We Need More Than Theology

“So…um… what do I do?”

My former youth pastor had just resigned a few days earlier, and the church was still reeling from this sudden departure. The teens were confused and hurt. Their parents were wondering who would take over in the interim. While the church was still figuring things out, I had been asked by the pastors of the church to step in and lead the youth group.

I leapt at the opportunity. There was just one problem: I had no idea what I was doing. Before our very first youth group meeting, I called up one of our pastors and stammered out the only question I could think to ask: “So…um…what do I do?”

The Original Problem: Culture without Doctrine

In the years leading up to this moment, the culture of the youth group had drifted away from the rest of the church. The group had a reputation for being “authentic” and “real.”, and there was a genuine sense of community that had developed among the students and leaders. However, even though their love for each other was commendable, sound doctrine was noticeably absent. There was no depth.

Serious problems had begun to surface since there was no firm anchor in place. We started to see that the youth group had become a mini-congregation, with its own distinct music, culture, and even doctrine. While the larger congregation valued the Word of God as the foundation for all of life, our youth leaders were denying the sufficiency of Scripture. While the church was learning to see the centrality of the gospel for the whole Bible, teenagers failed to even articulate basic doctrines.

Over time it became all too clear that what had attracted students to the youth group was something other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Tragically, this was confirmed after high school, as many students who had faithfully attended the group walked away from the faith entirely. Sadly, when you attempt to replicate gospel culture without gospel doctrine, it fails.

A serious rift was forming between the youth group and the rest of the congregation. Something had to give. After our youth pastor had resigned and left the church, many families followed. For those that remained, it became clear that both cultural and theological reform was needed. What was less clear was how to do that, and who would lead it.

The New Problem: Doctrine without Culture

At twenty-one years old, with no experience or formal training, I was confident that I was the answer to our problem. I believed that I could stand in the gap and single-handedly lead our youth group to gospel-centered awesomeness.

My strategy? Give these kids what they had been missing… sound doctrine! I had asked the question, “What do I do?” and the answer I had given myself was to dive deeper into the core teachings of our faith. My first time leading, I taught straight out of Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem. That first month, I spent four consecutive Wednesdays lecturing on the doctrine of the Word of God. After that I continued lecturing my way through almost every chapter of Grudem’s book. Yes, I was that guy.

As far as I was concerned, the problems that had developed under my predecessor were a result of incorrect theology. I believed the solution was to simply teach correct theology. If the students could just learn the right things, then the group would be rescued! Needless to say, things didn’t exactly work out the way I expected.

During the next few years, I started to hear rumblings of discontentment. Some parents complained that we didn’t have enough fun. Others complained of cliques. While most of the families within our church were trying to be supportive, it was clear that something was still not right.

The problem was not a lack of information. Our students had been taught to identify and articulate important doctrines. They knew the gospel message and how to communicate it with others. And yet, something was still missing. It turns out, information alone does not bring transformation. We needed something more.

The Solution: Gospel Doctrine with Gospel Culture

Things changed when two of our high school girls approached me about forming a student leadership team. They handed me a piece of paper with a list of suggestions. Written on the top of the paper was Romans 15:7: “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

These high schoolers had identified the real problem. It wasn’t a lack of sound doctrine, it was a lack of love. Our gospel doctrine hadn’t compelled us toward gospel culture. As we reflected on this passage, it became clear to me that our understanding of the gospel is meant to shape the very culture of the church. We are to love one another. Why? Because Christ has welcomed us through his life, death, and resurrection. The same love with which Christ accepts us, is the same love that motivates us to accept one another.

Ray Ortlund says it like this,

“When the doctrine is clear and the culture is beautiful, that church will be powerful. But there are no shortcuts to getting there. Without the doctrine, the culture will be weak. Without the culture, the doctrine will seem pointless.”[1]

If my predecessor had made the mistake of trying to build a gospel culture without gospel doctrine, then I made the mistake of neglecting a gospel culture entirely. Moving forward it became my goal for the grace of God to be both understood and experienced by our students and families.

Moving Forward

We’ve come a long way since that day when I first asked, “What do I do?” Back then, I knew some things we should avoid, but only had a vague sense of what to aim for. I failed to realize that, to use Ortlund’s words, we need to have both clear doctrine and a culture that flows directly from it. Without both of these things working together, the other will be impotent. The gospel is truth that compels us toward love, for God and others.

There is more to youth ministry than teaching kids to articulate the good news, but there can be nothing less. Gospel doctrine and gospel culture work in tandem, to bring students to life, churches together, and glory to God. I know firsthand what it feels like to try to do one but not the other. It won’t work. We need both.

Maybe you are like I was, having no clear sense of direction. Don’t try shortcuts. You don’t have to teach systematic theology. You don’t have to obsess over how many fun games you play. You need gospel doctrine that crafts a gospel culture, and when you have that, you will see students that bear fruit, love each other, and bring God glory. Don’t settle for less.

For more on establishing a Gospel Culture in your ministry, read our Gospel Culture series here.

[1] Ray Ortlund, The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 21.