More Than Dodgeball | Youth Ministry Blog by Josh Griffin

Josh GriffinMore Posts Ministry Lessons from Retail

I really liked Josh Treece’s blog post today about lessons that the church can learn from retail. Here’s a clip of it and if you’re looking for a former Saddleback intern that is looking for a youth pastor position, check him out:

1) Presentation is important… We spend a ton of time on presentation at the store. Several times a day, we walk the aisles making sure that there are no holes on the shelves, products are where they should be, and that things are facing forward. Things are dusted all the time. Floors are polished. Seasonal decorations are hung. All of these things are done with the customer in mind. If perception is reality, then we want to be perceived as a clean, organized store. I’m not sure if we think about presentation enough in ministry. What’s the first thing a guest sees (and therefore thinks) when they walk into our space? What kind of environments are we creating and how do they affect our message? When we hand over our promo for camp to a parent, what impression does it give them? We need to start recognizing how much presentation can add to our credibility.

2) But it’s not as important as great customer service… It doesn’t matter how good the store looks, without paying special attention to the customers, the store can never be successful. Our store policy is that we’re always asking customers “Can I help you find something?” Providing great customer service is the first thing on everyone’s job description. All of us in professional ministry have struggled with balancing being task driven vs. relationship driven. While presentation is important (we could have the best looking ministry around, with the biggest programs, sweetest print work, and most awesome videos) unless we’re working hard to encourage growing relationships (with God and others), we’re never going to have a successful ministry. Life change happens within the context of relationships.

JG

relationships

Add Comment November 10, 2009

Josh GriffinMore Posts An Atmosphere of Action for Do Something

This week for the “Do Something” series we put signs up all over the Refinery to help spur students to action. Here are a few shots around the building.

JG

2 View Comments November 10, 2009

Josh GriffinMore Posts Simply Youth Ministry Podcast: Episode 116

Here’s the latest episode of the Simply Youth Ministry Podcast. I joined the show just a bit late last week, but it was good times. If you don’t watch every week, grab it in iTunes, or catch it live on your iPhone – just click “play” on the video above and leave it in the background while you work!

JG

podcast

Add Comment November 9, 2009

Josh GriffinMore Posts The Classic Youth Ministry Overpromise

Kem Meyer has a great article today on overpromising in the church – something that I think I might not be alone in in youth ministry. Here’s a clip, worth the read and the evaluation of what you’re promising:

“Come experience a community of grace.”
Again, nice goal, but you can’t control the outcome. I had promised a “community of grace” for a friend of mine and she finally joined me for a weekend service. During the message, her cell phone went off. A man sitting behind us scolded her for being rude and selfish. He even asked her not to come back if she couldn’t have the decency to turn her phone off during church. True story. Yes, it’s a distraction for others when a cell phone goes off. Obviously. However, what isn’t obvious is that my friend was taking a gigantic step by attending church for the first time in years. My friend didn’t look at the man as an individual, she looked at him as the church. And, I had not delivered on my promise.

Are we making statements as if they were facts, when in reality they are subjective and left to personal interpretation?

Are we promising something we can’t deliver on?

Are we baiting people with exaggerated benefits?

JG

evaluation

2 View Comments November 9, 2009

Josh GriffinMore Posts HSM Weekend in Review: Volume 73

Weekend Teaching Series: Do Something series kickoff (week 1 of 3)
Sermon in a Sentence: Biblical leadership requires serving.
Service Length: 70 minutes
Bible: Matthew 9

Understandable Message: This week’s message was super short – one of my goals for the series is a little less talk and a lot more action. Hmmm … that would make a good song. Anyhow, I shared the vision for the series and our goals for November as HSM’s Do Something Month.

The series donation/action goals:

500 canned goods

400 pieces of clothing

500 boxes of cereal

$6,000 dollars to cover shipping/projects

110 small group service projects

100,000 meals packed

HSM Hunger Day – November 18th

This week, we partnered with Operation Christmas Child to pack 500 shoeboxes with Christmas gifts so kids around the world could hear about Jesus. Our small groups have been collecting a large amount of what we put in the boxes, creating some great synergy between the weekend and the next step in our disciipleship process: Here’s what they collected for the event:

237 bars of soap
295 washclothes
270,380 crayons and pens
216 notebooks
71 tubes of toothpaste
253 toothbrushes
3,999 pieces of candy

Volunteer/Student Involvement: Students made up the band and ran lights, camera, sound and the control room. Volunteers met for prayer before the service then positioned themselves as greeters and helped everyone feel welcome. We also had students and volunteers placed around the room to make sure the shoebox-packing went smoothly and to answer any questions that came up.

Element of Fun/Positive Environment: We had lots of fun this weekend – but it was different from the games and videos we might usually do. Because we let everyone build a shoebox during the service, there was some great buzz and people had a chance to talk and hang out for most of the service. The atmosphere was both moving as we set up the weekend, and relaxed when everyone got a box and started to work on it. So much fun! We also started a “create a custom” series T-shirt contest, and gave everyone an envelope as they left with 30+ challenges to take action this week (see the list here).

Music Playlist: New Born (Muse cover), Solution, Tears of the Saints

Favorite Moment: We opened a few of the shoeboxes and read some of the letters inside. Some were absolutely priceless, the students totally got this project and the heart behind it.

Up Next: Do Something (week 2 of 3)

Add Comment November 9, 2009

Josh GriffinMore Posts Do Something Envelope Challenge List

As students left the the Do Something service this weekend, we gave them a sealed envelope with 30 pieces of paper in it – different challenges to pull out and take on this month. Here’s some of the list:

Post a status on facebook.com with a statistic involving the poverty of the world.

Read the TOMS shoes story www.tomsshoes.com and think about what you could start to help people in need.

Pick up trash after you eat lunch every day this week to serve the custodians at your school.

Go through some park/school/house trashcans and look for bottles/cans to recycle and raise money to donate.

Write Romans 12:2 on your mirror to read everyday when you wake up.

Iron-on or use a permanent marker to write statistics on an old T-shirt and wear it around your school.

Write Matthew 25:40 on a Post-It note and put it on your binder.

Babysit for a single mom to give her some quiet time.

Sit with someone sitting alone at lunch and be friends with them.

Sit with someone sitting alone at church this weekend.

Take a minute and pray for someone close to you in need.

Light a birthday candle, and pray for a need until the candle burns out.

Open every door for every person you can this week.

Ask your mom how you can help with dinner, set the table without being asked.

Help your little brother or sister with their homework, then take them out for frozen yogurt.

Go to Isaiah House (homeless shelter once a month through HSM) and have conversations with widowed women and their children.

Collect your loose change around the house and donate it.

Wash someone’s car for them. No Charge!

Talk with someone who is struggling emotionally and provide them with words of comfort.

Write a letter to a soldier and send it to www.soldiersangels.com.

Help someone who dropped their books at school, pick them up.

Sign up for the next Compton work day which is January 23^rd.

Fast for a day. When you get hungry, think of those who go multiple days in hunger.

Create a sign to remind yourself to turn off the water while brushing your teeth; it can save up to 2 gallons of water a day.

Buy reusable bags to give out in your neighborhood to eliminate the usage of plastic bags.

Collect canned goods in your house and donate them to the HSM food drive next weekend.

Collect 100 canned goods in your neighborhood and donate them to the HSM food drive next weekend.

Be creative! Create a bumper sticker for your car that raises awareness of poverty or encourages others to “Do Something”

Spend an hour researching poverty on wikipedia.com to educate yourself on the strife our world faces today.

Search www.youtube.com for compassionate or inspiring videos and post them on Facebook.

Turn off your phone for a day, and use the quiet to reflect on how much we have and how little so many others have. What will you do about it?

Go through your closet and donate clothes you don’t wear anymore to the HSM clothing drive. Our goal is 400 people contribute pieces!

Invite someone to church with you and ask them to join you in doing something.

Give your weekly allowance to someone who needs money for lunch at school.

JG

4 View Comments November 8, 2009

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: The Pareto Principle

you’ve never heard of the Pareto Principle, chances are you’ve probably experienced it. The Pareto Principle basically states that 80% of the effects are produced by 20% of the cause. In ministry, as it relates to volunteers, this is usually translated into 80% of the work is done by 20% of the volunteers or congregation. This has got to change, especially in youth ministry.

Why? One simple reason–it leads to volunteer burnout. You will undoubtedly weaken your ministry if your best volunteers are carrying the weight of the work. A weakened youth ministry is a disservice to the students that are currently in the program and to those students that have not yet stepped foot into your building.

As you think about your own ministry, here are some ways to reverse or avoid falling into this principle:

1. Don’t over program. The more programs you have the more they are going to need staff, leaders & volunteers.

2. Clearly communicate your ministry’s vision. Make sure every volunteer, student & parent knows the vision. If you want to know if you’re communicating the vision, ask them. If they don’t know, you’re not communicating it clearly.

3. Organize yourself. If you’re not organized, neither will your ministry. People will notice this right away. Disorganization can appear that you aren’t taking this seriously and then neither will they.

4. Reward your volunteers, often. Rewarding volunteers regularly is cheaper than hiring staff (you can tell that to the senior pastor)

5. You do the hard stuff. Don’t pass on the responsibilities that you don’t want to do or have time for to the volunteers (see number 3).

If you or your ministry is experiencing the Pareto Principle, we’d love to hear how you’ve overcome or dealt with this issue.

Kevin Cooper serves in student ministries at Meadow Park Church in Columbus, OH. Find his lifestream mini-blog at http://kevincooperblog.com

Add Comment November 7, 2009

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: What Keeps Volunteers Coming Back For More

Last night our Student Ministry team welcomed twenty new volunteers into the LifeLine family. It was exciting to look around and see the fresh energy and potential. As they drove away I couldn’t help but wonder what God was going to do in each of their lives this year, and how He will use them to intersect the lives and journeys of the students we serve.

As I laid in bed last night trying to fall asleep, my thoughts shifted from the new faces, to the familiar faces. The faces of those volunteers who show up every week, year after year to give of their creativity, time, and energy to love and serve students and other volunteers in the name of Jesus. It made me wonder, with all of the challenges that student ministry brings, what keeps them coming back for more.

As I processed this question, one particular volunteer came to mind. We will call him Scott, mostly because that is his name.

Scott has been around our ministry for eighteen years. In fact, when I began serving as a volunteer nine years ago, Scott single handedly ran the Jr. High ministry as a volunteer. While our ministry has grown and changed over time, Scott has selflessly served, lead and loved Jr. high students and leaders for almost two decades.

So, why does Scott continue to come back to LifeLine year after year?

1. He loves God… and He loves students. It seems so simple, but longevity in student ministry takes constant commitment to maintaining health in your relationship with God and maintaining a passion for students. When one of these is out of place, it’s easy to feel discouraged.

2. He believes that God made him for this. He believes that God has put Him where he is on purpose and trusts God to use him, even when he can’t see growth or change.

3. He believes in what we are doing. He believes that the mission is greater than the politics and keeps the big picture in front of him.

4. He maintains a spirit of humility and grace. If anyone would be entitled to have opinions about “the way things should be done,” it would be Scott. As a staff we realize that our volunteers are our greatest asset, so we work hard to consult their thoughts and opinions on much of what we do. While Scott often has thoughts, ideas, and wisdom to offer, he always brings them with grace and understanding. Additionally, when we make decisions as staff, he always respects them, even if he disagrees, even when we are wrong.

5. He has the support of his family. Scott has an awesome wife and four very cool children. His volunteering certainly comes at their expense from time to time. Over and over again I have seen their encouragement and understanding fuel Scott on.

Jon Grunden is the Jr. High Small Group Minister at Ada Bible Church in Ada, MI. You don’t subscribe to his blog yet?

1 View Comments November 7, 2009

Josh GriffinMore Posts SCL: The Youth Group Rules

Enjoyed this post on Stuff Christians Like about youth group rules. Hilarious! Here’s a clip, lots more goodness if you hit up the link:

1. The youth group bus or van will not be purchased from a dealership named, “Vans that like to catch on fire & buses that break down in the middle of the night on the side of the road on the way to New Hampshire ski retreats.”

2. Only one “dude with an acoustic guitar” will be allowed per youth group.

3. If you go on a retreat and you’re boyfriend/girlfriend doesn’t go, they should expect to get dumped when you return home. Cause that’s happening.

4. All youth group ministers should expect at least one kid to ask for a precise definition of “what it means to be a virgin.”

5. Only tankinis and swim shirts shall be worn on youth group beach trips.

6. All youth group retreats should be held at locations that could double for horror movie backdrops because it adds to the intensity of the weekend.

JG

retreats

Add Comment November 6, 2009

Josh GriffinMore Posts POLL: Working Hours in The Fall

HSM is coming out of what is maybe the busiest season of the year: Fall. The school year has officially been kicked off, our big campaign is over, small group leaders are trained, small groups have been launched and everything else is really starting to roll. Of course, that meant work … and lots of it. I find the Fall fits into an extra category of busyness, sometimes with serious hours.

How about you? Vote in this week’s poll now!

JG