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Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: When Too Many Show

Last week I wrote a post called “When One Student Shows” to talk about the issue of when only a single student shows up and how to handle it. Let’s look at the opposite “problem” today.

You have just finished your running around to buy all the food and supplies you needed for tonights big event. You ran through your check-list and have the exact amount of stuff you need to make it all work. You put it all down, organized it then the students start showing up. Quickly you realize all the students your students who are suppose to show are there, but you have another 5 to 10 students (change the values for your church size).

Oh what a problem to have, we always would love to see more numbers but when this moment happens its an “uh-oh” kind of moment. How are you going to deal with it?

So you have too many students show up and you are suddenly confronted with their eager faces; or their “my mom made me come” faces. You have to snap into action to make things happen.

A few steps I think are very important to take are:

Be Welcoming
Its not the students fault you aren’t prepared, and they matter just as much as the kids who RSVP’d to the event. If you can take the student do your best to make them feel welcome and bring them into the event.

Have a chain of command
I believe that if you have the volunteers it is important to have roles defined. Make sure you have a person you can rely on to run and grab more supplies or free up a seat in a car to be able to drive (if possible)

Be ready to say ‘no’
If for some reason you can’t accept the student for that event, you just have to be able to say no. Stick to deadlines for RSVP’ing if it is a major event that requires pre booking or lots of transportation. But don’t leave it there, be ready to be able to answer that student or parent why they cannot attend

Plan ahead
In my ministry there have been times when too many students have shown up and I get frustrated. I think to myself ‘why can’t they just RSVP?’, but I knew there was a good chance extra students might have come. So I have had to think hard about certain events. Well extra people might attend this one, so I make sure each vehicle going has an extra seat so we can fill those up if need be.

Maybe this isn’t an issue for your ministry, for others this can be a huge issue because of budget, number of volunteers or venue space. But one thing we can all learn from too many students is how we deal with people. Could this even be too many ministry volunteers? (In my dreams).

Kyle Corbin has been serving youth as a volunteer or pastor for over 10 years. He is currently the youth pastor at the Bridge Church in North Vancouver B.C. You can follow his blog at: kylecorbin.blogspot.com or Twitter: @CorbinKyle

3 View Comments 14 hours ago

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Watch Your Words

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become habits. Watch your habits for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” -Frank Outlaw

When you wake up in the morning, what words are you speaking? “Ugh, not another morning? I just want to sleep!” “I hate my job, I just want to quit.” “Why do I always have to be the one to…” Or are you speaking words that build you up? “Today is the day that the Lord has made, this will be a wonderful day!” “My job is a blessing and I will make the best of it!” “I am thankful God always gives me the privilege of being the one to…” There is no doubt about it, words can either build you up or break you down. We know from last week’s blog Watch Your Thoughts, words begin with a thought. So how do you turn those thoughts into words?

Speak positively – When the alarm that you have set to go off every couple of hours throughout the day goes off and you redirect your thoughts, make sure you tell someone what a lovely day it is or give someone a compliment. It will lift you… and them UP!

Speak scripture– When you read scripture from the post-its you have posted all around you or from the Bible app on your phone, read them out-loud! Let them sink into your spirit.

Sing a song of praise – As the worship music is blasting, sing! Dance! It will take the focus off of you and your situation and place the focus on the almighty God who is alive and worthy to be praised!

Accountability – When your friend calls in the middle of the day to see where your thoughts are, share words of encouragement and build each other up while you are at it!

Positive influence – Your words become like the words of those you hang out with. Choose friends who choose their words wisely.

Words have a powerful impact either for the good or for the bad. When you watch your words, they have power to build your entire well-being up and that power will spread like wild fire to everyone and everything around you! Watch your words and be blessed!

Ashley Fordinal is the Children’s Church volunteer at Family Life Church in Sulphur Springs, TX.

Add Comment May 12, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: When One Student Shows

Last night I ran my small group that normally runs at about 5-6 students. Its a senior high group that has a mix of schools, sports and friendships. I love this group as they can have a lot of fun but they can go deep into a conversation and study sometimes.
The challenge was that only one student came.

There were a variety of reason; baseball and field hockey have started; the Vancouver Canucks were losing to the Sharks in hockey it was a busy night. But when only one student showed to discussion group you have to make a quick decision about what to do.

So I decided to take him out to Menchies, which is a frozen yogurt place with a ton of toppings and flavors. I decided to leverage this opportunity to talk with him about things we have chatted about in the past, we talked about everything from the timelessness of God to long boarding.

At the end of the night I dropped him off at home and felt like I had possibly had a huge impact in 2 hours of hanging out. So I started to ask myself why: why did that feel right? Why did we connect so much in that time? What made that into good youth ministry.

And it dawned on me that I was treating a student special. Very few students ever get attention from a role model they have in their life. Sure I probably could have cancelled the group before he got there, but what kind of message would that have sent?

All of this brought me to thinking about having a plan for when just one student shows up. Now some people have a tiny church and this happens all the time, others are in a mid-sized church like myself and it happens rarely, and others again are in a huge church where this would only happen very rarely in a small group setting.

But do you have a plan? Do your small group leaders know how to deal with this scenario? These moments could potentially be the most meaningful moments ever to happen in youth ministry. How are you going to leverage them?

Kyle Corbin has been serving youth as a volunteer or pastor for over 10 years. He is currently the youth pastor at the Bridge Church in North Vancouver B.C. You can follow his blog at: kylecorbin.blogspot.com or Twitter: @CorbinKyle

6 View Comments May 11, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Watch Your Thoughts

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become habits. Watch your habits for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” -Frank Outlaw

In a given day, how often do you think about what you are thinking about? The truth is, most of us do not. We get so caught up in the to-do’s of life and allow our thoughts to run wild. Philippians 4:8 instructs us to fix our thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. It also instructs us to think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Without watching our thoughts, that is just not possible. So, with everything going on in everyday life, here are a few ways you can do to remember to keep your thoughts in line.

Set an alarm- Have it go off every couple of hours throughout the day. When it goes off, hear what you were thinking. Chances are, they need to be redirected. Redirect them!

Post-its- Write scripture on post-its geared toward which thought you want to change. Place them everywhere you might see them throughout the day.

Bible app- Download a Bible app for your phone that will send you a notification with a Bible verse each day.

Worship music- Have it on your phone, in your home, on your iPod, playing in your car, wherever you are. Blast it!

Accountability- Have a friend call you in the middle of your day to see where your thoughts are.

Positive influences- Surround yourself with positive people, who choose to see the good in other’s and in situations.

Truth is, negative thoughts will do anything they can to gain control over your mind. To keep them from taking over, you have got to check-up on your thought life as an ongoing, minute-by-minute basis because your thoughts become words and ultimately your destiny. What are you thinking?

Ashley Fordinal is the Children’s Church volunteer at Family Life Church in Sulphur Springs, TX.

1 View Comments May 5, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Show Up

About 3 weeks ago I ended up deciding on a whim to head to a soccer game. It was at 10pm on a cold night. Three of my 11th grade girls were playing in a game in a women’s league. They were super pumped about joining an adults league so I thought I would go out to support them. During and after the game I was able to connect with all three girls and their parents. It was really a good time and the girls loved it.

Was it worth it?

Definitely.

But the best past of the whole thing was a week later when a father of one of the girls came up to me after church. He shared with me that while I was watching the game from the sidelines a mother had come up to him and shared with him about some of the stresses in life and how she was questioning spirituality and what was going on. In this time he was able to share about his faith and the fact they go to church. When she started asking questions about the church she asked a few questions about the youth ministry and who the youth pastor was. He pointed down the sideline and said “thats him over there in the red”. She was floored that a pastor would come to watch some students play soccer let alone in the cold at 10pm. She told the dad that she would be interested in coming out to check out the church in the next little while.

Now I don’t know about you, but sometimes I wonder why I show up at games. Sure people are excited that I show up but is it really doing much? Well that right there was an exclamation point to let me know that it is doing a lot more than I think. If that family makes it to church and has the opportunity to hear the message of Christ, I would stand through a thousand cold, rainy night time soccer games (and believe me it rains here in Vancouver Canada).

So take a look at your schedule. What is a time that you can show up to something? A soccer game, a dance recital, a band concert it doesn’t matter. If you are struggling to figure out how to make time for getting to every kids game because you only work part time or have a huge ministry, pick one or two major things where multiple students are playing against each other or where other students will be in attendance.

You showing up to a simple event could change someones life drastically.

Kyle Corbin has been serving youth as a volunteer or pastor for over 10 years. He is currently the youth pastor at the Bridge Church in North Vancouver B.C. You can follow his blog at: kylecorbin.blogspot.com or Twitter: @CorbinKyle

2 View Comments May 5, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: How to Equip Students to Preach

When I was 16 years old, I had my first opportunity to preach in a church service. I was nervous as could be. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. For some strange reason, my youth pastor felt it was worthwhile to put me in front of an auditorium full of people and be the main speaker for “Youth Sunday.” The rest, as they say, is history.

Equipping our students to become preachers of the Word not only impacts their future in ministry, but can be a great encouragement to their peers, the youth group and the church as a whole. Most of Jesus’ disciples were teenagers. He believed they could do the work of ministry, so should we.

How do we go about equipping our students to do this facet of the work of ministry?

1. Look for those who may have a calling to full-time ministry.
Guard against just investing in the popular students or those who are in student government at school. Passion for Jesus trumps popularity every time. Plus, you would be surprised how many “diamonds in the rough” are in your church waiting to be discovered. I happened to be the geeky-nerd-hyperactive kid. Pray and ask God to open your eyes to see those students whom you could potentially invite to preach.

2. Invest in them relationally.
Before you just throw them behind a pulpit, spend some time letting them see your heart and passion for Jesus and helping them continue to grow in theirs. Maybe lead a small group Bible study with all the “potential candidates.”

3. Stick with them during each step of the preparation process.
As the student begins to prepare a message to share with your youth group or church, be sure to stay along side them through each step of the process (http://bit.ly/YheAiq). This is a crucial part of their equipping. The last thing you want to do is just throw them in the deep end and see if they can swim.

4. Celebrate with them after their message.
Take the time afterward to not only review how they did, but celebrate what God did through them. Students typically need extra affirmation and encouragement – especially after getting up in front of people and communicating the Word of God.

As with any mentoring and equipping that you do with students, remember the age-old equipping process:

I preach.
I preach with you watching the process.
You preach with me alongside you in the process.
You preach.
You equip someone else to preach.

PRACTICAL TIP: Attempt to schedule having your students take the lead in speaking/teaching/preaching in your youth group or church at least one series per calendar year. This could be in the form of a “Youth Sunday” or a “You Own the Weekend” series annually.

Matt Maiberger has been involved in full-time student ministry for over 16 years. He and his family are currently in the process of moving to Fort Collins, CO where he will become the Associate Pastor of Life Church. Matt is also the founder of Youth Speaker’s Coach – committed to the resourcing of youth pastors, youth workers, and youth speakers to help them become better communicators for the post-modern students represented in youth ministries today.

1 View Comments May 4, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Do the Little Things

Have you ever walked into a really beautiful building, very neat and organized on the inside with friendly faces greeting you and showing you around, then you make a trip to the bathroom and whoa! What happened here? It looks like no one has touched it in months, this is what’s stinking the whole place up! Someone’s got to be willing to take care of the smaller, less desirable jobs. Otherwise, the bigger jobs could tank.

One person cannot do it all
It takes a team to get things done. So if you think you are just the guy who stands-by keeping an eye out for anything that may go wrong or just the girl that cleans the bathroom, stop right there! You couldn’t be more wrong. Without you, the guy in the spotlight wouldn’t be so lit up. The nasty bathroom and the fight in the back of the room would steal the light.

Do it willingly
Put more value on what you are doing, it’s not so bad. “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Colossians 3:23) You are right where God wants you to be. You are not working for the people; you are doing the Lord’s work. You are building up His Kingdom so disregard the value the world places on your position and work with joy in your heart knowing it is for a greater cause.

No matter how small your job may seem, it is a BIG in the Kingdom of God. So keep scrubbing that toilet and do it with joy in your heart and when the Lord comes, you can look forward to Him saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Ashley Fordinal is the Children’s Church volunteer at Family Life Church in Sulphur Springs, TX.

1 View Comments April 29, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Pulled In Different Directions

Run the youth ministry- Check
Run Student Leadership- Check
Plan a missions trip- Check
Create Website Videos- Check
Write some new Curriculum- Check

If you are like me at all, you will take any chance you get to serve for leading. We all hear about saying ‘no’ when the time comes but will we actually do it. The problem isn’t saying no when I am maxed out. I recognize that being pushed to capacity is a problem and will burn you out at the office and at home. But what if you can juggle another thing and do a good job with it?

Recently, I was asked by my lead pastor to join our discipleship team. Then my worship pastor asked if I would come up with some theological videos for our website. Our denomination president asked if I would step up and do some speaking. To all of these things I said yes.

Then I was I was challenged by my supervisor to think about where I am investing my time in ministry. I was getting pulled in a lot of directions. The problem wasn’t doing a good job; I have the ability to do all of these things; it was whether or not these things will benefit my ministry.

I had to pause, I wasn’t at maximum capacity. I have some room for some stuff on my plate in this season, but is the new stuff feeding the need I am trying to fulfill. Some of those new things are and some aren’t. So currently I am working on a list of requirements that things that a new request has to meet.

They are:

Is this request God honoring?
Will this be a benefit or detriment to my family?
Does this fulfill my mission/ministry purpose
Do I believe in this cause/purpose/initiative?
Do I have the time/resources to give?

While this list is working, I am still looking to add it. What are some of the things you require before taking on something new?

Kyle Corbin has been serving youth as a volunteer or pastor for over 10 years. He is currently the youth pastor at the Bridge Church in North Vancouver B.C. You can follow his blog at: kylecorbin.blogspot.com or Twitter: @CorbinKyle