Josh GriffinMore PostsRace This! Volume 2

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I love the original Race This from Simply Youth Ministry, and just today, they released Race This! Volume 2. These are the same style of races used at sporting events, rodeos, or anywhere a crowd and a jumbotron meet. There are 10 different themes and each race is randomized–which means you never know who is going to win – so fun!

JG

Comments Add Comment June 16, 2008

Josh GriffinMore PostsMove in Week at The Refinery

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We’re moving into The Refinery this week! Here’s a shot of the furniture arriving … everyone is working so hard today for the Grand Opening this week. Whew!

JG

Comments Add Comment June 16, 2008

Josh GriffinMore PostsHow to Find a Youth Ministry Job

I’ve gotten this question a few times from youth workers looking for their next ministry, or from an intern ready to step out on their own. Here’s 4 places/ways I’ve seen success in finding a youth worker position. Add another in the comments!

YS Job Bank – this one is by far the most comprehensive listing on the web, but you’ll get positions all over the place in size, denomination. You can either search open positions or post your resume and let them come to you. It works both ways! They’re currently offline because of a redesign but have promised to return today. A-

ChurchStaffing.com – Church staffing covers the whole range of positions, but manages to have a good number of churches that trust their website with youth ministry positions. A good source. B+

YouthPastor.com Job Center – Another great website that includes a bunch of new positions all over the map. You can select by denomination or region, which is a great feature, too. The designis tired, but the content is still solid. B-

TonyMorganLive.com – Tony regularly posts available positions on his blog. Decent selection, guaranteed fresh B+

Word of Mouth - Honestly, there’s no better way than word of mouth or a recommendation from a friend. It certainly isn’t all about who you know, but having some friends looking out for you or putting in a good word really gives you an advantage. A+

Network/Denomination/Individual Church Website – Often times a denomination or network of youth workers can help you find an open position. And don’t forget about checking out a specific church’s website or following a pastor’s blog to help you find an open position. These are often more niche and intentional postings, looking for a very specific person that might just be you. A

Of course, remember at the end of the day God has called us to be faithful and will open and close doors and put you in the right place.

JG

Comments Add Comment June 13, 2008

Josh GriffinMore PostsThe All-Important Handoff

One of the interesting challenges created by a discipleship process is the possibility of creating silos at each step of spiritual growth.

Early in ministry I staffed the volunteers by purpose, which I think is still a good thing, creating 5 volunteer “pastors” that oversaw their respective purpose. The concern was that each person only saw their part of the process and not the whole. The key for the leader is to help everyone see the overarching crisis that our mission is responding toward as a collective whole. At the end of the day, the problem for me laid in the handoff between these groups.

The weekend volunteer has to handoff to the small group volunteer who hands off to the HABITS volunteer who hands off to the Ministry Team/Student Leadership volunteer who hands off to the missions volunteer.

If anyone fumbles the handoff or we are unclear in any way, the discipleship process comes to a grinding halt. Even today, I’m looking to figure out ways to reduce the number of handoffs and make sure we don’t drop the ball when we do have to make one. For right now, that means the weekend (evangelism) hands off to a small groups team (fellowship), which now also includes HABITS (discipleship) and ministry teams (discover). The less handoffs, the better.

JG

Josh GriffinMore PostsPOLL: Do You Use the Same Material in Small Groups?

New poll this week on small group materials. Vote now!

JG

TagsComments Add Comment June 13, 2008

Josh GriffinMore PostsYouth Ministry Radio Interview

Get Real with Dave and Jana called this morning for a quick radio/podcast interview on youth ministry. We had a blast on a short segment in their youth pastor training series. We covered the purposes and how to get started becoming a Purpose Driven Youth Ministry. One of the hosts, Jana, even blogged about it today. Fun – I’ll post the link after it airs in July.

JG

UPDATE: Dave blogged about it, too. Awesome!

Josh GriffinMore Posts10 Programming Rules to Follow

Thought that this list from Tim on 10 Programming Rules was a strong one to keep students engaged as well. Here’s 4 of them, head there for the rest and a cool video:

  1. Keep them from blinking — the audience must stay engaged.
  2. Take them white-water rafting — follow a flow, don’t change speed too fast.
  3. Live gets you two extra points — do it live when you can
  4. Great live drama helps. Good live drama, not so much — make sure it’s great.

JG

Josh GriffinMore PostsRefinery Grand Opening Promo Card

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Here’s a shot of a postcard we’re giving out by the jillion to students and adults alike – we’re even putting them on cars this weekend in the parking lot! The Refinery … T-minus 9 days!

JG

Comments Add Comment June 12, 2008

Josh GriffinMore PostsCold Ohio Conference

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I was just checking out the Group Conference 2009 website and viewing the photos and videos from 2008 when I stumbled on a picture of me hosting the event. At first, I was like, ‘sweet’ … then I realized you could see my nipple through my shirt. Someone needs to Photoshop that out – disturbing!

JG

Josh GriffinMore PostsBook Review: Simply Strategic Volunteers

This is a book that Ryanne suggested we have the student ministry team read. It focuses on 99 short lessons (almost like well-written blog posts) all on the subject of volunteers. There’s a ton of great reminders about volunteers, some encouragement for things we’re already doing and some ideas on what we might need to focus on next. So many youth workers think student ministry is all about students, many will only later find out that student ministry is largely about volunteers, who then in turn minister to students. This book will help any youth worker on that journey. A-

JG