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What to do when you have a low turnout

June 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Like I’ve mentioned here before, my small group guys have decided that they want to continue meeting over the summer this year. My co-leader and I knew going into the summer that attendance would be lower because of vacations, busy schedules, and the like. This week, however, was lower than we expected. Out of 13 guys, only 5 of them showed up. It was a little surprising, but we were just glad to have the 5 that were there.

When you plan a lesson or discussion based on having more guys there, low turnout can be a big letdown. Some people might freak out and not know what to do, so here’s what we did:

1. Keep going like it’s a normal-sized group. Even though we only had 5 guys, we were still able to talk about the lesson we had planned and made the best of it. Sure, it’s not getting to as many guys because they didn’t show up, but at least the 5 that did show up are getting fed.

2. Make sure to follow up. After the group was over, I made sure to send a little texting love out to the 8 guys that didn’t show up. I knew some of them were on vacation or weren’t feeling well, but I wanted to make sure they knew they were missed.

3. Take advantage of the smaller group. This week we talked about stealing after we learned one of our guys had issues with it. Because he was one of the guys that showed up to group, we were able to personalize it to him a little bit more than we would if all 13 guys showed up.

Don’t be discouraged by low turnout, especially if your group or event is happening over the summer. Low attendance should be expected. Even when there’s not as many students, we should still take advantage of them showing up and make the most of it.

Filed Under: Small Groups, Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , , ,

Serving, Spritual gifts and Student Ministry Part Two

June 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This is part two in our series on getting students involved serving in a ministry.

Yesterday I talked about how serving in a minustry helped to strengthen my connection to God. Today I talk about getting your students involved.

First, we have to model to students what it means to serve in ministry, we need to show them how we have grown closer to God through serving. I have had several students in my high school small group begin serving in a ministry and it’s awesome to watch how God works in them once they find their nitch, that one ministry made just for them. They have found ministries where they have a talent and love for something, and have begun putting it to use for God, and their church. I have watched first hand as they grow more and more connected to God. The important thing is for you to teach them to find a ministry that not only interests them but that God had given them the talents for.

At Saddleback Church, we use the acronym “S.H.A.P.E.” which stands for Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experiences. If you chose a ministry that you are not gifted for, don’t have a heart for it, no abilities etc. you probably will not be successful at what you want to accomplish. For instance I love to sing, but I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, God has not blessed me with the spiritual gift of singing, so joining the choir is probably not going to work for me. But if you find a ministry where you have God-given talents and you love what you do, you’re going to be very successful and love what you’re doing. Its just like your job, if you hate it, if you’re not good at it, you will fail miserably, but if you’re doing something you love and that you are good at, then it’s not a job at all and you look forward to it.

It might take you or your students two or three different ministries before you find the one that is a “fit”. That’s okay, I have had volunteers serve in my ministry and they might have been doing an okay job at it, but they have come to me to tell me they are moving on to a different ministry, something they have more interest or talent. That’s great, I always tell them I’ll miss them in my ministry but I’m super happy they found something that is more their style, or skill or heart.

Here’s the bottom line, if we don’t model a serving  behavior to students they might not get it, and they would be missing out on a huge part of what being a Christian is. In fact the Bible tells us to serve; we are helping them to carry out God’s word for their lives.

QUESTION: Do you encourage your students to get involved in a serving ministry?

Filed Under: Encouragement, Spriritual Life, Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , , , ,

Serving, Spiritual Gift and Student Ministry

June 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Today’s post is the first of a two-part series on helping your students find their spiritual gifts and begin serving in a ministry.

One of the easiest ways to get a student more connected to God, to your student ministry program, and to your church is to get them involved serving in a ministry. Speaking on a personal note, that’s when everything changed for me. I was a regular church attendee; I was there every week (and because of my OCD, sitting in the same seat each week). I would enjoy the message, enjoy the worship, and feel good for most of the day. Then slowly during the week, I’d slip back into old habits, and not be very connected to God at all during the week. Then the weekend would come around, I’d be back in church, feeling good and connected, and then within a couple of days after that, I’d be right back where I was. I was caught in a cycle. I knew something had to change, I wanted to be more connected and closer to God and make him more of a presence in my life, I just didn’t know how.

About this time I got involved in a small group for the first time. That was my first step at a closer connection to God. Soon after I joined the group we began a service project in the local community. From that point on I was hooked, I loved volunteering, I love doing something where I was serving others. I loved the fact that I was doing something for someone else and not for myself. That later led to me becoming a volunteer with Saddleback Church’s High School Ministry program. I quickly realized that God had given me gifts and talents to work with and talk to high school students. I was doing this for the students, but I also realized that God was further blessing my life as well. (Just another sign that you cannot out give God!) The more connected I became the more I got involved in things like a daily quiet time with God. I moved from my nice secluded quiet seat in the bleachers of our worship center to a closer seat down on the main floor. No longer did I attend worship service and have that “recharged” feeling last for just a day, it began lasting all week.

TOMORROW: We’ll look at ways to to get your students connected to serving in a ministry, and finding their gifts and abilities.

Filed Under: Spriritual Life, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , , ,

Showing students that God’s love is forever

June 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Steven: This year before my junior high small group started, my co-leader and I sat down and wanted to make a list of goals for our boys. We started with short-term goals like bonding and building friendships, then went to end-of-the-year goals like making sure all of our boys knew Jesus and had ample opportunity to commit their lives to him. As part of that, there were two nights throughout the year that we led the guys in either a salvation prayer or “re-dedication” prayer in order to start living their lives for Christ. These were awesome nights that the guys were able to get a grasp on the reality of their lives and make a significant change for the better.

That would last for a little while. Many of our students start out with a thought that they live for Jesus and are living their lives according to him, but they are constantly falling back on what their worldly instincts are. At times they even seem proud of going back to these worldly ways of living, and quite frankly I don’t understand it. On some level I do, but I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that the guys brag about their earthly habits. Somehow society takes over and they revert back to their lives before Christ.

This is a struggle we constantly deal with, not just in our boys’ lives, but in our own as well. I think on some level we all eventually revert back to our earthly lives. We struggle with habits that we’re not proud of, make a commitment to live a God-driven life, do well for a while, then fall back down.

It’s time to break that cycle. We need to break out of this never-ending trap of committing all we have to God and then falling back down. We need to intentionally live for Him in a way that will stick. The more we learn to not turn our backs on God, the more it will reflect into our students and give them a better chance at living for God for the long term.

God isn’t just for short term, He’s forever.

Matt: We live in a society where everything has become disposable. When I was a kid, if your television broke you called out  a repairman. Today, if your TV is more than two years old and it breaks, well it’s probably so far behind in technology that it’s not worth it to spend money getting it fixed, just replace it. Disposable food containers, beverage cans, razors, the list goes on and on.

There is one thing however that is not disposable. Once you get it, you get it for life. That’s salvation. When you invite Jesus into your heart it’s for life, it’s not just for today or this hour or the duration of whatever problem that is going on in your life. It’s forever. It’s for always. We need to make our relationship with Jesus that way. It needs to be for a lifetime not just for the meantime. Once we do that, we truly have formed a relationship with God. The next step is to teach and demonstrate that for students so that we pass that down to the next generation.

Many of our students come from broken homes, and for some of them their lives are filled with broken promises. They realize that their parent’s marriage that was suppose to be forever ended up being for a short time and that maybe God has turned His back on them. We need to show them that God never forgets, never breaks his word or does not have time for us. God’s love is for a lifetime.

Here’s the bottom line, if we teach our students that God’s love for us is not a flash in the pan, its not temporary, it’s a “forever thing”, they learn to turn to Him in times of trouble and need, not to turn away and look for help and comfort in the wrong places.

How do you demonstrate to your students that God’s love is forever?

Filed Under: Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Being Intentional as a Summer Camp Leader

June 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Josh Griffin, the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church is a good friend to Gentogenym.com and his blog, Morethandodgeball.com is one of the blogs that I read everyday. One thing I have discovered that is so important in student ministry is to be intentional. Don’t just slide up to students with a “Hi, how’s is going?” and move on.  Take the time to talk to them and make them feel special. Sometimes I think that’s where the majority of ministry takes place. Click here to read his blog on “How to be Intentional as a Summer Camp leader. If you’re planning on being a leader at your church’s summer camp this post is a must read!

Filed Under: Summer Camp, Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , ,

Retro Friday // Dating Relationships

June 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

It’s important as youth group leaders that we have open and frank discussion with students about dating relationships. We need to talk to them about the importance of dating a “believer”, setting boundaries, and making sure that they keep Jesus first in their lives, and in their relationship. How students act and re-act in dating relationships in their teen years can follow them for the rest of their lives. We need to insure that students know the importance of a healthy, Godly dating relationship.
Matt: If we teach students about good, healthy dating relationship habits now, those habits will follow them throughout their lives. With my small group of high school teen guys, we have had some very frank discussions about sex, about the definition of what sex is, the consequences of sex, how extremely important it is to date a believer as well as how important setting boundaries is in a dating relationship. We’ve talked about what the Bible says about pre-marital sex.
If you’re dating a believer, it makes the relationship a lot easier when the other person understands how important it is to you to keep biblical principles in your relationship, how important regularly attending worship is, and the importance of keeping God first in your life. Unbelievers don’t quite get that, and it makes it easier for you to stumble and do something you regret later.
The other thing we have talked to our guys about is keeping God first in the relationship. If you cut God out, if your girlfriend becomes first in your life than your relationship is in trouble as is your relationship with God.
Steven: To me, this topic is interesting to write about because I come from a junior high ministry background. Although they’re not as common in junior high as they are in high school, dating relationships still happen in the junior high setting. What does “dating” look like for a junior higher? We joke about a boy’s mom taking him and his “girlfriend” to a movie, then calling mom two hours later to pick them up. While that sounds funny to us, these relationships are very real to the students that are involved. A lot of times they don’t really understand the fact that these relationships they’re starting probably aren’t going to lead to marriage, or even past Tuesday, but junior highers don’t think that far in the future. They think about what is going to make them happy NOW.
Unfortunately that can get a lot of students in trouble. They can wrap themselves up too much in the instant gratification that they eventually don’t even think about the end result, nor do they care. Sure, there will be some exceptions to this rule, but for the most part, 12 and 13-year-olds are just going to do whatever makes them happy at that exact moment in time. That’s why so many junior high relationships last for just a couple of weeks, days, or even hours. This way of thinking can lead people on the wrong path, and as leaders we need to make sure to instill the right attitude and values about dating and romantic relationships at a young age.
One of the things my small group co-leader and I are constantly telling our boys is that dating relationships in junior high are really just time-wasters. It sounds kind of harsh, but let’s be honest; how many people do you know married their “junior high sweetheart?” It just doesn’t happen. Also, remind them not to rush into things. One thing my college pastor has said that really stuck with me is that out of all the couples he has counseled, he’s never heard anyone say, “I wish we would’ve moved faster in the relationship.” The most important part is to keep God in the center of everything, including relationships. Are junior highers going to completely avoid dating just because we tell them to? Absolutely not! At least if we build a solid Christ-based foundation in their lives, they will make the right choices when it comes to choosing how to act when their relationships get real.

Filed Under: Retro Friday

Congratulations to Dennis Beckner!

June 23, 2011 by 1 Comment

Congratulations to our dear friend, Dennis Beckner, who runs and writes VolunteerYouthMinistry.com. He runs a fantastic blog about being a volunteer youth worker, and as you can see from his tweet earlier today, his site is now the number 1 Google result for “youth group volunteer work.” So great! VYM is also where Dennis graciously hosted Matt and me for 6 months before we started GenToGenYM.

If you’re a volunteer youth worker and you haven’t checked it out, head over to VolunteerYouthMinistry.com right now!

Filed Under: Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , , ,

A Student Says Thank You

June 22, 2011 by 2 Comments

 I actually had a different post written for today. Don’t worry you can read that one later in the week. Today I had an experience that I wanted to share on the blog while it was fresh in my mind. I have talked in the past two weeks about the fact that most of my high school small group is graduating this year, and I hope I’ve done all I can do to prepare them for the road ahead. Today I was invited to a lunch for one of my students who are graduating. His mother invited myself and my co-leader and she wanted to acknowledge the contribution we had made to her son’s life. I thought that was really cool of her and quickly accepted. The lunch was also held at one of my favorite pizza joints but I digress.

This morning she text me and asked if I would mind saying a few words about her son and our experience together. This is where I need to tell you that “shy” or “bashful” are words that have never been used to describe me, I have no trouble at all speaking in front of people and I was honored that she asked. Right before I was going to say something, her son handed me a card and asked that I read it. The card was a thank you from him and the words he put in the card were amazing. I’m not usually an emotional person but I was quickly reduced to tears. He and I have grown close over the past two years and the words he used to thank me really made me realize, “Here’s a kid that my co-leader and I have made a difference in his life”. Not that I didn’t know that, but I think sometimes I forget about stuff like that.

I don’t write this as a way of saying, “Hey, aren’t I amazing”. I’m writing this to remind other student ministry leaders, volunteers and myself as well, that God will place you in a student’s life to make a difference. It’s not a coincidence; it’s something that God planned a long time ago. How you handle the experience is up to you. We need to be the examples, the encouragers, and the assistant to parents who want to bring up Godly kids and the supplement to kids whose parents are not church attendees or believers.

One day we all are going to be standing in front of God, and he’s going to ask, “I put Student X in your life, what did you do with him?” I want to be able to say I did all I could to promote his spiritual growth, help him through the awkward years and help him work out any problems in life and deal with his hurts, habits and hang ups. Today’s thank you note was a reminder to me of the huge effect we can have on students.

Are you doing all you can to be the role model/mentor/teacher/Jesus follower/encourager that you need to be?

Filed Under: Encouragement, Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , , , ,

There’s not much that surprises me anymore

June 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

As I’ve come up to the last few weeks of the school year with my students, I’ve been thinking about this revelation that I had. The more I hear from my students, the more I hear on the news and stories that make the rounds in the community, I’ve realized that there’s not much that surprises me anymore.

Last week I heard the tragic story of three twenty-something year olds who were involved in a fight that ended in the death of two of them. This all happened in front of an all-night restaurant I’ve been to more times than I can count. This story should have blown me away because of its closeness to home, its horrible story, and everything else that goes along with the early death of two boys. But it didn’t. My thought was probably more along the lines of “Hm, wow, what a bummer.” That’s not to say that I’m insensitive of the tragedy, but I just don’t feel surprise like I think I should.

I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, I’ve always been told that when ministering to students, you should never show surprise when they tell you about their issues. That makes sense. If they feel like what they struggle with is horrific, they’ll feel worse opening up to you than when they started. I get that. But on the other hand, I often think that I should be surprised by more. The story from earlier is a perfect example. I shouldn’t just accept that bad things happen, I should be surprised.

What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments section below.

Question: Do you have the same feeling of not being surprised by anything?

Filed Under: Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , ,

Spiritual warfare in a youth ministry world

June 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Matt: Spiritual warfare can be different things to different people. It’s taken me a while to realize just how real it can be. At first when I would hear people talk about spiritual warfare I would think it was a cop out, it was their way of not acknowledging a problem in their life. As I grew closer to God and my relationship with him became stronger I began to notice different

pitfalls happening to me. One day I was talking to a co-worker at Saddleback Church who works in our pastoral care department and he told me to watch out and be prepared for spiritual warfare.

Plain and simple, Satan does not like it when you get closer to God. And he REALLY hates it when you start bringing others with you on that spiritual path. All of us in student ministry, staff and volunteers, are greatly affecting students and helping them in their journey to grow closer to God. This makes Satan mad and he will do anything he can to slow you down. I know, it’s happened to me. Satan knows how to push my buttons and makes me think one thing when the total opposite is true.

How we deal with spiritual warfare is very important and can determine who wins this battle. First off you need to pray. Pray that God will help you and equip you for the battle, because trust me, it’s a battle. Second, turn to the Bible for help. God tells us to be sure and put on our spiritual armor to protect ourselves from Satan.

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” -Ephesians 6:11

When I’m feeling low or sad or alone, that’s when I need the Bible the most! Sometimes it’s when we feel like reading it the least, but it’s when we need to hear God’s word to help us through a storm. Third, talk to someone. Don’t wait a day, do it now. The last time I was going through a bad time and in the middle of a spiritual warfare battle, I waited four days before saying anything, but once I did it took all of fifteen minutes for my huge problem to suddenly become very small and then for me to realize that Satan knew how to push my button.  Satan didn’t just push my button, he jumped on it with all his might. Had I just turned for help sooner I would have worked out the issue faster.

Here’s the bottom line. Spiritual warfare is very real. The more good you’re doing the more Satan wants to put roadblocks in front of you. But don’t stop! Keep going, keep being all you can be. Students are too important for us to be afraid of spiritual warfare.

Steven: I used to think spiritual warfare was something we only heard about in the Bible. Jesus cast demons out of people who were possessed, but in real life that kind of thing doesn’t happen, right? Wrong. We don’t see as much of it anymore, but spiritual warfare is real and does exist in today’s world. It’s less common to see things like possession of people by demons and exorcisms like in movies, but the kind of spiritual warfare I’m talking about is different than that.

I would argue that spiritual warfare is an experience that every Christian goes through on a fairly frequent timeframe. Not only is it frequent, but it’s often found near a time when things are going very well for us spiritually. We experience a high, and the enemy wants to bring us off that high. The closer we are to God, the more Satan tries to pull us away. I’ve had this happen many times in ministry where I feel like God finally used me to change something for the better in a student’s life, and then something bad will happen with another one or I will have something bad happen in my life.

The tendency, I think, is to blame ourselves or blame God. If we’re not careful, we fall into a trap of thinking that what we’re experiencing is from something inside us or an act of God. It’s important to recognize the things we’re experiencing – is it something I’m creating for myself, just an unfortunate circumstance, or could this be something spiritually offensive?

How are we supposed to recognize when something is an act of spiritual warfare?

  • Like I mentioned above, if you have just experienced some kind of spiritual high or closeness with God and then something bad happens to drive you away, chances are good that it’s spiritual warfare.
  • Pray, pray, pray. Ask God if this is something you’re supposed to learn from, or if it’s something you need to be protected from.
  • Satan knows just the right buttons to push to get us to react, and he will do everything he can to push those buttons. If you feel like your buttons are being pushed in just the right way, it may be spiritual warfare.

There’s no a foolproof way to guard yourself against spiritual warfare. It’s going to happen. The best things you can do are be ready for it and know to turn to God when it does happen.

Question: What kinds of spiritual warfare have you experienced in your life? How have you dealt with it?

Filed Under: Spriritual Life, Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , , , ,
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