The beginning of March had a vibe that 2020 was going to be a banner year of ministry at Christ In Youth. SuperStart preteen and Believe junior high events were on a roll! The teaching and interactive elements were powerful and impacting hundreds of youth. Large numbers were waiting to attend the seven remaining major city sites in April and May. Plus, registrations were at a record pace for CIY’s Move high school and Mix junior high summer events. Hundreds were also prepared to participate in an Engage mission experience. Several new projects were coming together, and the culture and giftedness of the CIY staff was off the charts.
Then . . . the tsunami of COVID-19 crashed over all of us!
The Harsh Reality
In March, in the span of just a couple of weeks, it became evident that all the April and May weekend events would be canceled. The hurt and ache of lost ministry to thousands of students and hundreds of churches was compounded by the angst and uncertainty of what was taking place. This also created a drought of expected cash flow at what is a high-expense time of year as we prepare for summer programming. Major investments to create Move and Mix videos, staging, facility contracts, transportation, materials used in programming, special personnel contracts, etc. (well over $1 million) had already taken place.
It became apparent the church would have to radically pivot from live events to online. As CIY is “the bridesmaid and never the bride,” brainstorming sessions focused on how to serve and support the church—specifically youth ministries—in the midst of this crisis. Within a matter of days, CIY released more than 100 digital items for free: films, games, video clips, speaking elements, creative fillers, etc. This became a lifeline of material as churches and ministries scrambled to create digital communication teens would respond to. Almost 3,500 users—including people from countries like Ireland, Czech Republic, India, Scotland, Denmark, and England—downloaded more than 14,000 items from our site.
We made thousands of phone calls to youth ministers as we sought to provide encouragement and guidance. A weekly Zoom meeting entitled “Youth Ministry at a Social Distance” served as a platform for hundreds to stay in touch, review key topics, compile innovative ideas, and share frustrations and challenges in small group chats.
As we rolled into summer, a stark and dark reality blanketed our organization: many, if not all, of our 56 summer events and 15 mission trips would be impossible. Regulations just wouldn’t allow the gathering of hundreds of youth. We had to decide seven weeks out whether to move forward with individual events. Again and again, we decided to cancel, and every decision to cancel was like a deep knife cut. As June headed toward July, the harsh truth was that all summer programming would be canceled. The word devastating hardly describes what this felt like for CIY as a ministry and what it meant financially.
Survival Mode
Determined to help youth ministers salvage the summer, CIY took all the digital production prepared for Move and Mix and created a two-day, three-night experience. The digital resources were downloadable, and boxes with creative materials were shipped out to registered churches. These experiences contributed to hundreds of decisions for Christ as more than 1,000 churches and 50,000 youth (including 1,000 in Ireland) participated.
So, how did CIY survive when all scheduled events, April through August, were eliminated and millions of dollars in revenue lost? There were four key components:
- CIY received a Paycheck Protection Program grant from the Small Business Administration.
- In an incredible display of partnership, more than 600 churches allowed CIY to keep the $50 per-person deposits for summer programming, resulting in $1.5 million in revenue—a literal lifeline!
- Regular gifting from churches and individuals did not waver.
- Our finance team negotiated at least a partial return of deposits from a majority of our venues.
Unfortunately, even with those blessings, by the middle of April it was apparent CIY could not sustain its salary base with the massive loss of revenue. A million dollars in payroll had to be eliminated. There was no choice but to cut deep. The agonizing decision was made to release 30 percent of CIY’s staff.
A Vision for Moving Forward
After a time of grieving, the vision for a preferred future began to be developed. Our creative and committed staff doubled down with focus and faith.
Christ In Youth passionately desires to continue to craft “moments” at live gatherings where students respond to the call of faith in Christ and specific tasks of kingdom work. In addition, the ministry’s “preferred future” will utilize digital and visual communication that can positively influence an ever-expanding movement of kingdom workers. Youth ministry is changing, and CIY will be on the cutting edge of assisting the church with what it needs.
Here’s an example of what this means. I clearly remember a Monday this summer when CIY launched for free to youth ministers in the United States and partners in Ireland two new interactive digital games they could immediately use with their youth groups. On Wednesday and Thursday, as I made calls to youth ministers, a majority of these leaders heartily thanked CIY for sending out this tool. These ministry servants were impressed with the excellence and age-appropriate nature of the material and how it created a positive connection with their youth.
And on Friday came a major “aha” moment when Jasper Rutherford, CIY European director, sent an e-mail telling the CIY office that these two digital games were being used by many contacts in Ireland . . . and the Czech Republic . . . and were being translated into Dutch. (There were even rumors it was being utilized in Africa!) We became aware of the incredible potential within our grasp for expansive influence and discipleship investment in the lives of unknown numbers of youth around the world.
Unfortunately, with the difficulty of opening schools, churches, and large gatherings in the fall of 2020, we regretfully decided not to host weekend events in the spring of 2021. CIY simply could not afford to invest in the preparation, video production, stage production, and travel arrangements when there was still so high a risk of losing a significant percentage of attendance.
A Strong Future
So, what is in CIY’s future? As I write this in September, three clear goals are in front of our team for the rest of 2020 and all of 2021.
First, we’re fully committed to building exceptional Move and Mix experiences and Engage trips for the summer of 2021 at 71 locations. “For All—Forever!” a focus on Jesus through the Gospel of John, will be a life-changing encounter for thousands of youth from hundreds of churches.
Second, CIY is coming alongside the local church to build kingdom workers with the release of “Engage Experience”; this material takes youth through six key principles that develop into practical lifestyle action. Through highly interactive digital and visual experiences, pragmatic action, challenge steps, and focused debriefing guidelines, this resource has been launched and is available to assist the church in growing young disciples.
Third, additional videos, interactive studies, visual communication starters, and digital materials for small groups of all ages within the local church are being produced and distributed throughout this year and into the future.
So, how does CIY pull this off when the ministry has lost all event revenue for 14 months? (Can you imagine if your local church did not receive offerings for that long?)
A team worked on maintaining close communication with partnership churches to build a strong October 1 registration for Move and Mix and continued registrations throughout the fall of 2020 and into 2021. As of mid-October of 2020, 16,500 registrations have been received from more than 350 churches.
CIY has built a clear business strategy and marketing release of the new kingdom-worker materials which will serve as incredible resources for the local church, as well as provide CIY with a revenue stream.
The development department will continue to reach out in partnership with churches and individuals that will allow Christ In Youth’s ministry to accomplish three goals:
Stabilize—Additional funds are necessary to recover lost income from canceled events as well as sustain staff and programming development through the end of 2020 and first quarter of 2021. The great news is CIY has received a $300,000 pledge in matching funds!
Innovate—Additional capital is necessary to underwrite the creation of new ventures to equip youth ministers for a changing world and provide fresh methods of reaching youth for Christ.
Expand—Additional financial resources are needed to advance Christ In Youth’s growth and influence throughout Europe (it is already a recognized charity in Ireland) by specifically reaching youth in two new countries; we will do this by coming alongside the local church and calling youth to kingdom work through resources and events.
And one request to you, the reader. Would you commit to putting “PEP” into CIY and other ministries as they step boldly into 2021 with the following actions?
Pray! Place this ministry in your prayer journal and consistently ask the Father to supply energy, vision, focus, and spiritual fruit from CIY’s efforts.
Encourage! Reach out to ministry staff with notes, texts, and e-mails of your prayer thoughts. These boosts of prayer and support mean so much! (Go to www.ciy.com/staff and e-mail someone now.)
Promote! Share the importance of this ministry with others and provide resources as God moves you to do so.
In conclusion, we praise God that in the midst of months of chaos and unique challenges, he has been faithful in his unique provision for Christ In Youth and many other ministries. We believe CIY will not only survive, but we will thrive as a unique partner with the local church to create a generational movement of kingdom workers.
A new website, www.ciy.com/kwneverstops, describes from a youthful perspective what kingdom work is, who CIY is in three core principles, how CIY accomplishes their goals with three key focuses, what is taking place in 2021, and CIY’s specific goals. The website provides amazing videos and information. You will be inspired by viewing what God is continuing to do through CIY.
We believe the best is yet to come, and that for his glory the movement of kingdom work in partnership with the local church will radically advance in 2021 and beyond!
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