Josh Griffin | More Than Dodgeball

Josh GriffinMore Posts Moving On: Know Where You’re Going and How to Get There

I’ve got 11 copies of Doug Franklin’s new book Moving On from LeaderTreks on the way – I’m excited to get these in the hands of our graduating seniors as they turn the corner toward graduation and their future after high school. Here’s a little bit from their product description:

Moving On is a book for students to help them map out the next steps for their future, based on the clues that God has already been leaving in their lives. For any of your students facing transitions, or just trying to uncover parts of their future journey, this is a great tool.

I want these in the hands of my students because I’ve been wanting to help with the difficult transition to college. I want to help prepare them for when we won’t be there. I want to help change the percentage of students leaving their faith behind. Hope this book helps them on that journey – I can’t wait to get my hands on one – it comes out tomorrow!

JG

Add Comment May 10, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts HSM Weekend in Review: Volume 180

Weekend Teaching Series: Summer Camp Kickoff Weekend (1-off)

Sermon in a Sentence: An introduction to the theme for summer camp (When Heaven and Earth Collide) by the summer camp speaker.

Service Length: 68 minutes

Understandable Message: This weekend we brought in the speaker, Mark Moore, who will be our camp speaker this summer. He did a great job of introducing the camp theme and walking students through the Sermon on the Mount – from memory! It was a great talk and the students were definitely into the talk for sure.

Element of Fun/Positive Environment: This weekend we played the most incredible game since Facebook Hack – it was called Velocicopter and it was invented by one of our team members named Hannah. So awesome! It is basically a game where we duct tape the contestants arms to their chest so they have these tiny little arms. We spilled ping pong balls on the stage and told them they needed to collect as many of their eggs in 1-minute as possible. Then we topped them off with a velociraptor mask and spun hem around as the game began. Hilarious! Here’s a little picture, I’ll see if I can find a video to put online, too. The prize was HUGE: we gave away a full camp registration to the winner!

Music Playlist: Charlie Brown (Coldplay cover), We Are the Free, Go, We Could Change the World, All I Am, Forever Reign, The Earth is Yours

Favorite Moment: I love our band of seniors! They are graduating in just a few short weeks, but they are going to also lead at camp so it was AWESOME to have them leading us this weekend. Love these students, camp will be so great!

Up next: What is Worship? (1-off)

4 View Comments May 9, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Don’t Ignore Tough/Sensitive Topics in Small Group

Really enjoyed this post over on Matt and Steven’s Generation to Generation blog about Life Group leaders taking on tough topics during small group night. Here’s part of how they take it on, head there for the rest:

PRAY PRAY PRAY – The best thing you can do to prepare is seek out God’s direction. Know where God wants to lead your students and how he wants to speak through you.
Consider changing your location – In my small group, we meet at one of the guy’s houses every week. When we’ve planned these sensitive discussions, we try to go somewhere else that we won’t be overheard. This puts all the guys way more at ease and helps them be more open.
Have a game plan – Don’t go into something like this without having some kind of plan set out ahead of time. If you go in blind, it could end up making things more awkward and then you flounder around looking for ways to move forward.

JG

1 View Comments May 8, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Brainwashed Spoken Word

One of our amazing students, Ashley Donahue, wrote and performed this spoken word at the close of our Brainwashed series. So good – and I’m so proud of her!

JG

1 View Comments May 8, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts WINNERS: WorshipHouse Media DVDs and Downloads

Last week we ran a contest with some great giveaways from WorshipHouse Media. Two winners were picked – the first winner from the random comment is Ryan:

And then there was a prize pack for the funniest comment … they were all fantastic, but this one wins hands down:

Congrats to both winners!

JG

1 View Comments May 8, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Think Big When You’re Small

There is a tension most youth workers face in a smaller ministry setting: They want their group to be bigger! Ironically most youth workers in a large setting face a similar tension: They want to be (or at least feel) smaller! This week we’re hoping to help you think big when you’re small and think small when you’re big.

So if you are leading a smaller ministry, here are a few “big thinking” ideas that will help you where you’re at, and help pave the way for where you’re heading:

Think About Infrastructure
As you grow, how many volunteers will you need? Start recruiting volunteers now, so you are ready when growth happens. How will your follow up strategy need to evolve? Start tweaking it now! Do you have room to grow or will you need to ask to move your ministry to a larger broom closet? What will growth demand of your budget? These are just a few areas of infrastructure worth thinking about in bigger ways while you’re still smaller.

Think About Scalability
Look at virtually every aspect of your ministry and ask yourself if it’s scalable…in other words, can it handle a growth spurt? Pretend 10 new students joined your small groups—could your current system handle it? Thinking big means organizing in such a way that growth can be accommodated without completely upsetting the apple cart.

Think About Communication
More students, more problems! And one of the biggest problems larger youth groups have is in the area of communication. As your group grows, gone will be the good old days of calling every student once a week, or taking each volunteer out to lunch on a regular basis. You won’t be able to stop each parent in the church foyer to touch base.

The good news is we minister in an era that has seemingly unlimited tools and technology to meet our communication needs. Start experimenting now, so you are ready when growth arrives.

So when you’re small, think big! Prepare now for the students that God will trust you with in the future. Get ready…here they come!

P.S. Big youth groups are over-rated. Trust us on this one.

This post was written by Josh Griffin and Kurt Johnston and originally appeared as part of Simply Youth Ministry Today free newsletter. Subscribe to SYM Today right here.

Add Comment May 7, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: 6 Ways Becoming a School Bus Driver Will Enhance Your Youth Ministry

Let’s face it. If you’re in ministry you either have or will drive the bus. Here are 6 ways getting a job as a substitute school bus driver will just enhance your ministry potential.

1. You’ll connect with students by driving them to and from school.

It’s time you got out the office and used your time more wisely! By working as a bus driver, you’ll spend way more time connecting with students. You’ll hear their conversation! You’ll see them interact! And you’ll learn about their world. What’s the latest pop culture reference? What are they excited or concerned about? What major events happened during the day? There’s not enough time to learn about this stuff on Sunday morning or Wednesday night. And reading about it only takes your time away from students. More interaction is what you need. Bus driving is the key.

2. You’ll connect with the school officials by working for the district.

Connecting with school officials can be a daunting challenge. You can always connect with students outside school hours but chances are you’ll never meet a school official outside of school. By becoming a bus driver you’ll learn more about the ins and outs of your schools employees and programs than was ever thought possible as the outsider. You’ll interact with staff. You’ll get to know them personally. You’ll become intimately acquainted with the school calendar. When’s the next dance or week of testing? This is good stuff to know and all too easy to miss.

3. You’ll receive valuable training and certification through your employer.

As a youth pastor we require training and certifications that are sometimes hard to come by. Some are just easy to overlook. When was the last time, for instance, you were trained in CPR and first aid? Others are expensive. My state, for instance, has made it difficult to obtain a bus drivers license. Gone are the days when you could walk into the DMV, read a book and take an exam. It now requires training by state certified instructors. Courses run around 2,000 dollars. There is another option though. School bus barns have these instructors by which they train their employees. By becoming a school bus driver you can earn a valuable commercial drivers license and stay on top of CPR and first aid certification.

4. You’ll leave your best time available for students by working bus hours.

Secondary jobs can be a pain when you’re in youth ministry. They tie you down and take up valuable hours when students are free from school. But that’s what so cool about working as a substitute school bus driver. You work both a little before and little after school. The heart of the day is free to plan your next staff meeting, event or message. You’re also free to plan events when students are available. Don’t forget you’re off when students are off – weekends, holidays, summer vacations. Finally as a substitute you’re free to choose those days that work best for you. If an emergency arises, you just tell them you won’t be available.

5. You’ll supplement your small ministry salary by a second part-time job.

We do what we do because we love it, not because of the money. But money is still important. Bills are bills and sometimes youth ministry salaries just don’t cut it. School bus driving is a great way to supplement your income without taking away from what you love doing best. The money could also help you to run a little farther.

6. You’ll raise needed youth funds through a second job.

And of course if money is not an issue for you or your church doesn’t want you moon lighting on a second job, the wages you earn could always make a much needed contribution to the youth ministry budget. Can I hear an “Amen!”

Your thoughts?

Matthew Miller is a youth pastor who drives bus and blogs at Logos Made Flesh. Be sure to check out his blog for youth ministry insights as well!

Add Comment May 6, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Make Your Pastor Like You

One of the biggest sources of tension in anyone’s job will be the relationship they have with their boss. It doesn’t matter that your boss is your pastor, there are going to be things that he does that will frustrate, anger, disappoint and drive you crazy, after all they are only human. But, the relationship you have with your pastor is one of the most important ones you can have as a youth minister, it not only dictates the tenure of your ministry, but the health of the overall church as well.

It would be nice to have some type of fool proof process where you are matched up with the perfect pastor; however, life happens and relationships will always face obstacles. The tendency is to give up, blame them and move on; however, that’s not always the wisest thing to do. In fact if you want a healthy relationship with your pastor it’s important to:

Serve Up – Submitting to authority is a humbling experience because it means letting go of your own thoughts and opinions. However, if you want to influence your pastor you need to show him that you are willing to follow him, even if it means you disagree. What you do is build trust, so that when a situation comes along where you strongly disagree you now have the clout to be heard.

Have Their Back – Biggest pet peeve of mine is when other ministers publicly bash their pastor. Not saying you have to like everything that your pastor does; however, if you have a problem with something he does keep it private. Yes, if it’s something immoral or illegal bring it to the proper authorities; however, when you sound off in public you not only break his trust, but the trust of others around you. Any issues you have with him, you need to bring to him. If you need accountability from others do it with a trusted group of individuals, to act as your sounding board.

Be Open – Your pastor doesn’t have to be your best friend, he doesn’t even have to be your mentor; however, if you feel like you have to keep the relationship superficial, you’ll only find yourself building resentment when he doesn’t understand your needs. There are going to be times when you need to tell him you are frustrated, tired, burned out and disappointed. You can’t expect your pastor to serve you or help you if he doesn’t know you. Build a relationship and make sure the foundation is full of trust, open communication and respect.

Communicate About The Relationship – Don’t be afraid to discuss the status of your relationship. It might seem awkward but make sure he knows that you value the trust and health of the relationship. If talking candidly about it is difficult write it up in a review, call them check-in meetings but again stress how much you value healthy and open communication between the two of you.

There will be situations where the relationship between you and him just doesn’t work. Maybe the tension is due to clashing personalities, a difference in philosophies or an unfortunate change in events. If you have to leave your church do it as peaceful and respectful as possible. You don’t want to be burning any bridges. If you find yourself in this situation be sure to consult a veteran youth worker or someone you trust to guide you through this emotional process. In the end it’s about trusting and respecting one another. As your relationship grows stronger, so will the leadership of the church.

What tips or steps would you suggest taking to improve the relationship you have with your pastor?

Chris Wesley is the Director of Student Ministry at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, MD. You can read more great youth ministry articles and thoughts on his exceptional blog Marathon Youth Ministry.

Add Comment May 5, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts How Volunteers Can Connect With Students at Youth Group

My friend AC has a great new blog about leaders at our weekend services being active and available in our youth group meetings – here’s a clip of how he is leading our volunteer team on the weekend. Read this teaser, and head there for the rest:

Greet – We want to greet students. We will greet students instead of wait in a corner for them to come to us. We will reach out to them instead of waiting for them to reach out to us.
Meet – We want to make sure that we genuinely meet them. Refer to the hand out “Hand Shake Hi to a Hug Goodbye/”. I also had them refer to this handout I created to help them really connect with the students “Conversation tactics for youth workers“.
Connect – We want to make sure that we are intentional about our conversation with students. We want to look for ways in the conversation to suggest a next step. For new students we want to guide them towards community. That could range from life groups to serving opportunities within the ministry or summer camp. You can even suggest grabbing coffee, lunch or ice cream with them sometime. For students who are already in life groups, you can suggest serving in a ministry, missions or summer camp. We want to make sure students are getting connected.
Pray – We want to pray for students. While you are connecting through conversations, once an area of struggle, pain, disappointment, hardship and trial appears offer prayer. We want to avoid saying “I’ll be praying for you”. Pray for the student right there on the spot. Even pray for the core students you already know that have been met, greeted and connected. Go deeper in conversation and pray for them. Just because they are a part of our core students doesn’t mean they have everything together. Every situation will be different but when the opportunity presents itself feel free to pray.

JG

Add Comment May 4, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Are Youth Pastors Overrated?

Really enjoyed Mike Calhoun’s blog with a new post called Youth Pastors Are Overrated? on his blog last week. I have a ton of respect for his work over the past 40 years and after you read this clip, be sure to head there and see his final answer to the question!

So, be honest. Do you think Youth Pastors are Overrated? Do you think they get way too much attention in churches today? When I mention Youth Pastors, what comes to your mind? Is it youth camp pranks, noisy kids in the sanctuary, the inventive colors he painted the youth room with – or maybe just the strange way he dresses?

Whatever your reaction may be, perhaps you just don’t get all the fuss over this guy. After all, what does he really do? Is there a real need for this person? Would your teens be just as well off without him around? Couldn’t you save the church money if you did not have to pay him?

This brings me back to my original question, “Are Youth Pastors Overrated?” I have had the privilege of working with churches and Youth Pastors for over 40 years so I think I can answer this question with some authority. Obviously over that time I have met some who were not committed or even competent.

JG