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Enjoy the sneak peek of the next issue of Group Magazine! This issue includes the exclusive Salary Survey, interview with Rachel Cruze of DaveRamsey.com, and the NEW Digital version of Group Magazine! (Oh and something called the youth worker lifestyle magazine is coming soon!)
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Posted By Kurt Johnston
I apologize for the distance between my last post and this one…been a bit crazy.
A sixth contributing factor to my longevity is to simply choose to lead differently. Here are a few ways I have tried (I don’t always get it right) to lead over the years: Here?s a new idea: SERVANT LEADERSHIP! I‘m shocked at how many Christian leaders preach and teach about servant leadership, yet fail to actually practice the concept. Here’s my hunch: Everybody starts as a servant leader because we have to in order to gain the trust and respect of our fellow leaders, to earn the trust of people we lead and, frankly, because we are low man on the totem pole….servant leadership isn’t an option early in a ministry career. But as we move up the ranks, gain influence and responsibility, it becomes very easy to slip into a leadership mindset that is just about everything except servant oriented (dare I say “Jesus oriented”?). Don?t ask others to do something you?re not willing to do (everybody says this, but few mean it) Again, I hear it all the time, but don’t see it in action. I think most leaders used to do the stuff they now ask others to do, but many are simply unwilling to re-engage at that level. Obviously, you can’t always do the stuff you used to do, but a healthy leader gets his/her hands dirty…a lot!
Empower, Empower, Empower Leadership gets [...]
Our good friend (and founder) Thom Schultz has an interesting take on one of the ongoing debates in youth missions – Are they really worth it?
Short-Term Missions A Waste?
What do you think? Did Thom get it right?
You are right, there are far more dangerous jobs than youth ministry. I am extremely thankful that my husband does not stare down the barrel of a gun. I cannot imagine the kind of strength a wife would need for that. No matter what the job each one of us, including myself, has and will face great tragedies. Just in each day there are so many ups and downs. Our lives are sprinkled with many different feelings and emotions from happiness to thankfulness, to frustration to sorrow. My hope is that not one of us would deny ourselves the right to feel validated in each and every feeling that we have that gets mixed up inside of us. I hope that in some small way this blog may be a place for someone in ministry to feel heard, connected, and uplifted through a comment, a funny story, or a serious post. And what I love so much about this community of women is the honesty shared about their lives, and the tone that we all take loving God and our husbands seriously but don’t take ourselves too seriously.
I write this in no way with a defensive voice, but with so much concern that many pastor’s wives are told that their feelings are silly or not important. Whether from someone at church or their own inner dialogue. Our “perspective” should be to accept and embrace our feelings whatever they may be and then with God [...]
I love this video!! The story behind it is that the New York Giants coach watched it and later showed it to his team to teach them determination and commitment!
That spirit of commitment is in every girl…our job is to help them discover what in life is worth fighting for and to never give up!!
#4 – Let Ephesians 4:29 be the measuring stick for our posts, tweets, emails, etc.
I’m up early. The reason? I was really disturbed by the number of negative comments made by people in ministry about yesterday’s half-time show. I am hurt and discouraged.
Don’t get me wrong; I’ve never been a purchaser of Madonna’s CDs. But the comments about her age, relevancy, past-her-prime…were hurtful. To whom, you may wonder?
To the Youth Watching With Us: If the same negative comments on Facebook and Twitter were made out loud to the students gathered around us watching the half-time show, then our students will think its OK to be mean because “well, she’s not one of us.”
To Madonna: She and so many others are watching us for the love we show. They know our motto is “Love Jesus – Love each other.” I don’t think yesterday was collectively our best example of that.
To Me: I am the same age as Madonna. The many comments about her age from ministry people made me wonder: Are you also saying I’m too old, too? Am I irrelevant? Have I crossed an unseen finished youth ministry line where my gifts are no longer valid, needed, necessary? Let me know because I’ll learn to knit or start playing Bingo if that’s the case.
Don’t worry; I know I’m among the chief of sinners in having a quick tongue. I’m examining myself, too. One thing I do know: no one is built up when we criticize and post with negativity.
Is this [...]
q Jeremiah 1:4 ?The Word of God came to me saying, before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.?
q God had a vision a plan for you. Do you have one for the assignment He has given you?
q Vision: The picture of God?s potential, purpose, and possibilities for your life.
q Show me a person without vision, and I will show you a person who is at a standstill in life.
q Proverbs 29:18 ?Where there is no vision the people perish.?
q Life Point: The key element to getting out of my present state is the vision that I have for myself.
q Jeremiah 29:11 ?For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope,
Vision Truthsq True vision goes beyond what I can accomplish on my own.
q True vision adds value to others.
q True vision attracts vision.
q True vision must have God in it.
q Acts 2:17 ?And it shall come to pass in the last days says God, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams.?
5 Road Blocks to Vision Failure
Got what I think is a good poll for you – what presentation software do you use in your youth group?
JG
Simple series video we made for the Trinity series. Made with Motion 4 on the Mac (part of Final Cut Studio, not sure if you can buy it separately). If you want to make your own motions, might be a good piece of software to pick up!
JG
The impending shift to 3D television really intrigues me.
I get the draw of 3D in theaters – a unique and somewhat novel experience on a few big budget films specifically made to fully utilize the format - but I’m not sure it is going to work at home. In the last couple of years people already hopped onto the flat panel TV craze – are they going to be so quick to make another $1,500+ purchase to make the jump to 3D? The droves of people dropping cable and satellite subscriptions in favor of Hulu and mobile TV surely can’t be relied upon to make the upgrade either.
I read a feature article in Wired a month ago (1 of 6 magazines I read religiously) that showed how Sony is betting essentially their whole organization that you and I will gleefully board the 3D bandwagon this summer. Right after reading it a buddy told me that the Sony Style store was demoing the new technology and that I had to at least check it out. Being the early adopter wannabe that I am (you have to be somewhat loaded to be one for real), I grabbed the kids and made a special trip just to see the 3D TV demo.
It was really, really impressive.
My Twitter from inside the store was full of respect and awe for the new TV, I’m a believer. I wish they had been playing some different genres of clips – but Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs looked incredible. Made me wish that George Lucas would get moving on Star Wars 3D. 3D at home looked better than 3D in the theater – brighter, richer and ultra clear.
So will we be hi-5ing each other after a 3D touchdown, all wearing our special 3D glasses in the living room? Will we dish out major dollars for a new TV and put the old flat-screen for the Xbox360 in the kids’ room? I’m not totally sure (I’m a pastor, not a prophet) but the future looks really, really good. And it’s in 3D.
JG
While I was at the Sony Style store I learned about the X10 Blogger Contest. As a finalist, Sony provided me with a free Sony Ericsson X10 phone and a PSPgo and FIFA Soccer 10 game in connection with my participation in the Sony Ericsson/Sony Style X10 Blogger Contest, which requires me to blog about Sony and/or Sony Ericsson Products.
Here’s the x3watch software that Doug/I talked about during The Sex weekend series in HSM, too. I’m installing it on my home computer now, check out the full site here.
JG
I really liked this post from Josh Herndon’s blog about 10 Things Your Youth Ministry Shouldn’t Do in 2010. Some good stuff, here’s a couple of the highlights:
1. You shouldn’t buy an expensive video camera. $2,000 is a risky investment to make for the industry’s premier camcorder. Instead, pick up a Flip Camera. They run about $200. The picture looks great. The software is user friendly. And you can take it to any event with ease, as it’s the size of your hand.
6. You shouldn’t buy nothing for your small group curriculum. Instead, buy Simply Youth Ministry’s Live Curriculum. The sticker price will shock you at $500 but it’s a 4-year program, making each lesson about $3.50. Well worth the price for a comprehensive, customizable, practical, and theologically grounded youth ministry. I haven’t picked it up yet, but it’s on my docket list.
8. You shouldn’t buy game consoles at a retail store. Picking up a Wii, Xbox, or Play Station will put you $1,000 after picking up some games, controllers, and accessories. Instead, buy one off of your youth. Come Christmas they’ll get the newest consoles and part ways with their old one for a fraction of the cost to you.
JG
Poll question of the week – have you ever taught on these subjects in your youth ministry? (check all that apply)
JG
Matt Slippy, a youth pastor from Iowa, is working on a youth ministry research project looking for 1,000 youth pastors to take an online survey at www.youthministrysurvey.com. It looks like it’ll take about 15 minutes or so if you’re up for it.
Also, Jeff Weathersby is a senior at the University of Southern Mississippi and has a survey on the usage and effective of youth tracking software as part of a class project. It is a tad long and boring (no offense) but Simply Youth Ministry is giving away a free membership to Simply All Access to one lucky participant! You can take that survey right here.
JG
Here’s a little video to help our small group leaders learn how to use the attendance software for their groups. Kurt (student ministries pastor) takes the lead on it, followed by Chip, one of our great volunteers who selected the system and oversees it for us!
JG
How do you primarily communicate with students? For us, I would say #1 – texting, #2 – live and #3 – web. How about you?
JG
I’ll admit I was a bit scared when we launched our youth minitsry website http://www.lyf.net last year using a content management system called drupal that I was unfamiliar with. I had to learn it from scratch and was a bit hesitant but ended up loving in the end. Now our website is easy to update and is pretty unique in my opinion.
Several years ago we started using a ministry tool http://www.tuggle.it to help connect our students and leaders and give leaders the tools they needed. Yes we were on Facebook, but using new technologies like Tuggle gave us a unique web presence that created a very real environment for students to connect online.
Just this past week I launched a new website http://www.whatisyourproblem.tv using a new WordPress theme. I’ll admit I’m not 100% sure the direction of this student talk show will take but I believe allowing students the opportunity to lead is a risk worth taking.
Whatever the current state of your web presence for your youth ministry is I encourage you to try new tools and new ways of reaching teenagers online. Who knows it may turn out to be really great if you just give it a chance.
Brandon Riley is a creative media producer for Sugar Creek Baptist Church. Check out his blog at http://www.partoftheglue.com.
More Than DodgeBall – Youth Ministry Blog by Josh Griffin – Saddleback Church's High School Youth Ministry (HSM) A blog about youth ministry and youth worker life from the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church.
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