This article is long but worth the read and I owe a big thanks to my boy in Charlotte, and former leader in my ministry, Brian Stephens for this link. After I got done reading this article I sat back and kept thinking, "You've got to be kidding me!"This article details how the "everyone is special and gifted" generation is functioning in the work place. Here's how two businesses are responding, "The 1,000-employee Scooter Store Inc., a power-wheelchair and scooter firm in New Braunfels, Texas, has a staff "celebrations assistant" whose job it is to throw confetti -- 25 pounds a week -- at employees. She also passes out 100 to 500 celebratory helium balloons a week. The Container Store Inc. estimates that one of its 4,000 employees receives praise every 20 seconds, through such efforts as its "Celebration Voice Mailboxes.""
Manufactured celebration?! Confetti? 25 Pounds a week! I couldn't throw that much at a Broncos game! Who would our church hire as a celebration assistant? Who would clean up the confetti? Praise every 20 seconds? Our pastoral staff meetings would be absolutely hilarious!
This article made me stop and think about what does real encouragement and celebration look like, especially in the context of student ministry. Am I manufacturing celebration just to keep our students in community? What does it look like to praise a student, especially in the context of spiritual formation? How do you incorporate Jesus' call to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him in the context of this cultural norm? You denied yourself....confetti! You took up your cross...celebration voice mail! You're following Jesus...$5 Starbucks gift card!
What happens when the most praised generation goes to church?
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3 comments:
From the article:
Mr. Smolinsky enjoys giving praise when it's warranted, he says, "but there needs to be a flip side. When people are lousy, they need to be told that." He notices that his students often disregard his harsher comments. "They'll say, 'Yeah, well...' I don't believe they really hear it."
I think in youth ministry this is incredibly hard. It creates an atmosphere where humility and an awareness of sin just can't break through. There's no nice way to understand our sin, it is plain ugly! And humility, well, it's hard to be humble before God if there is always a need to be affirmed and important before man. As always, Dan, thanks for the link.
Hey, I read that in the WSJ a few days ago. I agree that this is ridiculous. The whole idea of a person who's job it is to throw confetti bemuses me and makes me sigh. As a member of this generation (unfortunately), I would really prefer a boss who is genuine and says nothing good unless it is really warranted. Same with spiritually. I would rather have someone telling me the bad as well as the good, rather than just praising me for not sinning.
Hope you are well Jesse. Looking forward to your blog when you start one! :) Great point.
Jack X,
Great point bro about getting praised for not sinning. I think that often spiritual development gets put into a list first instead of starting with a relationship.
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