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Starting to Serve

February 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Matt: When students get involved in serving they take full advantage of an opportunity for God to grow their faith. We show our love for Jesus by showing love to others and especially those in need. When students are able to use a hurt or a problem they once experienced and help other students going through the same thing they grow even more. God never wastes a hurt.

My co-leader and I had great plans at the beginning of the year to get our small group guys involved in several serve projects, but so far we’ve only done one. Last week at our mid-year planning session we made plans to commit to four more before the end of the school year. We also want to get our students involved in the planning process for these events so we get more “buy in” from them.

I use my example of volunteering and serving in high school ministry as an example to students of giving back to others. I don’t want to use it in a boastful way but rather a way of showing them that when you find something you’re good at and that you love doing, you get blessed just as much as the people you’re serving.

Steven: I’ll admit that the area of serving is one of the things I have great aspirations toward, but it never quite comes together like I hope. I definitely know how important serving is, but other things in ministry just seem to get in the way. Either there aren’t the right kinds of serve projects (as if that’s even a valid term) available when we can do them as a group, the guys can’t do something on a certain day or we just simply don’t plan enough. Serving needs to be intentional.

I think the best way to start serving is just set a date and do it. The best time I’ve ever had serving with my students was a day when only 4 or 5 showed up, but they committed to collecting food for our church’s food pantry and then sorting it at the facility. It wasn’t a high attendance serve project, but the guys that showed up saw how easy and God-honoring it is to serve others. We never would have started if we didn’t just plan a date and stick to it. If you’re like me, set a date right now and get it out to your students. You have to start somewhere.

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Recap of last week’s serve trip

April 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Last week I was on a local serve trip with our junior high and senior high ministries, and I posted about how much I love seeing students serve.  Since then I’ve recovered (most of my) sleep and have been able to process all that went on during those 4 days.

There were memories made (listening to One Direction over and over in the van), great conversations had, awesome relational time with students and most of all, a glimpse of our students growing their faith through serving our local community.

One of the high school students on the trip, who I’ve known since he was just a baby 7th grader in my first year in student ministry, had the job of going around to different work sites to capture the trip on film. Here’s a small glimpse of the amazing 4 days:


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Why Student Ministry?

February 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As this website grows and we gain more and more followers, I get asked a particular question a lot. This question comes from both my friends who are church attendees and those who are not. The question I get asked is why I picked student ministry as the area I wanted to volunteer and serve. My answer is simple, I didn’t pick student ministry, God picked it for me!

I volunteered in a couple other areas at Saddleback church before I started volunteering with students. I got satisfaction from the other areas that I volunteered, but when I started with our high school team as a volunteer and a small group leader my spiritual life just exploded and I mean that in a good way. I have seen firsthand the effect that a positive role model and mentor can have on teens. I have seen lives changed right before my eyes. It hasn’t been all sunshine and smiles, there have been some sad times along the way as well, but that’s when I realize that Satan does not like what I’m doing and he will do anything to try to de-rail my ministry. I just turn to prayer and to the people close in my life and ask for their support and prayer. God has not failed me yet.

I know that student ministry is not for everyone, just like there are a lot of ministries that are not for me. You need to find how God has shaped you, what he has designed you for and run with it. It’s just like a job that you either love or hate. If you love your job you excel, if you hate it you’re probably just doing the least amount you have to in order to get by. Here are some tips on selecting a ministry; I’m going to do this same exercise with my high school small group so I can get them involved in regularly serving in a ministry:

1.  Pray. Ask God to help you select the right ministry for you.

2.  If you don’t know what ministry area you are suited for, I recommend this book, S.H.A.P.E. by Erik Rees.

2.  Ask your friends and those you trust what they think you might be good at. The reason I got involved in student ministry is because two people thought I would be good at it and they kept after me until I finally caved in and tried it. I will always be grateful to them.

3.  Find someone to do ministry with you. Two are stronger than one; I can’t imagine doing this ministry without Steven. We just “click” in so many areas, I get an idea about something I want to do, and he will take my idea and build on it. By the time he is done, my good idea has gone to a great idea. Pick someone who you trust, someone who will not just tell you what you WANT to hear but what you NEED to hear.

4.  If you try a ministry and don’t like it, or its more like a job than a labor of love, get out! Find something else. You won’t enjoy what you’re doing and God will not get glory from you doing a shoddy job at ministry. Get out, but don’t give up! Try something else. One of the ways we show our love of God is to serve others.

I’d love to hear why you picked student ministry! You can comment here.

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

Should volunteer youth workers be rewarded for serving?

August 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This question popped into my head the other day when I realized something: I can’t remember the last time I paid for a drink at Starbucks. Sure, I get Starbucks cards here and there for my birthday or Christmas, but a significant chunk of that treat comes from the junior high ministry I serve.

This might seem like a problem with very little downside (and trust me, I love an iced grande vanilla latte as much as the next guy), but it got me thinking: should volunteers be rewarded for serving?

Now, before I get into this, let me make this perfectly clear: I do not intend to criticize or attack any church that rewards its volunteers. This is just a question I would love some feedback on.

It seems to me that there are two different ways to show appreciation to volunteers: by rewarding them with gifts and by acknowledging them (either verbally or in writing). Both have upsides and downsides, but here’s what I came up with regarding rewards:

 

Pros:

- The volunteer feels a tangible appreciation

- When the volunteer uses whatever reward he received (Starbucks, for example), he remembers where he got it and why he got it – service

- Rewards keep the volunteer coming back for more – it’s a reason to continue serving

Cons:

- The Bible tells us to serve… should we be rewarded for something we’re told to do?

- There’s a false sense of appreciation

- A gift is easier to toss to someone than honest words of appreciation

I don’t know what the answer to this question is, or even if there is a right answer. I do know this: recently I was given two things at the same time for serving with my junior high ministry – a Starbucks card and a thoughtful, hand-written card from someone on the JHigh staff. In my mind, the hand-written card had way more value than the Starbucks card. I knew that the staff person had taken time out of her day to write that down.

What do you think? Should volunteer youth workers be rewarded for serving?

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

Do we spend too much time serving Jesus instead of being with him?

July 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Don’t spend all your time doing things FOR Jesus and not spending time WITH Jesus.

Steven: The trap that we’re talking about today is something I feel a lot of youth workers run into. Especially if you absolutely love what you do, you probably want to spend all your time with students or thinking about students or thinking about how to make your ministry better. Even as a volunteer, I find my mind consumed with youth ministry at times.

The trap comes when we spend more time serving Jesus through ministry or other things that are for Jesus, and we don’t spend time with Jesus.

A time has to come for us when we realize that God is the most important thing we have to pay attention to. Everything else must be secondary, even if that means our youth ministry time. It’s a great thing that we’re serving the Lord and realizing what He wants us to do, but more than anything, He wants a relationship with us. When we fail to meet with Him and spend time doing things for him, we’re neglecting the relationship. Just like on earth, if you neglect a relationship, it will start to diminish.

This is especially important for me to remember as a student in biblical studies. I am constantly learning about theology and the Bible, but sometimes I get so busy learning about God that I don’t spend time with Him. I put more effort into studying for tests or reading something before my next class that I leave God out.

If you have too many serving opportunities to spend time with the Lord every day, it might be time to cut something out. It doesn’t take much to spend time with God every day, but you do need to intentionally set time aside. Don’t be too busy doing God stuff that you leave God out.

Matt: One of the pitfalls to working for a church, especially a mega-church, is that it’s very easy to get caught up in doing so much good stuff and serving others that you forget to take care of yourself. I’m guilty of that. In the process we forget that it’s also very important that we spend time WITH Jesus as well as SERVING Jesus. We need to make sure that as student ministry workers and volunteers that we are taking the time to re-charge our spiritual batteries. This includes regularly attending a worship service as well as a daily quiet time with God.

If your life is so busy that you can’t find time to have some quiet time with God everyday, then you’re too busy. You can’t be an effective student ministry worker if you’re not spending time with God on a daily basis. I preach to my small group students about the importance of a daily quiet time with God. If i’m not doing that myself then I’m not being honest with then. I want to lead them by example, not by the old “do as I say, not as I do.”  I think students can see right through you when you do that and you lose all credibility with them.

Spending time with God everyday helps keep you spiritually healthy and ready for anything that comes your way. I want that spiritual armor that God’s Word provides me. You also need to spend time in prayer throughout the day. You don’t need to stop and dim the lights and have absolute silence to pray. I’ll think about a student going through a hard time or some issue that I’m dealing with, and I’ll go to God right there and then. I don’t just pray at bed time and meal times. We should also teach our students that. God wants you to communicate with him all day everyday not just when you have a few free moments for Him.

Filed Under: 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: , , , ,

It Starts with Passion

May 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This is my third year being involved with volunteer youth ministry. I’ve probably talked about how I got started in junior high ministry in blog posts on other websites, but in a nutshell, my first event was summer camp, then one of my good friends talked me into leading a C-Group (what Saddleback Church calls junior high small groups), and I’ve stuck around ever since. A realization came to me today: my first junior high ministry event may have been summer camp, but my journey in youth ministry started with passion.

Passionate fans

When I first decided I wanted to volunteer with junior high ministry, I had no idea how far it would take me. To be honest, I didn’t even want to continue with it after summer camp was over. In my mind, when I was in junior high I hadn’t gotten much out of being in a small group (or so I thought at the time), so why would I waste my time pouring into students that might feel the same way? What I didn’t realize is that God had already lit a fire in me. I had seen some of the change that youth ministry produces in students. I’m exhibit A of a life changed through summer camp and youth ministry, so why did I continue on even when I didn’t think I could make a difference? The answer is passion.

I’ve been serving ever since I was in elementary school. I’ve helped out with different children’s ministry events ever since I was in fifth grade, but that was what I knew I was supposed to do as a Christ-follower. I didn’t necessarily know why at the time, but it just made sense. As I got older, so did my ministry. Until finding junior high ministry, it was just a duty; I wasn’t serving because I loved doing it, I did it because I was supposed to. It took me two years of small groups, three years at summer camp, and a 3-month internship to finally realize that God planted a passion for youth on my heart, but once I made that realization, there was no stopping me from continuing on the path God has lit before me. You realize your true passions when your mind constantly visits a certain idea; for me, that idea is youth ministry.

My challenge to you is this: find your passion. Chances are you’ve already discovered it, you just haven’t unpacked it yet. It took me a long time to realize I was passionate about youth ministry, but I’m glad God opened my eyes to it before I missed it.

What are your passions?

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