5 Low-Tech (But Personal) Ways to Connect with Young People

It this age of social media, staying in touch with our youth via email is now consider archaic.  Facebook is yesterday's news and texting only allows for the simplest of messages.  Want to really be cutting edge?  Go "old school" on your youth and reach out to them with something they probably would never expect: the personal touch.  Rather than hiding behind social media, try making contact with some of your youth each week through one of these low-tech options:

1) Phone Call - Why not select a few of your youth each week and surprise them with a quick phone call?  You might be able to tell a whole lot more from the tone of their voice than you ever could reading a tweet.  Just take a few minutes to check in on them and let them know you were thinking about them.

2) Affirmation Letter - Show you really know your teens. On a regular sheet of paper, write a student's name down the left margin of the page in large letters. Use each letter to write out a word or phrase that describes that teen's best gifts and qualities.  Another option is simply to write their name in the center of the page and then surround that name with all sorts of positive words to describe them.  (And, if you like to doodle like me, consider adding a little piece of original art to the page!) Next, just stick it in an envelope and mail it, no message necessary because the affirmation letter will say it all.

3) Visit - At my last church, I actually took time at the start of my ministry to do home visits with all of the youth.  To be sure, some of the teens (and their families) were shocked and a little suspicious about why the youth pastor was visiting them at home.  No pastor had ever done that before!  But what a difference it made to just drop by for 15 minutes and see those teens in their home environment. If home visits aren't convenient, take some time to meet one-on-one with your youth at a local coffee shop or restaurant. 

4) Pray - Keep a prayer calendar with different students' names written on each day of the month. Take time each day to stop and pray for a few of your youth, focusing both on why you are grateful for their presence in your ministry and how you might be called to help them in their walk of faith.

5) Prayer Postcard - When you finish praying, simply write out a quick postcard letting the teen know you prayed for him or her and drop it in the mail.  Trust me -- it will make a difference in their lives to know they are connected to you and God through prayer even during their busy weeks at school. 

Running on Empty

As a pastor and youth leader who has been in professional ministry for nearly 20 years, I have found myself running on empty a time or two to. The energy and excitement of the fall is gone, seniors are already starting to head towards the door and you are desperately trying to make the final plans for your summer mission trip, before it all starts over again. Here are a few suggestions that I would lift up to help you if you are feeling like you have nothing more to give.

Take an Hour-Sometimes you just need some space to clear your head for an hour or so. Go for a walk… Journal… Be silent… Exercise. Look at your calendar right now and make an appointment with yourself!

Take a Personal Day-Not everybody has the luxury of being able to sneak away for an entire day… But if you do… DO IT! An entire day of rest, relaxation, reading, reflection and rejoicing might just be what the good doctor ordered. Too often I find pastors not setting proper boundaries for themselves. The truth is, that there is always one more person to help, one more phone call to make, one more email to respond to. However, you are no good to anyone if you are not first good to yourself.

Get some sleep-When you’re robbing yourself of sleep at night, you’re robbing yourself of energy for the next day! Put down the iPad, step away from the refrigerator, and find a pillow with your name on it. If your computer has a sleep mode, you should too.

Clear the Calendar-In some of the most extreme cases, the wisest thing you can do is slow everything down. Trim the calendar. Slash the calendar. Talk to your supervisor about changing office hours and expectations. Cancel that thing that has you stuck.

Even Jesus had to take time away (shouldn’t we follow his example?) 

Letting Go of Your Seniors

About this time of year, something difficult happens. The seniors in your ministry began to “migrate to warmer climates.” Slowly transitioning to what is next. This phenomenon may have already started but here are 3 things to keep in mind:

Be Glad It Is Difficult to Say Goodbye to Seniors-One of the things I like is when I hear the youth workers voice catch when they talk about how much they love their seniors. I’m so glad you care about your seniors and it pains you that some are slowly leaving before their time. You care! You love them! Your pastoring them! So while it sometimes sucks that seniors bail early, you are doing the work of Jesus and caring for his sheep.

Be Glad They’re Ready to Move On-It is hard to think of this as a celebration, but you should want them to want to leave. This is a good thing; they are ready for the next stage! If you’ve been at your church for a long time, this is the most painful. But this is part and parcel to doing the ministry to which God has called you. I am sure it was difficult for Jesus to leave his disciples as well.

Help Them to the Finish Line Either Way-So they’re not coming to youth group quite as often-don’t give up on them just yet. Is there a way you can creatively minister to them-maybe with texts, notes, or a one-on-one meeting? Maybe resource, let them know you care and are available if they want to connect. Just because someone isn’t attending youth group doesn’t mean they don’t have any commitment to Christ, so work hard on fanning the flame, no matter how small the flicker may be.

Resource Review: You Lost Me Small Group Study

If you have never heard the name of David Kinnaman, then you have truly missed out. David Kinnaman is a co-author of the best-selling book Unchristian and president of the Barna group, a private, nonpartisan research and resource company. His latest book, You Lost Me, discusses why young people who grew up in the church leave the church. If you haven’t had a chance to get the book, I would highly recommend it.

Recently he has come out with a discussion guide and small group lesson plan based on his book. The study is composed of 6 sessions and explores why Christians who are between the ages of 18 to 29 leave the church and rethink their faith. In this study you will discover why the younger generation often sees the church as overprotective, shallow, anti-intellectual, exclusive, repressive, and intolerant of doubt. You’ll discuss tough questions that resist pat answers. And you discover loving, biblical ways to reconnect to young people with kindness, compassion, and humility. If you care about the future of the church, you will want to check this resource out.

You can follow David Kinnaman on Twitter@davidkinnaman