Bricks Without Straw

I’m afraid that in too many of our youth programs in the church today we are forcing our youth workers to make bricks without straw.

You remember the phrase from the book of Exodus. As a form of punishment for Moses meddling in Egypt’s affairs, Pharaoh made the Israelite keep making the same quota of bricks but without providing the raw material they needed. Now not only did they have to make the bricks but also had to assemble the material needed as well.

For our youth workers, it goes like this. As a child reaches “youth group age” workers are tasked with assembling them into Christians able to handle the worldly pressure on them. Yet they don’t have the parts to work with. They can’t teach deeper principles of scripture since the kids are lacking basic Bible knowledge. They can’t challenge young people to service since the young people have never been expected to do anything for themselves. They must be parents since so many parents have reneged on the responsibility. To get where they need to go the must first move backwards to pick up those that have been left behind.

"So go now and work; for you will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the quota of bricks." The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble because they were told, "You must not reduce your daily amount of bricks."

Exodus 5:18-19

Like for the Israelites, the task is just too great. That is why we see the burnout, the short tenures, and the low retention rate in youth ministry. That is also why we see so many kids crumble after they graduate. The bricks have been made but the quality has suffered since so much had to be done in so little time. The aspects that will make them strong and lasting are the very things we are not providing. You can expect one person to do all that work. That why we are in trouble.

We need to make sure that as we are assembling the church of the future, we are providing the workers everything that is needed for them to do the task. Volunteers, follow up, time, support, encouragement. Don’t just be like Pharaoh and dismiss the problem by saying, “They are just lazy, very lazy”. There is more to it than that.

You can’t make brick without straw. You can build up “living stones” without the support of parents, elders, deacons and the entire body participating in the process. The work is too important to not do it right.

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