The ins-and-outs of contact work
Contact Work
Contact work is the foundational principle behind Young Life’s ability to communicate the Gospel to disinterested teens. It is the platform from which uncommitted adolescents can experience the Gospel. Contact work and Young Life go together like a hand in a glove.
Yet for both experienced and new staff alike, contact work can be a difficult, even frightening experience. It is a term that is used handily, but many are not quite sure what it means, or know conclusively that they are doing an effective job of it.
Contact work builds a bridge of unconditional friendship that often stretches from a concerned adult to an “I couldn’t care‑less” adolescent. It is the movement of an individual into another’s life for the purpose of bringing an awareness of God’s love.
Unfortunately, many avoid doing contact work, saying, “I don’t have the time,” “That’s not my gift,” “I don’t relate as well at the school as I do at club,” “Let’s just concentrate on making club great,” “We’ll have Campaigners do it ‑if each Campaigner would reach just one person.” These excuses ultimately lead in the wrong direction. Club attendance either declines or, worse, becomes a youth group filled with evangelised teens who are looking for something more attractive than their local church.
Contact work is the beautiful gift God gave to Jim Rayburn and passed on to the rest of us who have been called to be a part of Young Life. It is what has made Young Life unique and has served as a model for several other ministries. Developing relationships with adolescents in their world is a key element of Young Life.
What is Contact Ministry?
The name contact work does not seem to be a fitting title for the job we are going to discuss. Actually, it is Christian leadership, and every minute we spend in this work we spend as Christian leaders. Paul set the norm for our contact work in 1 Thessalonians 1:5b‑6 (The Message), “You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master.” We intend to lead young people to the place of following Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
What is the Aim of Contact Ministry?
The ultimate aim is to lead each young person to the Lord Jesus Christ. The intermediate steps in this plan are:
Ideally, we go to young people for the same reason that Christ came to humanity: to reveal God to them with no strings attached. To love them in order to get an opportunity to preach to them is a string. We should love them because they need love, because God loves them and wants to love them through us. This concept is one we may have to grow into, but it is included in the idea that with Christ in us the incarnation is still in process in the world‑ today.
Contact work reminds us of our dependence upon Jesus Christ. If it weren’t for Him, we would stay in some comfortable setting with friends our own age. But Christ says go and we go in His strength, with His blessing. “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you,” John 20:21.
“Jesus will not allow true religion to exist in comfortable little circles of its own. The new quality of life is love in action, and that may mean coping at firsthand with the difficult, the messy, and the unpleasant.” JB. Phillips
Personal Preparation
1. Our walk with the Lord is paramount. A close relationship with Christ and with His people is essential so that when we are with young people our actions, words and attitudes will be His.
2. A growing spiritual understanding of what it means to go to a person who is without, such as Jim Rayburn envisioned, as God taught him:
Acceptance by young people depends primarily upon our love for them and our ability to communicate this love non‑verbally and verbally. But physical appearance and health should be carefully observed. First impressions are often formed by physical appearance. Leaders do not have to conform to teenage styles, but rather should observe the styles of their own age group.
take note of this important reminder from Donna Hatasaki.
Levels of Contact Work
Contact work is the foundational principle behind Young Life’s ability to communicate the Gospel to disinterested teens. It is the platform from which uncommitted adolescents can experience the Gospel. Contact work and Young Life go together like a hand in a glove.
Yet for both experienced and new staff alike, contact work can be a difficult, even frightening experience. It is a term that is used handily, but many are not quite sure what it means, or know conclusively that they are doing an effective job of it.
Contact work builds a bridge of unconditional friendship that often stretches from a concerned adult to an “I couldn’t care‑less” adolescent. It is the movement of an individual into another’s life for the purpose of bringing an awareness of God’s love.
Unfortunately, many avoid doing contact work, saying, “I don’t have the time,” “That’s not my gift,” “I don’t relate as well at the school as I do at club,” “Let’s just concentrate on making club great,” “We’ll have Campaigners do it ‑if each Campaigner would reach just one person.” These excuses ultimately lead in the wrong direction. Club attendance either declines or, worse, becomes a youth group filled with evangelised teens who are looking for something more attractive than their local church.
Contact work is the beautiful gift God gave to Jim Rayburn and passed on to the rest of us who have been called to be a part of Young Life. It is what has made Young Life unique and has served as a model for several other ministries. Developing relationships with adolescents in their world is a key element of Young Life.
What is Contact Ministry?
The name contact work does not seem to be a fitting title for the job we are going to discuss. Actually, it is Christian leadership, and every minute we spend in this work we spend as Christian leaders. Paul set the norm for our contact work in 1 Thessalonians 1:5b‑6 (The Message), “You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master.” We intend to lead young people to the place of following Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
What is the Aim of Contact Ministry?
The ultimate aim is to lead each young person to the Lord Jesus Christ. The intermediate steps in this plan are:
Ideally, we go to young people for the same reason that Christ came to humanity: to reveal God to them with no strings attached. To love them in order to get an opportunity to preach to them is a string. We should love them because they need love, because God loves them and wants to love them through us. This concept is one we may have to grow into, but it is included in the idea that with Christ in us the incarnation is still in process in the world‑ today.
Contact work reminds us of our dependence upon Jesus Christ. If it weren’t for Him, we would stay in some comfortable setting with friends our own age. But Christ says go and we go in His strength, with His blessing. “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you,” John 20:21.
“Jesus will not allow true religion to exist in comfortable little circles of its own. The new quality of life is love in action, and that may mean coping at firsthand with the difficult, the messy, and the unpleasant.” JB. Phillips
Personal Preparation
1. Our walk with the Lord is paramount. A close relationship with Christ and with His people is essential so that when we are with young people our actions, words and attitudes will be His.
2. A growing spiritual understanding of what it means to go to a person who is without, such as Jim Rayburn envisioned, as God taught him:
Acceptance by young people depends primarily upon our love for them and our ability to communicate this love non‑verbally and verbally. But physical appearance and health should be carefully observed. First impressions are often formed by physical appearance. Leaders do not have to conform to teenage styles, but rather should observe the styles of their own age group.
Principles of Contact Work
Practice the discipline of learning names. Use whatever system will help best.
Look for ways to serve young people – taking a group home (but only those of the same sex!), keeping charts for games. Caution must be used, however, to prevent giving the impression of buying their friendship.
Do not attempt to be one of the kids. We are leaders aware of our age, yet loving and genuinely interested in them and in their affairs. They need to see adult models.
Through established friendships, seek to know others. Sometimes we can receive a lot of help from those we know. But be careful to love kids for who they are and not what they can do for you or the club.
Do not force your way into certain social situations where you would not be welcome, such as parties or some group discussions. Pray always for sensitivity here.
Avoid making fun of young people. This is the most dangerous kind of humour.
Be careful about talking too much of your accomplishments or your own high school prowess.
Be yourself. Do not try to impress with overdone or clever antics, or by imitating others. You don’t have to be a comedian, athlete, personality‑plus, to love them.
Ask questions about school life when in conversation with high schoolers. Most people enjoy talking about these things.
Ask God for a sincere interest in young people. They can spot the feigned interest. We might not like all they do, but we can appreciate them as people.
Be casual. Don’t work too hard at being friendly, with a lot of hand shaking or rapid patter, unless this is natural to you.
Develop a sense of humour. Find what fits you best.
Be adaptable. Expect to have to change pace from time to time. We cannot predict the adolescent behaviour.
Keep close personal records of significant contact, including the adult community. Some sort of diary is of great value, especially in our prayer life.
Seek to gain friendships with all types of young people, both school leaders and followers. Many of them will have great potential for leading their friends or particular activity group.
Cheerfulness and enthusiasm are contagious.
In many areas, adults are not welcome in the halls of a school. Study the situation carefully.
Have a valid reason for being there. You may have to forego any contact work in the buildings.
Every school situation or neighbourhood is unique. Work out a plan or strategy that fits your local picture.
Pray for those you have met, or want to meet. Enlist prayer support from interested adults or Christian young people.
Contact work is never finished. There are always new ones to get to know. It is this continued effort to be their friend that wins the right to be heard with our message of Jesus Christ. Once the right has been won, work on the right of continued hearing.
Realise contact work is identification with people in a real way in the sense that Christ “the Word, became flesh and dwelt among them.”
Pray for kids as your eyes touch them. Ask God to lead you to those He wants you to meet. Make it a trusting experience. God’s timing is not always ours.
Pray that God will lead you into deeper, relationships with specific kids. Ephesians 3:18, “That you, firmly fixed in love yourselves, may be able to grasp how wide and deep and long and high is the love of Christ, and to know for yourselves that love so far beyond our comprehension.”
Be a person of integrity as so beautifully cited in 2 Corinthians 6:3‑10.
Do not draw people to yourself and keep them for your security reasons. Give friends every possible opportunity to grow. You are building the kingdom of God, not kingdoms unto yourself.
Remember the whole person, the family they come from, closest friends. Take opportunities to introduce yourself to the parents / carers of the young people you’re working with and their friends.
Steve Chesney shares a story as to why meeting young people where they’re at is important.
Download – General Suggestions & Principles for Contact WorkOvercoming Fears in Contact Work
Adapted from an article submitted by Pam Moore
Contact work is the foundation of effective Young Life ministry. We must be willing to initiate relationships and to permeate the turf of high school young people today. We must be willing to do this with all kinds of young people, many of whom are radically different from ourselves. Often the initial reaction of our leaders to this concept is one of fear. It is a scary thing, this whole notion of contact work. We are doing cross‑cultural ministry. We are crossing boundaries and breaking down walls and stereotypes. We are going into the battlefield and that is uncomfortable. We would be naive to think it would be otherwise.
But there are some tips that can help us move forward in spite of our fears in order to further the work of God’s Kingdom. We must ask ourselves, what exactly are our fears and what are the steps that can help us overcome them?
1. What are our Fears in Doing Contact Work?
Some of the most common ones mentioned by leaders are as follows:
All these fears are real. And yet to raise our level of consciousness of these and any other fears we might have is the first step in being able to move forward.
2. How do we Overcome these Fears?
Never forget the importance of these four aspects of contact work:
The Conversation Stack
Have you ever met someone for the first time and run out of conversation after the first 5 minutes? Welcome to the human race. As funny as it may sound, we are not all gifted in the art of small talk or how to carry a conversation beyond the small talk stage.
So what do you say to teen you are meeting for the first when you are in their environment? Especially when first starting out, contact work can be intimidating and even the most gifted person can get stuck for words.
https://vimeo.com/241810498/a0b3342985
Wiley Scott shares the power of getting to know a young person.
Each of the questions below is to help you with an initial conversation starter. Each question is designed to build upon the pervious question to help you begin to develop a friendship. The first few questions are one word response questions, but they help you build the conversation. Remember, people generally like to talk about themselves. Also, remember to introduce yourself and anyone else you may have with you.
Your job is to think of one or two other questions that you could use to help the conversation along.
1. What is your name?
2. Where do you live?
3. Who do you live with?
4. What do you do with your time?
5. Where do you go for holidays and what do you do?
6. What things are you interested in doing with your spare time/future?
7. What do you think about ?
Neighbourhood and School Research
1. Get to know the school and community in which you will work.
- Size of school.
- Intensity of school spirit.
- Economic, social and racial strata within the school.
- See who the school leaders are. Read the school paper or yearbook, and be sensitive to changing or new areas – positive or negative ‑where leaders are involved.
2. Learn as many names as possible. Keep a list.
- Follow the athletic programs in the local papers.
- Cheek to see who on the faculty might be sympathetic to Young Life.
- Learn any special ground rules for visitors on the campus.
- Get the school calendar of events and activities.
- Find out what other clubs are operating, especially other Christian organisations like Scripture Union and Youth Dimensions. Meet
- with them to determine if there is a need for Young Life as an additional ministry.
- Be aware of any local high school customs or local slang words and their meanings.
- Invite local congregations and individual Christian people to begin praying for specific students. And by all means, have your own prayer strategy!
3. Public relations contacts.
- Make sure local law enforcement agencies know of your work (local Police).
- Call on school administrators with staff and local committee members or adult friends. Be positive and open to them. We are there to give information, not to seek their endorsement. Answer their questions concerning purpose, support, endorsement, church relations, program, and personnel.
- Find out what other agencies and churches in the community are at work with young people. Get to know and pray with the leadership of these groups if possible.
- Carefully plan to meet the parents of the students whose friendship you make in the early stages of club development, explaining the program and answering questions. Also, check out your own attitudes toward parents. Are these open? Respectful?
- By showing them the proper respect, seek to get to know school officials, coaches and sponsors as friends so they understand why you are frequently there.
Guiding Thoughts
1. Keep clearly in mind that our goal is that every young person should have the opportunity to see and hear of God’s love for him/her in Christ through what we do and say.
2. We must be aware of influential teens within different groupings. If we touch these students, we may have the potential of touching others. If we ignore them, we may automatically ignore many who would have been influenced by them.
The key teen concept was based on a sound theological principle. It also has been the target of much criticism over the years. Our call first and foremost is to every young person and we must use whatever strategy possible to reach every teen for Christ. In some schools, the teens who traditionally would have been Young Life key teens are actually the objects of ridicule and scorn. We should love teens unconditionally and offer Christ to all.
3. Most important of all, we must seek to be led of the Holy Spirit. The Lord will often lead us to people who do not seem to be key teens. Many times these will turn out to be the real disciples.
4. You are representing Christ before teens; therefore, it is essential that you are not always with the socially “in” crowd. To spend quality time with all sorts of young people and groups is good. This example is worth a thousand words at club. Your treatment of the “least of these” will prove who you really are.
5. Adult volunteers who come to club but do not do contact work are not Young Life leaders. They might be “club specialists,” but the required behaviour to be a Young Life leader is contact work.
Links
Young Life Australia
PO Box 552
Ryde NSW 1680
W: younglife.org.au
E: training@younglife.org.au
P: 1300 557 647