By Ken Lass
Some people say that Spencer Jones and Matt Dickey might be a little crazy. Maybe a better choice of words would be creative and innovative. However you describe them, what they’re doing is working, and folks all over the country are taking notice.
Ken Lass, Tribune columnist
Spencer is the minister to high school students at First Baptist Church Trussville. Matt holds the same position with middle school kids. Their mission is to reach young people for Jesus Christ. To do that, you first have to get their attention. And that’s where the craziness…..oh, sorry,……the creativity and innovation come in.
Spencer and Matt have developed a bit of a local reputation for dreaming up all manner of stunts and adventures they volunteer to perform, as a motivation to get kids to participate in church events. It’s not a new concept. For decades bosses and authority figures have sat in dunking booths and taken pies in the face. But this daring duo has taken it to the next level. In recent years they have gotten their legs waxed, undergone a spray tan, and had their pastor, Buddy Champion, tattooed on their necks. They have ridden bicycles from Atlanta to Anniston, a distance of about 100 miles. They have taken the ACT test along with the students and revealed their scores at a Wednesday night church gathering. They have “car bashes” in the parking lot, where they bring in an old beater and allow kids to smash it to pieces with baseball bats.
Gimmicks you say? Of course. But guess what? Kids love gimmicks. And Spencer and Matt love kids. Spencer grew up in Atlanta and Auburn and went to college at AU. His father spent 29 years in youth ministry, and Spencer felt the call to follow dad’s footsteps when he was in tenth grade. After ministerial stints in Montgomery and Houston, Texas, he arrived at First Baptist five years ago. Matt grew up in Trussville, graduated from Hewitt, and was a star basketball player, even enjoying a brief professional career. The chance to come home and give back was too good to pass up. Their paths to the church were different, but their fun-loving approach to ministry knitted them together.
Those ministries have been so successful that Spencer and Matt have run out of room at the church, and expansion is on the horizon. The sooner, the better. Pastor Champion says he gets inquiries about the youth ministry at First Baptist from all over the nation. But Spencer is quick to point out the secret to this growth has less to do with their antics, and much more to do with what happens after the students arrive.
Want to relate to a teenager? Then, grasshopper, you must enter their world. This takes work. Plenty of it. But so worth the investment. Pop culture is constantly evolving at breakneck speed. If you think the trendy pop singers these days are still Justin Bieber and Adele, you are so ten years ago. Taylor Swift? Nah, she’s bigger with the twenty-something crowd. The current number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart is by someone named Shaboozey. Or is that a group? Your teenager knows. Other popular artists on the chart include Dasha, Marshmello, and SZA (pronounced siz-ah). Ever heard of ‘em? Yeah, me neither.
Teens also have their own language. You can’t fool them by just saying “awesome” every other word. Spencer, who is 31, gives much credit to an entire team of teachers and staff who make the effort to spend time both in the schools and at school functions. They explore that complicated world, and help keep track of what’s going on, help translate the latest trends and lingo. Spencer calls them “troops on the ground”. Among other efforts to connect, the football players from Hewitt Trussville are hosted every week for a hearty meal and a little food for the soul. Ditto for Shades Valley.
But some things never change. Flashy stunts and food may attract teens, but it won’t keep them. Turns out they really want, and need, someone who will just listen, respect their feelings and opinions, and truly love and care about them. They want mentors who are simply themselves, who are honest and straightforward. They may come for the high jinks, but they will remember how you made them feel. You’re important. You have a purpose. You belong.
In other words, they need the same things all of us need. Huh. Guess their world isn’t so different from ours after all.
For Spencer and Matt, the latest gambit is designed to get students to register early for the Disciple Now program in January. If 500 students will register by September 8th, the two will spend 24 hours in a box in the parking lot, where students can throw water balloons at them, or just watch them pass the time. Yep, maybe these guys are a little crazy.
Crazy like a fox.
