Interesting Article

Hi, I thought I'd share this - taken from BBA Website..

BB is Unique. For contemporary local church work with young people, the biggest challenge is not attracting young people, but helping those who identify as Christians to be committed long-term as fruitful followers of Christ beyond their young life. Long-term results are rarely achieved without long-term work. With that, Brigade is uniquely placed, as it is the only local church children's and youth Christian framework that offers consistent long-term intensive training that spans the entire school-age life of a young person. While recognising whatever age they are and the capabilities they have, BB constantly encourages and supports them to always keep developing further in all areas of their lives. This makes BB relevant and attractive to all (those inside and outside the church).

Our movement's biggest challenge today is communicating why we should continue to exist and what we actually offer to our world. With so many other groups adopting techniques pioneered in BB (small group structure, camping, leadership development programs, mentoring), many believe that only trivial surface details like what we wear, how we stand and walk, and what we call each other are the things that justify why we should exist. By not being clear about who we are and what we offer, many find it difficult to support our work (especially when there are so many other 'competing' programs that also need support).

So next time someone in the church asks what is BB - don't say a Christian version of scouts, or an uniformed youth group - tell them:"BB is about long-term training for long-term results - for young people to lead and impact their world (with God's kingdom)."Remember no other widespread Christian young people work is intentionally and actively working long-term like Brigade is.Keep up the great work in your continued efforts and desire to advance God's kingdom.