new year | More Than Dodgeball

Josh GriffinMore Posts Youth Ministry in 2013

Thought that Greg Stier wrote a solid post to kickoff the New Year – here’s a clip from his post, 5 Reasons I’m Excited About Youth Ministry in 2013 that I think is worth the read:

1. A lack of budget triggers a more mature approach to youth ministry.
The value of a strained US economy is that smaller church offerings can lead to tighter youth ministry budgets. Before you call me crazy remember that a smaller youth ministry budget can lead to less goofiness and more seriousness when it comes to youth ministry programming. And that’s a good thing.

God has blessed me with the privilege of leading a ministry called Dare 2 Share for the last twenty years. We train teenagers to share their faith all across the country. Because much of our income is donor related when “The Great Recession” hit in 2008 we had to cut staff, slash programs and sharpen our focus. While these were challenging times God has used it in powerful ways to make us more serious and strategic about a much more singular mission. The same can happen for youth ministries that get their budget slashed. Sometimes a “fiscal cliff” becomes a bridge to a more mature approach to youth ministry. Less sizzle, more steak.

4. Youth ministry and family integrated ministry find their groove…together!
There is a battle in many churches over the role of the traditional youth ministry model and the family integrated model (moms and dads discipling their own children.) It seems to me that there is a “best of both worlds” solution that some youth ministries are starting to tap into. The power of parents leaning into the spiritual development of their own children combined with a setting where teenagers can relate to other teenagers spiritually could be the model that catapults youth ministry to the next level. The more spiritually mature adults who are willing to mentor their children/teens and other children/teens the better! This should happen at home and church! The youth leaders who are seeing the power of Titus 2 (older women mentoring young women/older men mentoring young men) should do nothing more than accelerate the mission of the youth leader and godly parents. Sure, there will still be the “our way is the only way“ people, but, most youth leaders should be able to merge the power of both approaches into their youth ministry models.

JG

Add Comment January 3, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Youth Ministry Year in Review

If you are in a working position in your church likely you have some form of yearly review process. Whether you sit down with your board or your immediate supervisor you will get graded in some way shape or form. In some contexts this can be a real pain, others its just sitting down for a quick lunch. No matter what you do, it is a needed step.

But, my question is what review process do you do of your ministry and yourself?

If you are like me you are probably biased one way or the other. Either you think you are doing an exceptional job or you are constantly critiquing yourself. So I think it is healthy to get an outside perspective, but not from your supervisor(s).

This year I decided to ask those close to me what they thought of my ministry. Some where helpful and gave me direct criticism while others sugar coated the whole thing. So I decided to take it to another level: Asking the parents of my ministry.

Now in some ways this is a big risk: I have parents who can be super critical and others who I am pretty sure send everything right to their junk mail. But I put it out there to see their review of our ministry.

Here are some questions I asked them:
What was your students favorite moment of this last year?
What topics would you like to see covered in the 2013 teaching calendar?
Are there ways in which we could improve communication with you as parents?
Can you think of anyone you think would be a good addition to our ministry team?

So far with the questions I asked I have heard roughly what I thought I would hear back. The nice thing about this system is it gives you a good perspective. It is like grading in the Olympics throw out the best and worst review and you will likely find common ground in the middle.

So what are you doing as a review process for yourself and your ministry?

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

Add Comment December 30, 2012

Geoff StewartMore Posts Guest Post: Start With A Bang

So it’s summer time. That’s a reality that I can get my head around. I like the sunshine, and at this point in my part of the world, that’s starting to feel like a rarity. (Hey there, flooded river due to rain … nice to see you stop by.) But when the summer starts to fade away and students are all busy getting that brand new wicked fresh trapper keeper for school, and parents are loathing back to school clothes shopping, well, that’s when I get all hyped up for Fall Kickoff.

I really feel like there’s a few times in the ministry season when you want to go all out. Like blow the doors off. One is Christmas, because Christmas is awesome. Make your space look like Santa’s elves exploded over everything. Another is the end of the season. You’ve made students suffer through your awkward sex talks, mediocre games and haphazard bible quizzes for an entire season, so now’s the time to redeem yourself with a stellar event for the ages. Forget the party, just head straight to the “After Party” party. Your students need to reason to blow off steam after all the exam anxieties are done and over. Put out a great spread of food, crank up the outdoor speakers, rent a bounce house, and turn on the sprinklers. It will be a great way to say thanks to your students and leaders for pressing forward. It’s also a super way to introduce new students into the mix without them feeling singled out.

But my favourite time to blow the roof off in a ministry season is Fall Kickoff. This is the time when everyone is ready for something different. They’re getting back into the swing of things, and what better way to let them know that youth group is right there with them, than by having a Kickoff event that brings the house down. Go after that band you’ve always wanted to bring in, partner up with some other youth groups, utilize the left over summer weather whileyou still can, and really ring in the new season with a sonic boom. It’s not about how big your budget is, but how loud you can get and how high you can set the bar for the season ahead. It says to your students that they are worth getting excited for, that they can expect big things ahead. Just don’t play all your cards on the first night as depicted in this photo from the 4th of July Fireworks in San Diego this year. 20 mins of fireworks in 15 seconds.

So go for it. Go big. Go for the win. Be loud. Be awesome.
And if you annoy the 55+ bible study going on next door, well then, all the better.

Kevin Downey is a veteran Youth Pastor from Chilliwack British Columbia (this is an actual place) , father, pastor and comic enthusiast. You can follow him on Twitter @revkev73.

-Geoff