More Than Dodgeball | Youth Ministry Blog by Josh Griffin

Josh GriffinMore Posts SYMC 2013 Promo Video

Here’s the video that was played tonight to promote the Simply Youth Ministry Conference 2013 in Indianapolis – the new site just went live today. Join us next year, it is going to be great!

JG

2 View Comments March 3, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Youth Ministry: Job, Professions or Craft?

I just finished reading “The Contemplative Pastor” by Eugene Peterson.

Whilst speaking about the nature of pastoral work, the author makes the significant point that a difference exists between a job, a profession and a craft.

A job is just that… A job. An occupation. Something you do for a pay check. You find out what is expected and you do it. You don’t extend yourself beyond what is anticipated.
A profession is beyond a job. In a profession you’re working for and towards something. Behind a profession there is a driving force, be it rising up the corporate ladder or something more profound.
A craft is undertaken amidst a medium which you honor through your efforts. You want to make your desired outcome significant.

What happens when we hold up these three terms against the backdrop of youth ministry?

There are parts of youth ministry which aren’t glamorous. Doing attendance spread sheets isn’t something highlighted on too many youth ministry recruitment posters, but it’s a part of the job.

But youth ministry is more than merely a job.

We all know, in ministry, you should be working with something bigger in mind. We want to reach teenagers for Christ. We want to see young people develop their God given talents and skills. We want to see the Kingdom grow.
In youth ministry we are driven by more than the desire for a wage at the end of the month. Just as a lawyer should be driven by the desire to see justice, or a teacher driven by the desire for others to learn, we are to be inspired by the Spirit of God and given the example of Jesus to follow. We are sent out with the words of the Great Commands and the Great Commission ringing in our ears.

But… Is youth ministry beyond a profession?

Is youth ministry a craft? I think so.

We work in the extraordinary mediums of young people and life change. We want to honour those who God has placed in our care. We want to allow God’s Spirit to transform the lives. Do you look at your ministry as a job, a profession, or a craft?

Graham Baldock is a Youth Pastor from Sydney, Australia and has a youth ministry blog worth checking out at grahambaldock.blogspot.com

Add Comment March 3, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts The Book Series Bumper Video (complete)

Here’s the final and full version of The Book series video that Parker made for our student-version of the 40 Days in the Word campaign. So, so good!

JG

Add Comment March 2, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Watch the Simply Youth Ministry Conference General Sessions LIVE!

It’s not the same as being there … but close! Starting at 4:30pm today, you can watch the Simply Youth Ministry Conference going on LIVE in Louisville, KY!

All 6 general sessions PLUS 1-6pm on Saturday and Sunday!

JG

Add Comment March 2, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: We Love Our Youth Worker

Youth workers serving with one ministry for a long period of time is crucial to reaching students for Christ. It simply takes a while for relationships with parents and teens to grow and develop. The more those relationships mature, the more doors and opportunities will be open to youth workers in their churches and communities.

I am in the middle of year five at my current church and because relationships with certain students have had years of development, I am able to be more direct and blunt with them. We go deeper and relate easier. This summer will be our fourth mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico and because of this repeat there will be fewer hoops to jump through when it comes to helping parents feel comfortable about the trip. As I have cultivated relationships with town officials over the years, local Social Workers now call me when they have students whom they think will benefit from our youth programs. And these workers are in no way affiliated with our church, or any other church in town for that matter.

Longevity really does lead to many fantastic opportunities in ministry. The problem though is that many youth workers go into a ministry position with longevity in mind only to find themselves packing up much sooner than expected. Some choose to leave on their own accord because a church isn’t very healthy. Sadly, many others find themselves burnt out or fired.

The fact is that longevity is not something that we find in ministry by accident. It’s something that both churches and youth workers can and should be purposeful about. This is what is at the heart of We Love Our Youth Worker, US as we work to promote our Seven Promise Covenant for churches and youth workers around the country.

Promises for the Church
1. We will pray and spiritually support
2. We will give space for retreat and reflection
3. We will provide ongoing training and development
4. We will give at least one full day of rest per week
5. We will share responsibility
6. We will strive to be an excellent employer
7. We will celebrate and appreciate

Responses of the Youth Worker
1. We will pray for our church, its leaders and members and our community
2. We will make our own spiritual growth a priority
3. We will commit to continued learning and growth
4. We will take at least one day off each week and vacation time
5. We will ask for help and share the youth ministry with others
6. We will strive to be excellent employees
7. We will celebrate our church’s investment in youth ministry

We are very excited to officially launch this Covenant on March 1st, 2012 and will then begin to accept applications from churches to apply for accreditation. Our hope and goal is that a movement will develop which promotes a healthy national standard for how churches staff a youth worker at their church.

We truly believe that these seven simple, but crucial, promises will lead to more longevity in ministry. This will mean healthier youth workers, families, churches and youth ministries. Ultimately it will provide the opportunity for many more kids and their family’s to interact with the Gospel.

For more information about the Covenant, we’d invite you to check out our website at www.weloveouryouthworker.us.

Jake Kircher has been in youth ministry for 10 years and currently serves as the full-time Youth Pastor of Grace Community Church in New Canaan, CT. He is also the US Representative for We Love Our Youth Worker. You can learn more about his ministry at www.jakekircher.com.

Add Comment March 2, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: 3 Things Every Student Pastor MUST Do

In the past five years I have had the privilege to see a lot of different student ministries and work along side of many different student pastors. In each ministry I have seen different approaches to student ministry, but in every student ministry I have seen three things that I believe are a must for every student pastor. Whatever your doing in student ministry, I believe you MUST be doing these three things:

1. Teach students the Bible. The most important thing student pastors must do is teach students the Bible. The Word of God is the only thing that can truly change their life and help them follow God for the rest of their life. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this: I believe students need to hear good, solid expository preaching and teaching whenever they come to a youth group meeting. I’m all for small groups, which I believe are vital in student ministry (click here to see my thoughts on this), but student pastors need to teach the Bible in an expository manner to their students. Not only in large youth group gathers, students need to be taught the Bible within small groups that I believe should be a vital part of student ministry. Whatever way your ministry is set up, students have to be taught the Bible. I’m all for relationships and creative styles of discipleship, but I believe solid, Bible teaching is a must for all student pastors.

2. Train and build adult leaders. If you want a growing and healthy student ministry, you must have a team of well-trained adults to do ministry along side of you. Students pastors must spend much of their time recruiting adult leaders, training and equipping them, and giving them opportunities to serve students. In the book The Greenhouse Project, Ric Garland points out that one person can only disciple 5 to 6 students effectively. That means if your ministry has six or more students in it, you have to have adult leaders helping you. Student pastors need to spend the same amount of time building and training leaders as they do spending time with the students.

3. Minister to the parents. I believe a student pastor is not just called to serve the students, they are called to serve the parents as well. The parents are responsible for the spiritual growth of their own students so student pastors must never take that place. We must partner with the parents as we point their students to Christ. Many student pastors spend little time with parents outside just giving them information on events and activities. We as student pastors need to spend time building relationships with the parents, teaching the about the culture of their students, and equipping them with resources to train their students.

These are three things you must be doing as a student pastor. Other things are great and have their place, but we cannot allow these three things to be put on the back burner. Student pastor, teaching your students the Bible, build a healthy leadership team of adults, and always serve the parents.

Austin is currently a pastoral intern at Weymouth Community Church in Medina, OH. He just finished his Bachelors degree from Piedmont International University in Christian Ministries with a student ministries and pastoral studies minors. He is now working on his Master’s degree, got engaged, and is looking for his first-full time ministry position in the area of student ministry. You can find his blog online at www.austinmccann.com.

2 View Comments March 2, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts How to Get Your Youth Ministry Book Published

Want to get your youth ministry book published? Big news this week from Simply Youth Ministry’s new project: Everyday Youth Ministry. Get all of the details in the video above or by clicking here. Here’s a clip to get you started, too. Gonna be fun to see what comes out of this!

1. Find your STS. Everything depends on what you have to say—find your “Something to Say.”

• Assess the reason you want to write—We think the only legitimate reason to write in the ministry world is to “give from your good treasure.”

• Everyone has “good treasure.”

• Corrollary: If you have something to give to other youth pastors, but you don’t, you’re a hoarder.

2. Never forget that writing is hard work. No writer worth his or her salt thinks writing comes “naturally.” Writers are both craftsmen and artists. They put more stock in determination than in flair. There’s nothing especially romantic about writing…to a good writer.

The key is this: Write to express, not to impress. When you use big, showy words to try to capture respect from your readers, you simply telegraph that you’re stuffy and full of yourself.

• Corrollary #1—Get to the point right away. Most people aren’t patient enough to wait around for your message.

• Corrollary #2—Use concrete words and descriptions instead of abstract terms. Don’t write, “Our new outreach event was a spectacular success.” Write instead, “Our new outreach event attracted 15 unchurched kids to our regular meeting.”

• Corrollary #3—Great writing gets out of the way of great ideas. That means your writing serves the ideas you’re offering, not the other way around.

2 View Comments March 2, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Official Worship Signals Video

Fun parody video that might be a good fit for opening up a worship service or a training event …

JG

Add Comment March 1, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts 5 Common Youth Worker Mistakes

Gregg Farah as been on a blogging streak lately. I really enjoyed his post called 5 Mistakes Every Youth Worker Makes and How to Avoid Them. Here’s a clip of a common mistake – that if I’m honest about (and probably you are, too) is a mistake I make all to often. Head there for the rest:

5) Leave God Out (both rookies and vets are guilty)
We get so busy serving God we forget to be with God, we forget to talk to God, and we forget to listen to God. When I first started in ministry a vet youth worker said, “Don’t let your service exceed your worship.” I fight that temptation on a regular basis.

Solution:
a) Stop. If you have a choice between a last-second review of your notes for a Bible study, or sitting still in the presence of God, go with God. Every time.
b) Model reliance on God. Pray with students before everything and talk about God’s answers to prayer. I think God answers prayer far more than we give God credit. Let’s help students get excited that God does hear our prayers and answers them.

JG

Add Comment March 1, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Judgementalism, Perception and Hypocrisy

Thought this post from Holy Soup was interesting – written from the perspective of a ministry resource provider, but had an interesting parallel to perception in youth ministry. Here’s a clip, head there for the rest:

As a publisher of Christian resources, I frequently hear from squinty-eyed conspiracy theorists who find evil in innocence everywhere they look. Some examples:

If you depict a rainbow you must be supporting a radical gay agenda.

If you ask people to silently meditate on a biblical truth you must be a Buddhist.

If you refer to science you must be a God-hating humanist.

If you discuss the environment you must be a pagan.

If you ask students to visualize a certain scenario you must be a New Ager.

If you like Easter eggs you must be a Babylonian Mother Goddess worshiper.

If you discuss things in popular culture you must be a “neo-Christian.”

If you set up a prayer walk you must be an Emergent heretic.

If you dance you must work at a strip club.

The Pharisees are alive and well. Today. And, they’re inhibiting the cause of Christ. They’re portraying the church as a judgmental band of paranoid finger-pointers. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that Christian folk should wear rose-colored glasses. But I mourn the harm being done by those who look at life through crap-colored glasses.