Weekend Teaching Series: LAUNCH: Ready for Re-Entry (week 2 of 5)
Sermon in a Sentence: Launching into a successful school year includes preparing your heart and mind for how to respond in times of TEMPTATION.
Service Length: 75 minutes

Understandable Message: This weekend I asked Taffy to teach on temptation. I had my hands full with all four kids while my wife, Angela, is serving on a medical missions trip in Kenya. Taffy is the Student Ministries Music Director and a wonderful pastor of students. He has an infectious laugh and guides students with care and intentionality. His role is to advise, mentor and train young leaders of music ministry. He is a natural on stage and gave a wonderful message on the in and outs of temptation. This message was tag-team taught with Tom Reagan, a recent HSM graduate and summer intern, and college student at Gordon Conwell in Boston. After discussing the origin of temptation and that, it in itself, is not sin, nor is it bad, advised the students to 1) Persevere for God’s glory 2) recognize Practical temptations of life and 3) rely on the Power of God. The central verse was 1 Cor. 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

Element of Fun/Positive Environment: We opened the service by covering the song Airplanes by B.O.B. featuring Hayley Williams and had a couple of funny videos called “Deep Thoughts”.

Music Playlist: Nothing but the Blood, Savior of the World, Same Power that Conquered the Grave, and Our God.

Favorite Moment(s): Two again this week – 1) a great student volunteer (Bree) helped do the announcements and welcome and killed it! 2) There were 3 videos in the service that were great spoofs on what Christians believe, very engaging and made a good point (Deep Thoughts from a Shallow Christian).

Up Next: LAUNCH week 3

Got a few emails and comments asking about vacation time for youth workers. I had mentioned in an earlier post that I am in the middle of taking 100 hours of vacation this month to be Mr. Mom as my wife enjoys an overseas mission trip to Africa. I’ve already posted about The Vacations We Take Each Year, and here are a few additional thoughts and ideas about vacation time:

• VACATION TIME: We accumulate vacation time each work week at our church. Depending on how long you’ve served at the church, the faster you accumulate time off. For the typical employee you get two weeks of vacation, so roughly 1.6 hours per week worked (80 hours a year). You can “bank” up to two years of your annual amount of vacation time.
• COMP TIME: Officially, there is no such thing as “comp time” at Saddleback. You’re expected to work 50 hours a week, and if you work more it doesn’t matter. Obviously, that makes things like camps or retreats a bit unrealistic, but such is life. As a supervisor myself, I may choose to me more lenient on my team and offer lighter schedules and be keenly aware of the temperature of my team. I don’t always get it right, but I try to be the understanding youth ministry boss that I haven’t always been privileged to have throughout my youth ministry career.
• FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE: Forward-thinking companies like Netflix realize that in some environments work hours are messy and don’t fit into traditional banking hours. That comp time is impossible to track, and that people who don’t turn it off are better when they take longer more ambiguous stretches of time off. Interesting article in the Wall St. Journal – but don’t expect your church to understand this concept. I would make a guess that the person who is in charge of your office/work culture probably is a bit more traditional/straight-laced to take this big of a risk from the norm.
• SPIRITUAL RETREAT DAY: Occasionally I’ll give my team a spiritual retreat day, an 8-hour day that are focused completely on personal spiritual development of their heart and to reconnect with God. We work hard, and the biggest shame of working hard would be to not work alongside with the Spirit’s leading. So no busy work or email is allowed, and everyone is asked to send a paragraph report on what God said to them. I should do this more often, if for my own heart than anything else.
• CAMPS ARE NOT VACATION: Camps and retreats NEVER count as vacation. I read an “out of office” reply last week from a youth worker at camp and it said they were “on vacation” – don’t affirm that terrible stereotype that because you are away you are NOT on vacation. If this is present in your church culture, it is a fight worth fighting in my opinion.
• CONFERENCE ALLOWANCE: Conferences also do not count as vacation time – our church gives me a couple days of free personal development time as well. I’ve worked in and heard of many others that wrap vacation/conferences into one to save money or because it does use vacation time. In this economy a raise is unlikely anyhow, so perhaps make the ask for a couple paid days away to grow in your expertise.
• WHEN TO FIT IN VACATION: Late summer works best for me to take vacation time – the summer calendar starts to wain and the fall kickoff isn’t quite here yet. I like to think of it as the calm before the storm. Actually, I’m writing this post in the calm of some time away right now. Feels good. I should do this more often.
• WHAT ABOUT YOUTH GROUP WHEN I’M AWAY: When I’m on vacation, I give the platform away to trusted voices and voices I want to develop. This block that I’m gone right now I’m having a few experienced and inexperienced voices in front of our students, I’m excited because this weekend a volunteer and his small group are teaching.

How does your church do vacation time? When was the last time you were on vacation? Any tips or tricks to share with the MTDB community?

JG

You don’t have to be a youth worker very long before you feel the urge to quit. The challenges of ministry swirl together to create a daunting vortex of difficulty – church politics, ineffective leadership, slashed or non-existent budgets, elders, “the way it has always been”, conflicting visions, personality clashes, relational pain and so much more. I realize I’m not painting a beautiful picture of youth ministry right now, so hang with me.

I would say for most it hits somewhere around the end of your first year – for me it was a couple years in. The honeymoon was over and I  got my first taste of church ugliness. You start to think about quitting. You’re just not sure you’re cut out for it. You wonder if the elders on the church board are even Christians.

I’ve quit many times before – only to be brought back to life by 1) realizing the problem could be overcome, 2) the words or encouragement from a close friend, or 3) realizing that ministry isn’t pretty or easy, but I’m called to it. If you’re feeling pretty low, I hope these point you in the right direction today:

Fight through it
Get behind the feelings of failure or frustration – are you ready to quit over a problem you created, a person you loathe or a situation that seems beyond repair? Throwing in the towel is an impulsive decision that has been thought about for a long time. [I realize that sentence doesn't make sense, but I really like it]. One final person, comment or failure pushes you off the cliff – the only choice you have left is to call it quits. But don’t settle for simply giving into the barrage of emotion. Is it really the end of the world as we know it? Is there really no hope? Is God truly done with you where you’re at? Be careful to test your emotions and motives when the going gets tough – you might be surprised what you find a little deeper under the surface. It probably is about half as bad as you think it is. Still bad, but worth fighting through.

Surround yourself with people you love
The biggest rescuer of my urges to quit are the teammates that I love. Surrounding yourself with great co-laborers is absolutely key. My spouse is number one – when I’m down she knows what to say, when not to say anything and what to ask to get me out of my funk. My team is a close second – people that I serve with every day in the trenches of youth ministry. Some of the people that share my passion, hopes, dreams and frustrations of ministry pick me up. Do you have some key people on your volunteer team that you love being around? Do you have a safe place to vent or talk through a situation? Our family loved having dinner with an amazing couple and their daughters this past week. Absolutely life-giving.

Remember your calling
I have a moment … that whenever I feel like quitting I hold on to. I was sitting in the Dean of Men’s office at the college I was attending, he simply said, “Josh, you would make a great youth pastor. Why are you going into business?” That conversation led me on a journey to what would eventually be a divine calling into youth ministry. That key mentor in my life pointed me to an opportunity, we prayed, God answered. I’ve served in 2 churches since then (one in Michigan, the other here at Saddleback) and have both had incredible highs and lows – and I remember my calling vividly when things get tough. Why did you get into youth ministry in the first place? Hopefully there is a memory or spiritual moment where you recall God calling you to serve His children. Maybe at first you just volunteered, and God did something in your heart. Maybe you’re still volunteering, but you know you’ve been chosen for this work.

Seems like I’ve been getting more and more emails from youth workers ready to throw in the towel. Maybe God is moving you? Certainly could be. Maybe it is a test of your character and He wants you to stay put? Either way – honored to be in the same profession with you, my friend. Hang in there.

Help someone who’s ready to quit youth ministry with a thought/encouragement in the comments, too.

JG

Thought that YS had a great article today about transitioning from one youth ministry to another. Today is the first in a series of posts detailing one youth pastor’s journey to what was next. Here are a couple of principles from today’s article – head there for the complete story:

Communicate openly with interviewees. I fielded quite a few questions back and forth on Facebook, e-mail, and over several lunches with student ministry candidates.  This opened up the passions and genuine interest— or NOT — in those applying for the position and also made the transition more of a reality for me.  It started the process of my thinking about what I personally needed to do to prepare the ministry for the transition.

Cleaning house. In addition to a lot of deep thinking about how to best prepare each element of the ministry for new leaders, there were the technical details of cleaning my files off the youth PC, transferring iTunes files from my personal laptop, and boxing up personal effects in my office and the youth room.  This process took way longer than I would have thought.  I guess it comes from making myself “at home” in my work environment.  I had stuff all over the place!

Leaving everyone in good shape. It’s far too easy to let things slack a little when you realize that you’re not going to be around very long.  Fight that urge and instead push hard to finish with excellence.  Don’t let the student’s last camp experience or run of student services be a stinker because you have already thrown in the towel.  This applies to other areas as well: don’t neglect that last pile of receipts — they are calling out your name!  Leave in good relation with everyone – including your treasurer!

JG

This week’s poll – how many of your small group leaders from last year are returning to groups this Fall? And if you’re up to leave a comment, what would be considered a healthy/typical/normal drop out rate year-to-year?

JG

Silly video we used to illustrate temptation this weekend for week 2 of the back to school LAUNCH series.

JG

August is here – summer programs are winding down and school is about to begin. Scratch that – for more than half the country, kids are already in classes this week! You’re heading toward the Fall kickoff of your youth ministry, and thinking about what’s next. I posted When to Buy Youth Ministry Resources last August, but thought something tangible with solid suggestions for the fall might be a good idea as well. Here are the questions I’m asking with a couple weeks to go before our official kickoff:

1. Is your youth ministry service ready to go?
Take the time to lay out the fall teaching calendar. Create or purchase a teaching series that is compelling and make it easy for your students to bring their non-believing friends. The start of the school year is one of the most opportune times for Friendship Evangelism. Then think about the atmosphere that first-time student will walk into – are a few crowd games or a cell phone poll the way to go? Is the room setup ideally for what you’re trying to accomplish? Do you have a way to contact students during the week? How can you give your youth group a jolt of fresh energy this Fall? Suggestions: 2nd Greatest Story Every Told, Heart of a Champion, Awaken Your Creativity

2. Are your small group leaders and volunteers trained?
Capitalize on the fall to get some good reading into the hands of your leaders or good material into your hands for training meetings. Suggestions: Youth Worker Training on the Go, Emergency Response Handbook for Youth Ministry, Connect

3. What are you reading for your personal development?
You meant to read a few good books over the summer – and honestly, they’re still in the bottom of your backpack. Take them out and get cracking! If you’re looking for a good book Terrace had a good list for young influencers and Kurt’s new book The 9 Best Practices of Youth Ministry looks challenging. My favorite book this summer was Linchpin. Pick up a book for your own development. Suggestions: Tribes, Switch, Steering Through Chaos, Crazy Love, The Next Generation Leader

4. What is it time to launch?
For us we’re talking about helping hurting students, so we’re concentrating on our pastoral care program for teenagers who are at risk. You’ve got the pulse of your student ministry – what is it time to launch? Or maybe what is it time to re-launch? Maybe it is time to stop something, so this January you can breath new life into it? Suggestions: The Landing, Help! I’m a Student Leader, LeaderTreks

JG

I really enjoyed Adam’s post on youth ministry teachers – he thinks there are 4 generalized types of teachers in most youth ministry settings. As I read his ideas, I found myself a hybrid of all of them depending on experience, season of ministry and available time. I’ve posted before on the process of preparing a talk in my context, but thought this might be some value to challenge you as you prepare lessons for youth group. Here’s a clip, head there for the rest of the good stuff:

1. The artist: These people consider their teaching a craft. In their eyes, their lessons are as much art as a photographer, an architect, or a ballet dancer. They spend countless hours lost in crafting their teaching series, messages, etc. These folks look down on those who buy resources. Though, they may buy stuff occasionally for inspiration.

4. Processors: These youth workers believe that their teaching will be better when they work through the content as a team. So they draft concepts and have a team of friends/volunteers look at it. By the time a lesson is taught, it has gone through 4-5 levels of revision. These people love their process.

JG

My wife is in the middle of taking her longest trip ever since we started to have kids. All told she’ll be gone a grand total of 18 days. Last February when I was in Kenya I called her excitedly and shared with her what I was experiencing and said, “You HAVE to get here as soon as possible.” Little did we know was that in 5 short months she would be calling me from the same place that conversation took place.

So, I’m taking 100+ hours of stored up vacation time and doing some Dad Minus Mom Plus Four (I should try to get a TV show – the only problem is that we have a good marriage) while she’s away. Here’s a little glimpse into my world, now just 8 days in:

• 5 loads of laundry
• 167 miles driven in the minivan
• 13 Instant Streaming kids titles on Netflix
• 3 DVD rentals
• 2 free family fun movies at Regal
• 1 trip to the beach
• 7 trips to the pool
• 1 small investment in a backyard water-propelled Buzz Lightyear flying spaceship
• 11 runs of the dishwasher
• 4 trips to the store
• 4 runs to the park
• 1 run back to the park to pick up forgotten sandals
• 1 nap
• 9 boxes of sugar cereal
• $38 in fruit (something to tell mom about when she calls from Africa)
• 5 gallons of milk
• 6 fast food stops (1 Taco Bell, 1 Del Taco, 2 McDonald’s,  1 Chipotle, 1 Chick-Fil-A)
• 1 meal from a neighbor who felt sorry for the kids eating habits

And these numbers, along with me being far outside my normal routine and duties, has led to a couple of observations as well:

• My youngest son produces about 1/2 of the laundry.
• My daughter produces almost the other half.
• My 2 oldest sons produce curiously little laundry. Especially in the undergarment department.
• Cookie Crisp isn’t quite as good as you remember as a kid.
• Potty training sounds awesome in a Twitter, tough in real life.
• We devour an entire box of cereal and nearly a gallon of milk at breakfast.
• All that laundry, not a single sock.
• The washer and dryer should be in sync, instead of the washer ending 6 minutes first.
• I hate Play Doh.

JG

Enjoyed a youth ministry conversation recently that hit on the subject of pastoral care basics. Here was a few key thoughts that rose to the top as my buddy and I talked together:

YOUTH MINISTRY PASTORAL CARE BASICS

• I am a pastor. I am called to minister to these teenagers. They are my sheep. Caring for them is not a hassle or an obligation. It is a welcomed responsibility and an honor to serve them.
• Seek after. Be sought after. Be available when a student would expect and show up when they would least expect it. Have discerning eyes and ears in every conversation.
• Be quick to respond. Really quick. Surprise them with your response time and availability to them.

JG

I’m excited to announce that Saddleback Church now has a weekend message podcast – I was asked to do the welcome intro a week ago and was told it all went live today. If you’re looking for inspiration from the weekend message of Pastor Rick and other great speakers from Saddleback’s adult services – enjoy!

JG

Excited to get my hands on Kurt Johnston’s newest book The 9: Best Practices for Youth Ministry. A couple of the chapter titles feel right/expected – starting with soul care and listening to God’s Spirit. I love the emphasis on evangelism and volunteer development, which comes naturally for my gifting. But I’m excited to dig more into valuing families and contextualized programs and events (honestly, I’m not even quite sure what that means). Congrats on the new book, Kurt, there’s a lot to think about from the chapter titles alone:

1. Nurture Your Own Soul
2. Build an Awareness of God’s Active Presence
3. Encourage Personal Spiritual Growth
4. Foster a Sense of Evangelistic Urgency
5. Increase the Congregation’s Appreciation of Students
6. Provide Opportunities for Relationships
7. Develop Confident, Competent, and Committed Adult Leaders
8. Consistently Value Families
9. Create Contextualized Programs & Events

JG

I’m not even sure how to start this off, so I’ll jump right in.  I’m a youth pastor at a church of a few hundred people.  Our youth group is maybe 45 students (depending on if the Redskins are playing that Sunday night).  I’ve been struggling recently with one BIG thing… FAILURE…and it seems to be infiltrating many areas of ministry.

Here’s my issue:  I read blogs and check in on other churches/youth groups to see what they’re up to, what is working and what is not. Then, I start becoming envious of what they have or how many students they attract.  I understand that some of this is insecurity, I get that, but I cannot be the only one who feels this way.

One of the things I am lacking… VOLUNTEERS!!!  I am always on the lookout for potential volunteers, but I feel as if they want only want to help out when it is convenient for them. I have 2 full-time volunteers (and one is my wife!) and about a handful of parents who chaperone trips.  Because I lack volunteers, I feel as if I’m not leading effectively, which in my eyes has failure written all over it!  Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE what God has called me to do, but sometimes I really question if the feelings of failure are God’s way of telling me to move on.

To add icing on the cake, I live in one of the richest areas in America.  These students have “everything” they could ever want.  My mind tells me that the students thought process goes a little something like this:  “Why do I need Jesus?  I mean, I’ve got a Beemer, all the new technology, and basically anything else I could ever want.  What is Jesus going to give me?”  Here in lies another one of my problems.  I begin to think that I’m failing because I’m short-changing Jesus.  I’m putting Him on a leash and saying, “You can only go this far before I’m going to pull you back in.”  So, I’m looking for some thoughts.  Honesty is my thing.  My students know that every time I speak it’s going to be from the heart.  So I’d love to hear yours.

This guest author has requested his/her name be withheld. Help them out with a comment!

Journaled a little bit last week about pastoral care – how we’re called to care for the wounds of the students that have been entrusted to us as youth workers. In the setup we’re launching soon, we’ll have a 3-pronged approach to helping students with the hurts in their lives. Here’s the breakdown:

Small group leaders
One of the most effective groups of pastoral care volunteers in our ministry are the small group leaders. Students that have taken a step beyond the entry-level program of the weekend service come to experience being known, loved and cared for. When they have a problem (or a celebration, for that matter) they most often turn to “their pastor” – a title we’ve quick to award these amazing leaders. The majority (that part isn’t represented well in my Moleskin drawing above, sorry) of struggles and issues are addressed personally and directly here.

Pastoral care volunteers
This is the area where we have a great opportunity to build, we don’t have this yet so I’m talking in more ideal than real. What if there was a team of adults who pray for, counsel, guide and respond to students in need? If a student doesn’t have a small group leader, or needs more than what that leader can provide, we have a response. When a student is looking for prayer on the weekend, there’s a place for them to go. When they finally get up the nerve to call or Facebook, someone is quick to respond back.

The Landing (check out this program in detail here)
On the other end of the spectrum there are kids dealing with major life issues perhaps considered to be “above the pay grade” of the care team or their small group leader. And while we hope leaders know they can take on anything, we want to offer a program with specifically trained and called volunteers who’ve “seen it all” and can help coach and love these students through recovery. That’s where The Landing comes into play – a Celebrate Recovery for students that is available every Friday night of the year.

How do you care for students? Just thinking out loud today – hoping it triggers and idea to care for your students, too!

JG

This week’s poll question: how often do you use video teaching in your youth ministry?

JG

I’ve enjoyed Marko’s post on the now-infamous USA Today article on the decline of youth ministry as we know it. Here’s a clip of the original editorial content that has spurred on some interesting reactions by youth pastors around the country:

“Bye-bye church. We’re busy.” That’s the message teens are giving churches today.

Only about one in four teens now participate in church youth groups, considered the hallmark of involvement; numbers have been flat since 1999. Other measures of religiosity — prayer, Bible reading and going to church — lag as well, according to Barna Group, a Ventura, Calif., evangelical research company. This all has churches canceling their summer teen camps and youth pastors looking worriedly toward the fall, when school-year youth groups kick in.

“Talking to God may be losing out to Facebook,” says Barna president David Kinnaman.

“Sweet 16 is not a sweet spot for churches. It’s the age teens typically drop out,” says Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, which found the turning point in a study of church dropouts. “A decade ago teens were coming to church youth group to play, coming for the entertainment, coming for the pizza. They’re not even coming for the pizza anymore. They say, ‘We don’t see the church as relevant, as meeting our needs or where we need to be today.’ “

I think they’re are quite a few potentially valid responses and perspectives to this article:

• Our youth ministry numbers are up. The whole thing is bogus!
• Our youth ministry numbers are down. I have a valid excuse when the elders pin me down next time!
• Really? Facebook is the reason students don’t do to church anymore? Wow.
• Yes! What can youth ministry do to become relevant again?
• What’s wrong with a little pizza every now and then?
• What are we doing to go after lost sheep?
• Are camps truly a thing of the past?
• How is your youth ministry known/positioned in your community?
• So go the adults, so go the youth ministry.
• What can we do to streamline our youth ministry to fit into the busyness?
• USA Today’s readership is down, so they’re dragging everyone else down with them.
• If the students are on Facebook, are we?
• Does Barna know what they’re talking about anymore?

So … let’s hear what you think. What’s your response after you read the whole article on USA Today?

JG

Fun little post here I really enjoyed – noticing the similarities of the KJV Bible translation and the way Yoda speaks. Made me laugh! I grew up with that translation, so when I quote a verse from memory it almost always includes some these and thous!

I almost laughed out loud when I had the thought that it sounded like Yoda. It was then that I realized Yoda sounds more like King James English than modern-day English. Then I found out that many Star Wars fanatics believe that George Lucas based Yoda’s dialect off of the King James Bible. So, I decided to put together this list…

Thanks for D Miller for the link!

JG

Loved this post over on Junior High Ministry, some good stuff about how to stay energized and get filled back up after pouring out ministering to students. Here’s a clip, worth heading over there (and more importantly putting some of it into practice) for the read:

* Get rid of the monster: If I have something non-fun or conflict oriented that I must do, I do it within the first hour of being in my office. I get rid of that big, looming monster so I can move on to more life-giving things.

* Administer the positive pep-talk: As I am going over the mission trip contributions or editing my summer camp manual, I say to myself (usually out loud) “This is all for the kids! Because you’re doing this, it’s going to be a better experience for the kids!” It may sound cheesy, but it works for me– I remind myself that it all blesses the kids in the end.

* Get out of the office: Many of us could be busy in our offices for days at a time– it takes being intentional to break out of that administrative grind and be with kids. As I look at my weeks, I make sure there are multiple one-on-ones with students, football games, musicals or lunches in school cafeterias. Even if it’s just a couple hours away, it refreshes my spirit and enables me to do the stuff that doesn’t.

JG

The new LAUNCH bumper video that one of our talented volunteers pulled off this week. Nice!

JG