Yesterday Dare 2 Share held an exclusive pre-screening of Superman Returns with bunches of youth leaders across Colorado. We rented out a movie theatre for an afternoon, invited our youth leader friends out and enjoyed the movie together.
Why? First of all we love youth leaders. We figured that one of the best ways we could show them how we feel about them is to treat them to a time of fellowship, fun and film.
Before the movie started we took about forty minutes to unveil our brand new e-team model to these youth leaders. Over the last several months we have been testing and tracking a new and improved e-team outreach model in seven types of churches across America. These churches include Mosaic in Los Angeles, McLean Bible in D.C., a rural one, mainline one and church from the south. We also launched this test in an urban church from the ATL and a purpose driven church, my home church, where I was on the e-team!
The results of this test have been, well, super. The responses we have been getting back from participating youth leaders has been paradigm rattling! The youth leaders who participated in this test used words like “clear”, “focused”, “simple” and “powerful” again and again in describing the impact of this new model on their youth ministries.
Stay tuned for the official release of the latest, greatest youth group growth strategy that we have nicknamed “Go Wide!” Why this name? Because that’s exactly what Jesus told his disciples to do in Matthew 28:19, “Go and make disciples of all nations….” We are to go wide to every person in every nation with the Name above every Name and the message above every message!
As for the movie it was super too! Although it had a lot of violence (surprise, surprise) the plot was engaging, the characters were great and the special effects superb!
What surprised me the most were the Jesus overtones throughout the movie! Superman is referred to as the savior of the world throughout the entire movie. It is almost as though you see him die and rise again. Although this Superman may have a dirty, little secret from his past (that I won’t give away) for the most part this movie paints Superman as the rescuer that the world so desperately needs.
One of the more powerful plot elements is how Lois Lane at one point is convinced the world doesn’t need Superman and later is convinced otherwise…a conversion of sorts.
I won’t give anything else away other than this, I thank God that our Superman, the God-man Jesus Christ, is not Marvel fiction but amazing fact. He is at war with humanity’s arch nemesis, the evil Lex Lucifer, and will, like Superman, prevail in the end. The difference is this: No villain, no Kryptonite, no nothing can stop him. He is an indestructible force of truth, justice and the celestial way.
As for youth leaders? I love them! They are my real life heroes. My hope is that this latest e-team model will give them a plan to rescue their portions of the planet from the power of the evil one in the stength of the real Superman who dwells inside each of them.
Capes optional.
