Making Gargoyles - Making Disciples
I'm not sure how the following advert from Exeter Cathedral ended up in my inbox but I'm glad it did. Here's a screenshot:
Clay Gargoyles? How cool is that? The very idea reminds me of my childhood. No, not my childhood in the shadow of Exeter Cathedral but my childhood as a weird American teen in the early 2000's who thoroughly enjoyed the TV Show "Gargoyles." Check it out:
Weird cartoons aside, I loved the idea of making clay gargoyles in Exeter, England because it helps young people and adults to contextualize their faith through fun and fellowship. It helps people to notice things that they take for granted and spend time considering how they might be made.
It strikes me that - even as youth ministry has been blamed of late for the juvenilization of American Christianity - youth ministry may be uniquely positioned to help people of all ages attend to the unique context(s) in they live out their faith - to notice the cultural artifacts of their towns, families, and churches that often go unnoticed and to consider the significance of these things, people, and relationships for their faith. Making clay gargoyles in the small town of in Eastern NC where I serve as a youth minister wouldn't make much sense but there are many things that might.
I guess what I mean to say is that youth ministry - and church ministry in general - is at its best when it pays close attention (and helps others to pay attention) to the locale in which ministry and discipleship takes place.
So I'd love to hear from you: what does your church do to help youth and adults attend to the context in which ministry and discipleship takes place?
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