design thinking

The summers at YFC have traditionally been a time for the ministry and staff to reset, refocus, and re-establish ourselves into what we're doing and why. We were able to have a staff retreat day in July, and a staff reflection week in August; these being times for us to work together in planning our future. Part of this process is also spending time corporately and individually seeking the heart of God, actively listening to what He's saying about EVERYTHING!

The trends of our youth are changing, and we are constantly attempting to analyze the hearts of such trends. Exterior changes come and go and focusing on them can be fruitless time consumption for youth workers, BUT...learning about the issues that drive them can be valuable understanding that helps us connect with youth, and direct them to their potential.






In our reflective focus this summer, we came across an idea called "design thinking." It involves the innovative business-minded thinking for the future, met with creative ideas that are yet to be relevant. Experts say that the idea needs to be irrelevant in order not to be a "catch-up-to-relevance" idea. The process of design thinking involves a "no stupid question" policy, where the necessary and brilliant idea comes from a hundred bad ones before it. We liked this idea, and the type of process it involves. Not so much the need to be irrelevant - so we coined the term "pre-relevance," where at times our ideas might feel a bit irrelevant, but we understand with design thinking that the youth culture can adapt in relevance to our ideas. These ideas are not merely us trying to dictate relevance, but to catch on to the changing wind of the Spirit, knowing God's heart about what is priority in life, and then being initiators towards this end while inviting the world to join us.

This pursuit of pre-relevance is often quite a challenge - the exact difficulty AND need for this new generation. The youth trend these days seems to be apathetic towards youth ministry trying to be cool anyway. "Design thinking" is a powerfully worded phrase, too, as we apply God's design in our world and in human nature to understand where teenagers are at. This applies to being pre-relevant as well. So we're believing that God is actually calling us towards His "design thinking" in order to help us help others...and we're excited about this calling! So what does this mean practically? Well...that is what we're looking and praying into. There may be some different ideas coming down the pipe for us (it also explains some the "interesting" ideas we've already had...and this is only encouraging us more!).

- Mark von Riesen

vive le montreal!

YFC'S NATIONAL MINISTRY CONFERENCE: held in Montreal, started on June 26th. This year all three of us staff were willing and able to make it out to the conference...unprecedented in Niverville's history! YFC Canada has done such a great job in bringing together the staff from all across the country each year to encourage and equip the staff, and network and expand the ministry.

We have to admit that for us young staffers, a chance to get out of town is always enticing, but also beneficial to be strengthened in our ministry from beyond the walls our Drop-In Centre and Niverville. The spiritual focus, and the fellowhips of the YFC community are huge blessings to us as well. YFC is a parachurch (outside of the church) youth ministry, and although North American youth ministry has grown vastly in its resources, it's been almost entirely in the realm of church ministry. Therefore parachurches like YFC remain isolated and unresourced, and so its staff can easily feel the same. The annual NMC does wonders at combating such isolations.



One of the "hot topics" the we faced at the conference was the issue of retaining our organization's charitable status. The issue in our country begs the question, "how much are we willing to compromise?" Recently, a Christian charity went under due to a lawsuit from an employee who "came out" as a lesbian and was subsequently fired. The way the YFC Staff Manual is worded can put us as an organization at huge risk to such threats. The balance we struggle with is how to word our manuals, and approach such delicate issues with a non-faith-compromising manor WHILE not intending to offend, divide, or belittle others. I guess even before this question, we ought to be asking ourselves if such a balance even exists. Believing in SOMETHING greater than ourselves, and a better way, can have such ugly ramifications in a country intolerant of its own founding faith. A strange predicament we face here in Canada.

Lastly, on another note...at this conference I, Mark von Riesen, was honored with a 5-year staff award presented by the Youth for Christ National Director, Dave Brereton. God has been so faithful to me in these 5 (actually 6 by now) years of service, and I'm so greatful that He continues to use me, love me, and help me into the heart of youth ministry here in Niverville.

- Mark von Riesen