Questions to ask Mary and Joseph

One of my favorite authors is Max Lucado. On top of being an accomplished pastor, he is also an accomplished author that writes easy to read and relevant devotional books. One of my all-time favorites is his book entitled "God Came Near: Chronicles of The Christ." In that book one of the chapters he poses questions that he might ask Mary, the mother of Jesus. From that article I have adapted my own list of questions that I would ask both Mary and Joseph. Here they are:

What was it like to correct him?

Was he any good at woodworking?

Joseph, why did you stay and raise a child that biologically wasn't yours?

Did Jesus go through the terrible twos? (I have a two-year-old and could use some advice)


Did Jesus have any close friends?

Did he ever get hurt? How did you make him feel better?

What was his favorite food to eat?

Did you ever want to ask him about how he and made the universe?

Too often at this time of year we lift Jesus up on a pedestal not realizing that while he was fully divine he was also fully human. I hope is you celebrate this Christmas you will keep that in mind.

BTW-What questions would you add?

Video-Myths About Christmas

I found this great video that explains some myths about Christmas. It can be used as a great launching point for discussion with the youth group or even an adult small group. Enjoy!!

Youth Ministry Christmas Ideas

Decorate Youth Room Night – Tired of decorating the youth room? Get all the stuff ready and make one of your nights a night where you all pitch in and decorate the youth room for Christmas. You can break students  into teams and have each team be responsible for 1 aspect of the room such as lights. Have one team be in charge of getting the Christmas tree ready ect… Have rockin holiday tunes playing for the evening on Pandora or your favorite way to broadcast music and have fun together! Have some treats ready to go so that you can take a  break or when it’s all done – pig out together.

Student Christmas Tree – Basically – get everything you need to make a person into a Christmas tree. This is a lot of fun and you can divide up students into groups and pic 1 student out of the groups to be the volunteer to become the Christmas tree and then give a time limit and once they are all completed – judge 1st, 2nd, 3rd and so on. You can even give out prizes too! Make sure each group is prepped and has the same amount of stuff along with scissors and tape.

Host Your Own Community Christmas Party – Have your students raise money and host a party for your community! Turn your youth room or make it a non-church facility and turn it into a Christmas Party. Be as extensive as you want with prize give-a-ways, treats, karaoke to Christmas carols, and more. Invite the community to share the love of Christ. Your students can be involved in various aspects of the evening and the point is to serve and love your community.

Christmas Caroling – Do you remember doing some of this growing up? I do. Why not bring it back? Have your group or groups go out and do some caroling either house to house or in your local nursing homes. TIP: do some practicing because if some students haven’t ever sang Christmas carols before – then it’s kind of embarrassing showing up and nobody really knowing how it goes – lol. So just make sure there is a good handful of students/adults that know the songs before you head out so that your song/s don’t die out.
The “First Christmas” Skit – Do a skit with your group using the “First Christmas” (click the link to read about how). Skits are a powerful way of helping us to think and remember and respond to the meaning or message in the story.

White Elephant Gift Exchange – This is probably over-done – however – this is still a fun and easy way for students to have a gift exchange. A white elephant gift exchange is about wrapping up funny gifts and then everyone draws a number and the first person starts – opens a gift and then the 2nd person can take the first person’s gift or open a new one. This continues until all the gifts and exchanging are over. You can apply whatever spins and twists you like to game.

Un-plugged Acoustic Worship Night With Just The Christmas Lights On – I don’t need to expound on this one right? Select some Christmas or Christ-focused worship songs and have your student team or an adult that is up to snuff on the acoustic guitar lead the group in some worship songs. The only thing that is plugged in is your Christmas lights. I encourage you to just stick with the Christmas lights – so don’t paste words on a screen or anything like that. Another alternative is to use candles. Have an un-plugged evening of singing and testimonies in candle light! This has a great effect on the mood and students opening up to God.
What are your favorite Christmas ideas for Youth Ministry? Please share them with the rest of the readers below so we can see what it is that you do with your youth ministry.

Above every activity that you decide to do – keep CHRIST in Christmas! Focus on Jesus and you can never go wrong with your time together!

Advent Idea: Advent-in-a-Box

Try this idea to encourage your youth to spend some time focusing on the themes and texts of the Advent season.  Inspired by a 2011 post by Joel Mayward.

Prepare a small gift box with the following items:  shepherd nativity figure, watch or hour glass, baby toy, votive candle, greeting card with image of the nativity, strips of green and red construction paper (most of these items I just picked up at a dollar store). Print and cut out the texts below and tape them to the corresponding object in the gift box.  Invite one participant at a time to select an item from the box, read the text and corresponding question and pass the object around the group, giving each person a chance to respond. Note: You could do this as one large group (no more than ten would be good) or divide into smaller groups (with 3-5 people per group).

WAITING:Read from Luke 3: “As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John (the Baptist), whether he might be the Messiah, *16John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with*the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Advent is a season of waiting – waiting once again to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the way that birth changes the world.Invite each group member to hold this watchand answer the following question: What are you waiting for this Advent season (for example, in your personal life, at school, with your family, in the world, etc.) If you like, pass the watch around again and ask each person: What do you think God is waiting for? 

STORY: Read from Luke 2: “In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah,*the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ “

Consider the nativity story. Pass around this greeting cardto each person and have them answer: Which character from the story do you most connect with, relate to, or see yourself as at this point in your life?The humble, smelly, outcast shepherds? The expectant (and potentially disgraced)mom? The worried, confused dad? The wandering magi bearing gifts? The angels bringing good news? The animals watching from the background? 

PRAYER:  Read from Colossians 3:“ As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…”

Who are you praying for this Advent season (Yourself? Someone else?) Everyone take a slip of red or green paperand write the name of the person you wish to lift up in prayer on the paper. As you go around the circle and share your prayer concerns with the group one at a time, attach your prayers to form a paper chain, connecting your prayers together.After each person shares their prayer concern, respond as a group: “God, in your love, hear our prayer.”

SHEPHERD: Read Luke 2:8-14: In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah,*the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,*praising God and saying,14‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’* 

What a radical story we tell, claiming that the first people to come and worship Jesus were a bunch of dirty, peasant shepherds!These were people that most wouldn’t have given the time of day, and yet they are the ones who we follow to the manger.Scripture often refers to Jesus as a shepherd who cares for his sheep – as one who will lead others to the way of peace and compassion. Pass around the shepherd figure and ask each person to answer: Who is (or has been)a “shepherd” in your life that you are thankful for?Who is nurturing you? Who is guiding you and helping you find your way? 

LIGHT: Read from Isaiah 9: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.”

The Messiah was expected to be like a light in a dark world, especially to the poor, the hungry, the outcast, the marginalized, and the oppressed.For many people, Jesus wasthat light. But he also said, “You are the light of the world.” Pass around this votive candle and have each person share: How are you being called to be a light this Advent season? Where are you needed right now to illuminate some love and peace in the world?”

EXPECTATION:Read this passage from Luke where the teenager Mary discovers she will be having a baby: “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ *29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’” 34

In the story, Mary is pretty confused when she gets this news from the angel. And yet, very often the announcement of a new baby on the way is good news, a chance to celebrate new life.In Advent we prepare to share the good news that the same God who loves the world through the birth of a tiny, helpless, peasant baby, also loves the world through each of us…if we are willing. That’s pretty good news! Pass around the baby toy and have each person share: What good news do you have to share about your life right now? What can you celebrate?

Close by passing around the box itself and say: "Think about what gift you would most like to receive this advent season to help you be part of sharing the good news of Christ's love -- something that can't be bought in the store.  Maybe it's rest, self-confidence, or patience to deal with a friend." Pass the box around the room and have each person share. Close in prayer.

When Should You Higher a Youth Worker?

So your church is thinking about hiring a youth worker? Except you’re wondering when the best time would be to do this.

Here are some helpful hiring tips that just might make this job search go a little easier.

1)“Sustainable Youth Ministry” by Mark DeVries recommends 1 full time staff person for every 50 youth who are active somewhere in the life of the church. 25 youth means a 20-hr person and so 12-13 youth would mean hiring someone for about 10 hours a week.

2)What to pay? Go to the January 2012 issue of Group Magazine and check out their latest salary survey. They provide loads of stats and variables to consider.

3)Where to post your church’s position? Simply Youth Ministry, Youth Ministry Architects and Youth Specialties have the best job boards. Of course, your denominational office is good. Colleges and seminaries are a must. Plus? There’s always Craig’s List.

4)Pick 3 non-negotiables and 1-2 “these would be great IF” qualities in a staff hire. Head towards that.

5)Don’t set the hire up for failure by holding off everything till “the new person gets here.” The youth ministry belongs to the church and so does the Youth Minister's vision and values. The person you hire should be able to match up with similar skills and purpose.

I hope that is helpful and Good luck!

How to Lose Support of Parents

If you don’t get anything else out of this post, get this: 

Young People’s Ministry is about caring for

 the students AND their parents.

In Young People’s Ministry we have been entrusted for the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of not only the student but their family and parents as well. We don’t always get it right. Below are 3 common places where Young People’s Ministry staff and volunteers miss the mark when it comes to the ministering of parents.

We Don’t Let Them Know What Is Happening in the Ministry-Young People’s Ministry can be one of the best-kept secrets in the church! How cool would it be if parents knew the lessons ahead of time and could have the opportunity to discuss it before they left for group? Or at least have some tools on the back burner to help them discuss at home what they learned at church. Too often we move from lesson to lesson and program to program without even the most basic communication to parents.

We Don’t Return Phone Calls-It doesn’t matter what type of communication you prefer. For many parents-hearing a voice over the phone is far and away the best message. When you don’t return a phone call it subtracts equity from your ministry. It doesn’t take long before you are overdrawn. If you aren’t a phone person… Who cares? You need to become one because a phone call is the love language of most parents these days.

We Keep the Spiritual Growth of Their Child a Mystery-As we care for their children, we need to keep parents in the loop of what is going on with their child emotionally and spiritually. A lot of youth and young adult workers want to gain the trust of the students they work with and so they make promises that they want discuss issues with parents. While I can understand the want to be “liked“ by the students, your first responsibility is for the care of your students. You only see your students for a fraction of the time… The parents spend far more time with them. Keeping them in the loop of how and what is going on with their child will en-dear you to them and will let them know that you truly care about their child.

There are many other ways to alienate parents. What are some of the ways you might add?

Leaders Are Learners

There is a famous quote that I really like:

“Leaders are learners-when you stop learning you stop leading.”

It’s a great quote, but it begs the question what makes someone a good learner? Here are a few possibilities to consider.

Someone Who Asks Thoughtful Questions - Someone who is curious and asks lots of good questions is hungry to learn. They are processing the information that has been provided, and now they are seeking clarification for an even deeper understanding. They know they need to learn and use the answers to those questions to propel themselves forward. If you want to show someone you’re listening, learning and leading, ask great questions.

Humility is Key - It isn’t easy, but a truly teachable person allows others to speak into their life through exhortation, encouragement, correction and coaching. Even when they aren’t asking for this. To be open to correction you didn’t know you needed. To be coached in areas you thought you had already mastered. To be pushed in directions you didn’t think you want (or need) to go. To learn from people who don’t know as much as you do.

Chances are the older, more experienced, more educated and more “successful” you are, the less teachable you are, too. While this is natural, it doesn’t make sense. In the fast-paced, ever-changing world of ministry, leaders simply can’t afford to quit learning.

Dealing with Disappointed Parents

One of the more common challenges in ministry is dealing with disappointed parents. You don’t have to be in Young People’s Ministry very long to have this experience. If you haven’t had this joyful experience…Is you will. And in some ways, it is exciting and encouraging when parents engage in their teenagers spiritual lives, even when that means they have taken an issue with your ministry.

Don’t sweep it under the rug or ignore it! Here are a few helpful steps to deal with parents quickly and  in a (hopefully) healthy manner.

Take a Deep Breath-This isn’t the first time that a youth or young adult worker has had to deal with conflict or disappointment. All of the greats in God’s kingdom have had to deal with disappointment -  you, too! God will use you and grow you through this experience.

Pray-Once you regain your breath, start here. Ask God to free you of anxiety, arrogance, or defensiveness. Ask God for the right heart, and commit to responding wisely and slowly.

Seek Counsel-If you’re unsure how to handle the situation, ask for help! Too often youth and young adult workers rushed this conversation or dismiss a serious issue in their attempt to get it over with. Take time to process the issue so you have some responses ready and some possible resolutions in hand.

Just Do It-You need to do this face-to-face. Own what part of it you need to. Learn from all of it. Have the conversation, set the appointment. Find a neutral place, and try to have a non-defensive posture. Make sure 100% of the issue is raised and addressed-the worst thing is holding back 10% on either side and having to do this all over again in 2 weeks after it blows up behind the scenes again.

Master the Art of “FEEL, FELT, FOUND.”-While it won’t work every time, this simple strategy is often quite effective.

“Mr. Smith, I can understand why you FEEL this way…”

“In fact, Mr. Smith, other parents have FELT the same way…”

“Here’s what we’ve (the other ministry leaders in the church including yourself) FOUND…”

Follow Up-When the meeting is over it isn’t necessarily over. Take the time afterward to process and then fix or address the problem. Do what you promised the parent. And follow-up. The worst thing you can do is not following up and might be more damaging than the original disappointment.

Key Elements to Youth Ministry

Key Elements to Reaching Young People from Warren Bevacqua

Student Leadership

One of the core beliefs that I have concerning Young People's Ministry is that Young People should be front and center in leadership.

This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. They can plan activities, lead Bible study lessons, organize mission opportunities, preach to the congregation, and teach other adults. If we do not put Young People into leadership roles, how else are they supposed to learn? 

Here are just a few benefits to giving Young People the opportunity to lead:

• It gives them real world experience and leadership.
• If they are the leaders of an event, they are invested and participation by other students will increase.
• It teaches them responsibility and accountability (if they don’t plan the program, then there is no program, and they have to and the responsibility.)
• Young People have various passions-Let them lead something that they are passionate about.

What other benefits would you list?

Allowing Young People to be in leadership and have mentors along to help guide them and love them unconditionally when they falter or fail is what student leadership is all about! 

YouTube Video Describing Christianity

This is a YouTube video by gentleman named Tyler Oakley. He evidently posts on a regular basis and this post has to do with his description of Christianity. Take a look and then ask yourself or a group the questions below.

1. What's your reaction to Tyler Oakley's description of Christianity? 
2. Did you find it funny? Accurate? Misleading? 
3. What would you say to Tyler about his video and his interpretation?
4. If this was someone's first intro to Christianity, what sort of picture do you think they'd have?

How To Plan a Programming/Teaching Calendar

Planning is key to any successful Young People’s Ministry program. A lot of people think that you can just throw something together and that that’s good enough, however, what I have found that the old adage is true “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Here are a few suggestions to get you started on planning a programming/teaching calendar.

Consider Working in “Thirds” - break down your calendar into categories. One example might be: 1) Christian Education; 2) Life Skills; 3) Felt Need. By doing this you will balance your programming/teaching calendar so that you do not focus on any one category too much.

Consider Series/Themes - if you’re leading a program or teaching a Bible study or Small Group choose a series that you will follow for 3 to 6 weeks. A lot of research has been done that the ideal timeframe for a series is no greater than 6 weeks. There are a few exceptions (confirmation class, disciple Bible study, etc.) but for the most part determining theme/series for a season of time is helpful. If you get really good at it you can plan a whole year in advance.

The most important thing to remember about planning is not to get lost in the plan. It is okay to get off schedule. The planning just helps you kind of like a roadmap. It helps students, parents and other leaders know where you are going so that they can plan their lives accordingly.

What do you think is the most important thing when it comes to planning ?

How to Produce Evangelistic Students

At its heart, Christianity is an evangelistic religion. We have been so moved by what Christ has done in our life that we are compelled to share it with others. However, one of the biggest problems that faces mainline religions like the one that I am associated with is that we have lost the passion to share what Christ has done in our life with others. Furthermore, we have experienced or witnessed evangelistic methods that are turnoffs therefore making the word “evangelism” a bad word.

Be that as it may, here are a few suggestions on how you can encourage students to share their faith with others.

Lead by Example-If you want your students to share their faith with others, then you also have to share your faith with others… This is a leading by example! This is a practice that Jesus used often. He didn’t just tell his disciples how they should share about the kingdom of God, he showed them. If you want your students to be evangelistic and share their faith with others, you need to model it for them.

Help Students Know Their Own Story-Students need practical ways to share their faith with their friends and family… One of the best ways is helping them articulate their own spiritual journey. If their story is filled with sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll-That’s okay because it’s THEIR story-but make sure the focus rests squarely on Christ and his redemptive work. If their story isn’t quite as dramatic, encourage them to point out how God is moving in their life. Either way, having everyone write out their personal story is a great way to help them build confidence around sharing their faith with others.

Create Opportunities to Share Their Faith-Every opportunity you get, have some students share their personal faith testimony. This can be done during worship, on a mission trip, on a retreat-ANYTIME! The more opportunities you allow students to share their faith stories with others the more confident they will become and the easier it will be for them to share it with their friends, family and even with people they don’t even know.

5 Practical Things you can do to have a Healthy and Relevant Youth Program Webinar PowerPoint

Webinar - Get Real-Youth Ministry for the 21st Century from Warren Bevacqua

Ministry Transitions

Summer is a season of transitions in young people’s ministry. Depending on how your local church program runs, you will have Grade School students joining the youth ministry program, junior high or middle school students joining the senior high program and graduating seniors moving on to college or post-high school jobs and life. This time of transition can be difficult not only for the young people but for the leaders of those various ministry programs. Here are a few ideas to help make these transitions as smooth as possible in your particular ministry situation.

Work in Harmony with the Other Areas of Ministry-All areas of ministry in your local church should work in conjunction with one another. The staff and volunteers that work in the various age levels throughout your church (Grade School, Junior/Middle school, High School and post High School) should be working in concert with one another knowing each other’s programs, keeping regular communication about calendaring events, and being aware of this transitional time so that a coordinated plan can be made to help all students make the transition well.

Prepare Your Students for What Is Ahead-Communicating with your students, staff and volunteers on these transition points will help everyone. As mentioned before, your local church should have a coordinated plan so that everyone (including students and parents not just staff and volunteers) know what to expect. This communication can be done in a variety of ways and should be understood by everyone involved. Pick the best way of communicating that works for your specific location.

Create Spaces for Questions- as a part of your transitional plan it would be good to have a time for Q&A. Invite staff, volunteers, those students that are affected as well as their parents and any other leaders you think need to be there to help relay proper communication and introductions to the various programs. One of the biggest problems in any ministry program is a lack of communication. If a ministry learns how to communicate well it can be successful.

Celebrate Every Step of the Way- Find a way to celebrate these transitions in an appropriate manner with each age group. That could simply be one big party, individual parties, a transitional fellowship dinner, etc. You know what will work best in your particular location.

Any transition can be difficult for anyone. But if you properly prepare, communicate and celebrate those transitions it will pay off in big dividends down the road.

Mission Trip in Connecticut

Blog entry number 2

Today we are nearly done with the week. I have a great group of guys who have been working incredibly hard. In fact, the entire camp has been working very hard. 

Every night worship we light candles on the altar to signify the number of jobs that have been complete below is a picture of last night's altar. 

It's amazing to see students from all over the country come together to serve people that they have never met before . If you get ever get the opportunity to go on a youth mission trip, TAKE IT!

You can follow us on Instagram (youngpplministry) or on Twitter @yngpplministry. And check out posts with the hashtags #SUSUMC, #SUSmissions, #authenticwitness

First Day of Mission Trip

Today is the first day of our experience working with UMARMY (United Methodist). The theme for this years trips is "Authentic Witness"-how can we be an authentic witness to the community in which we serve. Our group has been divided up with various groups from across the nation and below is a pictures from my all guys group

You can follow us on Instagram (youngpplministry) or on Twitter @yngpplministry. And check out posts with the hashtags #SUSUMC, #SUSmissions, #authenticwitness

Live Blogging Next Week

From Sunday, June 14-16 I will be leading a mission tripOf students throughout the Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania region. We will be traveling to Connecticut to work with families affected by Hurricane Sandy. Check out this blog daily to see pictures and updates of our trip.

Mission Trip to Staten Island Island

Today is been a day of fun work and fun times on the Susquehanna Conference Mission Trip to Staten Island. 

Check out the pictures below.

The greatest part is ending with worship on the Beach

Young People's ministry Mission Trip to New York Update

Where in our second day of working on Staten Island helping victims of Hurricane Sandy. The students are really excited about this opportunity to help others and are working extremely hard.

Below are a few pictures of some of the projects that they have been working on so far.

New York Mission Trip

This week I will be live blogging pictures and experiences from a mission trip that the Young People's ministry counsel Of the Susquehanna Conference is sponsoring to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. 

We will be traveling to Staten Island, New York. I would ask for your prayers for the people we will be helping and for the young people and their leaders who will be traveling on this trip.

You can also follow us on Instagram (youngpplministry) and Twitter (@yngpplministry)

3 Must Have Apps

If you are in ministry with young people, then it is my belief that you MUST  have a smartphone. I realize that you can still be in ministry without a

smartphone, but staying connected with young people these days means constantly being on the move and I have found the use of my smart phone invaluable. So here are 3 apps that I think you should have. (This assumes that you already have social media applications like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, etc.)

Groupme

by Mindless Dribble Inc.

Cost: Free

This app is basically a group texting app. The benefit that I like with this particular app is that there is a web interface which a lot of other group texting apps do not have. The way it works is you create a group (large or small) of people that you want to communicate with, simply put in their contact information (mobile phone or email) and you can type I message and they will all receive it. If they also have this app they can carry on a conversation with you and you can see the thread of the conversation within the app. There are lots of neat controls (admittedly I have not tried out all of them yet) but I’ve begun using it and love it.

IB Questions

By Callum Henderson (icebreakers.me)

Cost: $.99

This app is probably my favorite app on the phone. It stands for IceBreaker Questions.  It’s basically a random generating question app. It has 3 different age groups (kids, teenagers, adults) and randomly generates various questions to get people talking. You can use the app in conjunction with another game or if you’re taking a long road trip it makes for great fun. It kind of reminds me of the book “the book of questions”, but it’s on my phone which means I will use it and you should too.

Group Games

by Callum Henderson (icebreakers.me)

Cost: $1.99

This is another great app if you are involved in youth and young adult ministry because it is chock full of games at the ready. It’s designed for groups large and small, inside or outside. It’s a great tool to have at the ready when you need to take up some down time with a group. I have found that these games can be used with kids, teenagers or adults and it makes a great resource.

Leading Like Jesus

I’ve read (listened to) a lot of the teaching books out there. I have done the same with the leadership books. But nothing compares to looking at the example of how Jesus led. Our ultimate goal as Christians is to so imitate Jesus in every way, shape and form that people don’t recognize us as much as they recognize Jesus. Here are a few things that I noticed about how Jesus chose to lead.

Used the Common and Ordinary-When Jesus set down with his followers across from the temple, he called their attention to the seemingly mundane to share the good news and expectations of God. Throughout Scripture you find him calling attention to the average ordinary things of life to make his point. What I take away from that is that we need to pay attention to the world around us and use common everyday experiences that people have to communicate the truth of Jesus. If that means citing a commercial, using a common catchphrase or bringing biblical stories into the 21^st century, then do it!

The 500, 72, 12, 3, and 1 Approach-No matter how small your group size, it’s difficult to connect and deeply disciple more than a handful. Jesus had different relationships with different people. His inner circle was comprised of 3: Peter, James and John. Then, he had John.

In student ministry, a huge win is to have your leaders understand Jesus' relational model and live it out. Some of “my” 12 would be another leaders 3. Some of their 72 might be in “my” 12. It makes connections with individuals easier and creates community and inclusion for all of your students.

Community, community, community-Just like in real estate it’s all about location, location, location; in ministry it’s all about community. It’s going to take time, plain and simple to form that community. It’s going to require us to spend time with our teams to determine our individual and collective giftedness. Our teams need to take on significant and specific roles on group nights and with students.

The Team-Trusting the team requires equipping, observation, and time. One of the most difficult things that I ever learned with a student ministry team was, “you don’t have to teach the way I do, but you do have to teach.” Each person on the team has a different skill level at teaching; it is each of ours responsibility to give everyone the tools they need (equipping), to provide coaching and feedback (observing) and to allow them space (time) to develop their particular skill.

Foundational Summer Priorities

Summer is rapidly approaching. Typically, for youth ministries, this means summer camps, mission trips, pool parties, etc.

Am I missing something?

It’s never easy to plan summer ministry. Family vacations and sports camps take teenagers away for weeks at a time. This shouldn’t keep you from planning weekly venues where you can connect with kids, but it should prompt you to think about where your time is best spent.

Summer can be a prime time to accomplish 3 Foundational Ministry Practices:

One-on-one Time with Students
Summer often provides the freedom in student’s calendars to just “hang out.” Use this opportunity to “hang out” with them. Let every one of your volunteers know that this is priority-one for the summer. This can be a time where your whole team of adults can invite teenagers to connect in settings that are both fun and provoke face-to-face conversation. Isn’t you atat ministry is all about?

Recruiting Adult Volunteers
Conducting ministry with Young People takes a team approach. If you do not have other adult volunteers helping you, then that should be your top priority this summer. It’s a simple fact: it would be much easier to put adult mentors in one-on-one situations with teenagers if you actually had more adult mentors. Summer is a great time to recruit workers for the harvest (Matthew 9: 37,38). How? Simple. Just give them a taste of ministry. Invite potential adult volunteers to accompany you as you make one-on-one connections with your Young People. Once they get a taste of what all is involved you’d be surprised how easy it is to get them to commit to a year of working with you.

Gathering Student Leaders
As you are spending time with your students during the summer, keep an eye open for the students that   are ready to use their gifts and do ministry. This will probably be a small group, may be even 1 or 2 students that you identify, but that is okay. Not everyone is called to be a leader and to do ministry. While we might offer opportunities for all students to serve, identifying student leaders who will take seriously the responsibility of leadership is something very different. If we look to the example of Jesus we can see this time and time again. Serving helps people temporarily. Ministry allows God to work through us and make a difference for eternity.

This is Discipleship

If you're wanting a simple explanation of what discipleship is all about check out this YouTube video. I think that says it all!

Relational Ministry

Relational ministry might be described as any step toward building a relationship with a student in your ministry. It could be a big step, it could be small—either way, it's simply the effort toward truly living in community and sharing life together.

Ministry with young people should be known for this! Students that are a part of your ministry are there to be known, loved, and cared for. All of these things take time—and time is what we can offer that the world (and too often, parents) isn't giving. 

Relational ministry takes time—but not as much as you might think. Here is a list in order of significance for you to follow.

Be Present - going to a student’s sporting event or school performance such as a band concert or play is major. Other colleagues of mine see this as an opportunity to have a date night with their significant other. The key is staying and making sure that the student knows that you were there.

Talk with Them - in a world of texting and emailing it’s often nice to hear someone’s voice. Take five minutes and give the student a call to check in with how their week is going. This will mean a lot to the student but also to the students family that you care enough to individually call them and ask how their day was.

Send Handwritten Notes - this may sound old-school, but everyone including my 18 month old daughter loves to receive mail. The art of writing a handwritten note is going by the wayside, however, for certain students this could mean the world. Whenever I receive a handwritten note from someone I cherish it, and so will your students.

Connect Through Social Media - if you are not Facebook friends with your students, you should be. If they have a twitter account, you should be following them. From time to time write an encouraging word on their wall or send them a direct message through twitter. You could also use other social media platforms like Insta Graham, Interest and others. This takes very little time but this is the world in which most students live and to see that they have an adult who understands the media and uses it, shows that you care about meeting them WHERE THEY ARE.

Text message them - I’m not talking about a mass text that you sent to all your students, rather, a personal text just to them so that they know that you are thinking about them. Again, text messaging is where most young people live today and it youth and young adult workers are not using that media, we will quickly become irrelevant.

I would offer you this challenge. This week try to begin a habit of relationship building with your students. Relationships are the hardest and most time-consuming part of the Young People’s Ministry, however, I would argue that it is the most important.

PS: don’t forget to encourage your leaders as well. 

So… You’re Going on a Mission Trip This Summer

One of the key spiritual growth engines in a youth ministry is helping students serve-and one of the great ways to get a concentrated burst in that area is to take your students on our short-term mission trip. I led lots of different trips over the years and I’ve learned a few things that I’d like to pass on.

Crawl, Walk, and Run - If possible, design your missions opportunities into 3 steps for students at various spiritual commitment levels. Do a local mission opportunity (Food Drive-one afternoon, easy, free). A long weekend/extended school break trip (4 days, higher cost, some travel). A global trip (international travel, 11 days, very high cost). Doing these incremental steps gives various students and parents options as to how committed both financially and timewise they are to mission opportunities.

Work the Cost for Leaders into the Cost per Student-A common question is what do you do about leaders cost, especially when budgets are tight-if you’re fortunate to have access to one in the first place. Several churches that I’m aware of work the leaders cost into the price of the missions trip, team or event. We don’t like asking our volunteers to pay to minister alongside students on a big event like a missions trip, because they are probably already taking hard earned vacation time. That’s just one philosophy… Yours may very.

Don’t Get Lost in Fundraising - Speaking of money, aggressively plan the price for the trip so that you don’t take the joy out of the trip by getting lost in fundraising help. It would be better to take a trip that cost less rather than getting stuck with a huge bill that can only be satisfied by 432 car washes and bake sales. Finding creative ways to fund raise will help take a lot of the burden off of taking a big trip. (Fundraising is a blog article in and of itself)

Bring the Family - If you have a family and it is appropriate I highly encourage you to incorporate your family on your mission trip. While your kids may be too young for the trip, they can learn a lot by watching other students in missions. Plus, it gives you some good family time together and an experience that could change your family’s life forever.

These are just a few of the things that I’ve learned, what would you add to this list?

Beg, Borrow or Steal Ideas

Where do you get your ideas for ministry? For me I use a variety of ways, here are a few.

Borrow - Use a local church youth pastor network to get a hold of some great ideas or resources. Challenge everyone to email around their latest series or start a shared drop box of goodies for everyone to borrow from regularly. Don’t be afraid to borrow a great event idea from someone else, or use a resource that seems outside of the norm for your group-you might just stumble onto something that really works well.

Beg-this is really just an extension of “borrow.” Have you noticed that some folks just aren’t as generous with their ideas and ministry tips as others? If your first attempt at borrowing and isn’t met with the enthusiasm you hope for… crank it up a notch! When someone has information you know your ministry needs, be like the persistent widow and beg until you get what you need!

Steal-I don’t mean literally going into a store and stealing items off the shelf. What I mean to say is taking an idea without their permission. Personally, all of my information is up for grabs. I’m honored when someone steals an idea from me, that’s why I do what I do. I realize that not everyone is as open and as generous as I am, so you need to be careful. If you steal an idea, at least give credit to where you got the idea. Most often the person you stole it from, will see it as a form of flattery. Furthermore, I have never stolen an idea that I haven’t had to tweak in some way or another to make it work in my particular setting.

"Do's" and "Don'ts" of Young People's Ministry

Here is a short list of some “Do’s” and Don’ts” that I have learned in doing ministry with young people:

DON'T Be Ignorant of Your Perception - Perception is reality and it is never more true than when we apply it to young People’s ministry. Know your reputation, know your weaknesses, and work to get better on the stuff you fail at. Don’t get blindsided by things you could have avoided.

DO the Basics- Youth ministry isn’t rocket science. In fact, some of the most important parts of a healthy youth ministry are actually quite simple: learning the names of your students, following up on newcomers, visiting sick students who are in the hospital, sending birthday cards, remembering to follow-up on prayer requests, etc. I’ve also heard this referred to it as “Paying the Rent.”

DON'T Miss the Small Things - be on time. Fill the church van back up with gas. Let someone know about the problem before they stumble onto it. Cleanup the youth room. Pick up the trash as you walk in from the parking lot. There are lots of people in the congregation who will notice the small things. If you do them well it will gain you big equity.

DO Work with Parents - Kurt Johnson of Simple Youth Ministry has a favorite saying, “If parents are for you, who can be against you?” When you are doing ministry with young people you’re also doing ministry with their parents. Keeping the parents informed with proper communication, loving their children as though they were your own, and having a transparent ministry where parents are not afraid to ask questions of the youth leadership are all key ingredients to working well with parents.

DON'T Avoid Difficult Things - Follow up with that parent who might have a problem with something the young People’s ministry did. Don’t leave someone hanging. Report major problems to the leadership structure of the church as well as the authorities (problems don’t just disappear). Receive criticism well and be a learner (everyone hates a know it all!)

DO Get out of the Church - As strange as it may be, many youth ministries focus on the young people with-in the congregation, while neglecting the hundreds of young people who are in the community where the church is located. Many of these young people outside the church are the ones in the greatest of need. Having an active outreach to young people who are not affiliated with your church is key. It lets the community know that you care about the young people not just in your church community, but in the community at large. If you have the opportunity to get involved in local schools through organizations like Young Life and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) I would highly encourage it.

Creating a Unified Team

Ministry works better when we approach it from a team aspect. One person cannot hope to accomplish ministry at the same level of excellence as a team of people working in concert with one another. In ministry, I have served on some good teams and not so good teams. Here are a few lessons that I’ve learned:

People Who Are Informed Are Less Likely to Gossip-Often times ignorance can create a breeding ground for gossip. Also, it is a team’s worst enemy. When you keep people in the dark, sometimes their mind plays tricks on them. They read into a situation or conversation, and the lack of communication creates gaps they gladly fill with their own speculation or a pain. If you want to create a unified team, keep people in the loop! When you communicate well, you crush the early growth of gossip.

People Who Have Great History Have Unity-If you have a few key volunteers who have been with you since the beginning, you know how sweet it is to be with them, serve alongside them, and do the hard work of ministry together. You literally and figuratively have each other’s backs, and unity is your middle name. On the other hand, when you have high a turnover or a collection of young, immature, or inexperienced youth workers serving with you the total opposite can happen. Work hard to keep them around for the long term.

People Who Laugh Rarely Turn on Each Other - I’ve noticed again and again in my years of ministry that when people laugh together, they love each other more. When you are in a relationship with your people-great stories, memories and inside jokes-the stronger you are together. When was the last time you spent some time just playing with your team? When was the last time you had an award ceremony and gave out awards for everyone? Laughing together creates unity quickly. 

Practical Idea: Resource Box

Over the years there are some just practical things that you need to have in order to do ministry with young people. One of the most important that I use often is a resource box. This resource box is full of the practical things that you always need for retreats, youth group lessons, etc. that unless you pull them together in one place you spend a lot of time looking for them. Here’s what’s in my box:

1. Pens
2. Pencils
3. Scissors
4. Tape (scotch, masking, duct-you never know when you might need duct tape)
5. Hole punch
6. 3 x 5 note cards
7. Plain white computer paper
8. A package of multi-colored construction paper
9. Rubber bands
10. Crayons
11. Markers
12. Assorted stickers
13. Popsicle sticks
14. Fishing line
15. Balloons

My box is one of those that you can get at a home improvement store that has the fliptop lockable lids ($6-$10). All of the other things that I listed are in smaller plastic containers that fit neatly into that one big box (I have 8 and got them at a dollar store). If you are making a resource box what would you put in yours?