youth pastor life | More Than Dodgeball

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: What’s your Rhythm?

7am: Wake up, read the paper, drive to work
9am: Start work
12pm: Lunch break with lunchtime workout
1pm: Back to work
3:15: Coffee Break
5pm: Home time
6pm: Dinner
8pm: Kids to bed and TV Watching
10pm: Bedtime

Is this what your routine looks like? Mine neither. As youth workers we often have some weird schedules. We are up late so we start in the office later. Some days are 12 hrs long while others wrap up in a just a few, because we just came in for a meeting.

No matter what your day looks like to be effective you need to find a rhythm. Music sucks without it and so will you. What does having a Rhythm look like?

I don’t believe that every day has to look the same, in fact if it did that would be rather boring. However, I strongly believe in finding what times of day I am productive in and when am I least productive.

About a year ago I sat in on a seminar Doug Fields was leading at a conference and he was challenging people about living a balanced life. One of the things he talked about was finding your productive times and using them well. For some people that time is morning, for me it’s mid afternoon. So that’s when I focus on getting things done. I would strongly encourage you to do the same find this time yourself.

In order to figure out our productive times and how to fill them we need to look at two things:

Priorities: For me this looks like the time I spend with God for personal time and for work it is writing talks and strategizing. If it’s the most important thing to me shouldn’t it be what I am giving the best of my time and brain power
When do I have maximum brain capacity: This took some searching and messing around with the order I did things during the day. I tried writing at the beginning of my day, the middle and the end. I’ve tried starting off my day with God and ending my day with God.

Through this investigation I figured out how to make my life at home and work more effective. While my day looks nothing like what I wrote above it does have some consistency. I slot my Bible reading and message writing for mid-afternoon. I often have a snack and drink before I do this. When others are hitting that wall or slowing down, I find I can break away and really focus on God.

Now some people may be wondering what I am going to do in my less productive times, and for them I answer the things that take less brain power. I find looking for graphics, updating Facebook or twitter to require less from me so I do them during this time.

So what is your Rhythm? If you have found it, have you put your priorities in place? Are you honoring God with your time and your efforts? I want to challenge you to mix up your day and see if there is a way to make better use of it. We are never perfect but we can strive to be better.

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 16, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Great Leaders Are Great Followers: Part 2

This week we’re focusing on leadership—specifically, the upside-down concept that to be a great leader you have to be a great follower. Yesterday we looked at Follow-Up and Following the Leader—here are two more.

Follow Jesus
We didn’t start with this one yesterday because it may have felt cliché to lead with this one—but it is the most important “following” out of all of them…hands down. Following Jesus can be easily faked, but the person who genuinely follows Jesus shines with an authenticity that is easily recognized. Be that person! If you want to be a truly great leader, make sure you follow the Leader.

Practical ways to get better at following Jesus: Find a resource that will help you spend time with Jesus every day. Download the YouVersion Bible app and pick a reading plan—be sure to set a reminder each day to give you a nudge in you haven’t marked it completed by noon.

Block out a little time for prayer before your lunch hour each day. Spend a month and only read the red letters in the gospels. Being more familiar with the ways of Jesus might actually help you follow him more closely!

Follow a mentor
Don’t risk doing youth ministry alone. You need a person who has been there before who can share wisdom with you from the journey. It doesn’t need to be someone in the exact same profession, but someone who can relate to your calling and shares some of the same passions. All great leaders have great mentors, if you want to be great be humble enough to learn from someone else today.

Practical ways to get better at following a mentor: Find a network in your area where you can gather and talk shop. Search online for a veteran youth minister in your area to help coach you. Find blogs, books, and resources that will help mentor you and push your development. Identify somebody in your congregation, from any profession, that you respect and ask them if they’d join you for coffee once in a while.

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.

1 View Comments December 3, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Simplicity

Nature all around us intertwines and works together harmoniously. The birds in the air chirp, the leaves in the trees rustle as the wind gently blows as we kick and SCREAM, “Life is too HARD!” Why does everything known to nature naturally and gracefully do what they were made to do…except us, we seem to complicate everything! Imagine living in simplicity like the birds of the air, the leaves in the trees and the wind in the air; life would be, well, simple.

We take many paths in our lives that lead to complications which are better left avoided to begin with. Let’s take a look at a few of these paths.

1. I am not good enough path. As people, we are not perfect. It is time to stop thinking we are and give ourselves room for mistakes; even the mistake of complicating things. God has begun a good work in each of us and He will not give up on anyone of us. He is a faithful God; our rock.

2. Corrupted ways path. To keep it simple, we’ve got to keep it real; real to what God created us to do, to love & to do good works. It may sound like a challenge but God works in us, giving us the desire and the power to do what pleases him; we’ve just got to have the desire to do it and ask for His help.

3. Force things to happen path. If we have to force something to happen, it shouldn’t be happening. Let go and let God. As we surrender, we can trust that God is in ultimate control and He will guide us in the direction we need to be.

4. Caught up in the things of this world path. This world can be a distraction. That is why it is important to know that we are in this world but not of it. When we know this, then we also know that in order to avoid the distractions of this world, we have got to saturate ourselves with the things of God. We will begin saturating ourselves with His word, in prayer and in fellowship with other believers as we learn this truth.

While it is easy to take the I am not good enough path, the corrupted ways path and the forcing things to happen path, it is freeing to take the path God has designed for us; the straight and narrow path of life. This path does not lead us to be perfect people but it does cause us to work harmoniously with one another and in tune with God and what He has planned for us.

Ashley Fordinal is the Children’s Church volunteer at Family Life Church in Sulphur Springs, TX.

Add Comment December 2, 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: The Youth Pastor Diet

Pizza nights, Slurpee runs, late night runs to McDonald’s, loads of chips and pop.

These sound like some of the awesome things that make a fellowship fun in youth ministry. Donuts, coffee, pie, potlucks, these are the things that make church fellowship excellent. People bond over food and drinks. Look at your house, people congregate around the kitchen. Look at a party, people are where the food is.

I don’t know about you, but I love food. Now I don’t think you could call me a true foodie (largely because I’ll eat anything from fast food to fancy food) but you can certainly bet that if something delicious is out I’m not far away.

As a youth pastor I am constantly around junk food, and pop. I love the stuff, but I have to resist eating it. This past January I was hit with the harsh reality that I was seriously overweight. I had always known I was a little on the “husky side” but I had pushed beyond that and gone into a category all of its own “obese”. Now I hate the word, because many people can’t get around it but the fact of the matter is that I hit that level on a medical chart. So I decided I would do something about, I started exercising more and trying to eat better. Since January of last year I have lost 35lbs, slipping back down into the category of “overweight”. That isn’t crazy fast weight loss, but it is great because I have still been eating what I want( for the most part) and I haven’t regained even when my exercise or eating have spun back out of control for a day or week or two.

So why am I talking about this. I am not talking about it because I want praise, I am not talking about it because I think that I have gone from HUGE to tiny. I am talking about it because when I look around at the many youth pastors and church staff I know as a whole, I see a lot of overweight people. We have a calling to work with people, our jobs require us to be at a desk often working, studying, emailing and praying. These are parts of the job that are required, so we can’t put them off. But what is going on with our waistlines. Its scary they are ever growing!

I feel like it needs to be said: “Youth workers, Pastors, friends we need to lose some weight”. There are a few reasons why I think we need to lose it:

1) We are called to be good stewards in life
This is a stewardship of our ministry, our family life, our money and yes even our own bodies. If we don’t take care of our bodies, we are actually hampering our ministry. Whether we like to admit it or not, being overweight will eventually cause what we eat to come back to bite you. (pun intended). We will have health problems directly relating to our eating and body weight.

2) We are examples to those we work with
We are examples to the people we work with. As christian leaders we strive to show good habits of reading scripture, worshipping God, treating people with respect and leading a life of health and balance. But when it comes to the pastors I know, we often have a bit of a problem with eating and self control. If we want to be good examples, we should strive to have balance in every aspect of life.w

3) For your family
Do it for your wife, your husband, your kids or your grandchildren. I currently have no kids but I do have a wife and my weight directly affects her. It affects her in my level of energy, since I have been exercising more and eating better I have had more energy to go do fun things with her. And I have even been able to serve her better because I’ve been cleaning and cooking with some of my spare energy!( I’ll tell you that she loves it!)

While I am still young I can’t help but think of the long term, I hope to be a healthy and active grandparent one day. I look at my grandfather and because of obesity we never went out and did much together. But when I look at my wife’s one set of grandparents they are in their 80′s and go hiking weekly and we go sailing together often during the summer. It is truly a joy that I hope to be able to experience when I am in my 80′s.

If I don’t take care of myself now though, I certainly won’t have the health and fitness to be able to go for fun trips with my grand kids when they are in their 20′s. I think we should start a challenge amongst the Christian Leadership network for weight loss. Let’s get the ball rolling.

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.

5 View Comments November 17, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Why You Should Go to a Youth Ministry Conference Soon

I remember the first time I ever went to a youth ministry conference – I had NO idea they even did things like that! 3,000 youth workers in the same room together? Incredible.

And although I haven’t developed an unhealthy addiction to conferences (like some have, you know who you are hahahaha) I do love getting together with like-minded youth workers who get where I live everyday and challenge me to be better. Here’s why I think you should attend a youth ministry conference in the coming year:

Hang with people who understand your calling
Many of the people in my life are amazed at what it takes to be a youth worker – I smile when someone says, “I don’t now how you do it” but love it when someone says, “I’m going to steal that idea to do with my kids.” Why go to a youth ministry conference? To be surrounded with called people just like you.

Be challenged by people who push us forward
I love reading someone’s book and then hearing them in person. I try to learn from people who I agree with, and be challenged by people who rub me the wrong way. When planning out the schedule, mix it up with some stuff you want and some stuff you need.

Have someone look into my soul and do a tune up
I have sins and secrets that as a pastor I simply can’t share in my context. But finding some Soul Care or pastoral counseling options at an event are important. Don’t just hit sessions and workshops, steal some time away for your deepest heart issues, too.

Get away from it all
Sometimes you just need to get away from it all. Get in a day early and see the sites or stay a day later and go into a youth ministry escape coma for the weekend. Make sure when you head out to a conference you plan some serious down time as well.

There are a ton of great youth worker events out there on the local and national scale – the Simply Youth Ministry Conference in Indianapolis is right around the corner and if you register today or tomorrow, you can get in for $40 off and special gifts if you use the promo code MTDB on the last page of registration. See you there!

JG

2 View Comments November 5, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Conquering Fear

Satan will do everything in his power to keep your perspective small, fearful and full of defeat. Two years ago, I was right where he wanted me, defeated, my thoughts fearful and clouded with horrifying thoughts of me, me, me. When we think of ME we forget the THE; God and His plan, which is greater than anything we can ever imagine.

Creating fear
Fear begins as a single thought and becomes GIANT when fed over, and over, and over again. Fearful thoughts like: fear of failure, of not being perfect or of not fitting in. Even when fear seems to be present due to circumstances; fear is STILL only a thought.

Fear’s power
Many may not realize, but fear has POWER… when you give it power; power to drain your creativity and awareness of the world around you and of God. Instead of being creative, you become self-critical and approval seeking. Your awareness of the world gets shrunk into an awareness of ME, and the same of God. Fear will overcome your life spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally… if you let it!

Fear: Conquered
The might and power of your spirit has the ability to grow as a strong oak tree. You have control over what thoughts you choose to think. Both right thoughts and fearful thoughts cannot remain, one has to go! The one to stay will be the one you choose to feed. And like fearful thoughts, right thoughts will become GIANT when fed over, and over, and over again.

Here are a few RIGHT thoughts for you to feed on…EAT UP!!!