better together | More Than Dodgeball

Josh GriffinMore Posts Saddleback HSM’s Life Group Constitution

Our High School Life Groups recently went through the “What on Earth Am I Here For?” a small group series by Rick Warren. One of our great small group leaders, Nathan Wells (who happens to also blog at http://www.nothingworthreading.com/) told us about something really cool they did during week 3′s topic of fellowship:

When we got to week three, the topic was on Fellowship and this unknowingly opened a Pandora’s box for our guys to get real. In this series Pastor Rick divides the concept of fellowship into four main categories:

SHARING Together (Your Experiences, Your Support)
BELONGING Together
SERVING Together
SUFFERING Together

We asked the guys to rate themselves on a scale of 1-5 of how they thought they act in general and how they act in Life Group in these four categories. Some rated themselves more graciously than others. After which, we (the leaders) made a general statement to the whole group that we didn’t think they were as high rated as some of them thought they were. (This was an intentional sting to get them to critically analyze this idea; we have a 3-year relationship).

The product of this was a strong conversation about what our problems are in our Life Group. We put each category up on the wall and made a list of things of why they felt it was hard to fulfill these categories. On a following week, we then drafted plans on how we could resolve these problems. We went through each item critically and devised solutions on how to counteract them,

By the end of the three weeks and after many conversations, we typed up all the things that were shared. We needed to have a way of organizing the commitments they developed to help change the problems, so we decided to borrow the format of the US Constitution for organization purposes. This can be misleading, because it is not a list of rules or laws, but rather a list of commitments. We also noted that our Life Group operated within the same checks and balances as the U.S. government.

God – Judicial (Ultimate Authority)
Adult Leaders – Executive (Final Authority)
Students – Legislative (First Authority)

All in all, the students produced a well thought out document that shared their heart and passion to be committed to one another and encourage one another to grow in their relationship with Christ together. We had communion together before signing it and prayed together as a way to honor God as the leader of our Life Group and then everyone signed copies so each student could have a signed copy. Because they wrote it, they have faithfully upheld it and are engaging more in fellowship.

JG

2 View Comments March 19, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts A Team That Retreats Together … Advances Together

One of my favorite traditions we do as a Student Ministries Team here at Saddleback is that we take an annual retreat together. This week I’ve been enjoying a much-needed week away with the team. I needed it for my own soul and refreshment, but our team needs it as well. Here’s why:

We eat/laugh/play together
I laughed last night more than I have in a long time. I laugh a lot, most people even think of me as an easy laugh, but last night was particularly fun. In the “head down” rushing pace of youth ministry sometimes we forget to laugh. Getting away on a retreat let’s you put your guard down. Conversations over meals are the best, and time in the pool or on the tennis courts is super fun.

We share stories together
Last night we had a youth ministry art show – everyone on the team was given a small canvas and asked to create something about youth ministry. It was incredible to see the heart come out and some really unique perspectives on the each others stories and the story of youth ministry.

We make memories together
The more memories, the strong the bond. Staff retreat gives us a chance for spontaneous memories to form and new inside jokes to be created. It helps fill trust reservoirs.

We head home to do battle with the enemy together
The team that retreats together … advances together. Most of the team heads back tomorrow to immediately dive into the final throes of HSM Summer Camp prep. We’ll jump right into an extremely busy season, but filled and ready to fight again for another year.

JG

6 View Comments June 28, 2011

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: The Importance of Leadership Team Retreats

Youth ministry is not easy. Usually fun, often exciting, hectic, busy, sometimes frustrating, adventurous, tiring, but never easy. That’s why we need times to just get away and rest in the spirit of Jesus and His disciples.

In Mark 6:31, after some intense ministry adventures, Jesus said to His disciples, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” It’s easy to forget the importance of rest and relaxation in the business of ministry. But if we want to avoid burnout and want to serve Jesus for the long haul, we need to give our minds and our bodies time to rest and recharge.

I love retreats, especially with my adult leaders, because more than a time of rest, they are also a time of relationship building. In John 15:15 Jesus said to His disciples, “No longer do I call you servants … I have called you friends.” Do you think Jesus said that simply because the disciples were in ministry with Him? I don’t think so. All of those conversations walking from place to place, the conversations in the evenings when they couldn’t fall asleep, the meals they shared together, the getaways–these were the times during which their friendships were built; times of BEING together. While very important, the other stuff was doing-oriented. I have come to the place that I am simply not interested in just working together to get a job done. I want to be able to say, “I served Jesus faithfully, reaching students for the kingdom, and I didn’t do it with hired guns. I did it with friends. We worked hard. We played hard. We laughed. We cried. We prayed. We struggled. We learned. And through it all, we were friends.”

Today let me leave you with a Scripture to live and a statement to ponder.

“Serve the Lord with gladness” (Psalm 100:2).

Here is a rather full statement that I came upon recently in a devotional. Read it through a few times slowly. Meditate on it. Wrestle with it. Digest it in your spirit.

“In all the ordinary forms of Christian life, service is apt to have more or less of bondage in it; that is, it is done purely as a matter of duty, and often as a trial and a cross. Certain things, which at first may have been a joy and a delight, become after a while weary tasks, performed faithfully, perhaps, but with much secret disinclination, and many confessed or unconfessed wishes that they need not be done at all, or at least that they need not be done so often. The soul finds itself saying, instead of the ‘May I?’ of love, the ‘Must I?’ of duty” (Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911) in The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life).

Where are you at today?

Kevin Mahaffy, Jr. is a youth pastor from New York and blogs regularly at www.revkevjr.blogspot.com.