More Than Dodgeball | Youth Ministry Blog by Josh Griffin

Josh GriffinMore Posts Why Small Groups Are Worth It

•Small groups are messy. Really messy.
•Small groups are a logistical hassle. Meeting in homes only adds to the chaos.
•Small groups require lots of leaders.
•Small groups need constant attention and maintenance.
•In short…small groups can feel like a BIG pain.

But … small groups are totally worth it.

Here are 4 reasons why we think small groups are a big deal. Feel free to add your own (or a dissenting opinion) in the comments section:

Small groups help make invisible students visible
I (Josh) have 4 kids of my own – a couple of them are going to spend their lives being the center of attention and the other 2 are probably going to enjoy contributing on occasion but usually just fading into the background and allowing someone else to take center stage. Small groups put every student in a position to contribute and be challenged. A church that only gathers in the large group setting is encouraging only the faithful, vocal few to truly participate…others may attend, but very few participate. Small groups help make the typically invisible student a little more visible.

Small groups make any size church feel like home
It really doesn’t matter how big your youth ministry is – it is going to feel unwelcoming or even cold to some degree to an outsider. But when a student is invited into a small group… with only a handful of others it begins to feel warmer and more inviting. Personally, we love small groups in homes because this helps them feel even warmer.

Small groups create a youth pastor minor league
Looking to turn regular men and women into great youth workers? Give them a few seasons in small groups and you’ll be amazed at how their heart and their skills grow, and so will they! Small groups give plenty of opportunities for young leaders to shine. Instead of a personality-driven ministry , a strong small group strategy provides opportunities for lots and lots of youth pastors within one ministry.

Small groups produce Godly students
OK, this one isn’t guaranteed, but a small group environment does allow a great leader to be placed over, care for and disciple a handful of students. You can rest a little easier when a student gets connected in a small group – because you know they have a much better chance of their faith sticking because of the relationships that have been set in motion.

Do you think small groups are worth it? Why or why not?

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.

4 View Comments March 12, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Gamerscore Bests 54,000

Took me a couple of months this time – but pumped to have added another 1,000 points to my Xbox360 Gamerscore. Just crossed 54,000 today … beating a few new games in the process:

Rayman Origins (A+) – best sidescrolling/2D game this console generation
How to Train Your Dragon (B-) – kids loved it, but it wasn’t great
Jane’s Advance Strike Fighter (B+) – dropped in price quickly, I love flight simulators that lean arcade
Sonic Generations (B) – better than most Sonics, but still nowhere near as good as the original

JG

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Josh GriffinMore Posts You Can Go With This Video

Fun video our students from Trabuco Hills made for their services during You Own the Weekend!

JG

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Josh GriffinMore Posts HSM Weekend in Review: Volume 173

Weekend Teaching Series: You Own The Weekend (series premiere, week 1 of 5)
Sermon in a Sentence: Love God, love others.
Service Length: 65 minutes

Understandable Message: This weekend was the kick off weekend to our annual “You Own The Weekend” series. During this series, each of the 5 major high schools in the area gets one weekend to “own.” They are in charge of everything from the control room to the podium! The first school to kick it off was Trabuco Hills High School, and they blew it out of the park! They focused on the first and second greatest commandments: Loving God, and loving others. They first taught on loving God, using a student speaker. He focused on how loving our God is and why/how we love in return. They then taught on loving others through the use of a speaker video (composed of 5 students sharing their thoughts and scripture). They spoke about how us loving others is only possible because our love of God. They also spoke about how and why we are called to love others! The whole weekend was brought home by a student sharing their testimony, as well as a TEACHER FROM THEIR SCHOOL sharing his story over video. It was so cool for the students to know that there is some at their school that supports them and wants to talk with them. It was a great weekend and an awesome kick start to the series!

Element of Fun/Positive Environment: Well, since it was Trabuco Hill’s weekend, there was a lot of school spirit decorations, as well as decorations that fit their “love” theme (which were just clearance Valentine’s day decorations. Boom.). There were also a couple great parody videos made by some of our talented video students.

Music Playlist: Perfect Love, Your Love Never Fails, Learn to Love, and My God is Love.

Favorite Moment: The whole weekend was a giant highlight for me because one of my favorite things is seeing students using their gifts and abilities to serve the Lord. It is great having opportunities like “You Own The Weekend” because they require so many different kinds of gifts and gives us the chance to mobilize a lot of students.

Up next: You Own The Weekend [Mission Viejo High School] (week 2 of 5)

(this post was guest written by Colton Harker, student leadership coordinator in HSM)

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Josh GriffinMore Posts POLL: What type of phone do you have?

Just curious in today’s poll … what type of phone do you have?

JG

5 View Comments March 12, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Free LeadersTreks Lesson: Significant Sacrifice

The gang over at LeadersTreks gave me a heads up they’ve got another free lesson they just released that might fit with your teaching plan in the next few weeks. Here’s the description:

This free lesson will help you effectively teach students about the significance of sacrifice in the Christian faith. In the days and weeks leading up to Easter, it is common for us to focus on Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, yet it is also an important time to examine our own hearts, to see if we are truly leading a life of significant sacrifice, one that brings honor to Christ. We hope this lesson helps you in this process

While you’re there, troll their freebies section for other good stuff, too!

JG

Add Comment March 11, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Help Ink: Love Art, Love Others

Sure love what the gang over at Help Ink are doing – I just got a few T-shirts from them and absolutely love the concept. If you’ve got a second, stop on over there and check it out:

Help Ink is a collaborative project, using the sale of premium and exclusive art to help charities in an exciting way. With each purchase you’ll be doing your part to help charitable organizations and individuals around the world.

JG

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Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: KONY 2012

If you’re currently living under a rock, first off, how the heck did you get down there and what do you eat? Next, you may not have noticed the sweeping link that is currently ravaging nearly every social media page you see: KONY 2012. In a nutshell, it’s an awareness campaign orchestrated by a group called Invisible Children. The stated goal of the campaign is to see the arrest of Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) in Central Africa. Kony is responsible for atrocious crimes against humanity and more specifically, children. A man of evil action, to be sure.

But what I’d like to point out quickly are the implications for those who care about and lead teenagers and young adults, because that’s what I do.

First off, the teenage population in America (and most of the planet) has ALWAYS been causal. This age group has always been and will likely always be the ones who display the most passion, are first to “sound the alarm” of injustice, and fly the banner of “I’m in!” when it comes to marching toward a better world. (Coincidentally, they’re also the ones with the most time on their hands.) In essence, it’s the teenage/young adult’s experience to be this for the rest of us; not in place of the rest of us but rather to continually remind us what it looks like to live a life of passion. And I’m so glad they do.

Next, it should be pointed out that we’re all looking for something to be passionate about. KONY 2012 would be the perfect example of someone sharing information with someone who shares it with someone who shares it with someone who shares it with someone, but it’s not. Instead (due to technology) its the perfect example of an organization (Invisible Children) sharing information with a massive audience, who then shares it with a massive audience, who in turn shares it with a massive audience. There are literally people who woke up this morning thinking KONY was Ben & Jerry’s latest flavor and by sundown will be completely immersed in and committed to the idea of bringing Joseph Kony to justice. They’ll have signed the pledge, ordered the kit, and have already bought the war paint for their April 20th nighttime canvassing campaign.

Something we can glean from the KONY 2012 (among other things) is the reminder that young people are wired to move. Unscrewing the top of their head and putting information in is futile unless it pours down to their legs and gets them moving. Truth is learned when truth is lived. As a youth pastor, it challenges me to continually put in front of my students the opportunity to act on truth.

But I’m careful and even suspicious when I see links like KONY 2012. I’m not the kind of guy who gets his sense of superiority by NOT liking what everybody else does (I still say TOMS are hideous), but I do realize that while enthusiasm is great, educated enthusiasm is even better. I wonder how many people watched the first 60 seconds of the half hour KONY 2012 video, decided that was enough, and “shared” it with their Facebook world. Or maybe more likely, who didn’t even watch the video and just shared it because it seems to be the hip thing to do…..”Oh, you hate KONY? Well, then me too! I hate KONY! Who’s with me?!?”

Finally, I want to share my conviction about something. This might come off as a given, but I think it bears stating. Social action and justice-driven activity is NOT the Gospel. Those who receive salvation are not always those with the most banners flying. Tons of people will climb aboard the Kony Express and never know the love of Jesus and the power of His forgiveness. Likewise, tons of people will love and follow Jesus, and not participate in the KONY 2012 campaign. I know that seems harsh and I’m not at all saying that social issues don’t matter or that Joseph Kony should be left alone. Of course not. But we need to understand that you can love Jesus, watch the KONY 2012 video and choose to not sign the petition. You can know nothing of Joseph Kony and still be welcomed into the family of God, the forgiveness He offers, and the eternity He has prepared. I’ve seen the enemy use campaigns exactly like this to drive wedges between Christians because some feel passionately about a particular issue while others don’t.

So, go check out KONY 2012. Or don’t. Go sign the petition. Or don’t. Get a nap on April 19th so you’re fired up and ready to vandalize your own community on April 20th. Or don’t.

Quick take-aways for leaders of students:

1. Harness the energy of your students passionate to do something. Just make sure it’s the right something.

2. Keep in front of them opportunities to move. And I’m not just talking about The Interlude.

3. Keep the Gospel central to any social justice activity you’re a part of. Too often, the Gospel message becomes an “oh, by the way” addendum rather than a “this is why we’re here” passionate invitation.

Rich Yauger is a youth pastor who blogs at The Yaug Blog. Be sure to check it out!

3 View Comments March 10, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Managing Expectations Part 2: Parents

Last week I wrote about the need to manage the expectations of our students so that we can avoid leaving them disappointed or frustrated by unmet needs that they have of our time, teaching and their taste. We get pulled in a lot of directions and its unavoidable that we are not going to appease everyone so its important that we are proactive in our approach, especially to parents.

With parents its important to manage their expectations, especially the ones who think that since their tithe pays for salary, that they can tell you what to do and assume that you are doing very little.

Time: Students covet your time, and parents covet your time for their children. We have all been there, when a parent calls and asks if you would spend some “Pastoral” time with their student who has gone astray. For some its reactive and some its proactive, but the calls are coming and sometimes it can be a lot to deal with and schedule. In a ministry that has small group leaders, its vital that we be open to meeting with students, but help parents understand the importance of the relationship students have with their small group leaders is. I love meeting up with students, but when the culture shifts to one where the small group leader is having those meetings, you are not only able to multiply the ministry, but you have facilitated a much more sustainable relationship.

Teaching: I really do like when parents care about what we are teaching, but I am not sure about you, but I have a few parents have an expectation that we would teach would teach their students the entire Bible in the 3-6 years that we have them in our program. If her daughter has not have a full understanding of the Old Testament genealogies, am I really cut out to be a Pastor? The reality is that this is just not possible. Our aim is to teach God’s word to our students, help them understand how to read it and how the Bible continues to intersect their lives today.

Taste: This is easily the hardest thing for me to reconcile because the fact is that despite each of our best efforts to avoid this, there are students who will just not stick at our program. The hard part is that they might be kids who have been in the church for years and come to youth and never feel that it’s a place that they can go. We do out best to let parents know up front that we will make effort to help their students connect, develop relationship and land in a small group that will cultivate their student’s spiritual growth but our best and most intentional efforts are sometimes not enough.
Parents need to hear that we care deeply about their students and that we are concerned about cultivating a culture where students grow in relationship with Jesus and each other. There are a lot of expectations on us as youth workers, some expressed and others not and the more we can do to be proactive at managing and speaking to them, them more positive and healthy our relationship will be with the whole family.

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? Send it on over.

Add Comment March 10, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Fat Guy in a Little Coat

Chris Farley in Tommy Boy is the epitome of how I have felt about myself for a long time. I felt down on myself cause I struggled with who I am and where I was going in a while. I didn’t truly value myself like I should. I didn’t see my value in Christ.

Right now I am down 13lbs since I started dieting a short while ago. I realize my weight has nothing to do with my value, but it has a lot to do with how I see myself.

I started dieting about 4.5 weeks ago because I recognized a few things.
1. My weight was getting in the way of seeing Gods value in me.
2. My wife is working hard on being in the best shape of her life.
3. Youth Ministry easily leads you to eating terrible foods (pizza, chocolate bars, chips, pop, fries, burgers…oh I miss these things)
4. I was not looking so hot, unless someone looks at overweight bearded youth pastors and thinks to themselves “Oh YEAH!”

God values me as a creation of His. I am very good! He sent Jesus to die on a cross for me because He loves me exactly how I am. Whether I am my current weight or 100lbs heavier. But at the same time, God didn’t make this body so I can trash it. He made it so I can use it for his purpose, and like any tool you gotta take care of it or it doesn’t work very well.

I will be honest, I also have to take better care of myself because my wife works hard to take care of herself. My body is also partially hers, and I know she doesn’t want her part to be mostly fat. So I am working on myself as a gift to her.

As pastors and leaders in churches, we often forget about our bodies and the physical bodies of the people we call “the body of Christ”. I hope we can correct that. I hope we can start to see the body as a tool to be used for God’s glory and that we try to keep it up.

I know some people will always struggle with weight (myself included). Some of us will not have the time to hit the gym so we can look like Ryan Reynolds or Hugh Jackman, we will look a lot more like Seth Rogen or Billy Crystal. But that’s not the point! The point is we need to take strides to take care of this physical body so we can take care of the body of the church.

Kyle Corbin is a youth pastor/blogger would writes over on the Simple Ministry site. Check him out!