Passing the Baton

          Recently I came across some old youth ministry photos and began thinking of how different things were when I first started. YM world is a busy, fast paced, techno savvy nonstop, ever changing world. It’s gone from chubby bunny to YouTube craze videos. From youth pastors leading worship to full on Jr. high and high school worship teams; from simple bible studies like the four holy hops to salvation to raw discipleship and the struggling theological questions of young teens. I have been a youth leader/pastor for 15 years and have observed a lot of changes, but one constant in all those years has been me. I have had volunteers and leaders come and go, some on to other ministries and others moved on for personal reasons. Looking at those old photos brought back to memory something I was told when I first began in ministry, “Someone was here before you and someone will be here after you.” I know I won’t be here forever, even though I’d love to. I know it’s not my time to leave yet but, there may come a time when God removes this burden from my heart and until then I will continue to serve with all I have, and if there is one thing I know is that I’m just hitting my stride in youth ministry and really beginning to get it. But, when that day does come, will I have someone to pass the baton to? What about you? Have you considered that question? As leaders we need to do more than just hope to have someone to fill our shoes, we have to intentionally do it.

Moses & Joshua

                Even though Moses had some faults and made mistakes one of the best things he did for the people was pass the baton on to Joshua. Joshua on the other hand was a different story.  For all the great things he did for Gods people, one of the worst things he did was not have anyone to pass the baton to. For all the planning and scheduling we do, we often neglect the simple truth that someone was here before us and someone will be after us. How well we are prepared for that transition can have an amazing impact on the forward momentum of the ministry. Here’s some thought’s I have considered on this.

·         The decision for your replacement should not be delegated solely to boards and hiring committees.

I don’t think so. This may be the practice in some places but, no one has a better understanding of the direction of the ministry than the person at the wheel. Even if you are not part of the hiring decision you can have great influence if you identify and disciple your own Joshua. We should always be multiplying ourselves and being able to give those making the decision a name they will be familiar with is a bonus.

·         Preparing someone to pass the baton to will keep momentum moving.

Having someone in place to step in will keep momentum moving in the ministry. Your Joshua will know the ins and outs and the direction the ministry is headed in. Obviously they would eventually have to make their own mark in the ministry, but familiarity can go a long way in a smooth transition. Furthermore this will help with the student’s transition. Seeing a familiar face will help the new lead person to ease into the driver’s seat without the awkward introductions.

·         Who in your ministry is ready to take on more?

Youth ministry is already messy, so don’t let the fear of other’s failure hold you back from delegating some responsibilities to others. Even students can take on part time roles in helping around the ministry. Seeing how they respond and take ownership is a great way to gauge who could be a possible candidate for your replacement. Even if they don’t replace you, there is always room for good youth workers in the lives of students.

·         Be available

I stepped into the lead position of youth ministry during a difficult time in our church, and to top it off I had no one to really guide me. Needless to say I made a lot of mistakes and learned how NOT to do youth ministry. In the event you do move on, you should make yourself available to whoever replaces you. Be it your Joshua or the choice of the board, it’s a great opportunity for a new youth leader/pastor to glean invaluable insight from your years of service. You’ll always be a youth worker at heart and making sure students are in the right hands will be of great benefit to your own soul. Your familiarity with the families, leadership, and community will help support the new leader making sure he has a tight grip on that baton.

 

 

Peer Ministry

                This last week I got to experience two separate events that involved students ministering to their peers. Though it’s not a new phenomenon, it is not as regular as it should be, at least in some of the youth ministry circles I know of. But one thing that time and time again has been proven is that a student’s story always seems to  have more impact than an adult’s story. Maybe it’s because they can see themselves in the situation, or because it’s shared in a messy way and not as articulate as we youth workers might make it. Whatever the case, when it comes to giving a testimony, peer ministry seems to have a deeper soul impact than when an adult does it.
             
                The first experience occurred during a prayer/worship night involving multiple youth groups. A youth worker friend of mine hosts these events about 4 times a year. The event involves youth from different churches taking part in almost every stage of the service. Multiple worship bands, students lead prayers, dramas and solos all make up the event. Two 15 to 20 minute reflections are brought by youth leaders, but for the most part it’s all student led.

                One of the obvious things that stand out is the fact that students seem to take ownership of these events even though they are not from the host church. By giving them the opportunity to minister to their peers, you can tell they are invested into the event. Not all the bands play flawless and not all the prayers spoken smoothly. There are moments of awkward silence and looking around to see whose next, but that is to be expected when you let students be a part of the service. Students don’t think about every tiny detail like we do, because they are preoccupied with their part. They don’t worry about the transition from band to speaker being flawless; they most likely just want to make sure they sing the right song. Whatever the case when you allow youth ministry to be about youth ministering, it’s going to be a little messy. But that’s okay because in reality we know that none of us have ever pulled off a flawless event. What the students got out of this was an opportunity to share their gifts and talents and be used by God to minister to their peers. Maybe they even encouraged other teens to step up and begin using their talents as well.

  
                The second experience was at a lunch time Christian club our youth ministry sponsors at a local high school. One of the things we do is provide food for students and occasionally bring a short message. With the school year coming to an end and testing and other things taking place the lunch times had been changing almost weekly. Well, on this particular day I was running late because of another change in the lunch time and I had to navigate through hundreds of hungry high school students while carrying four boxes of pizza. I almost didn’t make it alive. When I finally did arrive to the classroom one of the students was up front sharing. I set the pizzas down and listened to this high school student creatively weave a message about a tree growing out of the concrete on a sidewalk, King David and his own personal testimony. He shared how they all grew up in environments that weren’t really ideal to their growth, but preserving and trust in God got them through, just like the tree.  It was an amazingly powerful message and I’m not ashamed to say that I quickly pulled out my phone and took notes.
 
                Allowing students opportunities to share or minister to their peers may not be as flashy or smooth as we might be used to, but one thing I can testify to is that it is extremely effective. Look for ways to get youth to minster in your youth ministry. After all it is called “youth ministry”.

I’d like to hear some ways or suggestions you have in allowing youth to minister to their peers.

               

Summer Time Changes & Events

 Summer time for youth ministry means different things. I know of some youth workers who ramp up their activities and take advantage of the free time students have while others slow things dow allowing students and themselves a well needed rest. Whatever the case, summer time is a change of pace. But, to be honest with you all I am horrible at planning our summer calendar. It always seems to sneak up on me, but one of the positives is that we have set up some summertime traditions. Students look forward to these activities every year and they are the pillars to which we plan other activities for the summer. I know we try to shoot for three big events and then everything else is planned around those. So if you’re as bad a planner as I am, first get some help; then put in place some solid fun activities students will be looking forward to and make them traditions. Here’s some suggestions;

·         I know most everyone does a summer camp but, what else can you do. If possible try to shoot for one big activity a month (June, July August)

·         Depending on where you live some activities can be virtually free. We are in San Diego so loading up the cars and spending a day at the beach with a bon-fire at night is great. All that’s needed is a dedicated volunteer to get there early and save our spot.  What resources can you utilize in your area to make it cost effective? Some things to consider

o    Who has a house with a pool you could use?

o    Guys/Girls night out or sleepovers

o    Backyard camping: Who’s got camping gear you could borrow?

·         Team up with other youth groups. I know this has been said by other youth workers before but it doesn’t hurt to repeat it. Not only is it a great way for your students to fellowship with peers but it can be cost effective for big events. I know of two youth groups who do a theme park trip together. They get the tickets at a great discount and then rent a charter bus to take everyone. On their own they wouldn’t be able to afford it, but combining their groups allows them to. The plus is the leaders don’t have to drive after a long day of walking in the sun and it’s a great selling point for parents as well.

·         Get your church involved. In our area, Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer and Labor Day in the unofficial end of summer. On those days our entire church takes over a park and we spend the whole day cooking out, playing sports and lounging around. Families hang out and it’s just a great time that everyone looks forward to. The plus is there’s virtually no planning on my part except announcing it to our students.

·         Age specific activities. Our group is under a hundred, that’s including middle, high school and college. All of our age groups have good interaction and we normally do our summer activities together, but this year we are tinkering with doing some age specific activities. I’ll keep you posted on the outcome of these.

Here’s are some of the event we’ve done

May
·         Memorial Day Picnic: All-day picnic with the church
June
·         Beach Days: All day at beach w/ bon-fire at night. (optional devotional or service)
July
·         Noodles & Doodles Fundraiser: Our biggest fundraiser event. Students create original artwork based off bible themes and verses. The artwork is then auctioned off at a pasta dinner or lunch. We charge $5-$10 a plate and the auction is either silent or live. This year we’ll be doing a live auction.

·         Fast Food Tuesdays: We meet at a local fast food place for a couple hours and hang out for relational time. Sometimes we’ll change the location weekly or monthly.

August

·         Summer Camp: Combined youth camp with churches from our denomination
·         Magic Mountain Trip: This is our final summer youth event
September
·         Labor Day Picnic: All-day picnic with the church

 

 

KingChavez Campus Club Update.

Update on our campus club at King Chavez Academy of Excellence. We began a second after school club consisting of 2nd -5th graders last week. This was in response to the siblings of our 6-8 grade students waiting in the after school programs until our club finished. In the last two weeks we have had close to 30 2nd-5th graders show up pushing the total of students attending both clubs to around 70!!! All this since we started this past February. God has definitely been with us granting us favor within the school and with students. Its amazing what a group of committed, caring adults can do. It doesn't hurt that we bring pizza too, making for a lot of left over empty pizza boxes.

Please keep us n prayer and if you are interested in starting a campus club or would like more info, hit me up.
-NG

Project 25

Over the last two plus years I have had the privileged to partner with Urban Youth Collaborative (UYC), a ministry committed to connecting churches to every middle and high school in San Diego.  To date over, 50 churches, sponsor and support about 75 lunch time and after school bible clubs. One of the highlights of the year is Project 25. It’s a huge service project based off the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. UYC hands out a hundred dollar bill to 50 clubs. Each club must read the parable and then come up with a way to invest the money into a service project. Students then make and submit a 90 second video documenting their project. On May 24 of this year UYC will host the Project 25 Award Ceremony at the Rock Church. It will be a red carpet affair with; photo ops, celebrities, free food. Awards go to 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd place as well as to the school who’s represented by the most students and the most viewed video.

More than anything, the greatest part of Project 25 is the thousands of students all over San Diego campuses doing things for the kingsdom.

 

If you are in the San Diego area and are interested in campus ministry please conact Urban Youth Collaborative for more info.

Book Review: Firing Jesus by Greg Stier

I just finished the book, Firing Jesus by Grieg Stier. Actually I just finished my second read of the book. Not because I didn’t get it the first time, but because it was so good. It’s a fiction story about a ruse to fire a youth pastor (who is in more ways than one like Jesus). The whole premise is what would actually happen if Jesus was the youth pastor in your church. It’s a short but compelling read and without giving too much of it away here are a few points I drew from it personally.

1.       What is the heart of the youth ministry I am leading?

2.       Is my focus on reaching the lost or attracting the lost?

3.       How is my relationship with the elders/pastor?

4.       Have I fallen into the rut of routine youth ministry?

5.       Is “my” way of doing ministry getting in God’s way?

Greg weaves a story that puts you in the middle of a heated meeting discussing the actions of a youth pastor who rocks the boat without actually breaking the rules, at least God’s rules. After reading it for the second time I made it required reading for my leaders.

Suggestion for Students

The book is a great tool for students too, as it has student reaction (positive/negative) to the youth pastor’s ministry philosophy. I was blessed to actually get 6 copies of the book from Greg Stier and I came up with a two part plan to get our students to read and discuss it with one another.

1.       Pass out the copies to six students and give them one week to read it.

2.       Once done they had to find a student who had not read it and give it to them with the same instructions.

It has become the talk in the ministry and I’ve overheard students share how angry they were becoming with some of the characters.  Other students have shared with me how God has given them a greater burden for reaching the lost and how they are going about it.

Overall it is a book that should be in the hands of every pastor, youth pastor and student. Do whatever you can to get a copy.

It's Worth It!!!

Recently I was doing some research on the relationships between youth and their youth leaders/pastors. After exploring the relationship I had with my previous youth pastors I decided to send out a little questionnaire to some current and former students. The responses I got back gave me a wider perspective on the impact I have and am having. Here are a few interesting observations

·         My oldest students were the first ones to respond. (from 15 years ago) This could be associated with their maturity or the fact that they are removed from the ministry and feel more comfortable sharing than those currently attending

·         Students were deeply impact by the examples of the adults. Both negatively and positively, students identified specific examples and experiences adults (non-youth workers) had on their Christian faith and their decision to continue it.

·         They didn’t mind I wasn’t perfect. They were very forgiving and it appears my being consistent proved more important than perfection.

·         Their biggest desire was relationship.

o   From leaders: This is an area I wish I could say was my positive, but it’s not. Even though I understand it’s impossible to spend significant time with every student, it was something they desired more of. Many of these were from students who were attending before I figured out I needed to develop leaders.

o   From peers: There was a consistent mention of how spending time with other students encouraged them to continue their walk with Christ.

 This small survey of current and former students gave me a glimpse into the impact I was having. After 15 years in ministry you can begin to wonder if it’s all worth it. I can tell you that it very much is. We are having an impact in areas we don’t even notice. As one example a student mentioned in an interaction I had with him that I didn’t remember. He said during one service he was being obnoxious and goofing around. He said I looked at him a few times but continued teaching. After the service he said he felt so bad because he was expecting that at any moment I was going to ask him to leave but I never did. He said he went home and prayed and asked God to forgive him and that night left an impression of the grace I had towards him.

In response to some of these questions I have begun to focus more on how I interact with students and I’ve also taken the opportunity to catch up with some former students. Win-win!!!

I'm Back!!!

Been away for a while due to school and work but I'm back and I've got a bunch of post ready for you. So if you haven't stopped following me, thank you. And if you have, well I hope you come back.
-NG