Josh GriffinMore PostsFree eBook from LeaderTreks for Mission Trip Parents
All programs and trips have short comings in youth ministry and one of them for student mission trips is that parents are not involved. Mission trips are better when parents work hand and hand with youth workers. In Helping Parents Connect, Doug Franklin outlines how parents can be involved in their students’ mission trips before, during, and after the trip. This tool is designed to get you involved from the beginning and to help parents grow with your kids through this experience.
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Josh GriffinMore PostsGUEST POST: Student Leaders Start Here
One of the main components of our Student Leadership program is leadership development. Since our student leaders are responsible for a lot in our ministry, it is so important that we are building them up as leaders that are capable of succeeding in their roles. Recently, we have been using podcasts to help develop leadership skills in our students, but we figured that it was time to go through another book with them. I wanted this next season of our teaching to help our students discover how God has uniquely gifted them for leadership. After doing some research, I found the perfect book to help our students: Student Leaders Start Here by Doug Franklin.
Student Leaders Start Here is a workbook that is broken down into three sections: Leadership Design, Balancing Act, and Mission First-People Always. The thing I love about this book is that, in each section, students are not only taught an important leadership principle, but they also take quizzes and assessments that help them discover more about the leader God created THEM to be. Each section also ends with a preplanned small group time that helps students process their thoughts together (a huge help for us as we lead the students through the book).
I once heard that a high-schooler’s biggest desires are to find their identity and be understood. That is why I think that this book will be a hit in any youth ministry because it helps the students learn more about themselves, and provides them with a way to communicate these discoveries with other people. I really believe in this 94-page book. It may be a short read, but I believe that it will have long-term results in our students, and ultimately our ministry.
To order it, or find more information about it, head on over to their website!
How about you, what are doing to develop your student leaders?
Colton Harker is the Student Leadership Coordinator at Saddleback HSM. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact him at coltonharker@gmail.com or on twitter at @ColtonHarker.
Josh GriffinMore PostsWhen Student Leadership is Run Well
Loved this post from Doug Franklin over at LeaderTreks -made me thankful for the progress we’re making right now with our newly relaunched Student Leadership program as well. It is a great article – head there for the whole thing – here’s a great clip from near the end…
When a student leadership team is run well it will:
1. Not be for every student in your youth group
2. Require students to meet a standard of behavior for application
3. Meet on a regular basis
4. Study leadership principles
5. Have students in real and important leadership roles
6. Allow students to make decisions without direction from adults
7. Students will face consequences for their decisions
8. Students will see themselves as the owners of their youth group
9. Will have adult facilitators who are passionate about student leaders
10. Will challenge students to do the impossible
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Josh GriffinMore PostsMoving On: Know Where You’re Going and How to Get There
I’ve got 11 copies of Doug Franklin’s new book Moving On from LeaderTreks on the way – I’m excited to get these in the hands of our graduating seniors as they turn the corner toward graduation and their future after high school. Here’s a little bit from their product description:
Moving On is a book for students to help them map out the next steps for their future, based on the clues that God has already been leaving in their lives. For any of your students facing transitions, or just trying to uncover parts of their future journey, this is a great tool.
I want these in the hands of my students because I’ve been wanting to help with the difficult transition to college. I want to help prepare them for when we won’t be there. I want to help change the percentage of students leaving their faith behind. Hope this book helps them on that journey – I can’t wait to get my hands on one – it comes out tomorrow!
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Josh GriffinMore Posts50 Free Freebies from LeaderTreks
If you give LeaderTreks a little information about yourself they’ll in turn give you 50 brand new freebies from their website. Just downloaded the bundle myself and saw health assessments, team building initiatives, illustrations, Bible studies, activities and more. Good stuff!
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Josh GriffinMore PostsLeaderTreks Free Leadership Style Assessment
The gang over at LeaderTreks sent me a link to a new Leadership Assessment Tool they’re launching this week! It is totally free – just know that at the end of it to get your results they will require some info about you including your email. I just took the test – got some interesting results! Would encourage you (and your team) to take it and talk about it at your next meeting together!
If you look around and carefully observe leaders in action, you will notice that different people lead in different ways. Every leader is unique, but some leaders are more effective than others. Effective leaders are responsive to their followers and are able to provide what the team or group needs at the time when they need it.
This tool will help you learn more about your leadership style. The following questions will help you discover your tendencies as you lead. As with any assessment, your results will only be as accurate as the answers you give. Be sure to answer based on who you really are, not who you would like to be or who others think you ought to be.
Take the LeaderTreks Leadership Assessment Test right here!
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Josh GriffinMore PostsFree LeadersTreks Lesson: Significant Sacrifice
The gang over at LeadersTreks gave me a heads up they’ve got another free lesson they just released that might fit with your teaching plan in the next few weeks. Here’s the description:
This free lesson will help you effectively teach students about the significance of sacrifice in the Christian faith. In the days and weeks leading up to Easter, it is common for us to focus on Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, yet it is also an important time to examine our own hearts, to see if we are truly leading a life of significant sacrifice, one that brings honor to Christ. We hope this lesson helps you in this process
While you’re there, troll their freebies section for other good stuff, too!
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Josh GriffinMore PostsConverge Student Leadership Conference 2012Just finished up recording a “digital presenter” session for the Converge Student Leadership Conference in the Midwest. I wish I could have been a part of it live – but I’m pumped to teach on video. Looks like such a fun event! I would highly recommend either Converge in the Midwest or Student Leadership Conference on either coast! Oh, and while we’re on the subject of student leaders, Doug Franklin has been killing it, lately!
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Josh Griffin has been in youth ministry for 16+ years in a small church and a big church. He currently serves as the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. [read more]
Geoff Stewart serves the Jr / Sr High School Pastor at Peace Portal Alliance Church in Surrey B.C.
Chris Wesley serves as the Director of Student Ministry at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, Maryland.
Colton Harker serves with Josh at Saddleback Church. He is currently in his second year in youth ministry.
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