaders would be serving multiple kids at a time.
During the invitation, about eighty kids came forward. Nearly one entire youth group came forward together (in hindsight, I’m not sure that was a compliment to their youth pastor). They were told to find a leader to talk to in the back. About ten minutes after their exit, the students began to trickle back into the auditorium.
I had been sitting in the row with one of those students that walked forward. He had seemed completely uninterested and disengaged throughout the sermon. He was even joking around during the invitation prayer. But when his friend went forward, he did too. Now he was coming back, minutes later, with (dare I say?) some newfound assurance that did not belong to him.
“We need to take a serious look at what we reinforce to impressionable young people when we treat the miracle of salvation in this manner.”
But that night, he was counted among the rest. He was a part of that number advertised and celebrated. He was applauded.
I don't have enough space here to break down all my concerns with this method of evangelism. And of course, I would never suggest that all these experiences are disingenuous. But I do believe we need to take a serious look at what we reinforce to impressionable young people when we treat the miracle of salvation in this manner.
THE ASSURANCE CRISIS
I’m learning that one of the most difficult doctrines for teenagers to embrace is Christian assurance. They struggle to live confidently in the promises of passages like Romans 8. Some of this struggle is self-inflicted, but some is also due to our meager treatment of the realities of conversion.
Those of us familiar with these youth trips know that such methods of measuring conversion are not bulletproof. We know because many of us have been in their shoes ourselves. Hands are raised for several other reasons: fear, emotionalism, uncertainty, ego, pastoral pressure, peer pressure. This is a major reason why "rededication" language exists—because, as is often confessed, "It wasn't the real thing the last time I did this at camp.”
Mike McKinley asks the right question: "How many people are walking around completely lost, but sure they are going to heaven because they prayed a prayer once as a child?”[i]
“If the decision to follow Jesus is as life-changing as we say it is, should our goal be speed and efficiency?”
I find more and more that even the most spiritually mature teenagers have a “crisis of assurance.” They’re either uncertain of their salvation altogether, or they’re unsure if assurance is even possible for a Christian. Rare is the teenager who stands 100 percent confident of their justification by faith in Christ. I believe this fruit of uncertainty can be traced back to the roots of their salvation.
If the decision to follow Jesus is as life-changing as we say it is, should our goal be speed and efficiency? Should it fit neatly on a card that we can turn in after a conversation? Or is there a better way?
BIBLICAL TENSION OVER SALVATION
We cannot eliminate the tension of conversion. We find it even in Scripture.
On the one hand, we shouldn’t make it difficult for anyone to come to Christ. This is the thrust of Peter and James’ exhortation to the Jerusalem Council, stating that circumcision not be required for believing Gentiles. Peter argued that such a prerequisite was “placing a yoke on the neck of the disciple that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear” (Acts 15:10). James reasons with the Council, “My judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God” (Acts 15:19). He then encourages these believers to abstain from matters related to idol worship and sexual immorality (Acts 15:20).
The Apostle Paul spoke with similar focus on the simplicity of conversion: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. . . . Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:9, 13).
Paul later shows us that true conversion leads to spiritual worship, which is to “present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,” to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of [our] mind, that by testing [we] may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:1–2).
That doesn’t happen overnight.
“Conversion might be “simple” but it is definitely not “efficient.””
All this to say, conversion might be “simple” but it is definitely not “efficient." We so badly want to box God into our concept of efficiency. But the God of Pentecost, where 3,000 were immediately cut to the heart, is the same God of the Areopagus, where they told the Church’s most brilliant apologist, “We will hear you again about this” (Acts 17:32).
Conversion is not formulaic or cookie-cutter. If our being saved is indeed "such a great salvation” (Heb. 2:3), I’m convinced we need to grant it greater complexity, greater care, and greater room for people to get on the Way to Jesus.
EFFECTIVELY SHEPHERDING STUDENTS THROUGH CONVERSION
So, how can we better shepherd our students through this significant moment of receiving Christ and help them avoid a “crisis of assurance” later in life?
First, emphasize the significance of conversion.
The student in front of you is dealing with eternal matters. Treat conversion with the weight and time that it deserves. Help them understand the gravity of what they're saying. Communicate that you believe this decision matters by taking all the time it needs. I’ve described it as “talking them out of it,” meaning I express the true cost of discipleship as accurately as possible before allowing a decision to be made. Of course, we should want people to come to Christ. But we should also do enough to help them see the true picture of their commitment. When the rest of your students see you take this seriously, it makes all the difference.
Second, involve their parents and/or lead pastor as a next step.
Many believe the "spiritual highs" we get from camps are dangerous. But we unwittingly reinforce these highs if we don't make conscious efforts to involve parents or other pastors in the conversation process after camp. Involving parents underscores the significance of salvation and demonstrates our commitment to family discipleship. Connecting with a lead pastor demonstrates our commitment to the youth group as one part of the local church.
Third, don't "proof-text” Scripture; give them a plan for reading the Word.
“You may have given them the Romans Road, but they’re probably unaware of where to go next. Don’t expect them to figure it out themselves.”
New converts are thirsty for Living Water. You may have given them the Romans Road, but they’re probably unaware of where to go next. Don’t expect them to figure it out themselves. Young sheep need the most shepherding. Maybe you start a Bible study, or you prepare a plan for them. Having a game plan ready will serve them well and help them grow in their understanding of their conversion.
Finally, we must trust the Lord to the end.
During a recent youth retreat, I met with a student who is an atheist. He had several questions about God and had some emotional responses to the gospel that weekend. We went through the story of Scripture for over an hour together, but it was clear to me that he had not yet received Christ. Rather than trying to “sell” him on Jesus, I acknowledged where I felt he was engaging spiritually and encouraged him with some next steps. He was so appreciative of my willingness to not push him to decide. In fact, I think the trust that was established has made him more receptive to learn and understand the Bible since.
The church is not in the business of “closing sales.” God will finish what he starts.
ENTRUST STUDENTS TO CHRIST
We are instruments in the Redeemer’s hands. Do we trust him enough with the complexity of conversion? Do we love teenagers enough to journey with them?
We can’t save students. But we can, and should, protect them from this crisis.
Efficiency might fill up an altar call, but only Christ's effectiveness can fill the new heavens and new earth.
[i] Mike McKinley, "Six Ways to Give Your People False Assurance,” in The Underestimated Doctrine of Conversion, 9Marks Journal, Mar-Apr 2012, p. 56.
Zach Barnhart currently serves as Student Pastor of Northlake Church in Lago Vista, TX. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Middle Tennessee State University and is currently studying at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, seeking a Master of Theological Studies degree. He is married to his wife, Hannah. You can follow Zach on Twitter @zachbarnhart or check out his personal blog, Cultivated.