User-Generated Content

In an effort to keep up with today's youth culture that thrives off of user-generated content** (the 'web 2.0 generation,' if you will), we are starting a new series tonight called Choose Your Own Adventure. Throughout this series, students are able to vote for different elements of the night including which songs to sing and what topic will be addressed.

The vote is in, and here are the results...

The top 5 issues that the Middle School students chose to address were:

1. Gossip

2. Stress (tie)

2. Lifestyle (tie)

4. Money

5. Parents

Our High School students had these as the top 5 hot-topics they wanted to discuss:

1. Stress

2. Social Justice

3. War (tie)

3. Lifestyle (tie)

5. 3-way tie (Gossip, Parents, Bitterness)

It's always interesting to get feedback from students like this, and as a youth pastor it is helpful to get a feeling for where students are at and what issues are important to them.  Notice that "stress" was very high on the list for both age groups (not too surprising at this time of year, I suppose).  So tonight in both the Middle School gathering and the High School IMPACT GROUPS we begin the series by discussing stress...where it comes from...how we can handle it...and how to avoid it all together.  It should be a great night!  I'm pumped!

**(For a good laugh, this ESPN commercial provides a hilarious parody of this recent 'user-generated content' phenomenon).