On Thursday I pulled into a parking lot I’ve been in hundreds of times before and it felt like I was there for the first time. Parkside Collegiate, where I coach football and rugby, is suffering through the tragic loss of one of their own, and I had been invited to join with some of the students as they held a memorial for their friend in the school parking lot.
Read MoreAt church, I’m the youth pastor. I make the decisions, execute plans, and run the program. I’ve got a team of volunteers that help me accomplish all of that. They rely on me to give them direction. At football, I’m one of 8 assistant coaches. I don’t make the decisions, execute the plans, or run the program. I’m a volunteer and I take direction from the head coach. Being in that role has taught me tons about leadership. It’s been an important lesson for me to be on the volunteer side of things to appreciate and understand that perspective. After 9 years of being a volunteer football coach 5 things have stood out to me as essentials that leaders need to give volunteers in order for them to thrive.
Read MoreThe perfect youth ministry program… doesn’t exist.
There is no one size fits all way of doing youth ministry that can be implemented and succeed everywhere. If you look at the program across town or across the country that’s exploding with growth and simply try to take what they’re doing and replicate it, you’re headed for disappointment. Besides, if you and the church down the street are doing the exact same thing, one of you is unnecessary.
Design your program around the leadership you have, the discipleship your students need, the infrastructure you have access to, and the culture you’re trying to create. Working in that order will create a program uniquely suited to your students.
Don’t tell my church treasurer I said this, because I’ll be asking for an increase in my budget this year. But, it’s true. Your youth ministry (or any ministry for that matter) doesn’t need a big budget to be great.
Read MoreI spent the past two weekends at our annual Sno Camp retreats with over 1100 high school students and leaders. I count it a huge privilege to be a part of the team that provides this experience to students. Year after year we see the spirit move powerfully in the lives of students. I used to be surprised by it, but then I came across a theory that captures exactly why retreats are so powerful.
Read MoreA healthy culture is critical to a healthy youth ministry. Yet, it can often be overlooked as a building block to a ministry.
Read MoreDiscipleship is at the very heart of what we do in youth ministry, but too often we try to make our discipleship efforts fit the programming that’s already in place. That’s backwards. Start with how your ministry will reach students for Christ and grow them as His followers and then build a program that meets those needs.
To build a discipleship plan think through how you will meet these 5 needs of your students:
Without good leadership your ministry is doomed to fail. Leadership can seem complicated and daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. There are 3 keys to leadership in youth ministry: Lead Yourself, Build other leaders, and Follow Well.
Read MoreYou’re looking for the wrong qualities in your youth pastor.
I’ve been through the hiring and interview process a few times, have helped churches design job descriptions, and I’ve walked with other youth pastors as they’ve gone through the job hunt. Through all of this a few trends have emerged, but one stands out clearly - churches don’t have a grasp on the type of person their youth pastor needs to be.
Am I preparing my people as well for the journey with Christ as I am preparing my players for a football game?
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