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Geoff StewartMore Posts GUEST POST: 3 Things I Learned in My First Year of Youth Ministry

My first year in ministry has been incredibly awesome, incredibly hard, and easily the best year I’ve had yet. It has been so great to look back and reflect on all of the successes and… not successes that I’ve had this year and see how much God has taught me along the way. I thought I would share a few of the big things that I have learned this year.

Look Around. I’m an ambitious person. I am always looking ahead at what is coming next and always looking at achieving my goals. This has been really helpful in my career, but at the same time, really challenging. It keeps me from pausing and embracing where I am. It seems like it’s so hard to be present. I found before I started working on it, I was rarely satisfied with where I was or what I had. It kept me from taking a break and trying to see what God was trying to teach at that moment, to see what opportunities He was trying to present. So I learned to not just look ahead, but around as well. I learned to try to find out the purpose God has for me in this stage of my life. It is far more important to achieve God’s goal for my life than my own.

Ministry is a Rhythm. A couple weeks ago, our church’s head pastor spoke to our Student Ministries Team. One for the most impactful things that he talked about was that ministry is a series of rhythms. Sometimes we take the things we want to spend our time doing (family time, personal time, ministry time, etc.) and prioritize it or faction it out. We try to make sure that at all times, every part of our life is getting attention. The problem is that isn’t how ministry works. Sometimes you need to spend more time in ministry. You will spend 60 hours in the office and have an event every night of the week, but that is okay. Its okay because you will (eventually) have a time where you don’t need to spend more time in ministry and you will have more time to spend more time by yourself, with your family, or whatever you need. Ministry is a series of ebbs and flows; give and take. This is guilt-free ministry.

Be Expectant. I was originally going to title this point as “Trust God,” but I think that “be expectant” does the idea more justice. Trusting God is an action, a great action, but being expectant is a mentality and a lifestyle. The last year was filled with uncertainty. Whether it was the success of an event or my future in general, I was so afraid that God wasn’t going to provide and I focused more on being okay with things not working out than expecting God to show up. I wasn’t praying the “big” prayers because I was afraid I’d be disappointed if it didn’t come through. Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes God doesn’t provide in the ways that we want and that can be disappointing, but He always provides in the ways that we need. We need to be praying those big prayers and expecting God to show up in big ways.

For most of you, your first year of ministry wasn’t very recent… but you are still learning! What are some of the biggest lessons God has taught you during your time in ministry?

Colton Harker is the Student Leadership Director at Saddleback HSM. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact him at coltonharker@gmail.com or on twitter at @ColtonHarker.

Add Comment February 15, 2013

Geoff StewartMore Posts GUEST POST: Youth Ministry’s Exceptional Everyday Gray

Getting into youth ministry is like signing up for a basketball league where every 30 seconds there’s another slam-dunk opportunity. But once you get into it, it feels much more like a soccer game where there’s a heck of a lot of running around before reaching a goal.

Let me explain.

If you’re like me, you do student ministry for those great moments: When a student finally “gets it.” When small group conversation goes deep. When a teenager posts, “Best weekend ever!” on the Monday after the retreat. These are moments that make it all worth it!

But what about all the other in-between moments? The moments that aren’t so exceptional – that are normal. Average. Gray. Like when you have to clean up the youth room after everyone has evacuated. Or when you have to make a hundred phone calls to get the event planned (the one that get’s cancelled because of bad whether). Or when you have to dissect the copy machine because somewhere hidden deep inside of it is a stuck piece of paper… allegedly. What about all the undesirable, underrated and unexceptional tasks of youth ministry?

Now, I get that there are “soccer players” out there – that is, people who love the running around. But my general response is, “This is not what I signed up for!”

But I wonder if God can teach us all something about those gray times in between. Perhaps the exceptional times of discovery in ministry are not the moments we expect.

Oswald Chambers wrote: “It is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God; but we have not. WE HAVE TO BE EXCEPTIONAL IN THE ORDINARY THINGS, to be holy in the mean streets, among mean people, and this is not learned in five minutes.”

I am guilty of wanting five-minute fixes. Of asking for humility and success and patience… and wanting them all right now. To some extent, we are all tempted toward the big, grandiose occasions, when people point and say, “What a life-changing leader! What an incredible ministry!”

But what if our best leadership today was picking up after students? What if worship found it’s way into filling out finances? What if God was waiting to meet with us each day as we move between meetings?

And what if God’s most exceptional gifts to you today in your ministry were hidden in the common wrapping of everyday tasks?

Sam Townsend works on the Training and Programming Team at YouthWorks, where he helps develop materials to point teenagers toward Jesus. After the workday, Sam is a youth group leader, a seminary student and a conversationalist over half-price appetizers.

1 View Comments February 15, 2013

Geoff StewartMore Posts GUEST POST: Why Rural Youth Ministry? 4 Reasons to say Why Not?

If you have worked in a rural context for more than five minutes, you can see that things are a little different here. The towns are smaller farther apart, and seem to operate at a slower pace. Do not let all this deceive you. You have not stepped into 1940, 1960, or even 1990. You have not stepped into a smaller version of some small city. Relationships and rivalries run very deep. Resources can be as slim here in a rural context as you would see in many urban situations.

Despite all the differences, many things are similar – parents are still parents, and students are still students. Students still have many of the same struggles as their urban and suburban counterparts, such as drugs, teenage pregnancy, bullying, and truancy. Students still hurt. Parents still try and fill every spare moment with an activity, club, or sport.

With all these challenges before you, many will ask? Why bother with Rural Youth Ministry?

Here are 4 good reasons to say “Why Not Rural Youth Ministry?”

1) Much of North America is Rural

Many refer to Rural communities as “flyover country”, giving the impression that the Rural areas do not matter. However, large portions of North America are represented when you say the word Rural. This includes a lot of students that attend small Rural schools. The county where I live has about 1100 7th-12th grade students scattered among three school districts.

2) Even though many small Rural churches are closing, there will be Rural churches around for many years to come.

I have worked as a Youth Pastor in Southern Baptist Churches for 13 years. The largest majority of churches in my denomination are under 500 in attendance. I have heard it said that the average size church in the SBC is about 350. This means that for every mega-church, there are many more small churches of less than 100, or even less than 50. Many other denominations have very similar numbers.

3) Many Rural youth ministries have smaller numbers of students, allowing more individual attention.

One of my favorite parts of Rural Youth Ministry is the opportunities that I get to invest in the lives of students in one-on-one or small group interactions. With a smaller ministry size, I can slow down and focus on one or two students that really need that help through a tough situation or rejoice with them in successes. I also get to experience a lot of “firsts”. There is a student that I have had the pleasure of being with the first time he left the state of Indiana (…and we live 20 minutes from the state line) and the first time he ever flew on an airplane.

4) We are given the mission and commission to “Go into all the world” - and this includes Rural areas.

One of the members of the leadership team at my church has said many times over the last few years “God told us to go, that means we need His permission to stay”. In many Rural areas there are so many needs that could be met with a few small resources, a person with a specific skill set, or a person willing to take the time to help another pick up the pieces of a broken life. The Gospel is needed in Rural areas just as badly as in the prisons, urban centers, or the wealthy suburbs. They are people that Christ died for that need what only He can give.

Brent Lacy is a Rural Youth Pastor in Western Indiana that lives in the “Covered Bridge Capital of the World” with his wife and 3 kids. You can come connect with him at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference, where he will be helping to lead the Rural Youth Workers Connect Group. You can also find out more about his book Rural Youth Ministry: Thrive Where You’re Planted at SimplyYouthMinistry.com

2 View Comments February 14, 2013

Geoff StewartMore Posts GUEST POST: The Lasting Effects of Disapproval

I grew up in a church where disapproval was an often-used method of keeping us teens in line. If we got too rowdy during the church service, people would shoot disapproving looks our way till we quieted down. If we’d be too lacklustre in worshipping, we’d get ‘the look’ as well.

The youth leaders had the disapproval method down to a pat too. When they encountered us doing something we weren’t supposed to do (like smoking, using bad language or pda’s ), the disapproval would be clear from their faces, their words and their whole demeanor.

It worked. But it also had an unintentional result: we experienced not just disapproval over what we did, but also over who we were. At least, I did.

I wasn’t a bad kid as a teen. In all honesty, I was doing pretty well in terms of faith. I took it seriously, tried to read the Bible and pray, brought friends with me to youth group and everything.

Still, I always felt I wasn’t good enough. There always was this disapproval when I did mess up. I distinctly remember hearing the words ‘I’m disappointed in you, I never expected that from you’ a couple of times and it hurt me deeply.

It also reinforced a gospel of performance in me, something I struggled with even years later. The thought that even my best wasn’t good enough to please leaders whose opinion mattered to me, influenced my image of God, as I figured he’d feel the same way.

Disapproval isn’t necessarily wrong, as long as it’s aimed at the behavior and not the person. But too often, disapproval is our knee-jerk reaction as youth leaders when we’re confronted with ‘bad behavior’ from our students. Too often we show our disapproval, our disappointment even, before we show grace and try to understand the ‘why’.

No matter how shocked or disappointed we are at the behavior of our students (especially when it concerns those students we don’t expect it from!), our first reaction should be love and not judgment. Our first reaction should be to understand, not to be heard in our anger or frustration. Our first reaction should be to show kindness and mercy, not a desire to point out something students will already know in all likelihood anyway.

Disapproval can have lasting effects in the lives of our students. They’ll feel weighed, measured and found wanting.

On the other side, acceptance and unconditional love will have lasting effects as well. When we live out God’s mercy and love, we’re showing them a powerful image of God, one that may impact the rest of their lives.

Disapproval or love, judgment or understanding, which one will you choose?

Rachel Blom is Dutch of origin, American at heart and ultimately heaven bound, but currently residing in the south of Germany. She’s an author and speaker and a veteran youth ministry enthusiast. Find her at Youth Leaders Academy where she blogs on everything youth ministry or on Twitter.

-GS

Add Comment February 14, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: 3 Best Practices When Speaking to Teens

While recently coaching an up-and-coming youth communicator, I was reminded of three simple tips that professional youth speakers use when crafting and rehearsing their messages:

1. The 7-7-7 rule… Students today have been accustomed to media that is divided into seven-minute chunks that are separated by two to three minutes of commercials each. As youth speakers, it is wise to build our messages in a similar fashion; seven minutes of contents separated by little “commercial breaks” in which we build in an audience interaction, a humorous story, or something else that breaks up the monotony of listening to someone addressing the group for 30 minutes.

2. Story is key. We must not only incorporate the telling a story in our talk, but we must strive to ensure that our overall message works as a story (beginning, middle, end). More importantly, we must continually ask ourselves, “What is the story that God is desiring to tell through this message?” Jesus taught through stories and parables, so should we!

3. Rehearse it until you own it. Rehearsing and practicing our messages sometimes feels silly. We can easily be tempted into thinking that we will just depend on our natural ability to be spontaneous or be “led by the Spirit” in the moment. However, the danger with this kind of thinking is that we don’t end up “owning” our content and we come across as less-than-credible, not believable, or just look unprepared and lazy. It is more than worth every minute of preparation and practice when our delivery is as impactful as possible. Rehearse everything if you can… Blocking, gestures, telling your stories, reading scripture, facial expressions, etc. You, and especially the students listening to you, will not regret it.

The speaker I was coaching happens to be one of the college-aged interns in our student ministry. This was going to be the first time she had presented to our group as a whole. She knew she had something worthwhile to say and that the students needed to hear. Prior to speaking she was as nervous as could be, but she put these few tips into practice and did an amazing job!

Matt Maiberger is the High School Pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Parker, CO, Matt gets to live out his passion by helping students know Jesus Christ and grow into the leaders that God has called them to be. www.youthspeakerscoach.com

1 View Comments February 13, 2013

Geoff StewartMore Posts GUEST POST: Don’t Buy the Short Attention Span Myth

I hear it all the time.

“Keep your message short” - “Teenagers only have a 15-minute attention span” - “Attention spans are shorter than they used to be”

Have you ever heard similar advice?

I’m going to go ahead and call bull. I’m not saying that getting the attention of an ADHD junior high kid isn’t difficult. But I have made a few observations over the years. Teenagers will sit easily for at least an hour to watch their favorite TV show. They will listen intently to a stand up comedian for an hour. They will sit for 2 or 3 hours to watch a new movie. They have even been known to play the same video game for 3 hours or more on end.

I don’t buy the short attention span myth.

Think about it. TV show are actually getting longer! Most prime-time shows are now an hour long. Big season premieres and finales may even run up to two hours.

Here is the point: We don’t have to preach shorter; we have to preach better. The bar has been raised. Their standards are high, because they are surrounded by high quality entertainment 24/7. They can spot boring quick. We have to be more engaging.

Tell stories (Jesus did). Use humor. Ask questions. Draw them in.Don’t sell out. Don’t think you have to just play a lot of games and sneak in a quick surface-level message before they notice.The short attention span myth is a cop-out for putting in the hard work to creating messages that resonate with students and create a lasting impression.

Now, don’t go overboard. They don’t need to hear you ramble for over an hour on the sacrificial system of the old covenant. But don’t sell yourself short. There is power in the preaching of God’s Word.

Engage your students. Get excited about the message. Make the Bible come alive for them. Keep working. Keep improving. Don’t give up!

Put in the work and you just might be surprised how long they will listen.

Brandon Hilgemann has been working in Youth Ministry for years in churches across the country from church plants to megachurches. He has been on a personal mission for the last 9 years to become the best speaker he can be. For more of his thoughts on preaching, check out his website right here.

-GS

3 View Comments February 13, 2013

Geoff StewartMore Posts GUEST POST: Do You Love Your Work?

I love ‘doing’ youth ministry! It’s so much fun! There are things I get to do for my ‘job’, that no one else can do! Going skiing is considered work. Going to camp is considered work. Going to a basketball or football game is considered work. Is that not the best gig ever? A majority of the time however, I find that I am in my office. That’s some of the hardest work ever. Especially when disc golf is considered work.

Are you good at working ahead? I find that I am most productive when deadlines are imminent. It’s hard for me to think way into the future and get stuff done 3 weeks ahead of time, let alone 3 months.

Tip: Set your own deadlines. I have tried this over and over again. My problem is that I don’t have consequences when I don’t meet my own deadlines and I have no one holding me accountable. So, if you NEED to get something done one month ahead of time, set a deadline and have someone consequence you for not getting it done.

Do you work best in the morning, afternoon, or evening? For me, a vast majority of my work comes in the PM. I’m not a morning person at all. My brain doesn’t really start functioning until after lunch. That’s partially why I take an early lunch, so that I have a majority of my most productive hours ahead of me.
Tip: Figure out what times you are most awake and effective. Set aside that time for your deep study or for your time to knock off everything on your ‘to do’ list.

Are you easily distracted? I am often distracted by…you guessed it, the internet. I don’t know if you’ve seen it yet, but there’s just so much there to learn. One link leads to another and before you know it, you are watching youtube video on how to clean the spores on a yak. Bizarre, I know. Email and Facebook are often calling my name. I also get distracted by people who come into the office or by myself…going to find people to talk to.

Tip: Get away! Go to the youth room to read. Change your surroundings to help yourself get things done. It’s possible that distractions are the way you live. You love being around people, so you are distracted by having to sit in your office alone. So, figure out the times you can be both distracted and productive.

In all things, whether in the morning or at night, whether you are working ahead or playing catch-up, whether you are being distracted or really focused, do all to the glory of God.
“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat of who can have enjoyment?” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25)

God has give us work to enjoy, but it is impossible to enjoy your work apart from Him. So do you enjoy your work? If not, why is that? Could it be that you are not really doing it with God in mind? Yes, it is possible to do the work of the ministry and not have God involved in your life. Let’s keep the right focus today as we come to our day of work!

Matt Reno is a Youth Worker from Mt Pleasent Iowa and has a blog too that you can check out here

Add Comment February 13, 2013

Geoff StewartMore Posts GUEST POST: Journeying With Lost Teens

I met John the week I started as a Campus Life director. He was the kid that only spoke in small group to argue or share a cynical comment. One of his favorite pastimes at club was taking shots at the Gospel and people who believed it. I’m not sure what it was, probably his blatant honesty, but I really liked John. It wasn’t just an “I want another notch on my belt” thing, he was just one of those kids that connected with me. Pretty quick in the friendship he made it clear that he wasn’t interested in me preaching to him about Jesus. In no uncertain terms he informed me he wasn’t going to be another notch on the belt of a Christian.

Over the next 5 years he and I met frequently to get coffee and talk. We swapped books, he read Reason for God (Tim Keller) and I read The God Delusion (Richard Dawkins) and we talked through each. We talked about philosophy, theology, “stupid Christians” (John’s favorite topic), science, life and every once in a while Jesus. The times we talked about Jesus were very few and far between, maybe 2 times a year.

I had to decide, early on, that I wasn’t going to play into John’s “stupid Christian” stereotype and I was going to wait on the Holy Spirit to direct me when and how to delicately share God’s story. I relied mostly on my demeanor, actions, advice, insights and life to communicate the Gospel to him and picked my battles when he wanted to debate. When he has come with a problem I would counsel him using biblical principles, then he would say; “I know, I know Jesus is the way…right.” in a sarcastic tone and I’d just smile.

I wish this story ended with John coming to Christ but the truth is that has not happened yet. We still get together from time to time and I still, when the time is right bring up Jesus. I pray for him often and look forward to the day when Gods story becomes part of his.

One thing I know for sure is that I was/am called to journey with John and gently point him towards Jesus. It’s been a much slower process than I would like. However, I can tell you that I am the only Christian he has allowed to speak into his life simply because I didn’t play into his (mostly false) Christian stereotypes and I respected his wishes.

We often forget, at least I do, that we’re called to be image-bearers of Christ and to preach the Gospel but we’re not called to get more notches on our belt. We faithfully share the Gospel, even when that means sharing it without words and the Holy Spirit draws students to God. We can’t do that part, but we have to be faithful in our part, journeying with and pointing students to Christ.

Remember a few things while journeying with students:

-Don’t play into negative stereotypes. Debating too much, being overly argumentative, treating a student like a project and moving on when you hit a wall are all stereotypes John had.
-Don’t be afraid of tough questions or to “go there.” Book swap, never answer a question you don’t know the answer to, learn more about the areas that create skepticism in them (physics in the case of John, yeah physics…ouch) and above all don’t compromise the Gospel.
-Be sensitive to the Spirit. Pick your opportunities to verbally share the Gospel through the promptings of the Spirit. Pray, pray and pray some more.
-Share the Gospel through your actions. The way you treat them, talk about others, react to situations and the longevity of the relationship are all key.

Todd Lowans is the Director of Suburban Chicago for Youth For Christ (YFC) you can follow him on Twitter here