Archives For service programing

Insta-Life Series

December 26, 2012 — 1 Comment

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This had to be one of my favorites series that we have come up with so far. Because Instagram is such a huge thing for students, we thought this would be the perfect way to use whats hot in the app store and bring it to life as talk about how God is working in our lives. Below are parts we used to speak to our students during the series: teaching illustrations, games, and what we wanted students to get our of the weekend services. Hope this is of some help!

Series Arc:

InstaLife: Jealousy – Wanting Someone Else’s Username:Being jealous shows that we are not satisfied with what God has given us, that what we have is not enough. The Bible tells us that we need to be content with what we have because God would never forsake us and leave us with nothing. In order to go head to head with jealousy we need to become more like Jesus and less like ourselves. We need to stop wanting and ogling what everyone else posts through Instagram.

InstaLife: Being Fake – Look Behind the Filter:We post pictures online for everyone to see. We will post pictures on this app to allow other people to get a little glimpse into our lives. Many post pictures of the life they wish they had or pictures from only the good parts, giving the false perception to everyone who sees it thinking that you are just fine and dandy when in reality you are truly hurting. It is time to stop pretending that everything is okay and come to Jesus get out from behind the filter.

Games: The game is simple – someone turns over control of their Instagram account to the host of the show, who is then given permission to do whatever they want in exchange for prizes. In this case we used the Wheel of Destiny to let it randomly choose what would happen. Some of the options included:

  • deleting 10 random friends
  • trolling someone’s profile (aka liking all of one person’s pictures)
  • posting a picture of another girl in the room and tagging it #newgirlfriend
  • $5 to Starbucks
  • become Instafamous – everyone in the room takes out their phone to follow them
  • Week-long hack – the phone stays logged in and randomly in the week we hack them again
  • … and many more!

We had previously hooked up an iPhone to our main screen using an Apple TV so the whole experience was sick and flawless technically, too. Oh and also painful … and hilarious. The students who played along were good sports and hosts were loving but ruthless. Another epic game we’ll for sure use in the future, too!

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Sermon Illustration:

20121217-105343During the message our team made a real life Instagram picture on stage in front of the students eyes (picture above) and talked about how we try to make the perfect picture to portray to everyone else when sometimes our real lives are not doing too hot. We explained how God can see through the “filters” we put up and just wants us as we are, right now, with no filter. How he wants authentic and real, not posed and faked. So the above picture we brought in items one by one to make “the ultimate picture”. Then explained how that was not our real selves and God wants us #nofilter, just as we are.

It was powerful, and you can see it in the eyes of the students as they were convicted because they know they do this every time they post a picture online.

You can download the series notes for cheap HERE.

*The game description was taken from morethandodeball.com because he had already explained the game perfectly.

In creativity, high school ministry, Ministry Idea, service programing, student ministry, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , , , , ,
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3 Reasons Why You Should Get Away

December 19, 2012 — 2 Comments

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So I just went to Hawaii on my honeymoon. Let’s just say it was incredible and I do not want to make you jealous, but 10 days in Kauai and Maui is the way to go. What I do hope what happens is that you get the itch to get away for a bit. Since I got to Saddleback, I have had time off, but this was my first “real long” time off that I have had and it was incredible. I literally turned off my phone (when was the last time you have done that for an extended period of time?), had no agenda, read a ton, got away and didn’t think about work.

Here is what I learned about my time away and why it was so important for me:

You get to refuel: I have never felt more energized as I do right now. Spending time, uninterrupted with my wife is such a blessing. I turned off my email. I didn’t go on Facebook, I only used my phone as a map. I got to sit, relax, and read a ton of books. I got to have some great fun, some things that I love to do….like eat, hike, and go on some adventures (kayaking, zip-lining, etc.) It’s amazing how much your realize how draining having constant emails, texts, voice mails, and meetings can be and to be able to turn it completely off is amazing. If you have trouble doing this while you are not in your office, you might need to have a vacation more than ever then because that is a problem. Get away, refuel.

You have to plan ahead: I was going to be gone for 12 days so that means I needed to make sure all of my duties were going to be taken care of. It caused me to look ahead 2 weeks and get my mind around what is going to need to happen while I’m gone. To be very clear in my direction and vision for the weekends so when we had our meeting the week before I left, I came in with guns blazing with ideas and our weekend team drew out the weekends on the whiteboards in detail. This got us 2 weeks ahead, which we have not been, and it allows us room to work from this point on. Hopefully we can keep up this momentum. It set us up to stay ahead in our weekend planning of services.

It allows others to step up: It is my responsibility that our weekends, all of the moving parts, come together to make one awesome service. Since I was going to be gone, it allowed other members of the weekend team to step up and take charge and lead these weekends. And honestly, they killed it. I came back just for the last weekend in our series and was blown away by what our team did. It was way better than what we originally planned in the first place and the series was probably one of my favorites and best ones we have done yet… and I wasn’t even there to over see it! The team stepped up in huge ways and now it has revealed to me what our team can do and I am excited to see what can come out of this for the future. Sometimes you have to get away and get out-of-the-way to allow the people around you to step up and dominate and see what they can do.

So… get away. For you, for your team, for your ministry. It’s healthy on all accounts!

In God, high school ministry, Leadership, Ministry Idea, service programing, student ministry, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , , , , ,
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Ministry Idea: Photo Wall

December 18, 2012 — 2 Comments

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This is our photo wall as you walk towards our high school meeting room. It is literally full of pictures of our students from every event that we do and also from some of our services. We try to make sure we have a camera everywhere we go so we can continually update this wall. It’s pretty easy to make as well. We had a wall with nothing on it, that looked boring and we developed a whole bunch of pictures, got an easy stick spray from Micheal’s Arts & Crafts and started to post them. Here is why I like it:

It’s easy:  If you have a space in which you can do this, take advantage. We had a wall, we had tons of pictures, and it relatively cheap.

Students love it: They really do. I can’t tell you a time where I do not look over at it before or after service in which a student is looking at all of the pictures. It’s like a real life Instagram wall that gets updated with new pictures every time we do something. They are always trying to find the new ones that we put up.

New people get a glimpse of your ministry: Seeing a bunch of pictures can tell the story of your ministry before you even meet a new person. A new student can take one look at the photo wall and tell them what you do as a ministry for fun, in serving, what services look like, what events you do. They might even tell if they will like it or not, who knows. But its the first glimpse into your ministry, it could be your biggest advertisement.

It seems to work for us, maybe could be a good idea for you? Try it out and let me know.

In creativity, high school ministry, Leadership, service programing, student ministry, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , , ,
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Winter Retreat Re-cap

December 12, 2012 — Leave a comment

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A few weekends ago we had our High School Ministry Winter Retreat. We went up to Mile High Pines somewhere in the San Bernardino Mountains and spent 3 days up there with 210 of our high school students and it was a great way to get away from the business of a normal schedule and spend time with friends and leaders in a small cabin.

Here are some of my favorite moments and notes from the weekend:

  • Winter camp has a special place in my heart and this was my first one being on the planning team for HSM at Saddleback.
  • We made it so you had to be in a Life Group to register. This is different from out summer camp or weekend services, it is a discipleship retreat.
  • Students who were not in a small group still got to register with the condition that they were placed in a small group and would now be apart of that small group after the weekend.
  • We brought in a guest speaker, Ron Merrell, who did an incredible job speaking and teaching our students. He had such a read on them that he changed his last two messages because the Holy Spirit prompted him to and he was right i a huge way.
  • We had Friday night, Saturday morning and night, and Sunday morning sessions. 4 messages in 48 hours, all-powerful and challenging.
  • We had some student leaders lead workshops. We had 5 workshops taught by the seniors in student leadership and students got to pick 2 of them to go to. They killed it! It was awesome to see the students step up and teach and respond to them.
  • We had an amazing worship leader. He knew how to lead our students into worship with a dinky sound system, but students sang SO loud.
  • We stripped down worship. It was just the guy and a guitar. We did this intentionally because our students have a full band every weekend. there is something about the simplicity that students just respond to in a tremendous way with a guy who knows how to lead.
  • It was amazing to walk around the camp and see all our leaders in one-on-one conversations all over the place. So many great conversations happening and God moving in their lives in a huge way.
  • Saturday night was my favorite night, hands down. We had an amazing message, incredible worship, and we invited students to take communion and had all our leaders up front for prayer. And how the students responded.
  • Sunday morning we had the students write letters to themselves a year from now with their spiritual goals. We had them seal it, address home, and we are going to send it to them a year from now as a reminder. (I’ll be posting on this in more detail later.)
  • It was just amazing to see all of the laughter and fun all students were having. They are hilarious and it was just amazing to spend time with students who I don’t get to hang out with on a regular basis.

It was a success and I already can’t wait until next year.

In creativity, God, high school ministry, Leadership, organization, service programing, student ministry, Uncategorized, worship, Youth Ministry , , ,
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HSM Freshman Rap Music Video

November 30, 2012 — Leave a comment

 

A few weeks ago we had a huge competition between the classes of HSM. Whomever brought the most canned foods to services over 3 weeks would get to write and record an anthem for their grade and then shoot a video for it.

Our freshmen class won and this is their video! Enjoy!

In funny, high school ministry, Leadership, organization, service programing, student ministry, video, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , ,
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Philosophy on Entertainment vs Teaching

November 29, 2012 — 6 Comments

I got the following question in an email the other day and I thought I would turn my response into a post. Thought it was a great question.

What is your philosophy on the question entertainment vs teaching? How could you combine those two things?

As the weekend coordinator, I love to make sure everything flows together nicely, but I love to make sure our students are not sitting there bored out fo their minds while they are learning about who Jesus is. I completely agree with you in the fact that our churches are competing against the world for attention and creativity. So truly believe that our churches should be more creative than Disney or Apple or Pixar, and use our gifts that God has given us to glorify Him through our services for our students. I believe we are creative because our God is the most Creative. With that said, there is a fine line between completely leaning on the idea of entertainment and teaching.

When I look at programming our services with our team, we make sure that everything we do is intentional. What I mean by that is that we do not do anything just to do it or because we can because it would be fun or funny or entertaining. We look at our overall message of the weekend, whomever is teaching and look at their points that they are trying to let our students leave with and we will program around that first. It can be really easy to come up with a fun video or game and then have the message go around it, but we really try hard and are intentional to make sure whatever we do in services point to whatever the message we are trying to have our students walk out with. So as long as a game or a video has something to do with that direction of the message, we will go ahead and plan it out and have it in our service, and we want to do it well so that it will be engaging to our students. We want to be intentional for the reasons we do add something into services to help point them to the message, even if it just loosely connects to it.

We love to have fun and our team is super creative, so we put out some pretty fun and entertaining things during our services. We just make sure that entertainment is not the end all in why we do what we do. Like I said above, we want to expose students to the Gospel, and playing games or having funny videos can be a great way to soften a students heart for church if they can have fun while learning about Jesus.

Here are some links to videos of some of the fun, creative, entertaining things we have done in our services to point students to points in our messages:

Hopefully these sort of give you an idea of how we incorporate entertainment and teaching within our services. We like to have fun. We think church should not be boring because Jesus was not boring. We love coming up with creative things and even have creative team meetings that involved our staff, volunteers and students who help come up with creative ideas for services. You can check out those meetings here:

In Communication, God, high school ministry, Leadership, organization, service programing, student ministry , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Group Atmosphere Makes A Huge Difference

November 27, 2012 — Leave a comment

The other day the HSM staff had a spiritual retreat day. This is a day in which our entire staff does not go into the office but instead we spend the entire day on our own reading and studying the Bible or any other books we want to which help us grow spiritually. There is no real structure, but our only restrictions are we take it seriously and we refrain rom social media and distractions as much as possible (which if you don’t do this regularly, you and your team should, its awesome). It is a great day to get away from the ministry norm and focus on you and God for an entire day with no distractions.

I started off my day in a Seattle’s Best Coffee place, which is weird for me because I’m a Starbuck’s junky, but I wanted to go to a place which was different to study and get out of my routine. I sat down, and I just was not feeling it. There was just something about the place that didn’t seem “right”. After some thinking, I realized it was the atmosphere. Nothing about it said, “This is a place to come hang and do work.” It was uncomfortable really. I realized I didn’t only like Starbucks for its coffee but I also loved it for the atmosphere they provide in the store to make you feel like you are supposed to be there and hang out for a while. So I left and went to a Starbucks to resume my day of Spiritual Retreat.

As I was driving to the Starbucks in which I usually post up at, the thought hit me, “Atmosphere makes a huge difference. In coffee places and in student ministries.” There is a reason why student flock to the Starbucks around their schools, because they feel like they are supposed to be there because the atmosphere tells them so. Same goes with our groups, the moment a new student walks through the door they will note the atmosphere around them and within seconds determine if they are “supposed” to be there or not. If Starbucks is intentional about creating an atmosphere then why shouldn’t we be doing the same thing? We are offering something way more important than coffee so we need to have the most inviting atmosphere which blows any organization out of the water.

When it comes to the weekends for HSM, our room is not the most inviting room to walk into as a newbie. It’s big, it’s crowded, and it’s designed to fit a ton of people in a small space. Outside is a narrow hallway which funnels right into the HSM Theater, again scary for a new person. But its how we make it look and feel out there, little subtle signs of invitation which makes you feel like it’s a place to hang out and feel welcomed. We have couches, coffee, chairs, music, leaders out talking to students, students welcoming students as they walk in, I myself stand right in the entry way to say hi or high five every student who walks in the doors. I can say our team tries our best to be intentional with atmosphere and making it feel welcome.

If someone does not FEEL the welcome the chances of them coming back is slim. Atmosphere makes a HUGE difference.

Some questions and suggestions when it comes to atmosphere at your group:

  • Go into a Starbucks (or some other place that makes you feel like you want to hang out there) and take note. The furniture is set up in a specific way for a reason. Take note.
  • Are you as intentional with your atmosphere as businesses are?
  • What music are you playing? Are you playing your favorite music, or your student’s favorite music? Music makes the MOOD.
  • Have you ever really looked at your meeting place as an “inviting” environment? Maybe you need to have a friend or even ask a new student how you can better the atmosphere as a first timer.

These are just some thoughts I am wrestling with and thinking through as well. Feel free to add anything or any other questions you might have so we al can figure this out together.

 

*There are some atmosphere related posts on new students, welcoming, greeting, etc. below:

2 Minute Greeting, How to Make a New or Outcast Student Feel Welcomed

In God, high school ministry, Leadership, Ministry Idea, organization, service programing, student ministry, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , ,
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Guest Post: Three Vital Steps for Ministry Communication

November 14, 2012 — 2 Comments

We are forgetful people.  We always have been, ever since the Israelites left Egypt and continually fell into enemy hands because they had forgotten what God did for them, and we probably always will be, because with information swirling all around us in the form of the Internet, television, smart phones, etc., there’s no way we can remember it all.

That’s why in ministry, whether you are promoting the next youth ministry event or encouraging parents during the difficult task of raising teens, there are three things to remember in order for your message to be communicated effectively.

1.  Electronic communication is crucial.  For starters, it’s easy.  Well, at least it’s easy for those of us who grew up in the age of computers.  Sending an email reminder, setting up an e-newsletter, updating a website, and texting brief info are all simple and usually quick.  Not only does electronic communication save money on postage, it’s often FREE!  Set up a (free!) Facebook page for your ministry and update it daily, create a Mailchimp account to send (free!) e-newsletters and email blasts, create a (free!) stylish website with Weebly or one of many other easy to use website hosts, and start a web-based database using Simply Youth Ministry Tools (for free!).

Electronic communication gets your message to the people where they need it, on their phone, iPad, computer, etc., so they can save it how they want it and find it when they need it.  This is the way people’s minds are moving: don’t know the answer to something?  Google it!  It’s is all about making it easy for those you are communicating to, so do what you can to make sure you and your ministry are heard. 

2.  While communicating through new media is vital to any ministry, written communication is still not outdated.  Many have switched over to electronic-only communication, such as emailing newsletters, texting event details, and updating the website.  And as much as I would like to move to all web and email based communication, there are still people left in the “dark ages” of communication.  While not completely free, you can send home flyers or mail postcards with valuable information to parents and students.  Submit something to be printed in the church bulletin or pass out a half-sheet of information as people leave the service.

This is an important step for the dwindling population who prefer something to hold, put on the fridge, or file away for a later date, as it gives them something to refer back to in their preferred style.  By doing this, you’re making sure not to leave the paper-loving generation in the dark when it comes to information.  You are acknowledging where they are and walking alongside them, hoping to eventually show them the light of electronic communication.

3.  The one mode of communication that will probably never fall into a “dark age” is personal, face to face communication.  When getting a message across, face to face communication matters most, and it probably always will.  Catch a parent before they leave the building to check in, say hi, and ask them whether or not their teens will be attending the next big event.  Look for students while on their school campuses, meet their friends, and make connections.  Ask a parent face to face if they are finding the information in your e-newsletter helpful and get input to make you electronic communication even better.

Personal, face to face communication communicates value for the individual you are talking to and for the ministry.  You’ve taken time out of your day to connect with them and to better involve them in the process of seeing teens connect with God.  This speaks wonders to a parent worried about their children.

4.  And here’s a bonus forth tip for communicating a message in ministry…

DO ALL THREE!  Like a pine needle is made up of three separate needles, we need three forms of communication to have effective communication.  Don’t send an email and assume it didn’t get filtered to spam or deleted by accident.  Don’t just put an announcement in the bulletin and assume that everyone will be diligent about reading every word. Don’t tell someone about an event and not give them the resources to find the information later after they’ve forgotten what you said.  Communicate, communicate, communicate.  And if you think there’s a chance your message hasn’t gotten through, communicate again.  We’re called to make disciples of Christ, and effective communication to both students and parents is a vital organizational step so we can be freed up to see lives changed.

*Tim received his Bachelor of Arts in Youth Ministries and Master of Divinity from Azusa Pacific University.  Having never lived outside of California, Tim and his wife, Emily, have recently moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where Tim serves as the Pastor Pastor of Student Ministries at Coeur d’Alene Bible Church. You can follow Tim on Twitter @tgardner7

In Communication, Free Stuff, God, Guest Post, high school ministry, Leadership, organization, personal growth, service programing, student ministry, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , ,
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Stuff Jesus Didn’t Say Video Messages

October 24, 2012 — Leave a comment

 

This last weekend we used these two videos to teach part of the message in HSM. It is the first time we tried to integrate videos in the teaching, but I thought it went really well. Students seemed to love it and remember it.

In creativity, God, high school ministry, Ministry Idea, service programing, student ministry, video , , , , ,
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HSM Weekend Videos

October 21, 2012 — Leave a comment

Some awesome videos we are playing this weekend. Pretty epic promos to get our students excited for HSM’s Halloween Party. Also, continuing our high school sports recaps, where we cover our local schools sports in one minute.

Videos are huge in our services. It adds a great dynamic to the service and with this generation that we preach too, nothing gets student’s attention like video. There is something about it that just makes them quiet and so focused.

Pumpkinfest Promo!

Sports Minute Vol. 4

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