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What Youth Ministry Needs Less Of In 2013

January 7, 2013 in healthy ministry, Review what we do, vision with 17 Comments

I hate the idea that what I am doing is creating a barrier for students hearing the Gospel and growing in their faith. As the four of us, (Darren, John, Leneita, and myself), have surveyed the youth ministry landscape, here are our personal opinions of what youth ministry needs less of in 2013. These are our personal opinions and are not meant to hurt or offend. Please know that we are simply sharing what we see as we look back and look forward this year. We hope to spark some good conversation and add some of your comments to this discussion…

Youth Ministry

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GUEST POST: Does Your To-Do List Match Your Youth Ministry Priorities?

January 3, 2013 in Balance, healthy ministry, planning, Review what we do, Training with 2 Comments

We all have plenty of projects that are due sooner than we can manage. Your submission for the newsletter was due yesterday, you still need volunteers for the fundraiser dinner, and yes, you’ve still got 67 unread emails.

Youth Ministry To Do List

That’s why it’s so easy to spend eight hours blowing through a to-do list that doesn’t do too much to further the Kingdom.

You already know that the time you spend directly with students and volunteers represents the most significant impact you can make. But how much of those things wind up in your day planner?

How many get put off until a day that’s less busy, even though we both know that less busy days almost never happen?

If your to-do list is filled with items that don’t line up with your ministry’s priorities, it’s time to make some changes. Continue Reading…

5 Steps To Move Teenagers From Apathy To Service

July 12, 2012 in Leadership, Review what we do, Training, Urban Youth Ministry with 0 Comments

Coming around the corner at the grocery store an audible groan escaped my lips.  Seriously, there were three lanes open in a store that called for 15?   As you can imagine each line swayed and wrapped back far.  Looking at the frozen food in my cart I hoped we would make it home intact.

About 10 minutes into the wait a woman from another line started huffing and puffing throughout each line complaining loudly at how awful the service was.  Just then another register opened,  but I couldn’t get there fast enough.  Finally another 5 minutes and the manager pointed to me, and said,  “C’mon over!”  Noticing a gentleman with fewer groceries trying to make his way over, I could see his obvious frustration that my bulging cart would jump to the forefront.   Thinking I was being “Christian,” I invited him to go first; as I knew he had been waiting awhile as well.   “Would you mind if we let this woman be in front?”  he inquired,  “She has been waiting a long time too.”  “Of course I responded.”  My thought was,  “What a nice guy, he gets offered the first slot and gives it away.”  I believed he would then take his place right behind me.  Instead he made space for the woman and then himself. I admit, I was annoyed.  My offer was for one not two people with full carts to skip me.   Looking at my face the guy let out a half- hearted,  “Is this all right?”   Mumbling under my breath I sputtered,  “Well I would have stayed in my own line if it was going to be like this.” Continue Reading…

Top 5 FREE (or cheap) Youth Ministry Summer Events

May 29, 2012 in Resources, Review what we do with 6 Comments

Summer is just around the corner and many of us are still flying by the seat of pants trying to get to graduation parties while trying to get a good summer calendar together. If you are looking for an event idea this summer that you can make free or cheap to students, Darren Sutton and myself put together our top 5 list:

1) Summer BBQ’s: This is my favorite for our high school ministry! In fact we are doing 4 BBQ’s this summer. Seek out families in your church who have a great back yard, (maybe a swimming pool), buy or borrow yard games and sports equipment, buy burgers, hot dogs, lemonade and chips, and you’re set! Depending on how big their yard is, you can play games like kickball, wiffleball, and maybe even ask if you can do a slip n’ slide?

2) Ice-Cream Themed Anything: Years ago, at a previous church, we would meet at church and walk a couple of miles to the ice-cream place in town. As simple as this sounds, it’s amazing how many great conversations happen on a walk! (Who would have thought)? Or another idea is to create and build your own sundae experience and let students be creative!

3) Water Wars Capture the Flag Style: Get a team of leaders to fill up thousands of water balloons and find a large open space where you can have a capture the flag water wars game. Make sure you have a few ‘judges’ to eliminate students who get hit with a water balloon in enemy territory. It’s up to you how you make the rules, but know that students just love to throw balloons at each other (and you)!

4) Pool / Beach Party: Drive to the beach or ask around if a family at your church has a sweet pool you can use. Here in South East Michigan, we have loads of lakes with beaches, so finding a location is not a problem. Provide snacks and maybe finish off the evening with S’mores? Obviously, you might want to be clear on what appropriate swimwear looks like.

5) Olympic Games Event: Our middle school ministry recently did an event like this. Go online and find as many relay type games, obstacle course activities, and team building initiatives, and buy some cheap medals for your winners. This event will take a lot of preparation time, but your students will love the Olympic theme this summer!

What cheap or free events are you planning this summer? What would you add to this list? 

Phil <><

Three Youth Ministry Priorities For Mondays

May 7, 2012 in messages, planning, Review what we do with 9 Comments

For many in youth ministry, Monday is their day off.

For others, Friday is their day off.

For some of us, we ask, “what is a day off?”

For me, Monday is a ministry work day and I usually get my day off on Friday. Since Monday is the first day of my ministry work week, I have found it imperative to start the week by focusing on priorities that are time consuming yet a crucial set up to the rest of the week. It should be a given that my soul care should be an everyday priority, but here are three practical priorities I focus on most Mondays.

1) Message Writing: First thing Monday morning I find my usual spot in Starbucks, plug in my headphones, and start message writing until early afternoon. I am usually working a week ahead in my messages and finishing off my current weekly message. (I often speak twice a week, so it can be a hefty message writing morning).

2) Planning: Monday afternoons are spent planning programs, events, and message series. (I usually am working 3-6 months ahead).

3) Email and Task List: Before my day is done I clear as much email as I can, create new task lists (I use google tasks), and try to create a plan for the rest of the week and the tasks I need to get done. It’s important to ‘clear the decks’ before Tuesday gets here…

You’ll notice that there are no meetings with students, leaders, or other staff members. For me, Mondays are my day to hide away and get great messages written, make good plans, and get caught up on email. The rest of week includes a great deal of contact time where I get to invest in students and leaders.

For me, it’s important to have one day per week when I can hide away and get a large chunk of message writing and planning done.

How about you? Do you have a day like this? What is your day off? What do Mondays look like for you?

Phil <><

TOMORROW and the rest of this week: YOUTH MINISTRY RESOURCE GIVEAWAY! Come back and check out what you could win!!!

5 Ways To Finish Out The School Year Well

April 18, 2012 in healthy ministry, Review what we do with 0 Comments

It’s already April! Most people have returned from their Spring break trips, (I didn’t get away and I wished I had). For most people, their mindset is already looking to the Summer and many of you are already seeing numbers take a dip as the weather warms up or Spring sports hit full speed ahead… As many are looking ahead to the Summer months, I think it’s good not to forget the weeks leading up to Summer. Here are 5 essential elements I have tried to establish as I look to finish the school year well.

1) Survey Your Students and Leaders: Don’t assume you know what worked for your ministry in the last school year, ask your students (and your leaders). I will actually be using a Sunday morning program to survey our students and celebrate the last year. Our survey is pretty detailed, (I’ll post it soon), and gives students a good chance for students to provide us specific feedback. We use this survey as a way to design upcoming Fall and Winter programs and events. Before the summer truly hits, it’s good to reflect and digest on where you have been. I will be sitting down with some of my core leaders to review the school year and plan the Fall.

2) Head For A End Of School Year Event: We always close out our school year with a big event that is promoted heavily and incorporates celebration and fun. It also acts as a beginning of summer event in some ways too. It’s good to have defining events like this that signify a change in schedule or programming.  Continue Reading…

Athletes In Action Speakers = Great Outcomes!

March 8, 2012 in High School, messages, Review what we do with 0 Comments

Last night, as part of our mid-week program we had two athletes from The University of Michigan Athletes in Action come to share their faith with our high school students. Craig Roh (defensive end football player), and Brandi Virgil (softball player), did a brilliant job sharing their faith in a relational and engaging way. It was promoted as a night to bring friends to, and a night where the Gospel would be shared clearly. It was a brilliant evening! Here are some of the outcomes and takeaways I discovered:

  • It was an easy invite for students to bring their friends to: Having a local college athlete share their story is an easy way to get students to bring their friends. We saw a large number of visitors last night who all came with regular students to our ministry.
  • A guest speaker can share the Gospel boldly: It’s not that we do not share the Gospel regularly, but there is something great in having someone else share the Gospel to our students. It’s not the same voice or same style and therefore the students tune in and hear the Gospel clearly. Continue Reading…

Darren’s List: 5 Things I Pray At Every Youth Program

February 16, 2012 in Review what we do with 1 Comment

In Phil’s previous post, he outlined his 5 things he prays at every youth program. Well, here’s Darren’s quick list…

Maybe you can identify with some or all of them? What would you add to this list? What do you regularly pray for at your youth programs?

1. Please don’t let anyone spill their soda on the sanctuary carpet.
2. Please don’t let anyone’s cell phone go off during my message – and if it does, help me not to lose my train of thought.
3. Please let everyone bring their deposits on time.
4. Please don’t let the senior pastor come in here.
5. Please let me survive this night to fight another day.

Go ahead and comment. What would you add to your prayer list?

P.S – This isn’t Darren’s “serious prayer” list, it’s more for fun… well, mostly.

 

5 Things I Pray At Every Youth Program

February 15, 2012 in Leadership, Review what we do with 7 Comments

There are five things I try to make sure I pray almost every time at our youth programs. Not only I am genuinely wanting to pray these things every week, it helps to give our students a prayer focus, I find it also helps to continue to cast the vision of why we meet each week. Prayer is powerful, life changing, and focuses us on the things of God.

Here’s what I pray regularly at our weekly programs: 

“Thanks so much for the new faces here tonight, and thanks for the students who call this place home” – It’s imperative to communicate care to the new students as we pray for them and thank God for them. It’s also imperative that I thank God new people while also reminding our regular students that there are new faces here to look out for.

“Thanks to these incredible youth leaders who show up week after week to love students” – I have some of the most fantastic youth leaders a youth pastor could ask for! I realize this, but students don’t always consider the sacrifice their small group leaders make to show up week after week. In addition, it’s my job to help the small group leaders become ‘ministry heroes’ to the students. Praying for adult leaders every week truly helps students to see how much they are loved by these brilliant people! Continue Reading…

3 Things I am Changing Next Fall

November 10, 2011 in Leadership, Mistakes, Review what we do with 2 Comments

One of the crucial lessons I have learned over the years is the need for regular evaluation of how my ministry is going. There are certain times of the year when it is impossible to get a chance to “come up for air”, but there are some natural breaks in seasons that allow me to pause and evaluate. For me these seasons of pause tend to be:

  • Mid-November prior to Thanksgiving and the Christmas rush, (now). 
  • Mid-March just before Easter and a new Spring season. 
  • Late May / early June as we are slowing down and getting ready for the summer.-
  • Early to mid-August as we evaluate the summer and get ready for the Fall kick off. 
This year in evaluating the Fall, I concluded that there are three things I definitely need to tweak or change for next Fall: 
1) Simplify: This year we had too many things on the calendar as we started out the Fall. It’s not that we did not have the capacity to do all the programs and events, but it was our inability to give any one event a great deal of promotion. When we have too many things on our calendars, students focus will get lost. It’s better to “build” into the Fall rather than have a million things to focus on.
2) Do not make drastic changes in our programs until the Fall is well under way: This year, just 4 weeks into Fall we created an “Other Religions” series in our discipleship environment. It had incredible content and I had different volunteers stepping up to research and create material weeks ahead of their day to present. With this discipleship environment we usually have a 15 minute large group message and then break students into small groups to dig deeper into the passages / study. However, because we had so much content to get through each week, we decided to keep the large group together and have students ask questions and discuss the topic in the large group. Although this series seemed to work well, I believe it would have had greater effectiveness if we scheduled it later in the year. For me, my take away was this: Fall needs to be a time of building relational connections in our small group environments. While content is great in these kind of series, they are better used later in the year once we have established our small groups and students are settled and comfortable. Continue Reading…
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