volunteers | More Than Dodgeball

Chris WesleyMore Posts Who Takes The Blame?

If you work with teenagers chances are you’ve witnessed many mistakes. Maybe it was that game that you thought would be awesome; however, a girl ends up puking. Or that trip that was incredible until you arrived home late because you couldn’t find the one teen in the rest stop gift shop. In youth ministry mistakes will be made. Parents, teens, volunteers and even the pastor will get angry with you.

When something doesn’t go as originally planned the temptation is to find a scapegoat. You were late because of someone else. The game didn’t go according to plan because the instructions weren’t clear. You make excuses and point the finger; however, all it does it hurt your leadership. Mistakes will happen because you and I are human. As a leader instead of looking for an excuse or someone to blame:

Take Ownership Of The Situation: Owning the situation doesn’t necessarily mean you will take the blame. It means that you will take the steps to resolve the situation. If someone is at fault you’ll find out who that is or if there was a miscommunication you’ll discover when that happened. By owning it you are allowing others to hold you accountable. By embracing the situation you show others that you care.

Criticize And Critique Privately: If a problem does occur because of someone else make sure you talk with them privately. Making a fool of them in front of their peers is embarrassing and doesn’t look well for you. If the situation is severe be sure to have an accountable party who will affirm the discussion. This will also protect you if they aren’t accepting of the feedback.

Pray With Others: Most youth ministers are their harshest critique, which will drain us emotionally and spiritually. Having a small group of peers to listen to your concerns is essential. Allow them to pray for you and pour into you so that you can continue to move forward. In the end you’ll know you aren’t walking through the problem alone.

Obtain Trustworthy Feedback: Make sure you analyze the situation with the help of others. If the mistake was made by another person seek wisdom on how you could have prevented putting the wrong person in the wrong place. Have someone you trust to give you the brutal facts to point you in the right direction.

I’m not suggesting that you as the leader take the fall 100% of the time; however, it’s important to own the situation. Look to resolve it, share the burden with others and make the necessary preparations to avoid the situation in the future. A great leader is one who is humble enough to know mistakes are made and that it’s all a part of being human.

How do you rebound from mistakes being made?

Chris Wesley (@chrisrwesley)

2 View Comments December 11, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Don’t Dump Responsibility, Empower Leaders

Most youth workers I know have one thing in common…they try to do too much. Many of us are perfectionists. Many leaders care so much that they give too much. Many leaders don’t know how to recruit. Sometimes we just reach teens quickly and we seem to never be able to catch up.

I have been that guy trying to do everything. I finally started asking for help but I made a critical mistake. I started dumping responsibility on people who were willing instead of looking for leaders who could partner with me in ministry. When you dump responsibility you look for a willing person and give them stuff to do that you don’t want to mess with. You basically ask them to do the work and leave you alone so you can do other things. Sure, it helps for the short term but when they have other things to do they will hand you back the responsibility. I leaned in the process I needed sharp leaders who would partner with me in ministry so they understood the why behind the what! Here are four kinds of leaders we need to be empowering…

Small Group Leaders / these are leaders who will invest in teens intentionally like you wish you could do for every teen. They will mentor, guide, clarify, instruct, encourage, and pray for teens on a weekly basis. These leaders are extensions of you doing youth ministry and they are the most important partners you will have.
Detail Leaders / these are leaders who are gifted administratively and can help you by talking care of the details that bog us down on a weekly basis. These leaders can organize, delegate, and systematize but they may not be great with teens. Let them thrive in the detail so you can lead the big picture!
Presence Leaders / these are leaders who care for teens but may not be ready to lead a small group. They just want to serve teens and help where needed when they are available. They love teens and they love your ministry but they have other things that pull them away from leading a small group. Let them run a cafe, work the parking lot, or help run games during programing.
Tech Leaders / these are leaders who love the digital side of what we do but may not be good at other areas of student ministry! Let them make your environment look , feel, and sound better.

What are some “leader types” that you empowered and they made you and your ministry better? What keeps you from empowering leaders?

Michael Bayne is Family and Student Pastor at Grace Community Church, Clarksville TN. Follow him on Twitter at @michael_bayne and read more of his writing at www.michaelbayne.net

1 View Comments November 21, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Student Leadership Lesson- Reaching Out!

Like most ministries out there, we have been struggling with cliques. Our “core” students, student leaders included, have not done a great job about being inclusive with our lesser known/new students. At our last Student Leadership meeting, we decided to address the situation head on. The response was incredible! I know that this is sometimes a hard issue to confront in a way that is impactful, so I thought I would share what we did that made our meeting so special!

We started with a short testimony from one of our adult volunteers. She said that she went to her youth group and felt totally alone even though she was in a room full of people and how she wanted so badly for someone just to come up to her and say hi. She asked if anyone could relate to her story and one by one, students in our student leadership program started telling their own stories of how they used to feel unwelcome at church. They told us how badly they wanted to be known and seen. It was such a powerful way to start the discussion because the problem became real and personal.

We followed that by telling our students that God wants to use them to make students feel welcomed and loved in the church. The idea was inspired by an interview I saw with Taylor Swift. In it, the interviewer asked if Taylor ever thought of the millions of girls that she is influencing everyday. Taylor responded that it would be irresponsible for her not to be aware of the influence that she has because she can make use of it for good. That is what we communicated to our student leaders. We wanted them to recognize that the Lord has given them influence. It is a gift from God and it would be irresponsible (or a waste) to not use what He has given them.

So we challenged them to make a difference. We told them we didn’t want them to focus on destroying the reputation of cliques at our church; we wanted them to focus on reaching out and showing the love of Christ to other people. Breaking down cliques can be an outcome of our ministry, but it isn’t the point. We told them that we want them to be on the look out before, during, and after service for students that seem disconnected. It could be one student by themselves, or a small group of students that don’t seem to know anyone else. They were challenged to never be with more than one other student leader as they make these outreach efforts. They were also challenged to go to another youth ministry alone and see what it feels like to be that new student.

I think it is so important to end it with their feedback. Some of our students who used to feel left out gave us some great insight on what we can be doing to make students feel welcomed and loved. Other students shared tips on how to built intentional relationships with new students. We closed out with prayer and hugs. It was awesome!

How have you approached students with this topic? What have you done to make it “work?”

Colton Harker is the Student Leadership Coordinator at Saddleback HSM. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact him at coltonharker@gmail.com or on twitter at @ColtonHarker.

Add Comment November 20, 2012

Chris WesleyMore Posts How Do You Thank Your Volunteers?

I’m sure you love most if not all of your volunteer ministers. Face it, they give up their time and energy to help you, walk with teens and serve the Lord. What isn’t there to like about them? In fact if we were to sit down over coffee (Your buying), you would have some amazing stories to share about how you see God working through them. Bottom line: MINISTERS ARE IMPORTANT

Since you can’t do what you need or want to do with out your volunteer team it’s imperative that you show them YOUR APPRECIATION. While they might not be on your Christmas list this year, you need to make sure that they are thanked and celebrated. So, what does that mean? How does thanking and rewarding your volunteer ministers look like?

Sometimes there is an internal push back to thanking our ministers because you can’t afford it or there are just too many to track. Again, you might be gracious for all that they do; however, unexpressed gratitude isn’t really true gratitude at all. If you feel that gratitude isn’t a natural habit of yours, than consider these three tips:

Free Goes Far – Sometimes the best gifts are the ones that take little money; but, lots of thought. If all you are receiving in your mailbox these days is junk mail, you know how incredible it is to receive a handwritten note or card from a loved one. Next time you want to thank a volunteer take a minute or two to write out a card and mail it to them. Even if your only note is, “Thank You” it will go a long way. If you receive an email from a parent or a student that talks about how that volunteer has impacted their life, print it out and stick it in the card. It will show your ministers that not only do you appreciate them; but, so do the people they serve.

Praise Them Publicly – Brag on your team. Whether it’s in front of the congregation at your church, or to one of their family members, let them know how proud of them you are. It might be a little embarrassing for them; however, when you praise someone publicly, it rallies a crowd behind them. They go from joe-minister to “BIG TIME” volunteer instantly. Let them know that they can be proud of themselves.

Do For One Even If You Can’t Do For All - There are going to be times when you have the opportunity to spoil at least one of your volunteers. Maybe someone gave you an Ipad to give away, tickets to the ball game or money to spend. This is your opportunity to find someone in your ministry to praise. Then comes that voice, “If you can’t do for all, don’t do it for anyone.” that holds you back from expressing your gratitude. You’ve been taught to treat others fairly; however, you risk depriving someone of the accolades that they deserve. When you can do for one what you can’t do for all, you aren’t showing partiality. Instead you are showing the individual how much you appreciate them. Too many times when you give something to everyone, it looks formal and insincere. This is taking opportunity of a blessing you received to pass it on and show someone else that they are blessed too.

There are many ways to thank your volunteers, and how you thank them is going to depend on who they are, and what you have to give. The important thing is to always think outside of the box. Let others know how important your team is to you and pour out the appreciation.

How do you thank your volunteers?

Chris (Twitter)

4 View Comments November 20, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Junior Leaders: My Welcoming Gift

“Don’t do ministry TO youth, do ministry WITH youth.” – Mike Pilavachi

I’ve just moved to a new church, following God’s call to join the team at Centenary Lakes Christian Community in Cairns. One of the things that has impressed me the most about my new home is their Junior Leaders: youth who serve in the kids ministry. It’s not rocket science and it’s not unique to CLCC, but the church has been amazing in the way they have raised up and are equipping teenagers. These teenagers span across all high school ages and faithfully serve in our three kids ministry areas. They are committed, prepared, gifted and are the backbone of ministry to kids through our church. We still rely on adult leaders, but our junior leaders aren’t just token helpers or free labor, they are genuine spiritual leaders.

I haven’t quite tapped into all of the ways CLCC have raised up these junior leaders, but here are some keys:

Start with one or two who are obvious young leaders
Invite them to be involved in leadership
Give them responsibility, not just tasks
Invest in them with ongoing prayer, support and training
Let the power of positive peer pressure spread the word about how great it is to serve God as a junior leader.

Early signs are showing that junior leaders own their faith, are less selfish and are more likely to continue on in faith and leadership than their peers. Our junior leaders haven’t just been the recipients of ministry, they have become ministry partners.

Centenary Lakes have blessed me with the gift of Junior Leaders and I hope to continue to build on that foundation. Don’t ignore the potential of doing ministry WITH youth, they are ready and waiting to be included.

Geoff Snook is the Generations Pastor (Kids, Youth , Young Adults) at Centenary Lakes Christian Community in Cairns, Australia.

Add Comment November 18, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Disciplining the Disruptive Student

There’s a student causing a commotion in the room – what do you do? This simple and easily-remembered punch list (I think the first 3 are of Kurt Johnston origin with a new 4th “R” from me) will help you or your volunteers handle the situation well:

Request – this is the simple ask for improved behavior. This is almost always the right first step. I like one comment yesterday to a post saying give them “the eye” as a ‘pre-talking to’ move.

Reseat – move them closer to the leader or away from their partner in crime. I like to think of this as “within reach factor” or where a swift elbow to the ribs will bring him into line.

Remove – you may have to remove them from the situation. Remove them for a few minutes, or the rest of youth group, maybe take them home, or ask them to take a few weeks off. Removal is a necessary part of handling something like this. Lead with grace here and you won’t have regrets.

Relay – involve the parents. Make sure the parents are in the loop and ask them to partner with you on making sure the disruptive behavior doesn’t happen again.

If it is a new student, show more grace while they learn the culture of church and what is expected of them. Be quick to discipline a known offender, be slow to disciplining someone who you don’t have a relationship with at all. You may want to check out this older post called How to Remove a Student from Your Small Group as well. Other thoughts – remember they have to start with R?

JG

3 View Comments November 14, 2012

Geoff StewartMore Posts Ministry GPS: Course Corrections:

I don’t own a GPS, one because I’m too prideful to admit that I might not know where I am going and two because my car does not possess and such fancy-pants technology . I may not have one, but my dad does and he loves it because it is really helpful to get him to where he wants to go, and even better it helps him to get back on track when he missed a turn or deviates from the course.

Its November and for many of us, we had high hopes of what the year was going to look like, grand plans for new initiatives and excitement about what God was going to do this year. If you are anything like me, I had some goals and initiatives that were going to happen this fall and while many of them of have taken flight, others have not. The good news is, its only November and there is plenty of time to make the changes necessary and this is why I am asking myself a few questions this week:

1 – What direction were we supposed to be heading? It seems obvious, that if you don’t know where you are headed, its hard to tell you are lost. Thinking back to the meetings we had with students and leaders in the summer,where did we say we were going and what did we say we were going to start? What elements, events, opportunities did we have on our list as action intems this year? Which of those have we started, which have we not? While evaluating that, its important to first consider where God is leading you 2 months in and perhaps He is leading you in a totally different direction and perhaps that idea we never got off the ground is best left on the shelf for the season.

2 – How did we get off course? It could have been a lack of time to implement all we had hoped to, a lack of resources or just too many great ideas. There are all sorts of reasons that an idea might not have happened, but the question is now is: Should it have? If the answer is yes, then its time to figure out how. Distractions are abound in ministry and sometimes well meaning youth workers often meander and stray from what they are called to do, luckily its still not too late. At this time you can take a moment and lament if you must, but its time to shift gears and get things moving.

3 – How do we get back? By November you are probably starting to see who you shining star leaders are, and perhaps one of them could be the one to help you help you get back on course with where the year was supposed to be heading. Empowering leaders to take on part of the ministry is a game changer and getting back on track might mean giving responsibility and authority to a member of your team. Getting back on track also may require a re-statement of vision, helping your volunteers and if necessary, students to help them understand the purpose and mission of the group.

The year has only begun and its not too late to get things back on track, these mid-season adjustments are a part of the life of a youth pastor. So embrace this opportunity to remind yourself of what God is calling your ministry to do this school year.

Geoff (Twitter)

Add Comment November 7, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: 4 Ways to Take Better Care of Your Volunteers

You already know that your volunteers are a crucial piece of your healthy ministry. That’s why you spend so much time identifying, training, and developing awesome volunteer leaders.

But what are you doing to make sure your volunteers are really cared for?

Remember, your volunteers are susceptible to stress and burnout, just like you are. They also have important relationships with students, just like you do. That means that if a volunteer leaves your ministry, they’ll leave behind some saddened kids, and now you’ll have to start finding and developing a new person to fill that spot.

But, if you exercise good care over your volunteers, there’s an excellent chance they’ll be there for the long haul. That’s what you want.

Here are four (fairly) easy ways to make sure you take better care of your awesome volunteers:

1. Regularly send notes of encouragement.
Did a volunteer do something exceptional? Tell him. Is it her birthday or anniversary? Celebrate with her. Did you spontaneously remember the Cheez Whiz incident from last fall’s retreat? Send a note to your volunteer so you can laugh about it together.

It’s not exactly groundbreaking, but sometimes the easiest way to tell someone you appreciate them is to actually tell them.

2. Create volunteer teams that are larger than they need to be.
Your leaders shouldn’t feel anxiety if they have to miss youth group because they’re going to an out-of-town wedding. But if you are always tight on volunteers, then that’s exactly what will happen.

You want your leaders to be missed when they’re gone, but they also need the freedom to take a session off without guilt.

3. Pray for and with your volunteers.
This seems like a no-brainer, but when a volunteer reveals a problem, stressor, or struggle, they are asking you for your prayers. Yes, add them to your prayer list.

But as a leader (administratively and spiritually), be willing to place your hands on another person and to lift them up in prayer. It won’t take long until you become comfortable with this, and you won’t believe the impact your prayers and presence can have on your volunteers.

4. Say ‘no’ for your volunteers.
There are always a few volunteers who will say ‘yes’ to everything. I love those volunteers. So do you.

But be careful about overdoing it. Your volunteers need to have healthy home lives and careers in addition to helping with ministry. Don’t impose your own program so much that it starts to affect everything else.

Just because someone has the inability to say no doesn’t make it right for us to take advantage of that.

What else do you do to make sure that your volunteers are well-cared for? I’d love for you to share your input.

Aaron Helman is on a mission to help end the epidemic of youth worker burnout. He writes Smarter Youth Ministry to help youth workers with their biggest frustrations – like leading volunteers. He is also the youth minister at Firehouse Youth Ministries in South Bend, Indiana.