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- Contemplation. Sabbath and prayer help us to pay attention to the presence of God in our life and the life of the ministry.
- Covenant Community. We join with others to tend the Spirit, deepen our discernment of God's call, and share the burdens of ministry.
- Companioning. We move out of prayer and community to accompany young people. Young people draw us out of prayer into service and care.
- Clarity. As we pray and relate to young people we begin to gain clarity as to how the Holy Spirit is calling us to act. This is the moment for discerning how (programs, relationships, activities) we are called to minister with youth.
- Contemplative Action. Grounded in God and community we now begin to take action either on behalf of youth or with youth in service to a hurting world. Our programs and ministries are developed at this stage.
- Christian Reflection. We reflect on our actions in the light of scripture and our Christian tradition. We name how the Spirit is moving or blocked through our programs and actions.
- Contemplation. We start the cycle again. Returning to the Source—offering the ministry, ourselves and our actions up to God. We begin again, waiting on God for guidance and renewal.
The Inner Tensions: As we live into this ministry cycle our prayer, community life, relationships with young people and ministry activities deepen, growing closer and closer to God's vision for the ministry. We also, over time, notice various tensions that break us open bringing new life. There is the tension between the I and the Thou-my individual prayer life and my desire to move out of myself towards young people. I also notice that as I increase my interactions with young people, I am in greater need of silence and prayer.
There is the tension between the ministry team, the covenant community that tends the tradition of the congregation and the prophetic actions that arise in relation to young people. Ministries with youth will inevitably challenge the traditions and practices of the sponsoring congregation.
These are the tensions that make up the Christian life-between silence and service, the worshipping community and the suffering world. As we live these tensions our own agendas are broken down. We become more aware and available to God's vision within our ministry as well as our individual and collective lives.
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