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Josh GriffinMore Posts Skipping Out on Sabbath

Really enjoyed this take on time off, rest and sabbath from Doug Fields’ blog the other day. If you’re struggling with margin, balance and time away from ministry, read on:

Almost daily I get an email from a ministry leader who is tired and on the verge of burn out. There is so much about “ministry-world” that is exhausting. I understand this reality… firsthand. It’s real and ugly!

Too many leaders don’t even slow down enough to be faithful to God’s call for a Sabbath rest.

When I was a young leader I received great advice from a mentor who urged me to faithfully guard and protect a weekly day of rest. I’m so grateful for that advice and encouragement! Without intentional action, it’s simply too easy for a leader to slip into justifying non-Sabbath actions like, “I’m just going to pop into the office,” or “I’m so far behind, I just need to catch up” or “They need to spend time with me and I don’t think I can say ‘no’.”

Sound familiar? Me too! Want to see how he approaches his day of rest? Head there for more!

JG

Add Comment May 17, 2013

Chris WesleyMore Posts Avoid The Summertime Blues

With summer quickly approaching schedules change, people leave and you are ready for a BREAK. If you’ve been in ministry long enough you know that summer is one of the most important times of year because it enables you to make tweaks and changes without disrupting the momentum. It’s also a time for you to relax, grow and experience new things with your students (i.e. mission trips). The only problem is it’s also a perfect opportunity for:

Momentum to Fade
Volunteers to Drop Out
Teens to Forget About Your Ministry
You to Fall Behind in Your Work

To avoid these pitfalls and summertime blues it’s important to treat summer as seriously as you do any other season. To do this you need a strategy. If you want to avoid your summertime mishaps and come out on the other side focused and ready for the fall, be sure to:

Keep True To Your Schedule: The tendency is to just shut it all down over the summer. While you do need periods of rest, it’s important not to lose the time frame you work hard to promote. If you aren’t going to meet regularly with your teens still keep your program time as an opportunity to meet with parents, host trainings or check-in meetings for the camps and events. Make sure people are reminded that your designated ministry time is still on their minds.

Be Consistent But Keep It Light: While you want to maintain your meeting time, don’t feel like you need to maintain the work load. Look at cutting certain components (i.e. technology or activities) that take a lot of preparation and focus on the relationships, which can happen more organically. By planning light you give yourself the capacity to focus on strengthening your leaders and giving yourself some much needed rest.

Switch The Focus: During the year your focus is on growing disciples amongst the teens. In the summer change that focus to your leaders. Find times to meet with them, hang out, invest and grow with them spiritually. It’s a time to be reflective, to cast vision and remind them about the importance of their commitment. Make it social; however, make it educational at the same time.

Communicate, Communicate and Communicate: Despite your schedule keep the communication air waves open. Maybe it’s sending your leaders a postcard while on vacation or checking in with teens via Facebook/Twitter. Let parents know some of the tweaks and changes happening over the summer. Give teens a chance to check back in, when they are in town. Let them know that you are still thinking about them.

Summer might be your break and it might be a time for serious planning. Regardless of how you use it, make sure you approach it wisely. Do not forget about your audience while you recover from a full year of ministry. No matter your take on the summer make sure you have a strategy as the weather turns warmer.

How do you avoid summertime blues?

Chris Wesley (@chrisrwesley)

1 View Comments April 30, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts POLL: What do you do for Spring Break?

Enjoying Spring Break this week and wanted to throw out a poll question this week to see what you do for Spring Break, too. Vote now!

JG

Add Comment April 1, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts Go + Go + Go = Burnout!

How many of these statements describe you?
• You pride yourself on working 50+ hours a week at the church.
• You frequently miss personal and family events and cancel plans with friends.
• You say, “Let me just finish this one thing” all the time.
• You check email after midnight and/or the second you wake up.
• Your kids have to holler at you—several times—to get you to look up from your laptop.

Believe me, this is a test you don’t want to ace. You need a break. You need to “go dark” once in a while. It’s not good to be “on” all the time. Two reasons we resist this are:

1. Unhealthy expectations. Often we don’t turn it off because our senior pastor or supervisor doesn’t let us—or at least that’s what we think. We assume overworking is a sign of good job performance, when it really drives us to a dangerous place and perpetuates unreasonable expectations. If you manage others, set an example by going home on time. If you’re job-hunting, inquire about typical work habits. And if you’re in a bad situation, get out or nudge the culture toward health.

2. Brokenness. It’s easy to fall into the trap of self-importance, even outright arrogance. Will the world really fall apart if you miss youth group one week? It feels nice to be noticed when you’re gone, but we take it too far. Pray that God will help you fight against personal insecurities and mold your heart into healthy balance.

There’s hope, but it starts with some tough changes. See below for a few tips for fighting back against unhealthy expectations and brokenness.

Go + Stop + Go = Health!
• First, pray for your heart and health.
• Start every day in time with God.
• Track your hours and see where you can gain back some time.
• Take a day off every week.
• Turn off email alerts on your day off.
• Don’t bring your laptop home.
• Limit the number of nights you’re away from home each week.
• Find a hobby that fills you up.
• Have a frank conversation with your boss about hours and expectations.
• Practice saying no.
• Schedule vacation time right now for the next two years.
• Invite accountability in this area.

Originally appeared in the Sept/Oct 2012 issue of Group Magazine. Don’t get the magazine yet? Hit this link to subscribe and get in on the action today!

Add Comment December 5, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Why I Didn’t Post on Vacation

I just got back from vacation. It was amazing. You should have seen it, you would have been quite jealous. Beach house. Coffee shops. Bonfires. Parks with the family. Amazing meals. I even got a date with my wife. I have very little photographic evidence of it, and if you and I were friends on social media sites you would have no reason to believe that my life was any different than the other 51 weeks of the year. Why in the world would I not post this memorable week to share with some of my most distant friends? I wanted this one to be for my family and those I talk to.

If your life is anything like mine, then the world of what is ministry and what is not becomes very grey. And beyond that, I can’t say I really want there to be lines. God has redeemed all of me, and I don’t want to live public and private lives. However, as calls come in whenever, emails are answered always, and my family is my best sermon illustration I often feel that those who follow me on instagram know as much if not more about me than my own family.

So I made a decision that I would go radio silent for the week. I did pretty good at it too! I liked a few photos. Made a few snarky comments. Responded to a few emails from those people that either wouldn’t leave me alone or had the power to fire me. For the most part, I disappeared.

Now don’t get me wrong. I post like a bad Mama Jamma. If I have something Facebook-worthy it goes up. Kids sleeping on the floor, it is there. Awesome youth group night; I’m your man. And frankly there are many vacations where I want to show others my version of a family enjoying themselves. So I do live loudly when I can on social media sites. To that end, my wife continued to post this past week, in fact she became louder on vacation. That doesn’t mean I am a better Christian (for the most part). It was a personal decision and a gift that I wanted to give to my family. They may not have even noticed. That is fine with me. I just wanted to be present. To enjoy all of them and capture the event, not the event so it could be communicated to others.

I think you should do the same. Not always, and for me this is the exception and not the rule. For some it may be that you take a break on dates, on Mondays, or when the sun goes down. I don’t think there is one version that is better than another, however I would strongly encourage you to find those moments in your life that are only for those you call family and for those who are dear friends. Not to be selfish or exclusive. Rather to silently say to those around you that they are your “circle”. They are your “friends”. They are true “followers” of you and your life. Without saying no to others, it slowly communicates that you are more than a public figure to your church body and the students you minister to. You are a dad, a wife, or friend. All of which you need to do well if you hope to be called a youth worker in five years.

To finish this post it would be fitting to show you a vacation picture, but I didn’t really take any. I promise to show you my next youth event, latte art, or when my kid puts their clothes on backwards.

Jeff Bachman is a husband for the past 11 years and a father of three amazing kids. He is the High School Pastor at ROCKHARBOR Church just up the road in Costa Mesa, CA. He loves emails at jbachman@rockharbor.org, twitter interaction, and of course subscribe to his blog The Until Matters.

1 View Comments November 19, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Plan Your Time Off Now

This week we’re on the topic of time off—and one of the best ways to make sure you use your vacation time in the hectic youth ministry world is to plan your vacation: RIGHT NOW.

That’s right…put some dates on the family and church calendar today and reserve your right to get away. Look for an opening (if you’re like us there will only be a couple of choices anyhow), and stake your claim.

Plan a weekend getaway.
Weekends off in the church context are rare, so find something fun to do that will really refresh you to keep going in the long haul. If you’re smart you’ll find a 3-day weekend and really make something special out of it. Make some memories in those 48-hours you’re off the grid.

Plan some time with just your spouse.
We’re shocked at how often we hear our fellow youth workers share that it has been YEARS since they slipped away for a night with their spouse… without their kids. Getting alone time isn’t easy, but it’s well worth it (for all sorts of reasons!). Can’t get away overnight? How about a regular date night? Can’t afford a regular date night? Then do it on the cheap (Netflix, anyone?), but DO IT.

Plan something refreshing right after the busiest season.
After summer camp you need to build in some comp time for yourself. Give yourself a day or two break when you come off a big event to acclimate to the real world. This summer we both took some extended time off after one of the busiest seasons of ministry we’ve ever had. And we planned it months ago so our families knew the reprieve was coming soon.

Your context and freedoms are different than ours, but grab your calendar right now and block out something next month and something next year. No joke. Do it right now!

This post was written by Josh Griffin and Kurt Johnston and originally appeared as part of Simply Youth Ministry Today free newsletter. Subscribe to SYM Today right here.

2 View Comments September 17, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: 3 Signs You Have to Slow It Down

There are busy seasons and then there are seasons in which we make ourselves busy. Your typical busy seasons in youth ministry are:

BACK TO SCHOOL
CHRISTMAS
EASTER

During those seasons everyone is busy, everyone is moving and so keeping up with the pace is natural. Then there are the seasons in which we make ourselves busy. Those can vary depending on your ministry and your personality; however, if you don’t slow down you’ll face disaster. So how do you know when you are making yourselves unnecessarily busy?

Basic Mistakes Are Made: Things that shouldn’t go wrong go wrong. Maybe it’s forgetting to call someone back or sending an email to the wrong person. When you rushed there is no time to get feedback, and review materials. And, that’s because it’s hard to focus when you are moving too fast.

Piles Form: Being busy means consuming your entire margin. When your margin disappears you sacrifice the time it takes to go through email, and process paperwork. When piles begin to form, your sense of order disappears and with no order there is only chaos.

Relationships Become Tense – Healthy relationships become tense and tense relationships become confrontational. If you are moving too fast you aren’t going to take the time to process everything you say or do. Your words might say one thing; however, your tone another. When we move quickly we focus on ourselves, which could affect others. Relationships take time.

Your Physically Wasted – Busy seasons have an end point, when you make yourself busy the end isn’t as tangible. This can lead to over exhaustion and when you are tired you cannot be productive.

If you notice that life has picked up pace and you don’t know why it’s probably due to a lack of discipline and accountability. When tension strikes and the unexpected happens you need to have people and systems that will hold you accountable.

If you aren’t going through a busy period now, take time to prepare for them by gathering a group of individuals who will hold you accountable. If you are in the midst of chaos find someone you trust and pray with them. Have the people you love and trust work with you to build margin and a schedule that will get you through these busy periods. In the end you will prevail.

What are the other consequences of moving too fast? What are some of the reasons behind it?

Chris Wesley is the Director of Student Ministry at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, MD. You can read more great youth ministry articles and thoughts on his exceptional blog Marathon Youth Ministry.

1 View Comments September 16, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Slant33: Keeping the Sabbath

I was asked to contribute to the fantastic Slant33 blog this past week – the question was, about practical help for observing the Sabbath and rest. Here’s a clip of the answer I wrote, be sure to check out the other thoughts on the subject over there, too!

NONNEGOTIABLE: A DAY OFF. Try to reach me on a Monday. Go ahead. You’re probably going to be disappointed! Monday is the day I sleep in, making sure my phone is turned off and disconnected from the needy ministry world around me. From Sunday at about 2:00 p.m. until Tuesday morning’s team meeting, I’m disconnected. Sometimes I’ll even leave the house for the day just to not be around if someone drops by. I’m crafty like that. If I’m going to be in ministry for years, I’ve got to take some days along the way.

NONNEGOTIABLE: TIME WITH GOD/CHURCH. I go to church every week. Worst-case scenario, I watch it online or listen to the mp3. Part of my Sabbath has to include being fed, despite complete exhaustion after teaching youth services all weekend myself. I remember, in the early days of our ministry, we even sneaked away to other churches on off nights to worship in places where no one knew me as pastor. It was glorious. Again, so sneaky, I know.

JG