One of our leaders was looking for something to discuss at Campaigners and after doing the Google Search, she came across the Cult Education Forum.  This link will take you to the point where somebody is claiming that Young Life is a cult.

I have to admit, my first reaction was to laugh it off as some old Young Life kid who got beat at Basketball by his leader and now hates Young Life, but then I got to reading it and there are some good points I think we can learn from.

Now clearly, Young Life is not a cult.  It is a parachurch organization who’s mission is primarily to reach unchurched kids in the name of Jesus Christ.  But from the outside looking in, there are some statements made here that I think we need to take a serious look at and consider how we do business.

Young Life’s leaders are told to “win the right to be heard.” This means to befriend teenagers with the intent of converting them.

I would take exception to the word “win”, because it shouldn’t be a competition.  The real word used is “earn” and I feel that’s a completely noble & Christ-like attitude toward presenting the gospel not only to kids but to anyone.  I also take exception to the idea that it’s my intent to convert anyone.  My intent is to reflect Jesus Christ, make my relationship with him transparent to all, and let them decide for themselves.  I think we need to love kids regardless of any decisions they make and I also think they need to have solid relationships with caring adults.

Young Life explains to its leaders that they must attract the popular or second-tier popular students to Club (the so-called fun night which is a cover for proselytizing) because then the less popular kids will want to attend, thereby maximizing return for effort. (I attended a leader training conference two times, and both times a ladder was drawn representing the tiers of high school groups, with popular athletes being at the top and alternative/goth kids being at the bottom, and the second tier was circled for emphasis).

I can recall having conversations like this and I always had a problem with it at some level.  I think we need to make a distinction between Young Life ministry and Young Life Club.  Club is just one aspect of the ministry, and I do think we should do work to encourage as many kids as possible to come.  There should be a discussion about how to build a fun, exciting, & well-attended club.  On the other hand, relationships (what Young Life is all about) should never be built on the premise of how popular a kid is.  Leaders should approach every teenager with the same motivation, to love them as Christ loves them whether they ever attend Club, Campaigners, or whether you even have a second conversation with them.  Just love kids.

Young Life leaders “disciple” Campaigner kids so that the Campaigner kids will be the worker bees in the school. When they are ready, they are then encouraged to disciple other students who are “younger in Christ,” and to continue the cycle, resulting in further recruitment.

No.  Campaigners, like any believer in Jesus Christ, should be doing what every Young Life Leader should be doing - Loving God with all their heart and loving their neighbor, which happens to be their friends and classmates at school.  It’s not about recruitment.  It’s about pointing others to Jesus Christ.

There is a tenuous relationship with churches. Although YL says that it works with churches and encourages church attendance, the accepted viewpoint is that all students who have not attended YL are considered unsaved until they prove their zealousness or begin attending YL. Kids get the impression that this is the only way to be a Christian.

This is a load of crap as far as I’m concerned.  I have witnessed competition between Young Life & churches in the past, but the bottom line on that competition always (and I mean always) came down to jealously on the part of youth pastors who couldn’t seem to “get” kids to come to their church, when they were flocking to Young Life.  In my area, church’s & Young Life get along just fine, because we are plugging our Christian kids into churches and even encouraging them to be middle school youth group leaders.  The reason so many churches have felt animosity toward Young Life is that they fail to accept the idea that you can’t just have an event and expect hundreds of kids to show up.  You have to build relationships with kids - going where kids are, instead of expecting them to come to you.

There are a lot of other points listed, but I’m not going to go thorugh them myself.  I tried to reply on the message board, but I had to register and I just didn’t want to take the time.  Plus, why would I write for someone else’s website when I have all the free space I need right here.

I think this is a great discussion to have, though.