I liked Kurt’s recent article on youthministry.com about helping students make the transition from junior to senior high. Here’s a clip, head there for the rest of the great article. This is the season we’re diving into in the coming weeks!

If you’ve read much, talked much or listened much about youth ministry lately, you are certainly aware of the growing concern over the vast number of students who walk away from church during, or shortly after, their high school years. I’ll let people way smarter than me try to figure out the myriad of factors contributing to that particular dilemma. Because I work with younger teens, an equally troubling trend is one that I think about at the close of every school year: The number of junior high students who don’t transition well into the high school ministry or shortly after, their high school years.

Without a strategic transition plan, youth groups set themselves up to loose students before they even enter the high school program. And, in my opinion, a rough transition may contribute to students never feeling truly connected to the high school group which makes it easier to walk away later on (I have absolutely no hard data to back that up….it’s just a ‘gut feeling’. Like I said, people way smarter than me can try to figure it out!). So, with your 8th graders only a few weeks away from moving into high school, I’d like to offer a two-step strategy to help the transition go as smoothly as possible. My strategy: Reach down and Push up.

JG

Just posted Dan Gould’s third installment of Life in Transition over on the PDYM Community website – this time he talks about his first goals after arriving at a new youth ministry. Good insights here for people just starting a new church – here’s a clip, head there for the complete article:

3. Celebrate the past . . . but don’t stay there
This can be challenging depending on your situation. But regardless of the past, celebrate the good stuff and don’t dwell on the bad stuff. As you get to know the students, families and volunteers, remember that some of them still have great memories of what happened before you got there. Value them by valuing that memory and experience but begin to make new memories together! There is a reason God has called you to this specific church. Don’t be afraid to implement new things, or create a new direction. Sometimes fresh eyes and a new leader can allow the ministry to do things that couldn’t be accomplished in the past. It may be challenging, and some things may take time to change, but begin taking some baby steps in that direction.

As my mentor would say . . . don’t get caught in a rut. If you don’t know what a rut is, this probably doesn’t make any sense. But he defined a rut as a grave with its ends knocked out. So don’t get caught in a rut that you can avoid simply because you are new and have a fresh outlook on the ministry.

4. Move Slowly
If you are a driven person like me, this may be easy to say but hard to do. I have to remind myself that student ministry is a marathon and not a sprint and that people take change differently. Some people will want change immediately, while others might not understand why things are changing. Either way, change can be difficult and exciting, but take your time. Pray for clear direction and then begin to move that way. Moving slowly you will allow others to adjust to the vision and direction of the ministry and take ownership in the changes that may be taking place.

JG

Saw a great post via 43 folders about your first 90 days at a new job – good advice for a youth worker landing in a first church or someone coming out of a transition. There’s some advice there that doesn’t exactly gel with church culture, but I think there’s still good wisdom in Rand’s writings. Here’s a clip:

#1) Stay late. Show up early. You need a map of the people you work with and I find the best way to start scribbling this map is to understand people and their relation to the day. When do they get there? How long until they engage in what they do? Coffee run? Wait, no. Late arriver. Doesn’t leave until he gets something done. Makes his coffee run at 4:30pm. Doesn’t drink coffee? Really? Why? These long days of watching give you insight and they give you tools for understanding what each of your team members want.

#2) Accept every lunch invitation you get. People are stretching themselves for you the first few weeks you show up. They’re going to go out of their way to include you and no matter who they are, you’ve got to take the time to reciprocate. The lunch invite from that guy in the group you pretty sure you’ll never interact with will result in stories and you have a stunning lack of stories right now.

#3) Always ask about acronyms. It’s great that we’re all speaking English, but why is it that you’re sitting in your first staff meeting and not understanding a word? It’s because every team develops acronyms, metaphors, and clever ways to describing their uniqueness which you must understand. Cracking the language nut is absolutely essential to assessing the hand you’ve been dealt and you’re going to need to ask a couple of times.

#4) Say something really stupid. Good news, you’re going to do this whether it’s on this list or not. I’m saying it’s ok. This stupid thing that you’re going to say is going to demonstrate your nascent engagement in your job and when they stop giggling, the team is going to know you’re desperately trying to figure it all out.

JG