 | | | |
    keeping your youth group students safe online
ryan c nielson
The internet is a powerful tool. It is a tool
that can be used in amazingly helpful, constructive, and beneficial
ways. But,
as the saying goes: sometimes your greatest asset can also be your greatest
liability. This is just as true with the internet. There
are also many destructive, dangerous, and unhealthy elements to the internet.
Yet we cannot deny that the internet plays a significant role in our
lives today and probably even more so in the lives of our students.
If we are going to be relevant in their lives, we need, at the very least,
to be aware of the internet, how our students are using it, and its influence
on teenagers today. While statistics vary I have not met anyone recently
who would deny that the internet is a powerful element in most teenager's
lives today.
I believe that if you
are working with teens you must be aware of the influence of the internet.
It goes beyond simply recognizing and acknowledging this influence.
We need to take it a step further and be engaged with and sensitive to
what our youth are doing online. This does not mean we need to
know everything our students are doing online but we must realize what's
happening and keep an eye out for the dangers that our teens may be getting
into on the internet.
Many teenagers view
the internet as a great place to connect with others. This is,
in their minds, a real community. In fact, it is often a closer-knit,
more vulnerable, and more open sense of community than they claim to
experience in any other aspect of their lives. Regardless of whether
the internet offers a true community or not we cannot deny the perceptions
that our students have and the way they respond accordingly. I,
personally, have had some very powerful ministry opportunities with my
students by chatting with them on Instant Messenger, leaving comments
on their Xanga or MySpace websites, or even simply sending them an e-mail. Some
students will let you into their online community, while others will
resist for fear of what your intentions may be. Our online awareness
and presence can be very powerful for many teenagers. Additionally,
it can help to keep students more accountable if they know their youth
pastor is going to get on their MySpace page and read what has been posted
and what they are posting on others' sites. I would actually encourage
all youth pastors to take some time and do this. It will open
up a world of these students that many of us would never see otherwise. This
can enable greater ministry opportunities to both the teenager and to
the family as a whole.
There is a personal
danger to internet awareness though. While we want to be knowledgeable
of what sites our students are visiting, what internet programs they
are using, and the types of web pages our students are creating, there
is also the danger of putting one's personal integrity at risk. There
is much temptation online, especially for men. It is therefore
essential that one take safeguards before going online to avoid those
temptations and keep their personal integrity intact. The first
thing I recommend is to pray before getting online. Ask God to
keep your heart, eyes, and mind pure while online. But, sometimes
we need an additional safeguard to help us flee that temptation. I would
recommend something like X3Watch (http://xxxchurch.com/x3watch/default.asp)
which is accountability software to help keep you accountable to others
whom you choose with the websites you visit. As a matter of fact,
this can also be a great ministry tool. Why not sign yourself
up and also get all of your small group guys to sign up as well - with
their small group leader as one of their accountability contacts.
There is a lot that
the internet has to offer and our students are taking advantage of it.
If you are not already using the internet to know your students better,
to keep an eye on them, and to learn more about them, there's no time
like the present to begin. You may be surprised at the window
into the soul of your students that they offer through their online presence. It
is another realm of ministry that has great potential and needs people
to utilize it for the good that can come from it.
http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/community-articles-smallgroups.html
ryan c nielson
The internet is a powerful tool. It is a tool
that can be used in amazingly helpful, constructive, and beneficial
ways. But,
as the saying goes: sometimes your greatest asset can also be your greatest
liability. This is just as true with the internet. There
are also many destructive, dangerous, and unhealthy elements to the internet.
Yet we cannot deny that the internet plays a significant role in our
lives today and probably even more so in the lives of our students.
If we are going to be relevant in their lives, we need, at the very least,
to be aware of the internet, how our students are using it, and its influence
on teenagers today. While statistics vary I have not met anyone recently
who would deny that the internet is a powerful element in most teenager's
lives today.
I believe that if you
are working with teens you must be aware of the influence of the internet.
It goes beyond simply recognizing and acknowledging this influence.
We need to take it a step further and be engaged with and sensitive to
what our youth are doing online. This does not mean we need to
know everything our students are doing online but we must realize what's
happening and keep an eye out for the dangers that our teens may be getting
into on the internet.
Many teenagers view
the internet as a great place to connect with others. This is,
in their minds, a real community. In fact, it is often a closer-knit,
more vulnerable, and more open sense of community than they claim to
experience in any other aspect of their lives. Regardless of whether
the internet offers a true community or not we cannot deny the perceptions
that our students have and the way they respond accordingly. I,
personally, have had some very powerful ministry opportunities with my
students by chatting with them on Instant Messenger, leaving comments
on their Xanga or MySpace websites, or even simply sending them an e-mail. Some
students will let you into their online community, while others will
resist for fear of what your intentions may be. Our online awareness
and presence can be very powerful for many teenagers. Additionally,
it can help to keep students more accountable if they know their youth
pastor is going to get on their MySpace page and read what has been posted
and what they are posting on others' sites. I would actually encourage
all youth pastors to take some time and do this. It will open
up a world of these students that many of us would never see otherwise. This
can enable greater ministry opportunities to both the teenager and to
the family as a whole.
There is a personal
danger to internet awareness though. While we want to be knowledgeable
of what sites our students are visiting, what internet programs they
are using, and the types of web pages our students are creating, there
is also the danger of putting one's personal integrity at risk. There
is much temptation online, especially for men. It is therefore
essential that one take safeguards before going online to avoid those
temptations and keep their personal integrity intact. The first
thing I recommend is to pray before getting online. Ask God to
keep your heart, eyes, and mind pure while online. But, sometimes
we need an additional safeguard to help us flee that temptation. I would
recommend something like X3Watch (http://xxxchurch.com/x3watch/default.asp)
which is accountability software to help keep you accountable to others
whom you choose with the websites you visit. As a matter of fact,
this can also be a great ministry tool. Why not sign yourself
up and also get all of your small group guys to sign up as well - with
their small group leader as one of their accountability contacts.
There is a lot that
the internet has to offer and our students are taking advantage of it.
If you are not already using the internet to know your students better,
to keep an eye on them, and to learn more about them, there's no time
like the present to begin. You may be surprised at the window
into the soul of your students that they offer through their online presence. It
is another realm of ministry that has great potential and needs people
to utilize it for the good that can come from it. |
|
|
|
