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Josh GriffinMore Posts Helpful Guide for Student Greeters

Jessica Torres (on the HSM team) is responsible for mentoring and shaping the final weekend of the You Own the Weekend teaching series in our ministry. She’s been coaching her Tesoro High School students on a great greeting ministry and shared some great thoughts with them this week. I asked her if I could share them here on the blog – thought it might be helpful in your ministry setting, too:

Before the service
Everyone be in “places” 10 minutes prior to service starting.
Open doors 5 minutes before service starts.
Greeters in room – encourage students to “move in”, carry bulletins and pens in hand.
Greeters at doors – welcome students, pass out pens and bulletins.

During service
There must always be a greeter in the theater by the doors welcoming and passing out pens/bulletins to latecomers.
Quickly help students coming in late to find a seat.
Sit with a student who is alone and be engaged during the service (singing, listening, taking notes-you are part of setting the mood).
Be available to pass out pens/bulletins to students we missed as they entered the theater.
Don’t be afraid to politely ask “chatty” students to please step outside if they wish to have a conversation.
DO NOT stand in the back of the theater blocking the doorway.

End of service
Make sure to prop doors open right before the service ends. Be in position before all of the students are dismissed.
All greeters be at doors at end of service to collect pens.
Clean theater. Pick up trash, pens, etc. that might be left on the floor.
Make sure you’re all stocked up with pens/bulletins for the next service.

JG

Add Comment May 11, 2010

Josh GriffinMore Posts HSM’s Sermon/Series Meeting

I Twittered last week about the students who gather in my office each week and discuss series ideas and give sermon help – the idea got quite a few responses and some requests for more information on the meeting. Here’s what happens at 4pm each Tuesday in my office!

We started with SHAPE (spiritual gifts, heart, ability, personailty, experience) interviews with a bunch of students last summer – these students were picked based on their results to help craft the series that HSM teaches and mold the weekly messages. The students are wildly diverse – different school, temperments, gender, class – all swirled together make for some great discussion.

Once a series is confirmed/estabilished, I lay out the basic direction and goal for the series, then it’s fair game. We have a huge whiteboard and begin to compile ideas in a bunch of categories – Scripture, possible testimonies, videos ideas, pop culture references to the topic, illustrations from school life and more.

This past week, we were brainstorming the upcoming series “The End” – 2 straightforward weeks on Heaven and Hell. Within the discussion there are a ton of distractions and rabbit trails, some of what is said is incredibly valuable and some of what is said is worthless. But I’ll take it all – I love having the student perspective on the talk in this early form. Everything gets put up on the whiteboard, and when the sermon is done (usually Thursday before the weekend) I’ll even send the manuscript around and ask them to use Word’s “track changes” feature to give feedback. One last thing – they all have “veto” power as well – if they feel strongly enough that something won’t work on the weekend, we gong it and it gets taken off the table. It still encourages risk-taking and fresh ideas, but helps keep them grounded in credibility.

One last key is prayer – one week, we ditched all of the brainstorming and just prayed for the weekend messages and students to be receptive to what God and His Spirit would say to them. Prayer has to be a central part of this team’s heart. The overall goal here is full preparation, not to circumvent God’s voice to the communicator and what God is asking him/her to say. But I’m always amazed by the value in these students’ perspective.

We’ve been doing it since this Fall – we’ve had to take a few breaks for trips and the holidays, but the time is very valuable to me. Maybe it would work in your context, too – if so, great!

JG

8 View Comments May 3, 2010

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Buying the Lie

I am skinny and a nerd. A jock and a weakling. I’ve been called a longhaired hippy and Jesus freak. I’m a skater and a poser. Tattooed and conservative. Unapproachable and the kindest person you’ve ever met. I’ve been told I’m smart and called stupid to my face. My job is beneath me and no one sees its worth.

I have been labeled each one of these things and at some point I’ve believed them all.

Far too often I find my identity in who others say I am rather than who God says I am. The truth is, we’re bombarded with a culture that is tearing us down on a daily basis and many of us only hear what God thinks about us once a week at church.

It’s no wonder we buy the lie.

About a year ago I was really struggling with finding my identity in what others thought, in my job title, and in everything else the world finds important. I needed to remind myself who God says I am. So I searched The Bible and compiled a list. Every time I start to buy the lies of this world I refer back to this list.

This is who God says we are…

You are the son or daughter of God- John 1:12; Romans 8:17; Galatians 3:26; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:5; 1:3-8
You are Justified (Pronounced not guilty)- Acts 13:39; Romans 5:1; Romans 8:30
You are called (chosen)- Romans 1:6, Ephesians 1:4a; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:5; 2:9; John 15:16
You have been given Grace- Romans 5:2; 1 Corinthians 1:4; Ephesians 1:2; Ephesians 4:7
You have received mercy- 2 Corinthians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:10
You are Christ’s ambassador- 2 Corinthians 5:20
You are sanctified (made Holy)- Hebrews 10:10; Hebrews 13:12; Ephesians 1:4b; Hebrews 3:1; 1 Peter 1:16
You are accepted- Ephesians 1:6; Colossians 1:13
You are loved- Ephesians 2:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Colossians 3:12; Romans 1:7
You are forgiven (redeemed)- Ephesians 4:32; 1:7 Titus 2:14; 1 John 2:12; Colossians 1:13-14
You are made new- Colossians 3:31; Colossians 3:10
You are the Bride of Christ- Revelation 19:7; 21:2, 9; 22:17
You are Complete- Colossians 2:19-10
You are His workmanship- Ephesians 2:10
You have been bought with a price- 1 Corinthians 12:27
You are the branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine- John 15:16

What are lies you’ve bought into and how are you combating them with truth?

Each weekend MTDB features a GUEST POST from a youth worker in the trenches. David Miller takes that honor this weekend – he is a youth worker who blogs (http://www.davidmillerblog.com) and Twitters, too. Follow him.

5 View Comments March 27, 2010

Matt McGillMore Posts GUEST POST: Hazing/Roughhousing – How Far is Too Far?

Earlier this week, I answered a good question from a new youth worker:

“In the past at camp, the adults and youth directors either permitted or looked away from what I consider hazing. Do you have a list or a standard of what is and is not considered hazing?”

This is great! Through the years, I’ve wrestled with tons of guys . . . a handful of times things spun out of control (sorry @jakerutenbar), but most of the time it’s great ministry. We’ve never had any regular “hazing,” but there’s been plenty of horsing around.

We’ve never had a list or standard, this is something we’ve always handled verbally or “culturally” (new leaders learning through watching and experiencing). After thinking about some conversations I’ve had with some of our leaders (you know who you are), here are some questions that I’d consider to keep things from getting too wild:

1. When it’s all over, will the kid feel more accepted and belonging or rejected and humiliated?

2. When it’s all over, what would the kid’s parents say if they were standing there?

3. Is this something you’d do to your own kid, better yet, how would you feel if someone else did this?

These aren’t perfect questions; and it takes discernment to know the difference between good fun and too far. It’s more my style to outline boundaries and goals rather than come up with a detailed list of do’s and don’ts.

Anything can be circumvented and justified, and it takes leadership to make course corrections along the way. If “hazing”/rough housing is done with a good spirit, if things do get out of hand, it’s much easier to work through an apology and build restoration.

THANKS ADAM for the great question!

+mattmcgill

1 View Comments March 26, 2010

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: The 4 Pillars of Discipleship

I’m often asked, “What is your process for discipleship?” How can my son or daughter grow deeper in their faith?” “What are the essentials that students need to know before they graduate to ensure they do not lose their faith in college?” I love these questions because it reflects the desire that Peter had for all believers to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18)

As we have carefully formed the structure of discipleship in our ministry, we have four pillars that are important to a strong discipleship program:

Pillar #1: Discipleship is a PROCESS:
The Greek word for disciple means “learner”. Eugene Peterson, theologian and author of “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction” explains that the biblical image of discipleship is an image of forward motion. It is a journey, a pilgrimage, a long-distance marathon. It is not simply an arrival. For students, this means that discipleship is an ongoing, daily process during their school years and beyond.

Pillar #2: Discipleship is a balance between INFORMATION and TRANSFORMATION:
A disciple is not just an expert of information, but someone who is continually learning about what it means to know and live like Christ. As we disciple students, we want them to have a rich understanding of God’s word. We want students to know the faith stories of our forefathers, and to have a grasp of theological doctrine. However, we don’t want to simply transfer information to students; we want it to transform their life. The end goal of the study of the scriptures is not to master the text, but to let the text master us. Jesus spoke about a confluent faith in the Great Commandment when he said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). Jesus wanted those who followed Him to not just to know about God, He wanted what they knew to be put into practice.

Pillar #3: Effective Discipleship consists of a variety of METHODS:
Most of Jesus’ formal education of his disciples was done in with a variety of methods. He used overstatements, parables, riddles, irony, and the use of questions and paradox, which caused his listeners to think, process and to ask questions. Jesus was creative in his teaching methods by using story, object lessons, experiences, illustrations, case-studies and real life scenarios to teach his disciples.

Pillar #4: Discipleship is most effective in the context of RELATIONSHIPS:
To know God is to learn about a vibrant relationship with Him. To be in fellowship with other believers means to learn to live together. To grow deeper in faith means to live in Obedience to God’s will. The apostle Paul said, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put into practice.” (Philippians 4:9) Paul was very relational in his method of discipleship.

Todd Szymczak is a youth worker who blogs at http://livelearnlead.net/ and http://twitter.com/toddszymczak.

Add Comment March 15, 2010

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: How to Learn Your Students’ Culture

I’m sure many of us use Facebook & Twitter to stay connected, reach out, engage, inform and maybe even “spy” on what are students are up to outside of church. Even so, it’s equally important to learn and understand the culture our students are engaging in–e.g., music, movies, etc. It’s sometimes not enough to check the Top Ten on iTunes and most of us, especially volunteers don’t have the time to rent every movie and download every Top Ten song. What if there was a way that you could find what specific songs and specific movies really connect with specific student? Good news, you can!

My observations have been that most students (I’m speaking specifically about High School & Middle School) don’t use Facebook or Twitter in the same way those of us in our 20′s, 30′s and older. We tend to play games like Farmville, share photos and videos, share web links we find interesting or in some cases stalk our old school friends–ok, maybe not a good idea. Students tend to use Facebook to express themselves through influences of music and movies just like we did when we were younger–except we used different outlets.

I’ve found that many students simply quote songs and movies lines in their status updates, which I’ll admit, I don’t even know what some of the songs are from just reading the lyrics or movies quotes. All I know is that it’s a random status update in the form of a lyric. Students will also post lyrics and quotes on their friends profiles almost like having a conversation. Have you experienced this? It’s very easy to see where the lyric came from by copying the status update and pasting it into Google search. Instantly you can see who the artist or movie is they are quoting. Most students don’t give the artist credit, partly I think, because it’s unimportant to them who sang it but what the students meaning behind the lyric. It’s a great window into what’s popular out there among your specific students as well as get a better understanding of some of the issues they might be expressing through lyrics via their status updates. Here’s some examples I’ve found from students in the past week:

“Do you think I’m special? Do you think I’m nice? Am I bright enough to shine in your spaces? Between the noise you hear And the sound you like Are we just sinking in an ocean of faces?” -One Republic

“Some moments bring us together and some moments tear us apart. Some moments change us forever” – Remember Me

“There’s a field near the dream I watched it grow with brightest eyes I watched us all reach out and leave For the strength as we touched the sky” – Angels and Airwaves

What have been your experiences?

Kevin Cooper is a youth worker and media junkie from Dublin, Ohio. He mini-blogs and Twitters right here.