More Than Dodgeball | Youth Ministry Blog by Josh Griffin

Josh GriffinMore Posts An iTunes Run: Volume 20

Here’s the last 3 albums I picked up, this time 3 different CDs landed on my desk, so nothing actually from iTunes. Here’s the new stuff I’m listening to:

Songseeker 2008 (from the Saddleback Worship Conference). Good collection of new songs written by the attendees of the event. There’s a couple of really solid songs on the album. B
Hillsong Live – This is Our God. The annual worship album from Hillsong – excellent as always. A
Chris Sligh – Running Back to You. I’ve been a big fan of Chris, and his first album post-American Idol is excellent. A

JG

Add Comment July 8, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts The No Complaining Rule

I couldn’t be more excited to read The No Complaining Rule from Energy Bus author Jon Gordon … looks awesome, and has to have some great implications for church office culture as well. Just ordered mine!

JG

Add Comment July 8, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts My Gamerscore Can Beat Up Your Gamerscore

Unless you have over 22,000 points, my Xbox 360 gamerscore can beat up your gamerscore. And my Xbox360 blog rejoiced …

JG

Add Comment July 7, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts Everything is the Message

I want students walking away from the weekend worship service (our entry level program) with the big idea. I want them to “get” the sermon in a sentence – stuck in their heads with creativity, skill and passion. I want visual learners to get it, note takers to get it, freshman and seniors to get it, I want the uninterested to be drawn in and the regulars engaged week after week.

With that in mind, I’ve felt more and more lately that the sermon, while perhaps king of the weekend, is only a part of the message. Essentially, I guess I’m trying to say that “the message” isn’t the only message. Here’s some thoughts on the breakdown of the weekend in terms of the message:

The sermon/talk – definitely 40-50% of the overall message rests on the speaker. In our current format, the speaker is the most focused part of the night on the series subject. He or she takes God’s Word and applies it directly and formally to the lives of high school students. Knowing their significance, series topics and speaker choice are a very big deal.

The music/worship – a strong 20-30% of the night’s message to me falls into this category. The songs that are picked, the lyrics of songs, prayer, other elements of worship – all should point toward the message. The right songs and the right tempo of the music are crucial to the overall message of the night. Singing God of Wonders or Let Me Sing during this Save the Planet series have reinforced the importance of this part of the message.

The atmosphere – 10-15% of the night’s message falls on the atmosphere. Did we create an atmosphere that leads people to the message? Are there banners, signage and a clear bulletin all consistent with the message? Does the weekend look thrown together or does it look planned out and prepared in advance? Is there an air of excellence – are we treating the topic of the night the respect it deserves? A good atmosphere sets up a great speaker. The opposite is also true.

The programming – In my mind, programming lands at 15-20% of the message of the night. If you know me at all, you know I love programming and highly value it. Why? Because I believe it is a crucial part of the message. The clip from Wall-E during the opening of the night sets the tone for caring for creation. The cinderblock we smashed as an example of the way we treat the earth will be remembered for a long time.

I understand the importance of the message. I understand God chose preachers and they should … well, preach. But I also understand that the message is way, way bigger than the 30-minute talk.

JG

worship

8 View Comments July 6, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts The World is Just Awesome

Love this Discovery Channel clip … might play this next week in the Save the Planet series finale.

JG

Add Comment July 6, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts Launch of Bottles for Bibles

Josh Treece constructed some cool recycle bins for us to use during the Bottles for Bibles summer campaign. As part of our summer Save the Planet theme, we’re collecting bottles to a) recycle them and b) use the proceeds to go toward Bibles for our mission trips.

Here’s a shot of the promo slide from this weekend as well. Fun!

JG

Add Comment July 5, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts Youth Ministry Regional Campuses

Would it be odd for us to think that in a few years that a youth ministry will be sending out their services via satellite/DVD/HDTV to regional youth ministries like many adults services are doing? For some reason, it feels different to me, but I’m not sure why. Interesting.

JG

Add Comment July 5, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts 4 Great Youth Ministry Software Downloads

I get a lot of questions about software I use regularly in youth ministry, so thought I would throw together a quick post about some things I love that maybe you could benefit from as well:

Handbrake – You can rip a DVD super easily with this little program. Works on a PC or Mac, simply put in a non-encrypted DVD and press a button to have it quickly output a Quicktime file. Free.

Vixy – This is how you rip YouTube videos and get them in a file on your computer. The software is web-based, so just copy/paste the YouTube URL into their website and press a button. Like magic, the video is pulled from YouTube and on your computer. Free.

RocketDock – The slickest make-your-PC-look-like-a-Mac little application. Free.

Firefox – I think it’s the best web browser in the world. Super slick navigation, live bookmarks and tabbed browsing. I started using this 3 years ago, and cringe when I have to use Internet Explorer. Free.

JG

11 View Comments July 3, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts John Tesh Wrote the Sportscenter Theme

That was a fascinating little bit of trivia I picked up today.

JG

Add Comment July 2, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts Do’s and Don’ts for Ministry Growth

Enjoyed this post from Tony Morgan about some classic do’s and don’ts of ministry. Most can be translated rather simply to a youth ministry context. Good stuff, here’s 4 of his 9 keys:

You don’t need a logo. A new logo isn’t the key to successful ministry. Life change is the key to successful ministry. Only Jesus can change lives. Yes, there are times when you’ll need to update your branding; however, it’s not going to make or break your ministry.

Your fancy flyers won’t help. 80% of the people who show up to a weekend service come with a friend who invites them. That same principle applies to your ministry as well. If people aren’t inviting their friends, that’s likely a ministry problem and not a promotions problem.

Put people first. Life change happens most often within the context of relationships. If your ministry isn’t helping people engage in relational connections (inside and outside of the church), then your ministry will not grow.

Lead your ministry. You should focus on that. You aren’t gifted at promotions (even though you think you are). You should let communications professionals focus on that, and stop fighting against the people who are trying to help you. Spend more time doing ministry and less time trying to promote your ministry.

JG