Stretching Your Budget

The economy doesn’t seem to be recovering as fast as we would like and church budgets are tighter than ever. Here are 6 ideas to help get the most out of every buck your church entrusts to you (if you’re fortunate enough to even have a budget):

Break-even Events

When you plan an event, make out a realistic budget and set a goal for how many students will attend. Some simple division and boom - you have the price point. Now stick to your budget and you won’t have to spend a dime beyond everyone’s admission. Obviously you’ll want to make sure the event is priced fairly, so do your best to balance the “bang for the buck” factor and still break even.

Cut back on Programming

A great way to stretch your budget is simply to hack away at what eats up chunks of budget in the first place. What are you doing that is ineffective and is taking dollars away from what is working? Would now be the right time to kill the program and redirect those funds to the right place? Use budget choices as a great excuse to let a sacred cow die.

Think Free First

The internet has made so many things free at your fingertips. You can get free texting, free polls, free Bible software, and so much more, at the click of the mouse! Before you buy, see if you can get it somewhere else for free.

Develop a Resource Team

These are the people in your church who don’t necessarily have the time to serve at youth group or go to camp as a counselor but they do have access to the stuff you might need. Develop a short list of resourceful or inventive people you can call on when you’re looking for random items like coolers or snow chains.

Double Dip – If you do have to buy something, think long term about how you can use an item again down the road. Are there other ministries in the church who can split the cost with you? If you do “share” this item, be sure to offer to store it when it isn’t being used so you have easy and primary access when needed.

Never Pay Full Price – Planning ahead allows you to order online from the least expensive reputable retailer. You might be able to get that video camera even cheaper/slightly used on eBay or Craig’s List, a quick search and you’re all set with a deal far better than the retailer down the street. And if you prefer to buy from a physical store, be sure to comparison shop and take the best price you’ve found on an item to your favorite store….they will likely match the price.

(I got these ideas from a weekly e-mail that I get about youth and young adult ministry)

3 Practical Teaching Tips When Speaking to Students

One of the key roles of a youth worker is speaking to teenagers. For some this is a gift that comes naturally—lots of youth workers are gifted speakers, while others have had to learn how to communicate effectively to an audience. Regardless of your skill level, these tips will either affirm what you’re already doing or help you push forward in your skills to speaking/preaching/teaching.

Find Your Own Preferred Style

Everyone has a preferred style of taking notes or jotting down reminders. Whatever your preferred style, go into a meeting with the student with some key points that you want to address with them. These could be questions, concerns, etc. If you must, you can out a manuscript so that you don’t miss anything, however, this seems less spontaneous and more like a lecture so be careful.

Practice It Once or Twice By Yourself

Prepare your lesson early enough to provide time to run over the talk out loud as if you were giving it live on stage. Work on your delivery, and add new thoughts and ideas to your outline as you progress through the run-through. So often great lines, dramatic pauses, or a fresh idea come through when you’re practicing. Too often what looks good on paper doesn’t work verbally, so get the kinks out before you’re in front of your students.

Debrief Your Talk

There’s nothing more valuable than being able to critique your self after a talk. Find someone that you trust and will in a loving but direct way share with you their thoughts about your talk. Debriefing your talk can help you improve how you give future talks, so this is very important. I find that my wife is a good person to do this with. She serves as a pastor and is a very good speaker herself. You may even want to get one of your youth leaders to help you with this process. However you debrief your talk… Do it! You’ll improve greatly if you open yourself up for honest feedback. The truth of the matter is this: People are critiquing you anyway; why not give them permission to share their observations!

(I got these ideas from a weekly e-mail that I get about youth and young adult ministry.)

Members of the Body Video

This is a skit that interprets the Scripture from 1 Corinthians 12, "One Body, Many Members." This could be used as a devotional concerning this Scripture or as an idea to incorporate youth into worship.

Special thanks to the Buffalo United Methodist Church Youth from Minnesota for coming up with this idea and using it as a devotion on their Mission Trip to Henderson Settlement, a United Methodist Outreach Program in the Redbird Missionary Conference in Kentucky.

Saying Thanks

Youth ministry programs can be very busy. This is especially so if you are a volunteer. It often feels as though you’re just moving from one activity to the next with hardly any time to catch your breath. With all this hustle and bustle of activity it is easy to forget  a simple “thank you” to the folks serving alongside you. My wife reminds me on a regular basis that it is always a good thing to say thank you and to apologize (but that’s another blog article for another time). Saying thank you to those that you work with can be a very powerful motivational tool that you cannot forget about, so here are a few tips on ways that you can thank people in special ways:

Say Thanks to Those Who Worked the Hardest.
In addition to a quick word of thanks, consider a hand-written note to those who gave their blood, sweat, and tears for this particular event. Keep the faithful happy and loved and they’ll serve you well for years to come. When you go the extra mile with the highly committed…they will likely go many more miles with your ministry!

Save Thanks to Those Who Usually Go Unnoticed.
The janitor who cleans the carpet after a 7th-grader spilled fruit punch. The church bus driver who has to navigate traffic while listening to your group sing One Direction songs at the top of their longs. The mom who slaved in the kitchen to bake goodies for your bake sale. When you remember the people so easily forgotten, it makes a huge impact. So think back over your event and think of people who are too often invisible and show them a little love.

Say Thanks for No Reason.
“No reason” thanks are the best. Say thanks as a surprise. Say thanks when it’s unexpected. Say “I noticed” when you see something that needs to be affirmed.

Make a list today of those you need to thank for this past school year. Keep a running list of the people who contribute this summer and make sure you say thanks to them, too.

I would end this article with a special thanks to you for your support by reading this blog.

THANK YOU!

Keep the Momentum Going All Year Long

As we begin another school year—for us it is easily the biggest time of the year. We've got momentum from school, the chaos of summer vacations is behind us, new friendships are forming, and faith is being shared regularly. Then come the Christmas slowdown and the spring, when seniors start setting adrift and checking out.

Is it possible to have fall-like energy throughout the year? How do we keep momentum going all year long?

NO, YOU CAN'T

Realize that the cycles of youth group are real—that there are seasons of ministry when you won't feel the momentum and when the attendance will dip. Honestly, there isn't much you can do about it, except strive for health and remain calm if you have a few more empty seats than normal. When attendance dips, take the time to build an infrastructure to better support growth in the big season ahead.

YES, YOU CAN

So once you've got a firm grip on reality, know that there are a few things you can do to at least help the situation in the future

1) Plan big events at key times

We only do a few events a year, and they are totally supplemental to our ongoing programs (youth group and small groups). But when we have them, they are at crucial times when we need a boost. In late October we have Pumpkinfest to help carry momentum through the slow holiday season.

2) Plan a key series at a typically low time

In our high school ministry we planned a series called You Own the Weekend that is built around student involvement and friendship that takes attendance way up in a time that is usually painfully low. Think creatively about a teenager's specific felt-need when you don't naturally have momentum.

So is it possible to keep momentum going in your youth ministry?