Josh Griffin | More Than Dodgeball

Josh GriffinMore Posts Rebuilding Your Team

There’s nothing more painful than losing your dream team…or even one dream player. From time to time, you will be faced with a key leader moving away or a right-hand man being moved up to help with a program for adults. It happens — our adult ministry steals our best people all of the time!

So when this happens — you have a few choices to make: (1) you can wallow in the golden years of what was, or (2) you can get to work on rebuilding a young team and see where God takes you. Honestly, you’ve probably done enough of (1) already, so let’s talk about (2). Here we go:

Don’t compare to the past
Rebuilding a team is difficult enough without making comparisons to the past. You are building a new team now — with different gifts, personalities and passions — embrace it instead of focusing on the frustrating differences.

Adjust your leadership to who you have now
The way you led last year probably isn’t going to work anymore. Different people need to be led differently — the pressure to adjust is on you, not on them. Consider giving everyone a personality test or the 5 Love Languages quiz to see what you’re working with and make a real effort to lead in a new way in the new season.

Become the world’s best coach
Maybe one of the reasons you’re lamenting the loss of your teammates is because you had a whole pack of seasoned, battle-hardened veterans and now you’ve got fresh meat. Become the world’s best coach! Constantly push, nudge and challenge your people in the right direction. Before you know it, they’ll be veterans as well…and prime pickings for adult ministry to swoop down for another batch (not that we’re bitter or anything).

Face the challenges head on
Need a pep talk? We got one: You can do this! Keep your head in the game! Don’t run from the challenge! Rebuilding a team is not an easy task. Hang in there! We know that God is going to use you in new ways in the next season.

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 November 2, 2011

Josh GriffinMore Posts The Price of Moral Failure

DougFields.com blog is coming up on a year old and it is easily the best blog in youth ministry – this guest post from Marv Penner on it in my mind is up for post of the year. Marv goes into detail about a document that has helped him stay faithful to his calling and his spouse for his neara-countless years in youth ministry. Amazing stuff, you need to read and process the full post over there. Here’s a clip:

I was a young man in ministry when I wrote a document that I have read hundreds of times over the last three decades. It was born on a personal spiritual retreat when I asked God to protect my marriage from the damage that would occur if I would cross my moral boundaries (See Monday’s post & Tuesday’s post). I try to read this document every time I get on a plane or check into a hotel. I regularly make it a part of my personal quiet time and review it often. It started on paper and is now conveniently synched on my iPad and laptop. It has been edited an amended often to reflect changes in my circumstances, but the essential message has remained the same.

I have never shared this highly personal document this way and after you read it I’ll tell you why I have second thoughts even as I Doug to post it today.

IF I BLOW IT!

When I feel vulnerable to sexual temptation I must take the time to count the cost that even one bad choice could have…

JG

2 View Comments November 1, 2011

Josh GriffinMore Posts POLL: Health of Student Leadership

We’re on the front end of revamping our student leadership program in HSM … for the 3rd time in as many years, I think. How’s yours doing? Leave a vote in this week’s poll!

JG

Add Comment October 31, 2011

Josh GriffinMore Posts Facebook Official Music Video

We did a live dance version of this song on stage this weekend as we continued the Facebook Official series in HSM. How amazing is this video/song?

JG

4 View Comments October 31, 2011

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Space, Permission & Validity

A new initiative, new form of church or a missional contextual ministry with young people rely on the interplay of things if they are to have any chance. While we live in a western post modern, post church environment with all it’s related challenges, there is an opportunity to join the missio dei – God’s mission in the world.

Outward focused, spirit inspired, gift-harnessing creativity will always allow people to come up with amazing ministry with young people BUT unless the existing ‘church’ makes room for this it is always a bigger challenge than it needs to be.

Space, permission and validity are all needed to give things the best chance of meeting ‘the hurts and hopes’ of people in your community.

SPACE includes facilities [and the keys or access] but also attention, support, resources and awareness
PERMISSION means genuine approval to ‘be’ without ‘gate keeping’ and unhelpful constraints
VALIDITY is taking something seriously and understanding it as creating new forms of ‘church’

New initiatives or contextual missional activities are often fragile, fringe or experimental ideas. It can be a contest of ideas around ‘what is the gospel?’, focus, share of attention and ‘open or closed set’ thinking. That’s all great jargon but it means we are not always good at allowing experiments.

Young people often encounter low or no expectations and are not taken seriously in faith shaping and discipleship. Faith communities can be afraid for the future or guilty of seeing young people as ‘the church of tomorrow.’ Sometimes SPACE is clearly not free and complaints about how it’s left or padlocks on cupboards make that clear. PERMISSION can be conditional on meeting generational or committee expectations. Lots of things are barely tolerated and what we do know is that leaders and young people have good ‘antennae’ for sensing whether or not they are included.

St Laurence, Reading is the best example I’ve seen of all these things being evident just from entering their building and hearing their story. It’s not about the billions of pounds spent but the space, permission and validity given to their mission. The same could be done with a flat screen TV, a coat of paint and a set of keys.

SPACE, PERMISSION & VALIDITY can facilitate:

Healthy School Breakfast Programs
Computer Game Parties
Homework Centre
Social Justice Club
Holiday Clubs for Kids
Missional Contextual Worship
Leadership Programs
Hall Games
Sports Comps
Skaters
Bible Study Groups
Day Camping
Theme Nights
Big Screen Movies
alt.worship
Art, Craft & Photography

Rob Hanks is a youth worker who blogs at www.pumphouse.blogspot.com for missional musings, youth ministry and his own stream of ideas, sport, news and politics.

Add Comment October 30, 2011

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Preventing Brain Injury

With God’s help, we can handle the prospect of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) for our Sports-Minded Youth

As the parent of a girl who plays soccer and two boys who are football fanatics, you can imagine the heart-stopping moments I’ve been tempted with when I see a collision or a body pile-up. Since they were small, it’s been our habit to talk to them about how God wants them to have fun playing sports, as a gentle beginning. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. (Isa. 54: 13) From that time to this I’ve learned to focus on what I told them before the games and found myself enjoying them more.

Then one day I read an commentary that gave me the idea that there must be something I could do for mine and other children–especially after reviewing these facts:

Non-fatal TBI emergency room visits for those ages 5 to 18:

Football: 20,293
Basketball: 11,506
Soccer: 7,667
Baseball: 7,433
Swimming/Diving: 3,846

Even though a proposed “Florida bill aimed at preventing concussions in high school sports failed in Florida’s legislature,” the article spoke of regulations recommended for the Florida High School Athletic Association:

“Educate officials, parents, coaches and athletes about concussions and the associated risk of head injury. Require students to be educated about the risks of traumatic brain injury before participating. Require athletes with a suspected head injury to be immediately removed from play. Require medical clearance before resuming play.”

I was overjoyed to read these regulations and hoped the idea would disburse across the country, when an idea entered my head–I like to think it came straight from God. Here is the brain injury article that started me on my campaign to begin making contact with other parents of sports kids in our school.

At the next game, and every game after that, I walked around in the bleachers with flyers that quoted the facts, the Florida legislation bill regulations, concluding with my contact information and inviting involved parents to call me. The calls came in and I’d request that the caller get in touch with a friend who also had children in sports. When the time came to get together, I was surprised to see an impressive number of parents.

Be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Ps. 22: 19 With the TBI facts and God behind us, a group was formed, adding parents as the weeks went by. We created a drive to request that our school make certain that these regulations were implemented. Someone once said, “In unity there is strength.” With positive, unselfish prayer, God also supports right motives and you can protect your children–right from where you sit in the bleachers. How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. (Ps. 36: 7)

Pat Hogan cares about students and their brains. Play dodgeball responsibly.

Add Comment October 30, 2011

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: When Good Ideas Go Bad

I remember it like it was yesterday, a youth night like no other. The church foyer was filled with students, many ripe with excitement and others ripe with body odor. There was much anticipation about a game that was rumored to be played that night and for weeks leading up to it snippets of what could be were flying around the group. The students arrived in clothes that “could get dirty” and the girls were obviously not as excited as the boys. As the students filed into the gym, lights low seeing two bases made of cardboard boxes sat at opposing ends of the gym ready for a siege.

The excitement was pierced when the youth intern pulled the trigger on the Mega-phone and bellowed into the mic “ITS TIME TO PLAY TROUT-A-PULT”. As you can imagine, the high fiving amongst the guys began nearly immediately as did the steady stream of sudden and severe ailments that our young ladies began to experience that would not allow them to participate. The teams were divided and the rules explained.

The Premise: Using a water balloon launcher, each team was given several large rainbow trout that they would use to launch at the other teams base. Each team would alternate shots and the first team to knock down the other teams base was victorious. Seemed logical, they throw fish around at Pike Place Market in Seattle every day and nothing seems to go wrong there.

MISTAKE #1: The water balloon launcher was rated for 200 yards of distance, which would not be a problem except that our gym is only 50 yards long.

MISTAKE #2: Hours earlier when the new intern went to buy the fish. He chose to save the Church some money (an honorable move) and bought frozen fish instead of fresh as they were on sale and much cheaper. This would not have been a big deal, that is if he did not elect to defrost the shrink-wrapped fish in a sink of hot water.

The Outcome: The game ended as fast as it started, as the first fish was loaded up into the launcher and the very excited boys leaned back as hard as they could to ensure that the fish would travel far enough. As the guy on the trigger let go, it all went completely wrong. First, the sling shot attempted to propel the fish 4 times farther than the gym was long. It left the launcher at incredible speeds, and is it did, the speed exposed the other mistake that was made. Defrosting a fish in hot water does more than defrost, it cooks the fish, the result being that instead of one cohesive fish unit flying at light speed across the gym, it was now thousands of smaller pieces.

As what remained of the once mighty trout approached the other side of the gym, pieces peppered the opposing team, landing in student’s hair, on their clothes, and in their mouths causing them to scramble for their lives. The bulk of the fish missed the students, but instead hit the wall behind them, which would not have been a problem had it not lodged into the church’s air intake vent on the wall. The fish smell lingered for nearly a week throughout the church, and the Trout-A-Pult will be go down as the worst game we ever played.

Moral of the Story: There are many great reasons that custodial staff may never like the youth ministry and this is one of them, but its stories like this that will live on in infamy among our students and leaders. It may have been a disaster, but no one got hurt and the memories will last a lifetime and eight years later the story still gets told around campfires and youth ministry conventions. Students don’t care if the game goes as planned, they just want to have fun doing it and it can be the disaster games that are the most fun, youth ministry isn’t always serious and being ridiculous can be a good thing from time to time.

Geoff Stewart is the Pastor of Jr & Sr High School for Journey Student Ministries at Peace Portal Alliance Church and regularly contributes GUEST POSTS to MTDB. Be sure to check out his Twitter stream for awesome ministry goodness. Want to get in on the fun and write up a guest post yourself? See how right here.

4 View Comments October 29, 2011

Josh GriffinMore Posts 4 Reasons Small Group Co-Leaders are the Best

I was at Chipotle hanging out with a volunteer named Kevin this past week. His co-leader Oscar and him make a great team. As we talked, he rattled off 5 or 6 good reasons why he was teamed up with another all-star leader this year in Life Groups. I couldn’t get them all written down in time, but it was genius so I had to share what I could remember! Here’s what I remember from our conversation – 4 benefits of having a co-leader for your small group:

1. Different voices win
For the same reason I share the teaching platform with other speakers, it is important to share the teaching time in groups. We don’t require every group to have 2 leaders (ideal, but not practical), but one of the biggest benefits when it happens that second voice can really be heard loud and clear.

2. Co-leaders encourage each other
It is going to happen – at some point in the year you’re going to get discouraged. Maybe it will be disappointment with a student’s poor choices or maybe attendance will drop off a bit and you get frustrated. A co-leader gives the opportunity to bring the other up in a time of need.

3. Filling in for each other
You’ve got maybe 30 weeks of Life Groups during the school year – from time to time conflict is going to happen. Business trip, family crisis – sometimes real life gets in the way of small groups. A co-leader jumps to the rescue and saves the day. Same thing when there isn’t a crisis and one of you just need a night off.

4. Neither one has to always be the bad guy
Every small group leader has to come strong with discipline sometime during the year – so it’s great to have a second voice to talk through the drama and even play good cop/bad cop as necessary.

Got another benefit to small group co-leaders? Here’s a post that made it into the book 99 Thoughts for Small Group Leaders called 4 Signs You Might Need a Small Group Co-Leader that you might want to check out, too!

JG

2 View Comments October 28, 2011

Josh GriffinMore Posts SYMC Early Bird Deadline is This Week!

I’m beyond excited to hang out with youth workers at the Simply Youth MInistry Conference this year in Louisville – I’m actually taking our high school team along with on the trip and think it is going to be game-changing for our ministry.

Want to join us? Killer lineup, including Francis Chan, Derwin Gray, Jon Acuff, Shane & Shane, Jeremy Camp and 77 more speakers, musicians and mentors. Couldn’t be more excited! The Early Bird rate expires on October 31 so get in now!

JG

1 View Comments October 28, 2011

Josh GriffinMore Posts Tim Timmons New Project: Let’s Be Beautiful

If you’ve been to the Simply Youth Ministry Conference you probably know Tim Timmons. He was the worship pastor at Mariner’s Church and is recently starting on the next chapter of his life and ministry. His next album, Let’s Be Beautiful, is in progress now and I was inspired by his Kickstarter project to get it off the ground.

It is already fully funded, but there are still a couple fun options left if you want to help contribute. Including this one for SYMC Conference:

PLEDGE $350 OR MORE: Admission for you or your youth pastor to the 2012 SIMPLY YOUTH MINISTRY CONFERENCE in Louisville, KY + a meal with me and conference emcee favorites, Josh Griffin & Jake Rutenbar. (plus the LET’S BE BEAUTIFUL Package & Exclusive T-shirt).

Love you, Tim. Excited to hear the new album and watch God use you in the next chapter!

JG