Archive - Leadership RSS Feed

It Should Not Be About One Person

June 9, 2011 in Leadership with 5 Comments

It should not be about one person… Our ministries should not center around us… People should not be so dependent on us, that if we left, the ministry would fail. It shouldn’t be about attaining a celebrity status in our ministry or ministry circles. Our lives should not take away from Jesus, but should confidently point to Him. Every program and task should not center around us and lead us to the point of burn out. We should not create unrealistic expectations for the people we serve by saying yes to every opportunity. We should not be the center of focus and take away from gifted volunteers and students who desire to serve…

In our culture today, I see a common issue in churches: People are looking for the leader to answer all the problems and be the icon of the ministry. People love celebrities and often love to create celebrity pastors who are on stage. I also see that many of us secretly enjoy the iconic leadership and focus. Many of us have become addicted to the feelings of affirmation when we think people depend on us…

However, as a leader of students and families, it is imperative that we realize ministry is most effective when the Body of Christ is fully utilized. It is wholly unhealthy for everything to center on one person… We must recognize how healthy and effective ministry comes from a good leader leading a team of people to accomplish the vision. It is imperative that we do all we can as leaders to create environments where the rest of the Body of Christ can work together.

Therefore, it’s imperative I see myself as one part of the Body of Christ, and not the guy who does it all…

Here’s Some Things We Can Focus On:

Replace Yourself: How are you training volunteers to do what you do? If you are a volunteer, how are you training others to do what you do? How are you training students to do what you do?

Give Opportunity to Others: Whether volunteers or students, how often are we putting others up front to lead? What healthy risks are we taking to see others thrive in opportunities?

Let Go of Perfection: Are we looking for perfection when others start leading, or are we looking for potential? We must start with potential. Some of  the most brilliant leaders have had a challenging start, but have flourished later.

Training or Doing? How much of our time is taken up in training – compared to doing? Take a look at your schedule and see how much you are doing compared to training.

Talk Others Up: How much praising of others are we doing to take the focus off of ourselves? Praise parents for the God given job they do. Praise volunteers in front of students. Praise students publicly when they serve in big and small ways.

Give Them The Tools: What tools do you and your leaders need to grow and lead? Email training tips – Make training videos – Buy “how to” youth ministry books – Take them on a conference if you have the budget.

Train In The Teachable Moments: See every youth program as a ministry classroom. How much “on the job” training are we really doing? Do we see our programs purely to teach and train students? Or do we see them as a classroom for youth ministry training?

Just some thoughts. I would love to hear yours…

Phil <><

 

 

How To Gain Influence In Your Church

June 7, 2011 in Balance, healthy ministry, Leadership with 0 Comments

 

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to  preach on the Sunday we honored our high school grads. In my message for that weekend, I talked about the challenges they will likely face as they move from being a big fish in a small pond to becoming a little fish in the big pond of life. As they take their next steps, a lot of of grads will ask, “how can I be heard? How can I get the shot I deserve? How can I be taken seriously by people even though I am young”?

Isn’t that a question many of us ask in youth ministry? Isn’t that something we are challenged with in our churches as we often struggle to be heard as the youth worker? Do we wish people would take us seriously and not just see us as the “one who hangs out with the kids”? If you are like me, I have made all the above statements and many more. As I preached on 1 Timothy 4: 11-16 a few weeks ago, here are some of the truths I found are very applicable to us in youth ministry:

Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4: 11-16 (NIV).

Here’s the bottom line to influence: People listen to authentic leadership and follow healthy example:

Continue Reading…

A Quick Way to Honor Volunteers & Build Community with Students

May 27, 2011 in Leadership, Relational Youth Ministry, Volunteers with 0 Comments

Last week we shot this video of students and leaders to play at our midweek program. The school year is coming to a close and this is the time of year when I encourage my volunteers to take time off and spend time with their families. It’s also a great time to look back and remind them why we do what we do.

This video helps the leaders to get a glimpse into the impact they are having as well as allow students to consider all that is done for them. Videos always help build community too!

It was shot on a FLIP HD, edited in 20 minutes on iMovie, and played last Wednesday. Simple, easy, and effective. Anyone can do this…

Making Volunteer Meetings Worthwhile

May 16, 2011 in healthy ministry, Leadership, Volunteers with 16 Comments

A few weeks ago a friend who is starting out in ministry asked me two questions:

First Question: “How often do you meet with your volunteers all together”?

1) Meetings Every Two Months, Not Every Month: My volunteers are busy and I prefer to honor their time and their families by keeping it to every two months. However, it’s important to “supplement” them with other training and communication.

2) Weekly Email Updates: This helps them to keep plugged in with the details of the programs and upcoming events. I also text, call, tweet, and email leaders individually.

3) Training / Update Videos: On the months we do not meet I create quick (6-8) minute videos that include programmatic information and a quick training tip for them. The training tip is usually something I have seen in the previous weeks that I want my volunteers focus on.

Second Question: “What do you do in meetings to make them worthwhile”?

1) Keep them Short! If I can get get meetings done in under 90 minutes that is my goal, (I actually shoot for 60 minutes). Again, it’s important I honor leaders time, but it’s also imperative that I realize that more than 90 minutes of a meeting equals too much information for them. I want my leaders to walk away with one or two pressing applications.

2) Create a Healthy Format: I have found a healthy format that seems to work for my volunteers and I have had good feedback too. Here’s what it looks like:

a) Share your “God moments” in students lives. (This is kind of what Andy Stanley refers to as talking about your “wins” in ministry).

b) Share struggles you need help with. This is where I open up the meeting for anyone to share to struggles or ask for clarifications about the ministry. I also ask other leaders give their feedback and advice to leaders who are struggling – It’s a great way to empower the knowledge base of veteran volunteers to help the rookies too. When they can give the advice, I love to sit back and listen!

c) Training Tip. Usually a “teachable moment” training tip based on what I have been seeing in our events and programs.

d) Message series and teaching schedule coming up in the next two months. (This includes a handout of a schedule that includes the message title, big idea, bible passages, and creative ideas).

e) Calendar, events, etc.

f) Any other business?

3) Meet in a Great Place: Whenever I can, I try to meet at a coffee house or place like that. In our city we have a Panera Bread. We have our meetings on a Saturday morning and the leaders get treated to coffee and breakfast. I find it helps us all to relax and be more conversational. Panera Bread is not incredible, but it still beats church coffee!

4) Ask Them When to Meet: Instead of assuming I know best, it’s better to ask the leaders when the best time would be. For my discipleship leaders, they said that Saturday morning is the best time to meet. For my large group leaders, they want to meet immediately following the program on a Wednesday evening. Given the option of being out on another day, they said they prefer to “get it all done on the same day”.

5) Split Teams: I have all my leaders together for BBQ’s, Christmas parties, and Year end “Firing Parties”, (you can ask me about that if you like). However, for my meetings every two months, I meet them by team / program. If I was to have everyone together, it would only water down the content and make much of it seem irrelevant to certain leaders for parts of the meeting. Even when I have had small volunteer teams, I have still found it important to meet seperately. With that said, as mentioned, it is imperative to have times when “we all come together” to celebrate, connect, and build each other up. It’s also important that I connect the dots for how all the programs and teams work together to fullfil the vision… Make sense?

AND FINALLY, and I think most importantly… Don’t forget that when we are at youth programs with our leaders, some of the best training opportunities come when we can have a quick teachable moments with a leader and encourage them in what they are doing. Don’t think it all has to be covered at a meeting…

This is what I do, I am sure there are better ways… What ideas can you give me for leading your volunteers?

Phil <><

 

Helping Students Navigate Through Tragedy

May 3, 2011 in Family, Leadership, The Church with 0 Comments

T.J. was one of those kids every parent prayed for. At 16 years old, he was strong in his faith, passionate about the mission field, full of joy, and a real practical joker. T.J. was a student who had been at our church for years and was loved by many!

This past September, while on his way to church with friends, tragedy struck. Who would have thought that a car full of Christian teens would have ended up in a wreck, taking the life of T.J.? After receiving a call with the shocking news, I prayed for God to give me the wisdom to help T.J’s family, students and leaders navigate through this tragedy. Here is what I have been learning in the last few months.

Continue reading at youthministry.com (click here)

 

Back to Basics?

April 27, 2011 in Balance, healthy ministry, Leadership, planning, Relational Youth Ministry with 4 Comments

Has youth ministry become more complex than it needs to be?

Do we get swept away by the complexity of adolescent lives and feel the need to provide complex answers and solutions?

Have we become too focused on other ministries ideas and try to copy every idea for our own ministries?

Do we personally cram in way too much into our ministry schedule, our personal schedule, and our family schedule?

Have “blessings” become “curses” for us who are in ministry?

Are we in search for the newest or latest thing, but miss out on oldest yet, brightest truth?

Does it feel like we have “knock the ball out the park” every week to be successful?

Back to Basics? Does youth ministry really have to be so complex and stressful? Is it time to step back and take a fresh look at what we do and what matters most? Is it time to see that the best answers in youth ministry can be found in the most simple, yet powerful ideas and practices? For me, whenever ministry gets complex and overwhelming, I have to remind myself to come back to these foundational ministry values: 1) Students need Jesus, 2) they need my time, 3) they need my ears… Coming back to these basic principles is my compass in the storm of complexity…

1) Jesus Centered: Will we make a greater impact when we get back to basics by telling students who Jesus really is without having to make Him great. As Doug Fields said recently at SYMC, “We don’t have to make Jesus awesome, He already is”. Is it OK to strip away all the media and glitz and tell His story as it is? Do we somehow believe that His life and teachings are not enough on it’s own?

2) Take the Time: So many students have busy families and crave quality time. They need leaders and caring adults who can take the time to encourage them and build them up. Recently someone asked me, “what is the best way to minister to students?” My answer was simple: “Give them something the world cannot offer them… give them your time…”

3) Listen to Them: This might seem so simple that you might be tempted to think it’s pointless to read further. However, do we really listen to students? Are our conversations more about talking to them, than asking about them? If we want students to listen to our messages and insights, we must first listen to them and give them our ears first. This is so simple, but when we truly listen to students we get an insight to their heart, their hurts, and their dreams. From there, we can more effectively help them. How well are we truly listening?

There’s always more to do. There’s always someone to keep happy. There’s always a new idea or new program. When I get overwhelmed it’s important for me to come back to basics and concentrate on what matters most. When all is said and done, what one or two things should be your “back to basics compass” in the storms of complexity?

Phil <><

 

Scheduling What Matters Most

April 18, 2011 in Balance, Family, healthy ministry, Leadership, planning with 2 Comments

“If you never did ministry again, I am not sure I would care at this point!”

These were the hard, but truthful, words my wife spoke as she shared her frustrations of being married to an overscheduled youth pastor.

It wasn’t like I didn’t see it coming… Over many months I had blurred the lines of ministry and family. I had created an unhealthy ministry schedule in a church that was exploding with growth. My overscheduled ministry had become the enemy of healthy family time. I knew in my heart there were things I needed to change.

I had been to conferences that told me to create boundaries and to take care of my family. Even though I knew simple changes would make all the difference, I was allowing the complexity of ministry to lead the way for my family. It took a difficult reality and painful words to begin a new direction…

Here’s what I discovered: When I schedule what matters most for my family, we stay healthier and I minister from a healthier perspective. Therefore, it is imperative that I live by some simple, (yet powerful) ways of planning family and ministry. We do this by picking a regular day to make a plan. For us, it’s Monday evenings. We have dinner together and look at our upcoming schedules. During this habitual planning time we are intentional about setting aside family time.

Here’s how we schedule what matters most:

(Continue reading the rest of this article over at youthministry.com by clicking here)

 

Leadership Lessons I Learned From Baja Fresh

April 11, 2011 in Leadership with 1 Comment

Last night was one of the few Sunday’s I get to watch TV with my wife. I wasn’t too certain what Undercover Boss was really about, but I had seen some positive tweets about it. I am so glad I had the opportunity to watch it! The CEO of Baja Fresh, David Kim was the undercover boss. Above is a quick excerpt from the show, and here are some leadership takeaways I gleaned:

1) PEOPLE FOLLOW AUTHENTICITY: Right at the beginning of the show I felt a little awkward as I watched a CEO shedding tears for his family and staff. I felt awkward because it was not quite what I expected of a CEO. However, as the show went on I really appreciated the heart and authenticity of David Kim. His authenticity as a leader was magnetic and his people seemed deeply committed to him and to Baja Fresh. Sometimes as leaders, we somehow think that we can’t be transparent with our feelings. However, I believe the Millennials that we lead need this kind of authenticity more than ever…

2) LEADERS SHOULD DO LESS AND CARE MORE: Toward the end of show David Kim expressed how his busyness impacts his care for people. He said something like, “The busier I become, the less I care about people… the more selfish and self focused I become”. It made me stop and consider my schedule and how task focused I can become at times? When I focus on tasks and programs too much, it is easy to depersonalize the people I minister to. It’s imperative that I delegate and find intentional space in my schedule to ensure that people are my focus not tasks. What about you?

3) LEADERS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THEIR PEOPLE: At the beginning of the show David Kim shared the idea of being an Undercover Boss with the board of Baja Fresh. He expressed the hope that he could understand his staff and their work better. It meant getting into their world, understanding their issues, and living life side by side. It challenged me to consider how much I am in the world of my students and leaders? Do I understand their issues? I mean, really understand? It’s not about reading the latest culture update or latest book on youth culture… It’s about getting in the trenches with students and leaders and seeking to understand them. It takes time, questions, and commitment to listening…

4) LEADERS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE: I loved this CEOs office… Well, actually it was a cubicle. He was accessible to his staff and colleagues. It also sent a powerful message of, “I am on the team in the trenches with you”. How available are we? How easy can students and leaders get in touch with us? Are we in their world hanging out in places where they are? Are in their world hanging out being available to the people we minister to? Or, are we stuck in a church offices a world away from the people we need to understand?

5) LEADERS SHOULD HURT FOR THEIR PEOPLE: Quite amazing was the depth of compassion this man had for his staff. I was quite taken back with the way his heart broke for his staff. Even though he has thousands of employees, he cares deeply for each one… Here are two questions I asked of myself: How much does my heart break for the people I minister to? Am I becoming numb to the hurts of the students I work with? What about you?

Did you see the show? What did you think? What were your takeaways?

 

 

When Sports Compete With Youth Ministry – Part 2

April 5, 2011 in Balance, Family, healthy ministry, Leadership, Parents, Review what we do with 4 Comments

In my previous post I talked about the reality of sports (and other extra curricular activities), and how they often collide with our youth minisrtry events and programs. In this post I want to look at practical steps I take to help sports and youth ministry work for me and the families I minister to. Or another way to put it, here is how I I try to create teamwork between youth ministry and sports:  Continue Reading…

When Sports Compete with Youth Ministry – Part 1

April 5, 2011 in Leadership, Parents with 5 Comments

Recently, I have spoken to a number of friends in ministry who are frustrated by sports schedules and the negative impact on their ministries. Here’s the kind of scenario I often hear:

“We had a retreat planned, and the week before students dropped out because of a Basketball game”

“Parents asked me to change the start time of my retreat because of a volleyball tournament”

“How can parents expect their students to grow close to God if they never show up to youth group because of sports”

I am sure you have more of your own stories to share (and I have a few of my own). To be honest, in my early years here in the States, (I am from England), I was shocked by the amount of focus that sports take up for the average student. Like many of you, I have been frustrated in the past when it comes to priorities of sports schedules over church activities. However, for me, I am finding the way I view the sports and ministry determines whether I react in competition or if I partner in teamwork.

Viewing the Situation Differently: Continue Reading…

Page 7 of 9« First...«56789»
SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline