Josh Griffin | More Than Dodgeball

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: When One Student Shows

Last night I ran my small group that normally runs at about 5-6 students. Its a senior high group that has a mix of schools, sports and friendships. I love this group as they can have a lot of fun but they can go deep into a conversation and study sometimes.
The challenge was that only one student came.

There were a variety of reason; baseball and field hockey have started; the Vancouver Canucks were losing to the Sharks in hockey it was a busy night. But when only one student showed to discussion group you have to make a quick decision about what to do.

So I decided to take him out to Menchies, which is a frozen yogurt place with a ton of toppings and flavors. I decided to leverage this opportunity to talk with him about things we have chatted about in the past, we talked about everything from the timelessness of God to long boarding.

At the end of the night I dropped him off at home and felt like I had possibly had a huge impact in 2 hours of hanging out. So I started to ask myself why: why did that feel right? Why did we connect so much in that time? What made that into good youth ministry.

And it dawned on me that I was treating a student special. Very few students ever get attention from a role model they have in their life. Sure I probably could have cancelled the group before he got there, but what kind of message would that have sent?

All of this brought me to thinking about having a plan for when just one student shows up. Now some people have a tiny church and this happens all the time, others are in a mid-sized church like myself and it happens rarely, and others again are in a huge church where this would only happen very rarely in a small group setting.

But do you have a plan? Do your small group leaders know how to deal with this scenario? These moments could potentially be the most meaningful moments ever to happen in youth ministry. How are you going to leverage them?

Kyle Corbin has been serving youth as a volunteer or pastor for over 10 years. He is currently the youth pastor at the Bridge Church in North Vancouver B.C. You can follow his blog at: kylecorbin.blogspot.com or Twitter: @CorbinKyle

6 View Comments May 11, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts The 53 Hour Film Festival

A youth pastor in our area (from Foothill Family Church less than a mile away) came up with a GREAT idea to host a 53-Hour Film festival to help raise funds for a mission project of their church. This is some epic stuff! Totally want to steal this idea … but think maybe we’ll just promote it, too. Love it – hit up their website for more!

53 Hour Film Festival is a film project based in Orange County, California. Open to high school and college students throughout the county, teams will have 53 hours to write, film, edit, and submit a 4-7 minute short film. Submissions will then be graded by a panel of judges, and the top films will be viewed on the big screen at a movie theater in Orange County.

JG

Add Comment May 9, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts This is Water

Really enjoyed this video about default settings, the rat race and the mundane parts of life.

JG

Add Comment May 8, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts Music Review: David Crowder Band – All This For A King: The Essential Collection

The David Crowder*Band delivered their final album more than a year ago – has it been that long already? They had 6 albums in total with like 12 kajillion songs sold. They’ve played every youth conference I know and are a staple in practically every youth room across the country. I’ve had the privilege of working a few events with Crowder and speaking at his Fantastical Conference in Austin a few years back, too. So fun!

Their latest album is the celebration of the past and a glimpse of the future. Crowder is going on a club tour this Spring and his first solo project is due this fall. Until then, we’ve got the All This For a King: The Essential Collection hitting iTunes the end of this month.

Let’s get the basics out of the way first – the album has all of the big hits you would expect. Even then I did find a new gem here and there I must have missed along the way. But the real wins come later in the album, with great remixes and an entirely new song from Crowder. Here’s some quick hits on the highlights for me:

SMS (Shine) – Big-time fans will be disappointing in me (sorry), but I’m not sure how I missed this song when it originally came out! Great message. Powerful.

Shine Your light so I can see You
Pull me up, I need to be near You
Hold me, I need to feel loved
Can You overcome this heart that’s overcome?

Shadows (Family Force 5 Phenomenon Remix) – Fun remix of a DC*B classic. Hold your own dance party with it right now. Got some fun dubstep in it that will please the ears. The perfect track for this year’s summer camp highlight video.

After All (Holy) (Capital Kings Remix) – One of the band’s biggest hits – it was fun to see it completely remixed and still retaining the cheerful fun of the original. Absolutely loved this song!

This I Know – the only completely new track on the album and it is pure gold. Fun, folksy and completely singable. The good news is that the solo project expected from Crowder this fall is in good hands. It is different from the classic DC*B but he already feels comfortable and This I Know became my favorite track after listening through the whole album a couple times.

All in all it remains the best collection of music from one of my favorite Christian bands of all time, a great set of remixes celebrating familiar tunes and a fun sneak peak at the Crowder of the future – and that’s a future I’m now very excited about. Click here to check out (or preorder) David Crowder Band’s All This for a King: The Essentials Collection today!

JG

Add Comment May 8, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts When It Rains Trouble … It Pours Trouble

Honestly, our ministry is going through a little bit of a crisis right now.

On the surface you wouldn’t see much out of the ordinary – youth group is fun and energetic, small groups are plugging along toward the end of the school year and the last big event had strong attendance and quite a few new faces. My boss seems happy, we may actually come in on budget this year and generally things are OK.

But under the surface, we’re dealing with some serious issues. God is choosing to bring us not 1, not 2 … but 6 big things to the surface right now. Some serious stuff we’ve got to process. Some stuff we haven’t dealt with before. Some difficult conversations that need to be had. Some stuff it is mandatory it be reported. The ugly side of real-life ministry is here in full force this week.

And you know what? God is faithful. God is changing lives. God is giving us wisdom. God is guiding. God is healing. God is providing. God is giving confidence. God is pruning. God is.

It seems like when it rains trouble … a flash flood of tough stuff isn’t far behind. If you are wading in some deep waters or think you may be in over your head, remember that God is there through it all. I know I could use the reminder right now, too.

That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

JG

4 View Comments May 8, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts Tips for Running Great Youth Ministry Games

Kurt had a great post yesterday about some basic speaking tips and helps for youth workers running games. Thought there was some good stuff here, head there for the full piece:

LEAVE THEM WANTING MORE: A short lesson is almost always better than a long one! Nobody ever complained that the lesson was too short. Plus, a short lesson leaves your junior highers actually wanting to hear more. Short games are almost always better than long ones, too. Playing their favorite game too often ends up making it a game they are tired of and no longer get excited to play.

THE PAYOFF NEEDS TO EQUAL THE SET UP: The longer it takes to tell a story in your lesson, the better the “punchline” or application needs to be. When you start by saying, “I’ve got the most hilarious story in the world to share….” it better be a pretty stinkin’ hilarious story. If you say, “Today’s lesson could be the most important one I’ve ever taught….” it better be really important! A game that takes 10 minutes to explain and 35 seconds to play is a fail….the payoff didn’t equal the set-up. When you send out a text claiming, “tonight in JH ministry we will play a game of epic proportions…” only to have the game be a rousing game of musical chairs, you lose.

JG

Add Comment May 7, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts Top 3 Youth Ministry Apps

Got a smartphone? Chances are you’re working at integrating some great apps into your youth ministry world. We do the same thing—and while Angry Birds Star Wars and Temple Run 2 take up a little too much of our time if we’re honest, there are some incredible apps for youth ministry.

This week Josh is up first and Kurt will offer up his 3 favorites tomorrow. Add your favorite apps in the comments!

TOP 3 APPS for youth ministry

1. Evernote (FREE) 
Evernote is a productivity app that syncs important documents in the cloud and on all your devices. It is incredibly robust and keeps everything from brainstorm notes, pictures you take, and even voice memos and delivers them to all of your devices. It’s a great place to work on talks, share documents, and even manage to-do lists. An incredible app for your phone, Web site, and computer—and the price is right.

2. HeyTell (FREE)
Communicate with your friends like a walkie-talkie. The best part is you can make a group and send a quick voice memo to all your volunteers at once. The interface is simple, one touch, and responsive. Even if someone isn’t a phone person, this is a perfect compromise.

3. Icebreaker Questions ($.99)
The only one on the list that costs actual money – but well worth it. Suggest it to your small-group leaders so they have a starting point for conversations and figure out how to talk to teenagers. The questions are fun and make it easier to get past that awkward pause while waiting for everyone else to arrive to group.

Other incredible apps that didn’t quite make the cut:

Haze ($.99) – check the weather to make sure the summer event isn’t going to be rained out.

Starbucks (FREE) – consolidate all of your Starbucks cards into one place and earn stars toward free drinks. Maybe even have a “church card” and “personal card” both on the same account.

YouVersion (FREE) – the best Bible app out there. The daily reading plans with reminders and notifications are super to keep you on track, too.

Pandora (FREE) – want to have a great playlist for before and after services? Download this app, turn on the TobyMac station, plug it into your sound system, and you’re set. Easy – there is an occasional commercial, so you might want to drop the $36/year to go ad-free, too. You might never buy another CD again!

What are the other best youth ministry apps out there you’d add to the list?

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.

5 View Comments May 7, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts POLL: Happy at Your Church

I know sometimes happiness and satisfaction can come in waves at times in youth ministry – my wife thought of this poll question this morning based on our conversations on the topic over our 20 years of ministry together. How do you vote today?

JG