Josh Griffin | More Than Dodgeball

Josh GriffinMore Posts Student Leadership: Do This, Not This

This week we’re focusing on student leaders. If you are creating a student leadership program in your group, here’s a quick punch list with some basic ideas of what to avoid and what to include instead:kurt

DON’T only ask the shiny students to join.
Too often the leadership of a youth group is made up of the “chosen ones”—the shiny kids who show up at everything or squeak the loudest. Instead, consider that one kid who is so close, yet so far away. What about the student who is totally on the outside, looking in? Instead of just obvious leaders, think outside the expected and see what happens.

DON’T let your meetings pull them out another night of the week.
Often times, being part of the student leadership program requires an extra night out every week. The result is that many students miss out on it because they can’t give up another night. Instead, consider meeting on an occasional basis unattached to core programs (like youth group) so your students can be focused. We prefer once a month for a few hours, which gives us plenty of time with them but without an ongoing weekly commitment.

DON’T be afraid to give them big stuff.
Student leaders need to be challenged. The quickest way to disillusion these key teenagers is to be unprepared for your time together or waste their time with piddly projects. Instead, give them the teaching calendar. Let them plan services. Challenge them to come up with next quarter’s youth group calendar. Let them run wild.

DON’T be the only voice challenging them.
Many youth workers see the student leadership program as their chance to really “pour into” their students. While this may be true, you are robbing them if you insist you’re the only/best leadership voice they are hearing.

Instead, bring in an outside speaker every so often—the manager of the local Chick-Fil-A would be great (you might get some free food out of it, too) or even go on a field trip with your core students to a local business or spread them out to visit a few churches and report back about their experience.

What other student leadership DON’Ts would you share?

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 21, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Don’t Dump Responsibility, Empower Leaders

Most youth workers I know have one thing in common…they try to do too much. Many of us are perfectionists. Many leaders care so much that they give too much. Many leaders don’t know how to recruit. Sometimes we just reach teens quickly and we seem to never be able to catch up.

I have been that guy trying to do everything. I finally started asking for help but I made a critical mistake. I started dumping responsibility on people who were willing instead of looking for leaders who could partner with me in ministry. When you dump responsibility you look for a willing person and give them stuff to do that you don’t want to mess with. You basically ask them to do the work and leave you alone so you can do other things. Sure, it helps for the short term but when they have other things to do they will hand you back the responsibility. I leaned in the process I needed sharp leaders who would partner with me in ministry so they understood the why behind the what! Here are four kinds of leaders we need to be empowering…

Small Group Leaders / these are leaders who will invest in teens intentionally like you wish you could do for every teen. They will mentor, guide, clarify, instruct, encourage, and pray for teens on a weekly basis. These leaders are extensions of you doing youth ministry and they are the most important partners you will have.
Detail Leaders / these are leaders who are gifted administratively and can help you by talking care of the details that bog us down on a weekly basis. These leaders can organize, delegate, and systematize but they may not be great with teens. Let them thrive in the detail so you can lead the big picture!
Presence Leaders / these are leaders who care for teens but may not be ready to lead a small group. They just want to serve teens and help where needed when they are available. They love teens and they love your ministry but they have other things that pull them away from leading a small group. Let them run a cafe, work the parking lot, or help run games during programing.
Tech Leaders / these are leaders who love the digital side of what we do but may not be good at other areas of student ministry! Let them make your environment look , feel, and sound better.

What are some “leader types” that you empowered and they made you and your ministry better? What keeps you from empowering leaders?

Michael Bayne is Family and Student Pastor at Grace Community Church, Clarksville TN. Follow him on Twitter at @michael_bayne and read more of his writing at www.michaelbayne.net

1 View Comments November 21, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Student Leadership Lesson- Reaching Out!

Like most ministries out there, we have been struggling with cliques. Our “core” students, student leaders included, have not done a great job about being inclusive with our lesser known/new students. At our last Student Leadership meeting, we decided to address the situation head on. The response was incredible! I know that this is sometimes a hard issue to confront in a way that is impactful, so I thought I would share what we did that made our meeting so special!

We started with a short testimony from one of our adult volunteers. She said that she went to her youth group and felt totally alone even though she was in a room full of people and how she wanted so badly for someone just to come up to her and say hi. She asked if anyone could relate to her story and one by one, students in our student leadership program started telling their own stories of how they used to feel unwelcome at church. They told us how badly they wanted to be known and seen. It was such a powerful way to start the discussion because the problem became real and personal.

We followed that by telling our students that God wants to use them to make students feel welcomed and loved in the church. The idea was inspired by an interview I saw with Taylor Swift. In it, the interviewer asked if Taylor ever thought of the millions of girls that she is influencing everyday. Taylor responded that it would be irresponsible for her not to be aware of the influence that she has because she can make use of it for good. That is what we communicated to our student leaders. We wanted them to recognize that the Lord has given them influence. It is a gift from God and it would be irresponsible (or a waste) to not use what He has given them.

So we challenged them to make a difference. We told them we didn’t want them to focus on destroying the reputation of cliques at our church; we wanted them to focus on reaching out and showing the love of Christ to other people. Breaking down cliques can be an outcome of our ministry, but it isn’t the point. We told them that we want them to be on the look out before, during, and after service for students that seem disconnected. It could be one student by themselves, or a small group of students that don’t seem to know anyone else. They were challenged to never be with more than one other student leader as they make these outreach efforts. They were also challenged to go to another youth ministry alone and see what it feels like to be that new student.

I think it is so important to end it with their feedback. Some of our students who used to feel left out gave us some great insight on what we can be doing to make students feel welcomed and loved. Other students shared tips on how to built intentional relationships with new students. We closed out with prayer and hugs. It was awesome!

How have you approached students with this topic? What have you done to make it “work?”

Colton Harker is the Student Leadership Coordinator at Saddleback HSM. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact him at coltonharker@gmail.com or on twitter at @ColtonHarker.

Add Comment November 20, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: How to Fight Teen Tech Addiction

Whether you are a youth pastor, parent, teacher, or random person in the mall, you know that teenagers (along with several other age ranges) are addicted to technology in some form or another. It does not help that this is the most plugged in generation with iPhones, iPads, laptops, televisions, Xbox 360, and every other digital screen that you can imagine.

This has caused many people to worry. The death toll for people texting while driving in the last five years is over 16,000 people, families have transformed from Friday nights together to everyone in their own room in the basking glow of their digital device, and many teenagers are showing symptoms of withdrawal from studies that have looked at fasting from technology.

The question is, how can we as a community fight back against tech addictions? We have a few ideas for you below.

Tech-Free Church Services
What would happen if we fully turned off all tech at church and youth groups for the one hour that we are sitting in the sanctuary? This is not limited to the phones of congregation members, but includes all of the monitors in the lobby promoting the Bible studies or iPad that are used to sign up for missions trips. Retreats that have limited or no phone use (do not read “no phones” as leadership should always have a way to be contacted) can make engaging with teenagers easier.

Maybe you ease into it and only do one Sunday a month and see the success of it. It may not seem like a long time, but soon you begin to talk to church members that you sit beside. Youth pastors now can preach and know that there is one less distraction in the room. Small group leaders know that they have their group’s undivided attention. Relationships flourish and you begin to forget about that tech.
A Tech-Only Room
So many families want to know how they can reunite their families back in their homes. Teenage boys are in their room playing Xbox, teen girls are in their rooms on the phone, dad’s in the living room watching television, and mom is on the laptop in the study working.

One experiment that has seen significant success is a tech only room. It contains the only television in the house, the only place you are allowed to get on computers, and the only place you are allowed on the phone. This can cause an inconvenience at first and does not guarantee that families will even converse fully, but it ensures that you get to see family members while they are home. At the same time, for families that have concern for pornography or too much video game playing, this is easily monitored simply by proximity.
Talk About Rules Before You Have To Enforce Them
Setting up a culture within a church or school system or implementing rules at home that are established before any issues come up have shown to reduce the risk of anything happening before they should. Let your teenagers know what will happen if they text while driving, install the proper monitoring applications, and consistently check up on them. Let them know that if they break rules on computer and gaming usage or do something that is inappropriate, that they will punished a certain way.

We are not looking to “punish them with the rules” but instead to protect them from the dangers that tech brings. Know why you are putting rules into place and explain it to teenagers or others so that everyone is on the same page. If there is strong pushback, at least listen to what they have to say, regardless if you plan to take their advice. This will show respect for them and may even give you a better opportunity to speak into your teens’ lives.

When these rules are established, follow them yourself. Teens have the easy excuse right now of texting while driving because adults do it too. Be a good role model and if need be, enact the punishment upon yourself if you break it. At the same time, a reward for following the rules has shown to promote further positive-viewed behavior.

How have you seen a tech-free environment have a positive outcome?

Jeremy Smith is a youth worker at the Air Force Academy chapel, working for Club Beyond, and attending Denver Seminary for his Masters of Arts in Counseling Ministries. He has been involved in Youth for Christ for eight years — check out his blog at Seventy8Productions.

Add Comment November 20, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Why I Didn’t Post on Vacation

I just got back from vacation. It was amazing. You should have seen it, you would have been quite jealous. Beach house. Coffee shops. Bonfires. Parks with the family. Amazing meals. I even got a date with my wife. I have very little photographic evidence of it, and if you and I were friends on social media sites you would have no reason to believe that my life was any different than the other 51 weeks of the year. Why in the world would I not post this memorable week to share with some of my most distant friends? I wanted this one to be for my family and those I talk to.

If your life is anything like mine, then the world of what is ministry and what is not becomes very grey. And beyond that, I can’t say I really want there to be lines. God has redeemed all of me, and I don’t want to live public and private lives. However, as calls come in whenever, emails are answered always, and my family is my best sermon illustration I often feel that those who follow me on instagram know as much if not more about me than my own family.

So I made a decision that I would go radio silent for the week. I did pretty good at it too! I liked a few photos. Made a few snarky comments. Responded to a few emails from those people that either wouldn’t leave me alone or had the power to fire me. For the most part, I disappeared.

Now don’t get me wrong. I post like a bad Mama Jamma. If I have something Facebook-worthy it goes up. Kids sleeping on the floor, it is there. Awesome youth group night; I’m your man. And frankly there are many vacations where I want to show others my version of a family enjoying themselves. So I do live loudly when I can on social media sites. To that end, my wife continued to post this past week, in fact she became louder on vacation. That doesn’t mean I am a better Christian (for the most part). It was a personal decision and a gift that I wanted to give to my family. They may not have even noticed. That is fine with me. I just wanted to be present. To enjoy all of them and capture the event, not the event so it could be communicated to others.

I think you should do the same. Not always, and for me this is the exception and not the rule. For some it may be that you take a break on dates, on Mondays, or when the sun goes down. I don’t think there is one version that is better than another, however I would strongly encourage you to find those moments in your life that are only for those you call family and for those who are dear friends. Not to be selfish or exclusive. Rather to silently say to those around you that they are your “circle”. They are your “friends”. They are true “followers” of you and your life. Without saying no to others, it slowly communicates that you are more than a public figure to your church body and the students you minister to. You are a dad, a wife, or friend. All of which you need to do well if you hope to be called a youth worker in five years.

To finish this post it would be fitting to show you a vacation picture, but I didn’t really take any. I promise to show you my next youth event, latte art, or when my kid puts their clothes on backwards.

Jeff Bachman is a husband for the past 11 years and a father of three amazing kids. He is the High School Pastor at ROCKHARBOR Church just up the road in Costa Mesa, CA. He loves emails at jbachman@rockharbor.org, twitter interaction, and of course subscribe to his blog The Until Matters.

1 View Comments November 19, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Junior Leaders: My Welcoming Gift

“Don’t do ministry TO youth, do ministry WITH youth.” – Mike Pilavachi

I’ve just moved to a new church, following God’s call to join the team at Centenary Lakes Christian Community in Cairns. One of the things that has impressed me the most about my new home is their Junior Leaders: youth who serve in the kids ministry. It’s not rocket science and it’s not unique to CLCC, but the church has been amazing in the way they have raised up and are equipping teenagers. These teenagers span across all high school ages and faithfully serve in our three kids ministry areas. They are committed, prepared, gifted and are the backbone of ministry to kids through our church. We still rely on adult leaders, but our junior leaders aren’t just token helpers or free labor, they are genuine spiritual leaders.

I haven’t quite tapped into all of the ways CLCC have raised up these junior leaders, but here are some keys:

Start with one or two who are obvious young leaders
Invite them to be involved in leadership
Give them responsibility, not just tasks
Invest in them with ongoing prayer, support and training
Let the power of positive peer pressure spread the word about how great it is to serve God as a junior leader.

Early signs are showing that junior leaders own their faith, are less selfish and are more likely to continue on in faith and leadership than their peers. Our junior leaders haven’t just been the recipients of ministry, they have become ministry partners.

Centenary Lakes have blessed me with the gift of Junior Leaders and I hope to continue to build on that foundation. Don’t ignore the potential of doing ministry WITH youth, they are ready and waiting to be included.

Geoff Snook is the Generations Pastor (Kids, Youth , Young Adults) at Centenary Lakes Christian Community in Cairns, Australia.

Add Comment November 18, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: The Youth Pastor Diet

Pizza nights, Slurpee runs, late night runs to McDonald’s, loads of chips and pop.

These sound like some of the awesome things that make a fellowship fun in youth ministry. Donuts, coffee, pie, potlucks, these are the things that make church fellowship excellent. People bond over food and drinks. Look at your house, people congregate around the kitchen. Look at a party, people are where the food is.

I don’t know about you, but I love food. Now I don’t think you could call me a true foodie (largely because I’ll eat anything from fast food to fancy food) but you can certainly bet that if something delicious is out I’m not far away.

As a youth pastor I am constantly around junk food, and pop. I love the stuff, but I have to resist eating it. This past January I was hit with the harsh reality that I was seriously overweight. I had always known I was a little on the “husky side” but I had pushed beyond that and gone into a category all of its own “obese”. Now I hate the word, because many people can’t get around it but the fact of the matter is that I hit that level on a medical chart. So I decided I would do something about, I started exercising more and trying to eat better. Since January of last year I have lost 35lbs, slipping back down into the category of “overweight”. That isn’t crazy fast weight loss, but it is great because I have still been eating what I want( for the most part) and I haven’t regained even when my exercise or eating have spun back out of control for a day or week or two.

So why am I talking about this. I am not talking about it because I want praise, I am not talking about it because I think that I have gone from HUGE to tiny. I am talking about it because when I look around at the many youth pastors and church staff I know as a whole, I see a lot of overweight people. We have a calling to work with people, our jobs require us to be at a desk often working, studying, emailing and praying. These are parts of the job that are required, so we can’t put them off. But what is going on with our waistlines. Its scary they are ever growing!

I feel like it needs to be said: “Youth workers, Pastors, friends we need to lose some weight”. There are a few reasons why I think we need to lose it:

1) We are called to be good stewards in life
This is a stewardship of our ministry, our family life, our money and yes even our own bodies. If we don’t take care of our bodies, we are actually hampering our ministry. Whether we like to admit it or not, being overweight will eventually cause what we eat to come back to bite you. (pun intended). We will have health problems directly relating to our eating and body weight.

2) We are examples to those we work with
We are examples to the people we work with. As christian leaders we strive to show good habits of reading scripture, worshipping God, treating people with respect and leading a life of health and balance. But when it comes to the pastors I know, we often have a bit of a problem with eating and self control. If we want to be good examples, we should strive to have balance in every aspect of life.w

3) For your family
Do it for your wife, your husband, your kids or your grandchildren. I currently have no kids but I do have a wife and my weight directly affects her. It affects her in my level of energy, since I have been exercising more and eating better I have had more energy to go do fun things with her. And I have even been able to serve her better because I’ve been cleaning and cooking with some of my spare energy!( I’ll tell you that she loves it!)

While I am still young I can’t help but think of the long term, I hope to be a healthy and active grandparent one day. I look at my grandfather and because of obesity we never went out and did much together. But when I look at my wife’s one set of grandparents they are in their 80′s and go hiking weekly and we go sailing together often during the summer. It is truly a joy that I hope to be able to experience when I am in my 80′s.

If I don’t take care of myself now though, I certainly won’t have the health and fitness to be able to go for fun trips with my grand kids when they are in their 20′s. I think we should start a challenge amongst the Christian Leadership network for weight loss. Let’s get the ball rolling.

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.

5 View Comments November 17, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Bloom Where You’re Planted

I had the privilege of posting a couple of guest posts on some other great youth ministry blogs this past week. The first was on Josh Evans’ blog called Bloom Where You’re Planted:

These were some of the most powerful words ever said to me. It came at a time when I was looking around in frustration at my ministry, my eyes were wandering for more and I was always wishing for a bigger crowd in a sexier ministry. How selfish, naive and sad. God had called me to my church, but my brokenness inside was already thinking about next and more and bigger.

The second was on Brooklyn Lindsey’s blog called The Best Kept Secret in Your Church:

I recently realized that our youth ministry was one of the best kept secrets in the church. I walked around the adult services last week and read every word in the church bulletin – and found hardly a mention of our high school ministry. Now certainly in a megachuch with so much cooking you could explain away this news, but I know from my 7 years in a smaller church this happens everywhere.

Click the links above to read the whole articles – thanks for the opportunities to share, too!

JG