More Than Dodgeball | Youth Ministry Blog by Josh Griffin

Josh GriffinMore Posts Dear God – Week 2

Just finished week 2 of the Dear God series – our service mainly focused on the afterlife. We answered student’s questions about Heaven, Hell, other religions and how to get to Heaven. It was very interesting to sit in big church this morning and hear Pastor Rick on the very same subject. Watch his message here live this afternoon or click the “current series” tab in the coming days to watch it in the archive.

Next week Doug comes with the finale of Dear God, taking on a stack of questions people asked about the purpose of life and how to live a successful life in God’s eyes. We also started work on a small booklet that answers 50 tough questions, which should be done the week after Easter. We finished the list of questions Friday, so I’ll post them here when they get entered into the computer. This has been a good series for HSM – we get a bit of a break with Easter and a guest speaker, then we jump into a series on gifts and a series on sex. Should be a great Spring!

JG

Add Comment March 9, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts The 4 Temptations of a Youth Worker

Right now I’m seeing four big areas for personal spiritual growth. Here’s what I want to go after in the next season of leadership maturity – what I’m calling the 4 temptations of a youth worker:

Margin Out of Whack
Your life is imbalanced on work and you suddenly find yourself not being able to “turn it off” or take a break. You sacrifice everything and everyone for the ministry. You think you work hard – but maybe you’re just not working smart. Maybe there’s a technology that could help you – it doesn’t matter though because you can’t take the time to discover it. Maybe volunteers are part of the answer, but you don’t hand things off because of your insecurities. Don’t take it all on your shoulders! The ministry will be there in the morning. Take an evening off to go after these issues – you are sitting a bad example for your team, not empowering the body of Christ, and ultimately hindering the growth of the ministry.

Little Non-Christian Interaction
One of the temptations of a youth worker is isolation. The Christian bubble is an alluring place were many of us stay a little too long. Who are the people you are in relationship with and how are you pointing them to Christ? Write down the names of people you are praying for and ask yourself this question: Are you spending all day every day with Christians?

Not Making Tithing a Priority
One of the most surprising temptations might be not tithing or are at best giving sporadically. Many might even be quick to dismiss this one – hey, youth workers aren’t typically paid very well in the first place, right? But I wonder what God would do in me if I was more giving. I wonder what God could do with a softer heart.

Lack of an Intentional Spiritual Life
This is the big one – I saved it for last because it’s the one that matters the most. The power of God must be central for a ministry to thrive. You can make a difference in student’s lives without depending on God – but it will leave you empty and exhausted. How much more could God do with us if we would humble ourselves before Him daily? I wonder how far us youth workers are ahead of our students in their spiritual lives – the temptation to be shallow and creating a non-spiritual church environment is an easy trap to fall in to. Don’t let this be the case! Pray and ask God for forgiveness today and commit to spending time with Him and growing. They need leaders who are fully and wholly committed to Him.

Add Comment March 8, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts Still Getting Texts

To those wondering if that was my real cell phone number I gave on the big screen at the Group Conference a week ago … well, yes it was. And your texts, as recent as an hour ago, are still giving me quite the laugh.

JG

Add Comment March 8, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts POLL: Do You Organize Your Own Mission Trip?

polls

Add Comment March 8, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts New Super Series at Simply

There’s a couple of great new Super Series resources on Simple Youth Ministry this week, be sure to check out Take It Like a Man ($14) and Breaking Free ($21), amongst others. Good stuff to help you communicate God’s truth to students!

JG

Add Comment March 8, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts Food Fight

Thought this was pretty cool …

JG

Add Comment March 8, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts Eating for the Cycle

Had a blast tonight at In-n-Out with Jeff’s small group – they were trying to eat for the cycle. In layman’s terms, that means ordering one of everything off the menu and eating it in one sitting. Amazingly fun for about $13!

hamburger
cheeseburger
double-double with everything
order of fries
regular shake
44oz soda
regular coffee

JG

Add Comment March 7, 2008

Josh GriffinMore Posts Starting Out Right

Really liked this new article on YouthMinistry.com today talking about Starting Out Right. Here’s a clip – good stuff for whatever stage you are in ministry!

Get to know your PURPOSE
While you are assessing the culture and people, begin to process your findings to determine a purpose for your ministry. What does God want you to accomplish in this ministry? Will you be a service ministry to the existing church kids, an outreach ministry, or both? As I got to know our people, I began to see what they needed in order to continue on in their journey. I also determined how to reach new people as well.

Get to know your LIMITATIONS
Limitations are inevitable and they will show up in the form of resources (money, space, and leaders), policy (procedures, church polity), tradition (sacred cows), and relational equity (how much clout you have to overhaul and change things). I had to learn quickly what our limitations were to keep myself from becoming frustrated. Okay, it still happens sometimes. But I have learned how to work within those limitations or find a way to work through them. Notice I did not say work “around” them. I have to remember that I’m a part of the overall church mission and need to be supportive in that as well.

Get to know your PACE
It is so important to build your ministry over a long period of time. Don’t try to do it all your first year. Keep a pace that is sustainable for a marathon of ministry, not a two-year sprint. Frequently evaluate the pace in which you are working and make adjustments for family, continuing education, personal recreation and fun.

JG