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Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Love and Serve Students With Special Needs

A few years ago, my wife Jennifer and I were asked to organize and lead a one-day children’s and youth ministry training for churches in our state that were part of our denomination. We invited a few speakers to lead different seminars throughout the day for both volunteers and staff members from local churches. My wife–who has a degree in human development and extensive experience working with kids and adults with developmental disabilities–led a seminar at the end of the day on how to minister to kids with special needs. During the break before that last seminar, a group from a church that had traveled a few hours for the training packed up to get a jump on their trip home. They explained that they didn’t need to attend the last seminar anyways, because they didn’t have any kids in their church who were developmentally disabled.

My wife handled the conversation very graciously, even though she can be quite passionate about caring for people with special needs. On the inside, however, she was thinking, maybe there’s a REASON you don’t have any kids with special needs! It’s very possible that a family may have visited their church, but left after one Sunday (or even before church was over!) because it was very clear that church would not be a good environment for their autistic or developmentally disabled child or teenager. In fact, it may be that a family has visited your church, but did not stay because they didn’t feel like it wouldn’t be a good place for their special needs teenager.

Not every church or youth ministry of any size is able to perfectly accommodate and minister to any special need teenager that walks through their doors. However, there are a few things every church can–and should–do to be ready to love and serve students with special needs. Here’s a quick list:

Be ready to serve. A teenager with special needs and her family will be able to tell right off the bat if your church and youth ministry is willing to serve them or not. While you and I both know that a teenager with special needs matters just as much to God as anyone else, most special needs kids are treated as an outcast in one or more areas of their lives. And what did Jesus do with people that the world mistreated? He loved them with open arms. You may not be a doctor or have a degree in human development, but anyone can serve by welcoming someone with open arms.

Educate yourself about different kinds of disabilities. Thankfully, my wife is a walking library of how to serve kids with autism, Down syndrome, and other special needs, and she answers a ton of my questions. Find a good book on the topic, or better yet, get to know a special education teacher in your church. You don’t have to be an expert, but a little understanding can help you be a better youth worker to kids with special needs.

Show a little grace to parents. Before they found their way to your church, chances are that the parents of a special needs teenager have had less-than-ideal experiences in how schools, churches, or other organizations have treated their son or daughter. So, if a parent has a few more questions than you’re used to, or if they seem to be checking up on you a lot, that’s okay. They’re just trying to make sure their son or daughter is being taken care of.

Help them know Jesus. If the Bible is to believed, then God wants every human being to be reconciled to him through a relationship with Jesus (1 Timothy 2:4). The last time I checked, an IQ test was not a biblical requirement for learning about Jesus. If you take the extra time to help someone who might have a developmental delay or cognitive disability to know Jesus, you’re being faithful as a youth worker. One of the highlights of career as a youth pastor has been baptizing a special needs student who was more excited than anyone I’ve ever known to be baptized.

Integrate them into the ministry wherever possible. The answer to helping a group of special needs teenagers is not to give them their own small group. Help them be a part of your family by actually making them a part of your family. Get them in a small group. Let them lead in some way. Pair them up with another student to help them have a great time during your large group gathering.

Be flexible. Be willing to go out of your way to help a special needs teenager attend a retreat or be a part of a small group. You might even need to make an exception to one of your rules. Parents of special needs kids are used to being told “no” when it comes to things their kids can do. Go out of your way to find a way to able to tell them “yes.”

Remember, you don’t have to be an expert on working with teenagers with special needs to be able to make your youth ministry a welcoming place for them. You just need to be willing to serve and go the extra mile.

Benjer McVeigh serves as a pastor to students at Washington Heights Church in Ogden, Utah. He resides in Ogden with his wife, Jennifer, and his two daughters, Bethany and Samantha. He blogs at www.BenjerMcVeigh .com.

7 View Comments April 22, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: How to Kill the Sacred Cow In Your Ministry

I probably spent hours gluing, taping and screwing that stupid ping-pong table together, but throwing it away was the hardest thing to do. The students loved banging on it, playing extreme versions of table tennis and arm wrestling on it’s fragile corners. But, I was done, so one day we just got rid of it. The response from the students and even some of the leaders was of disappointment. I had taken away from them the one thing that meant a lot to them. So jokingly I would question them, “Does this mean you aren’t coming back to church?”

Of course they came back. Yet, after two years of begging I finally got another one. This time I went all in and got the “indestructible kind”. As soon as the students saw it you would have thought that I had just released them from prison. Shouts of praise emerged from their lips; they had their ping pong back.

Never did I worry that the ping-pong table was the central focus of the ministry; but, there are other things and programs that if we eliminate people go crazy. Most times people will get over an eliminated program; however, I’m willing to bet there is something in your ministry where if you got rid of it, people would tear off your head.

To them it’s essential to the life of the ministry; however, to you it’s just their:
SACRED COW

You know what I’m talking about, right? That event that you spend days upon weeks planning, only the fruit never outweighs the labor. The fundraiser that’s been a 10 year tradition; yet, it never brings in any money. The lock-in that never produces anything, but strung out, over sugared adolescence. In most cases you hate it, some people love it and there seems to be a lot of pressure to kill it. So how do you get rid of the SACRED COW in your ministry? You need to build a case by:

Listing The Pros And Cons – I know the strongest pro to ending any type of idol in your ministry is because you hate it; however, take into consideration many won’t find that a legitimate reason. There is always going to be something that we don’t enjoy, that we need to do; but, if what you are thinking about isn’t one of them, make a list. List out why you should keep it and why you should eliminate it. Granted people might not agree with you; however, they’ll respect a well thought out list.

Getting Some Backup – I’m blessed to have a pastor who will support me on 99% of my decisions. He’s entrusted me with the student ministry; therefore, I have final say. When people know that they tend to respect my decisions. But, if your pastor isn’t behind you, try to find people with clout who will support you. I know it sounds very suspicious; however, the people who might fight you, might do that because it’s you. Plus people will want to know you consulted others and that it isn’t a decision based on emotion.

Eliminating It For A Season – Lets say the emotion of getting rid of this program or event has consumed you. It’s fair to tell others that we are going to stop doing something temporarily. What that tells them is that you are willing to be wrong, you just want to see if there is another way of doing something. They’ll respect your flexibility.

Leaning On God – With conflict comes tension most of us don’t enjoy. If you strongly believe what you want to get rid of needs to go, and you know that there will be tension, lean into God. Maybe it’s spending some extra quiet time at the beginning of your day or having others pray alongside of you, just make sure you include God into all of your decisions.

We are all attached to something. No matter what it is, if someone were to take it from you, you would be upset. Doesn’t matter how much something harms or hurts your ministry, if people aren’t ready for you to get rid of it, they’ll fight. Take your time, build up your case and be as flexible as possible. When you show others that you’ve given something serious thought, they’ll trust you, even if they don’t agree.

What’s something that was hard for you to get rid of in your ministry?

Chris Wesley is the Director of Student Ministry at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, MD. You can read great articles and thoughts about youth ministry on his blog Marathon Youth Ministry.

Add Comment April 21, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Right and Wrong is Up for Grabs

I’ve often times thought that the titles of our CPYU parent seminars don’t really capture the full impact of what happens in the room. For example, I do a three-hour seminar on youth culture trends called “No Parent Left Behind.” It’s a seminar where I briefly unpack some of the main cultural trends affecting children and teens today. Fact is, some of that stuff isn’t very pretty, and the parents in the room let me know that. . . . which has led me to consider retitling the seminar to something like. . . “Birth Control.”

While youth culture has it’s more-than-fair-share of ugliness and difficult stuff, we can’t ignore it. It’s there. It’s real. And it shapes the values, attitudes, and behaviors of our kids. If we don’t endeavor to see it, understand, and address it, we’re not doing anybody any favors. If youth culture is the soup our kids swim in everyday, we need to be looking closely at what’s in the soup, sharing what we learn with parents, and then move on to address what we’ve found in our ministries to kids.

Josh asked me to share a couple of guest blogs on some of these main trends we’ve got to recognize, understand, and address. The first is “Amorality.” We all know the terms “moral” and “immoral.” In a world where there’s a commonly held standard of right and wrong, behavior that conforms to that standard is called “moral,” while behavior that deviates from that standard is “immoral.” But life isn’t that simple anymore. We now live in a world where the commonly held standard is pretty much gone. Everyone decides for themselves what’s right for them and wrong for them based on how they feel or what “works for me” at any given time. . . and that can change from moment to moment. That’s why we’re living now living in an “amoral” world. . . the prefix “a” indicating and absence of commonly held standards. Now, right and wrong is up for grabs.

Here’s an example of how things have changed. When I was 12 I was exposed to pornography for the first time. . . that’s is, something other than National Geographic. It was a Playboy magazine my friend Todd had found on the side of the road. When Todd showed it to us, he showed it to us in a place where we wouldn’t get caught. Still, we spent half our time looking over Todd’s shoulder at the magazine, and the other half of our time looking over our own shoulders to see if anybody who might catch us in the act was coming our way. We lived in a world where there was a standard which told us that what we were doing was wrong. . . immoral. Think about our culture’s reaction to pornography today. See how things have changed?

A few weeks ago I was speaking to some youth workers when one of the volunteers – a sixty-something man who had been working with a small group of 9th grade boys for years – shared this frustration. “I recently asked my small group this question: ‘What is true? Name something that you know is true.’” He said they were dumbfounded. It took them three weeks to come up with an answer. You see, in an amoral world, what’s true for me might or might not be true for you. . . and that’s not a problem.

So. . . what do we do with this? I believe with every fiber of my being that our relationships with kids trump all this other stuff. Yes, it might take time to wade through it with them. They won’t be easily convinced. But over time, ministering to them in the context of vulnerable relationship is something God uses in their lives. So, in the context of relationships, here are three strategies (not at all exhaustive!) that offer a good starting point for pointing your students to the truth.

First, know the truth. You’ve got to be pursuing your own relationship with the Incarnate Word, Jesus. You’ve got to be growing in your knowledge of His written revelation of Himself in the Scriptures. Without a knowledge of the truth, you’ll be blown around just as much as your students.

Second, teach the truth. Talk about it in your comings and goings with your students. Look for every opportunity to contrast the truth with the cultural lies thrown at our kids over and over each and every day. Talk about the commercials and ads they see. Deconstruct and discuss the music they listen to. Let them know where Snooki and the Situation might have it all wrong. This is simply living out Deuteronomy 6 with 24/7 non-stop chatter about how the Word speaks to the world.

Finally, live the truth. Nothing is more convincing than seeing truth embodied. Your example is powerful. It’s like St. Francis once said: “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”

Walt Mueller is the President of the Center for Parent and Youth Understanding which has tons of great information to equip parents and youth leaders about the culture we live in. He is a great friend and you can read his blog, a must read, right here.

Add Comment April 21, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Plan for Making Seniors Youth Leaders

This is a response guest post to this article: Just-Graduated Seniors Serving in Youth Group: Too Soon?

There are few things more exciting than getting seniors to not just to be leaders, but to really buy into the ministry at their church. That moment where they turn into more than just a consumer, and a major contributor in the lives of other students. While most churches offer serve opportunities all year, it is different when you are just out of high school and leading.

I have read things such as Sticky Faith from the Fuller Youth Institute and the tools from Orange and the reThink group – it affirms both practically and statically that if we do not plug students in, their chances of continuing in church is slim. I deal and wrestle with these same questions when it comes to seniors serving. Currently, I serve on a church staff in its Jr. High Ministry area. For us, like most, getting new leaders with the passion, energy, knowledge and skill is not always easy.

The Pros and Cons from Geoff’s original post were great – it covered the bases of what we all should be considering when we look at seniors. However, when we move from looking at the plan to implementing a plan, there can be some growing pains.

We all want something. At our church we want a balance- to maximize the pros and cut down on the cons. Then, to look at the cons that we have left and create a platform to work on it, leader by leader.

The following is our plan for leaders, It is not perfect, but it is a start.

First: Identification of these students has to start early, and we cant be the only one looking. Include veteran leaders, other staff, and maybe even some parents that can speak constructively into the ministry. The goal is to identify and develop leaders, not to limit the process by including only one view.

Second: Once you identify some students, approach them about becoming involved. Let them know what you and others see in them. Begin with sophomores and juniors by providing small ways to get them ready for the senior year. Look for time that they can spend with leaders. Invite them to fourth and fifth grade events or to Jr . High nights. The goal isn’t for them just to have fun or socialize, but will give active leaders a great chance to identify some of the “cons” in the life of the student. This identification gives us the road map of what to work on on their way to senior year.

Third: Once our students are seniors, we bring them on as sidekicks with our Jr. High Ministry. They are partnered with an established leader who serves as a mentor to them in order to fill in the spaces of their training as the year goes on. As the senior student has questions, the leader answers it. As the senior makes mistakes or worries if they are “doing things right,” they have a mentor that works with and encourages them, and continues the developing process.

Once they make it through that senior year serving as sidekick, if they passed our standards that are in place for every leader of any age, they are placed with the sixth grade guys or girls. They are watched and still trained and developed, but basically, have a senior year of more intentional training time.

As an extra bonus and something that I would really love to begin doing, seniors would work closely with leaders in our fourth and fifth grade environment. The plan would be for the seniors to move up with the fifth grades to sixth grade when they both graduate. Talk about hitting identifying, assessing, developing and great transition into Jr. High all in one!

I would love to hear the ways that you do it. Leave a comment or hit me up.

Justin Herman is the Jr. High Minister at Christ Presbyterian Church in Huntington Beach, CA. He has been in youth ministry for seven years. Justin speaks at camps and FCA meetings, writes, and is a social media fanatic. He was born in NYC, raised in Buffalo, educated in Missouri, and now lives in California. You can connect with Justin @HeyJustinHerman or Facebook.com/HeyJustinHerman.

Add Comment April 15, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: You Are Not the Fonz, So Fix It Right

When I was a kid we would watch reruns of Happy Days. There really isn’t much that I remember about the show with the exception of the Fonz’s power to fix things with a simple nudge, pound or smack. I’ve tried this method myself. The dishwasher isn’t working; I kick it. The car doesn’t sound right; I smack it on the hood. If I don’t look good in the mirror, I punch it…that one hardly ever works.

In ministry I’m sure there is a whole slew of things that we wish we could just smack, punch and kick (I’m not talking about the teens) and have it start working. If our systems and structures aren’t running smoothly then ministry just becomes a game of survival. We need people to show up on time, equipment to run, meetings to end and communication to flow; but, if that’s not happening then neither is our ministry. So, we look for a quick fix; but, quick isn’t what we always need. Instead we need to take a simple; yet, thorough approach. And, that starts with:

The 10,000 Foot View – Sometimes we just need to take a step back and look at the whole picture. When fire fighters approach a burning building, first thing they are told is to take a step back and analyze the entire situation. Where is the source of the problem? Where are the trouble areas? What’s my best approach? Answer those questions then proceed.

Partnering Up – The tendency is to figure a problem out on our own; however, with only one set of eyes we’re bound to miss something. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 tells us: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. If you really want the best outcome to a situation make sure you partner up.

Setting A Timeline – While it’s great to take our time and really analyze a problem, if we wait too long we could discover new consequences from inactivity. If I have a leaking roof and wait on it too long, it could create more damage if I don’t address it right away. Just as we set a timeline for our goals, we should do the same with issues we need to address. Don’t be afraid to lean in, because God is right there with you.

Reviewing And Revisiting – If you figure out a problem on the first go, that’s awesome; however, it is always wise to check twice. If you are addressing a student’s behavior, follow up and see how they are doing. If you are trying a new format, review it with your team after a few weeks. If you’ve cut a program or event, get feedback from people you trust.

Yes, it would be easier to just smack the problem around and have it start working; however, it’s not that easy. The steps to addressing a problem are simple; however, they take work. The most important thing we can do is to rely on God to guide us through these situations and give us the persistence and wisdom we need to fix a situation properly.

Have I missed anything? What steps would you add to address an issue or problem?

Chris Wesley is the Director of Student Ministry at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, MD. You can read more about his blog Marathon Youth Ministry.

3 View Comments April 14, 2012

Geoff StewartMore Posts GUEST POST: The Power of Presence

I just got done sitting in the cold rain watching a high school soccer game…and it was absolutely amazing! God taught me something tonight about ministry that I too often forget. The power of presence. Sometimes just being with a student or going to one of their games can be more impactful than anything you say. I watched 3 student’s faces light up tonight as they walked off the field and saw that I braved the cold to watch them play soccer. It was really the highlight of my day! Too often we as youth pastors can become “too busy” to attend events and games but really it’s just inconvenient because it’s in the evening. It’s worth every minute.

Here are some helpful hints for attending events:

1) Spring is a great time to attend because all events are outdoors and they’re FREE!

2) If you can’t be there the entire time, show up halfway through or when they compete.

3) Stay after and connect with the student encouraging them!

4) Take the opportunity to meet their parents and build relationships while in the stands.

Brian Dickison is the Youth Pastor at Gold Creek Community Church in Mill Creek Washington

1 View Comments April 7, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Teaching Teenagers the Bible

It’s one of the most important aspects of youth ministry.

And yet, for a lot of us, it’s one of the most challenging.

I’m not talking about teaching your 8th grade guys what the Bible says about sex. I’m talking about teaching the Bible to teenagers . . . period. The way I see it, youth ministry is primarily about helping teenagers know God and to be transformed as a result.

The hands down, best way to do this is through teaching students the Bible. After all, this is the main reason God gave us the Bible. It’s God’s most complete way of revealing to us his character and his ways.

If this is true, it becomes imperative that we not only teach the Bible, but that we teach it well. Essentially, when we teach the Bible as it’s meant to be taught, we’re leading teenagers to encounter God. And when we’re most effective at leading students to encounter God through the Bible, we’re simultaneously most effective at setting them up for meaningful life change.

But the fact still remains that teaching the Bible can be intimidating, confusing, or for many of us, deeply uninspiring.

I want to change that. That’s why I wrote “The 7 Best Practices For Teaching Teenagers The Bible.” This isn’t a dry instruction manual. It’s not overly academic. I don’t spend a lot of time making the case for why you ought to be teaching the Bible. (I mean, c’mon. You know it’s important.) What the book does, however, is pretty simple:
• It explains exactly what the 7 Best Practices are
• It makes the case for why each of the 7 Best Practices is important
• And it gives you a TON of practical examples of activities and strategies so that you can IMMEDIATELY apply the 7 Best Practices to your Bible teaching.

In case you’re curious, here are the 7 Best Practices:
• Best Practice #1: Engaging With God
• Best Practice #2: Prepare Well, Teach Well
• Best Practice #3: Context Is Key
• Best Practice #4: Embrace Unpredictability
• Best Practice #5: Plan For Interaction
• Best Practice #6: Teach For Application
• Best Practice #7: Know Your Role

Here’s the deal: I think most people want to be better Bible teachers, but don’t really know where to start to gain the skills. My entire purpose behind writing this book is to make it super simple for youth workers to become dynamic and effective Bible teachers. Nothing more, nothing less.

The question I hope you’re asking is, OK, where can I check this out? You can sample the first chapter and learn lots more info by simply going to this website. And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email at andy@youthministry360.com.

Andy Blanks is the co-founder of youthministry360. Andy has worked in youth ministry for 13 years developing Bible study resources for several youth ministry organizations. Andy is a volunteer youth leader with his church’s youth group, leading small groups, and speaking and teaching whenever he gets the chance. Andy blogs about discipleship and spiritual formation daily at andyblanks.com.

Add Comment April 1, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Finding A Youth Ministry Job in THIS Economy

We’ve all heard it. Finding a job is tough in this economy when so many people are out of work. Youth Ministry is no exception. Most of us who have steady youth ministry jobs are staying put, but for a lot of us that simply isn’t an option. So while finding a good Church in this tough economic climate may seem tough, it’s not impossible. In fact, I’ve done it twice.

The first time was in 2008, when the markets first collapsed. My salary as a Youth and Children’s minister was payed out of the interest generated by an endowment. I used to joke that I was the “June Jolly Memorial Youth Pastor”. The fund stopped generating interest and my salary money evaporated over night. I walked into the office one morning and was told that I was being let go immediately. I got on my denomination’s website and there were NO youth ministry jobs in my home state of Kentucky. I had a strong sense, though, that this was my life’s purpose and that if I exhausted every effort to remain in ministry, God would honor that and make up the difference. I wound up moving to North Carolina where, until just recently, I served as a Youth and Children’s Minister at a larger Church and with a raise in salary. But that was after several months of earnest search and “loser days” sitting in our apartment watching bills pile up while my wife bore the weight.

As I write this, I am avoiding the chore of packing up my office. Next week I am moving to my new Church in Virginia. Last fall, my wife’s father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a fatal illness of the blood and bone marrow. He was given three years to live. After much prayer and soul searching, my wife and I decided that we needed to move closer to home. Seeing our family only two or three times a year was no longer right for us. Our current Church was really supportive when we decided that we would begin looking for a new Church family. I kept them in the loop early and often in my decision making process and they allowed me to remain employed while I looked for another Church. In exchange, I have been able to aid the Church in their transition to a new youth pastor. It has been a bittersweet process but we have somehow managed to keep a family here in North Carolina while acquiring a new one in Virginia. Through these experiences, I learned a couple of truths that may be helpful to anyone exploring the possibility of making a move in THIS economy.

1. Be Transparent. Let your Church know what you are thinking and feeling (assuming this is an environment that is not so toxic that this isn’t a real possibility), and let them know that you are going to begin looking for another ministry, but that for the time you remain committed to this one and will do everything in your power to aid a smooth and graceful transition. (If you are fearing your job may not be around for much longer, knowing you are leaving willingly in a couple of months may save your Church from having to make an abrupt decision).

2. Fish on the other side of the boat! There’s plenty of youth ministry jobs if you are willing to look beyond your usual spot! I didn’t want to look outside of my denomination but that meant I had to look outside my home state. Maybe you are attached to home but not to a denomination. Decide what you value and don’t get hung up on the rest! I have a Caucasian friend who is at an all African American church. They love him to death (but tease him to no end)! How many of us would overlook an opportunity we thought was for “somebody else”.

3. Distinguish yourself. If you can make a resume in the form of a comicbook (along with your real “grown up” one), a video resume with youth testimonials, or write an eloquent essay, or whatever your thing is… DO IT! You’ll get an interview.

4. Go the extra mile. My Church in North Carolina still talks about how I drove 8 hours to be present for a job interview when they offered to do it over the phone.

5. Be willing to say, “NO.” Just because a Church is open does not mean it’s where you need to be. I visited a church several months ago where the pastor was really impressed with me. I knew I would have the job if I wanted it. But as he took me around and showed me the facility, he whispered conspiratorially about all the political back and forth in the congregation: who didn’t like the gym and why, how pastor so and so toe the congregation in half, and how they had fired the youth pastor (an older man) but hired him as the janitor (awkward…). Oh, and you’ll be the latest in a line of two year youth pastors dating back to 1992 when St. Awesome left. RED FLAG!!! Driving home, I told my wife, “I know you’re in a hurry to be home, but there were definite signs of dysfunction. I think we’d be miserable there.” The next morning, the Pastor from the Church that eventually hired me called. You don’t want to be moving again in two or three years, so make sure you are moving where God wants you to move.

I hope these thought were helpful to everyone who is in a similar situation of having to pursue God’s will in the midst of a really tough market. In the end, though, this economy isn’t really different than any other economy. God always takes care of those whom He has called and if we pray in humility and follow His direction, He will show us what He has for us. Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and the other stuff will work itself out. But to be on the safe side, my mother would want you to know that you should wear a tie to your interview.

Danny Nettleton is a youth pastor and blogger who originally wrote an incredible comment on this post that turned into a request for the full guest post you just read.

1 View Comments March 31, 2012

Geoff StewartMore Posts GUEST POST: 3 Healthy Practices for Youth Ministry Fundraising

1) Help your students see the need. Fundraising is just like anything else in teen ministry that you want to be effective and successful, which means that your students to be “sold” on whatever the need is that you are raising funds for. It’s easy for them to see the need when it’s money being raised for them personally to go on a missions or teen summer trip. But if your raising money to build a clean water well in Africa, your going to have to be more creative in helping them see the need. Brainstorm and create short videos to help the teen visualize the need. Teach a three or four week series around the topic that you are raising funds for then use the fundraiser as a challenge to be a solution to the problem.

2) Balance “Youth Ministry” and “Kingdom” fundraising. Selfishness has been engrained into our society. Youth Ministry is no exception. Students sometimes choose the church they go to based on what they have to offer them (a bad spiritual habit they’ve picked up on from us adults). We have a responsibility to help students see beyond themselves. So once their lives have been transformed by Christ, then we need to help them to make an impact for the Kingdom. There are times to raise funds for a Youth Ministry need, but there are local and world ministry needs that we should rally our students behind. So many of our missionaries budgets have been cut back because of our economy. Why not partner with one of your church missionaries, and use the ideas above.

3) Weight the cost vs effort factor. Let’s be honest that if your group has to do fundraisers, you personally are are most likely getting burnt out on them. If you haven’t yet, you will get to the point where you want to get the most funds with the least effort. Time is vital to us in the world of ministry so we don’t want to waste it. There were car washes that I have done in the past that actually some how lost money instead of profited.

Jai Haulk is a Teen Minister at Ringgold Church of Christ in Hagerstown MD and is also a Fundraising Specialist with a ton of great opportunities for youth workers. Contact me if you have questions or are interested at (301) 331-1300 or jaihaulk@hotmail.com.

Add Comment March 31, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: So What’s Next for You?

Sometimes I get the occasional comment that goes something like this: “So when are you going to get a church of your own?” What they are really saying is ‘when are you going to grow up and be a Lead Pastor, Sr. Minister, or other more responsible position within the church?’ I generally just laugh off these comments while secretly thinking to myself “when are you gonna pull your head out of your rear end and realize I already hold a responsible position?!?!?!” Over my 14 years in this thing called youth ministry, I have been asked this question more than I care to count. I’ve noticed something, however, that gives me some encouragement…the more time I spend at a given location, the less I receive these comments. This has to do with two main factors that I hope will encourage you…

1. Relationships! with parents and especially grandparents and the older generation in the church are a HUGE factor to your success and credibility in youth ministry. Remember, they have been around the block a time or two…raised their children (or are right in the middle of it) and learned from years of making mistakes. The more time you spend developing solid relationships with them, the more they will respect your judgement and leadership.

2. Risk Management! This is a term not used much in the church world but in the Insurance industry it’s huge! People want to know their kids will be safe. As ministers of teens, it can be tempting to let them act out of their desire for Adventure and Excitement *a Jedi craves not these things* in the immortal words of our pointy-eared friend. The part of a teenager’s brain that controls the realization of actions vs. long term consequences has not fully developed. As youth ministers, we must have the wisdom to harness that desire and steer it in productive directions that will glorify God instead of making a parent mad because Jimmy decided it would be a good idea to peel out of a parking lot into oncoming traffic because he wanted to get a head start on the scavenger hunt. (yes it happened) When we can be responsible, parents notice!

As they notice your ability to develop relationships with people other than teens, and as the “adult” side of you makes responsible decisions with the well-being of their kids, your stability in ministry will improve and you won’t have to field the question of “So, what’s next for you?” so often.

Lyle Parker is the Youth/Worship Tech Minister in Fayetteville Christian Church.