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I’m “Just” a Volunteer – Part 2

October 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Matt: How we think of ourselves will have a lot to do with how others see us. If you think of yourself as “just a volunteer” chances are your students will think of you that way as well. When you consider that God has chosen you to be a leader for a group of students you realize how important your role is. Everything we do should be done for the glory of God, and that includes being a volunteer. Jesus calls on us all to serve, the Bible commands it. We show our love for Jesus by serving others. If you’re like me and your gifts and talents are in student ministry you need to do it to the best of your ability. Once you step out and begin to spend more time with students, talk with them more, encourage them more and love on them, it becomes easier and easier.

Students need the attention and leadership of adult role models in their life. My experience is that so many students come from single parent families that they crave the attention of a positive role model. It’s hard to grow close to students if you think of yourself as “just a volunteer.” Think of yourself as a vital member of your student ministry team, get involved and find ways to stay involved. Make it a goal to make a connection each week with each one of your students either in person or a phone call or text. Those are the things that staff members don’t have the time to do for each and every student. When you make an intentional connection each week, you’re  growing closer to students, making them feel wanted and loved and showing them ways to grow in their faith and in their walk with God. You may be a lot of things…but you are never “just a volunteer”!

Steven: Happy Halloween! Last week I wrote a bit about how as volunteers we’re called to more than being “just a volunteer.” We need to step up and be the youth pastor. If your youth pastor has enough faith in you to let you either lead a small group or work with students in any way, he or she obviously trusts you with students! Don’t feel like you can’t be effective just because you aren’t receiving a paycheck for it.

This week I want to talk more to the youth ministry staff members and youth pastors. Having been on both sides, I know what it’s like to have to work in youth ministry full-time and as a volunteer with other obligations. Paid youth workers have a responsibility not just to the students they lead, but also to the volunteers under them. Paid youth workers need to be the empowering people and the guiding force behind volunteers. They need to be the ones to give them the encouragement and the tools necessary to leading students toward God and keeping them on that path.

I’ve had the privilege of working with probably the best volunteer coordinator in whole world. Her name is Katie Edwards. She is now the Junior High Ministry director at Saddleback, but even with a full plate of leading the team she still finds time to care for and encourage her volunteers. Katie is one of the most uplifting and empowering people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, and I pray that someday I’ll be able to have an ounce of that type of personality. Katie is a perfect example of what a youth worker should look like in relation to volunteers.

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

Follow the (New) Leader

October 28, 2011 by 1 Comment

Today we’re beginning a new series called “Follow the (new) Leader.” Our friend John decided to be the leader of a high school small group this year. This is his first leap into student ministry and we decided to follow him on his journey. John is a former SWAT team commander so he should have no problem with a group of 16 freshman (at least, that’s what we’ve told him!). We’ve asked John to answer a series of questions from us each month and then on the last Friday of the month we’ll write a post about what’s going on with John and his students.

 1)  What was your biggest fear so far?

I think my biggest fear so far was that the kids in my group would feel scared or intimidated by me. I seem to have a certain demeanor that exudes a mean exterior when you look at me. Once I spoke to them and they got to know me, I think they will realize that I am an approachable leader who will grow with them in Christ during our time together.

 2)  How are you connecting with your students?

After I gave my biography to them regarding Police work they perked up and got involved with me a little more. They asked the normal questions that all kids ask cops when they meet them and that seemed to break the ice a little. I explained my need for trust in our group regarding things we share and the fact that they are all a part of that trust. They seemed to like that and agreed to not share anything with people outside of  our group. The kids and I share a passion for guns and war games and that will no doubt play a role in our meetings.

 3)  Something you wish you would have done differently?

I don’t think I could have done anything differently, I gave it up to God before I met with my guys and He never let me down. He gave me the words to say that kept the guys interested in what I had to say and they are a great group of kids.

 4)  How have you seen yourself grow?

Since the reality hit me of having 16 more people who will look up to me as their leader, it dawned on me that every little thing I do is being watched by them. They will look for me to guide them and teach them how to be better Christians and better young men. I always try to do the right things and be a good example to all those around me, God has really put the importance of this on my heart the week leading up to my first group meeting. I know that God has put me in these boys lives to prepare them for the real world and to help them grow spiritually. I also know that I am not alone in this endeavor, God is with me every step of the way as well as my friends and co-workers who are always there to help me when I need it.

 5)  A funny story that happened?

As I’m walking the boys to the parking area to get picked up by their parents I told them to stop and listen up. I said that I know I look mean and intimidating and that I may seem that I am angry when in fact I’m merely listening to them intently. I told them that I am very protective of my family and will do whatever it takes to keep them from getting hurt. I help a long pause and then told the boys that they are all now in my family and I would do anything for them. The boys all gave audible sounds of relief and one of them even wiped their brow. You had to be there, but it was funny the way they were hanging on my last sentence as if they were listening to their last rites.

Check back next month and see how things are going with John and his group!

Filed Under: Follow the (new) Leader, Small Groups, Volunteer ministry, Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Daily Quiet Time Challenge

October 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

How do you challenge students in your small group? I’m trying to get my small group guys dedicated to a daily quiet time with God and asked them to start with just 15 minutes a day. So this week I challenged them to sacrifice something, anything, each day so that they would have an extra 15 minutes in their schedule.

Last night in our small group time we talked about worship and sacrifice and how they don’t have to be at church singing songs in order to spend time in worship, they can worship God at any time in a number of ways. I explained to them how when they sacrifice they make their worship time during the day even more pleasing to God.  Some of their ideas for sacrificing time they normally spend doing other things were: less time playing video games, less time on the computer and Facebook, getting up a little earlier to make time in their schedule for a quiet time. I think they are all on-board with this and to help them along the way here’s what I’m doing.

1.  I text them all this morning to remind them what we had talked about and I’ll text them back tonight and ask them to tell me what they sacrificed today to find an extra 15 minutes for a quiet time. I’ll keep the text messages coming for the next 3-4 days.

2.  We have a private Facebook page for our group, I’ve asked them to post what they are sacrificing.  So far two of the 12 already have!

3.  I don’t want to constantly harp on this to them, but I want to keep this idea going in their mind and get them to develop a quiet time as a daily habit. I know what a change it made it my life and I want them to experience the same thing.

It takes 21 days of following a routine to make it a daily habit, so three weeks from today I’ll update you on how we’re doing.

How do you challenge your students?

 

 

 

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

Responding directly to something that challenges your beliefs

October 26, 2011 by 2 Comments

Disclaimer: This post does not directly relate to youth ministry. I also couldn’t come up with a title I liked, so that’s the best I could come up with. If those things don’t scare you away, read on…

Yesterday I was sitting in Starbucks with my good friend Kyle. We were going through some stuff we wanted to discuss with our junior high small group, when a guy that had been sitting across the room came over. He said to me, “I saw your sweatshirt [that says Biola University] and thought you might want to check this out,” as he leaves a card on the table. On the front of the card is a website that is very clearly anti-Christian based on the title and the picture of a cross with a big X through it.

I went to the site and wasn’t surprised to find page after page of essays written by this guy, claiming that “the god of the Bible does not exist.” Rather than send him a seething email like many of the Christians that had visited the site before me, here’s the email I sent him:

Hi [name omitted],

I’m assuming you are the person that dropped a card off at my table at Starbucks in Lake Forest earlier today. I was the guy in the black Biola sweatshirt. If that was you, I admire your dedication to a cause, whether I agree with your beliefs or not. Your dedication to anti-”fundamentalist Bible-believing Christians” is evident by the fact that you went out of your way to promote your website to someone who very clearly believes the opposite things you do.

To give a little background, I do go to Biola University. Not only do I go to Biola, I’m a Biblical and Theological Studies major, which means I study the Bible in all the classes I take there. I’m pursuing a degree which will then lead to attending seminary, in hopes of obtaining a Masters in Divinity. From there I hope to go on to be a pastor, probably to junior high or high school students. I’m on staff at a church in the area, which, judging from some of the essays you wrote, you would be familiar with. I spend a significant chunk of time every week ministering to and mentoring junior high students.

Unfortunately, for the sake of argument, this point in the semester is midterm-time, which leaves me lacking free time. That being said, I didn’t want our brief encounter today to go un-responded to. Had I more time, I would love to read all of your articles and find out what drew you to the conclusion you’re promoting. I don’t intend to attack you or even argue with you at this time.

What I do want to accomplish with this email is apologize. I’ve been around the church long enough to know that typically when someone radically changes their view in light of Christianity and the Bible, the church itself is usually to blame. If someone in some church somewhere did something to turn you away, I apologize. The fact is that even people inside the church are very, very broken. We are consumed by sin that separates us from God and we fall according to the temptations we face. Many people don’t immediately recognize the results of their actions, and unfortunately it can turn people away from the church, and ultimately God himself. If something like this happened in your life after 20 years in the church, I am deeply sorry and my heart breaks for you.

I hear many Christians-turned-Atheists say that it’s not Christ that they don’t like, it’s the Christians who represent him. I can understand and empathize with that statement. Christians don’t always do things that accurately represent who we’re called to emulate: Jesus.

Feel free to respond to this email, but I’m not expecting anything back. If you do respond, please know that I am chest-deep in school work right now and probably won’t be able to reply right away. I understand that by sending this to you, it becomes your property to be displayed on the site, but I would ask that you respect me as I respect you and keep this between us.

I pray that somehow you will find your way to the truth from God, not from the flawed modern church.

-Steven

My first inclination when I saw the site was to respond in anger. Then I thought, “I’m a Biblical Studies major… I could destroy his biblical arguments!” Instead I thought it would be a better idea to surprise him. Maybe let him see a side of Christianity that he hadn’t seen before.

Then I thought about my junior high students. They’re going to be faced with challenges like these all the time: What do I do when I’m faced with a view different from my own? What’s the best way to handle it? The simple answer to those questions is to respond in love. Yes, it’s necessary to respond at some point with the truth, but shock them with the love of Christ first. Hey, look at that… I guess this did end up relating to youth ministry!

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

How’s The Weather? In This Case It’s A Small Group Lesson

October 25, 2011 by 1 Comment

I never thought I would use the weather as a small group lesson, but I did. The past couple of days it’s been really foggy in the morning here in Southern California. The day starts out cloudy and cool and foggy, but the fog later burns off and we have sunny warm weather. Yesterday morning when I was out walking my dog (the most handsome Yorkie in the whole world) I thought to myself how life can be like that. You have problems and it seems cloudy and foggy and you don’t know what direction to go in, and suddenly the problems go away and your life is sunny again.

I started off our discussion time last night talking about that and as usual, once one guy opened up they all did. They foggy times, or problems in their life were all over the board and were about all kind of different issues, but each guy was able to talk about how he got through the problem and sunny times returned.

I remembered a hymn from my childhood days that my mother would sing, I don’t recall the name of the song, but the lyrics go something like this:

God hath not promised skies always blue
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through
God hath not promised sun without rain
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain

But God hath promised strength for the day
Rest for the labor, light for the way
Grace for the trials, help from above
Unfailing sympathy, undying love

 

A simple topic but all my guys got it! They got the message; God is always there, even in the dark foggy times! Here’s the bottom line, you never know where you can get a lesson to teach to your students, use every situation that God gives you.

 

 

 

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

I’m “Just” a Volunteer – Part 1

October 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Steven: I’ve been on both sides of youth ministry – staff and volunteer. Two summers ago I was a summer intern for our junior high ministry, and it gave me an great idea of what full-time ministry looks like. Before and after that, though, I have been a volunteer. While the two roles are definitely different, there are some fundamental similarities that have to exist between the two. Yes, staff people are the ones who organize everything, do youth ministry for a living and get paid to do it. But volunteers have the same responsibility to love and minister to their students that staff does.

A phrase I’ve heard during some trainings and just out and about is “I’m just a volunteer.” The meaning behind that is, “I wish I could do XXX, but I’m just a volunteer.” The fact of the matter is, even if you’re a volunteer you can do whatever you need to minister to your students. The church I serve is great about empowering their volunteers to take a front-of-stage role with their students. At every training for small groups, summer camp or other big events, they’ll use the phrase “You are the youth pastor.” With a church as big as Saddleback, there’s no way our youth pastors can effectively minister to all 2,000 kids in our ministry. That’s where volunteers come in.

Next week I’ll talk about what I’ve learned from my time on staff in youth ministry and what the staff’s role is when it comes to volunteers.

Matt: The other day during a meeting of all of our high school small groups I overheard a leader tell one of his students, “I don’t know what to tell you, I’m just a volunteer.” It made me stop in my tracks. I didn’t know the guy or I would have went up and asked if I could help him with something and then tell him, “saying you’re just a volunteer is like saying I’m just a Christian.”  Steven and I are in unique positions in that we are on the staff of a church but we also are volunteers at the church. From early on when I saw how many students we have in our high school ministry and the small number of high school school staff, it becomes very apparent how important that volunteers are to any church no matter what the size of your church may be.

As a small group leader you are many things to those students, you are a pastor, an advisor, a teacher, a counselor, a shoulder to lean on and also a friend. If you look at what you are doing as “I’m just a volunteer” you are going to cheat your students out of some great small group time. At Saddleback Church, our High School pastor, Josh Griffin, is a pretty popular guy in the student ministry world. But with 2,000 students in our high school ministry Josh does not have time for a one-on-one connection each with with every student. That’s where small group leaders come in. Even if you are a new volunteer, its not hard to find some training to help you go from a good leader to a great leader. This blog is one example of the many resources that are available to you.

Next week I’ll talk about how you go from being “just a volunteer” to a vital member of your church’s student ministry team.

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

Free their minds…

October 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This post from Adam McLane is EXACTLY what I want to do this year with my small group. I find myself so often talking way more than I should, which means I’m just becoming another voice in a sea of noise for my students. Check out a little taste of Adam’s post below, then head over to his blog for the full post.

Is the primary task of my ministry to cram as much of what I know into their heads or is it to teach them how to think? Rhetorical, right?

Wrong. My actions say the former while my brain says the latter.

Think about the typical day of your students as it relates to adults.

  • Early morning: An adult tells them to get out of bed and get ready for school. (Either by word or edict)
  • Morning: A parent tells them to get in the car, get out of the car, to have a good day, etc. If they ride the bus they might make a couple words of small talk.
  • School: Adults are largely in charge of the classroom and do most of the talking.
  • Between class time: Students cram a few minutes of conversation with friends as they dash from place to place. (Adults dictate the parameters of this.)
  • After school: Coaches instruct, students listen and obey.
  • Home: “Have you done you homework? Your chores? How was your day? Tell me about….“

To overgeneralize, most interaction students have with adults is either structured or adults talk at students. They are almost always put in a position of learner or otherwise lack power.

We would all say that they have power to own their faith. But are our interactions with our students validating that or putting them in a powerless position?

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

GUEST POST: Generational Youth Ministry

October 21, 2011 by 2 Comments

Kevin, Kyle and Eric are 3 names that immediately come to mind when I think about generational youth ministry. I was their small group leader and they, in turn, went on to also serve in some capacity as youth workers. Kevin is an active junior high small group leader, Kyle served as a summer intern for our high school ministry, and Eric has been a camp counselor.

While that’s pretty cool, it’s also kind of sad that I’ve been in youth ministry since 1994 and can only count 3 students who have served in youth ministry. I learned something along the way that changed the way I work with students. If I hadn’t learned this, even those 3 probably would not have served in youth ministry.

The Bible is has amazing examples of mentoring skills; people raising others up for the work of God. Our mission as youth workers is about more than raising up a crop of believers. We need to raise up a crop of believers who serve. This takes more skill and intentional contact than teaching a weekly Bible study.

To raise up a crop of believing servants, youth workers must:

- Watch for potential: You can’t mentor every student. Look for the ones who are open to being molded, eager to serve, and are, on some level, dedicated to God. These students aren’t perfect, necessarily skilled or even popular. They are, however, full of potential, and almost select themselves – they’re not difficult to spot because they’re already exhibiting these characteristics

- Let students behind the scenes: Let them in on the decisions that need to be made, what you’re trying to accomplish, and how it will benefit the cause of Christ. Get their input and talk through options. This will teach students critical thinking while allowing them to take ownership in ministry

- Plant seeds of service: ”When you’re a small group Bible study leader…”, “When you’re a college student facing temptation and standing firm on your faith…”, “When you’re a parent and your teenager does that…” I speak seeds of service into my students’ lives frequently. I want them to see themselves as serving Christ in every area of their lives. Some of them, like Kevin, Kyle and Eric, will even translate that into serving students.

- Pass the torch: Currently, I’m working with a student who graduated from our ministry a few years ago. While he wasn’t in my small group, I’m still grooming him to be a small group leader. He served as my co-leader last year. We’ll spend one more year together, then he’ll be on his own. I’m passing the torch to him by doing all of the above with him. He’s rough around the edges, but we’ve made a lot of progress in the last year. He’s going to be a great youth worker.

At the beginning of summer, I happened upon an all nighter Kevin (former small group student) was throwing for his junior high small group. It was so great to see him loving on what amounted to my youth ministry grandkids. I had never met those students before that night, but they were very bonded with Kevin. It was an incredibly rewarding youth ministry experience to see him impacting another generation like I impacted him.

I started this post by saying it’s sad that I can only name 3 of my students who are in youth ministry. It took me a long time to learn the actions I mentioned in this post. The good news, if you’re a new youth worker, is you can learn these earlier than I did and see a return sooner of students becoming adults who minister to students.

The rewards of youth ministry aren’t always in words. Many times it’s in seeing the evidence that something you said or did is impacting others through former students. These are the best years of ministry.

Dennis Beckner is one of our dear fellow youth workers, director of The Landing at Saddleback Church, and all-around good guy. Be sure to show him a little love by following him on Twitter and checking out his blog.

Filed Under: Guest post, Mentoring, Youth Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Movie Review: “The Way”

October 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Not gonna lie, working for Saddleback Church has some amazing opportunities and yesterday was one of those days. At our Staff Meeting yesterday, we got to preview a special viewing of Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez’s new movie, “The Way”. That in itself would have been awesome but Pastor Rick Warren had as his special guests Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez at our Staff Meeting. (And yes, Steven and I both had our pictures taken with them) They talked about where the idea for the movie came from, the filming and all of the amazing things that occurred during the making of the movie.

In the movie, Martin Sheen plays a father (Tom) who has been estranged from his son (Daniel) since the death of his wife years earlier. The beginning of the movie sets up that Tom and Daniel don’t exactly see eye to eye on Daniel’s path in life. Daniel is more interested in living life, than finishing college and learning about life. Daniel decides to walk the famed, “El Camino de Santiago” from France to Spain. Daniel dies in an accident after only one day on his pilgrimage and Tom goes to France to recover the body. What transpires over the next hour and a half is Tom deciding to make the journey for Daniel after having his body cremated and bringing the ashes to spread out along the way.

The photography and scenery are amazing and as Tom makes the trip and begins to, although reluctantly at first, have others making the pilgrimage join in with him. The three characters who join with him are a mixed bag of broken people trying to find themselves. Tom is an eye doctor who has spent most of his life since his wife died just working and playing golf with other doctors. The great metaphor here is that the eye doctor is blind to life and what happens to him along The Way opens his eyes to life. This is a “main stream” movie but there are several Christian themes throughout the movie relating to forgiveness, acceptance and thanking God for all you have. It’s just a great story with awesome photography and it’s a movie that is safe for you to take students to see; no sex, no violence and no dirty words.

I highly recommend that you see this movie; Steven and I both give it a thumbs up!

Filed Under: Movie Review Tagged With: , , , ,

Funny story from our first night of small group

October 19, 2011 by 1 Comment

My post today isn’t going to be anything earth shattering, ground breaking or even really though provoking, but it might be good for a laugh.

Last Tuesday night we had our first night of C-Group (“connect group”, junior high small group) in our host home. We spent the night reconnecting a bit and just enjoying being together since we hadn’t been together as a group in a couple of weeks. This included eating waffles together, wrestling (always a small group staple) and other general merriment. There was one thing that happened that will stick in my mind for a while:

Halfway through the night, one of our smaller guys, Alex, decided he would try to fit himself through the doggy door leading to the backyard. This guy is pretty small, but I thought the doggy door was smaller. I didn’t think he would make it through. Luckily he did, and he had a very proud moment. Then one of my high-energy guys, Chris, decided he wanted to try going through also. Chris is super skinny, but he’s quite a bit bigger than Alex. My co-leader Kyle and I told him he wouldn’t fit, but he insisted. By now you can probably tell where this is going. Sure enough, Chris gets stuck at the hips, halfway in and halfway out of the doggy door. I was laughing so hard I thought I would pee myself.

Eventually Chris got out with a little help from me and Kyle, but not before he freaked out a little bit thinking we would have to call the fire department to get him out. Definitely a small group highlight.

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