Archives For Jesus

Church Isn’t For Church Kids

January 1, 2013 — 14 Comments

Crazy right? Now let me explain.

In all of my ministry experience (4 years as a volunteer, 3 as full time minister), serving in four different churches, I have only have been under the leadership or have lead with the mindset of passion for reaching the non-believer. Of course there is discipleship, but the main purpose of the ministry to students is students bring their friend who don’t know Jesus to church so they get a chance to know Him. This is still a huge passion of mine. I understand there are a ton of different philosophies of ministry and strategies to reaching students who do not know Jesus, and I only can speak in which the context I have served and am currently serving. I have always had the mind-set that our main services for students is to reach the non-believer, not the already saved and converted.

Now, in the context of ministry our team works in, on the basis of our church DNA and pastor’s heart, our church was founded by the concept of: “This church is going to be a church for the people who don’t like church”. Everything we do on the weekend services is not for the Christian, but for the non-believer. Same with our student ministry. Our whole weekend experience is to EXPOSE students to the Gospel of Jesus, through many different outlets. The church is competing with the world for attention, and the world is good at it. I believe our ministry needs to be more creative, intentional, and good at executing the message of Jesus through great music, videos, sermon illustrations for new students who have never been to church before. Something that will get them thinking, “This is church? Not what I was expecting. I’ll come back to this to hear about this Jesus guy.”

It’s easy to think that when we loose our identity in way we do our weekend services that what we are doing is not helping students grow. It’s not for the church kids, it’s for the ones who are new and do not usually go to church. Now listen, we preach the message to students, every single service, and our team has had to deal with apathetic students who say, “Well I just don’t get anything out of it anymore.” Usually my first questions back are, “Are you in a small group? Are you in scripture everyday? Are you serving somewhere? No wonder. The services are not for you” (I say this in a loving way of course).

Small groups are the back bone to our ministry. Our goal is to get all students in a life group because that is where I believe life change happens. We have more students in small groups than who attend our weekends (glory be to God because that is Him working amazingly through our small group leaders who minister to our students). Services are the means in which we get them to a small group to grow deeper in Christ, and our small group team and volunteer leaders do an amazing job at getting kids in groups to minister to them in ways that they need.

I understand that there are so many different ways in which we do ministry. I understand that their are some groups that go verse by verse through the Bible, which the last church I was serving at did, and it’s great. But you have to look at the type of people coming into your ministry and make the decision from there. Context changes at every group you go to. Our services are not geared for the devoted believer, small groups are for this, our services are geared for the non-believer to create an understandable message for them to know Jesus and then surround that message with fun and creative ways to help them understand it better.

What is your ministry philosophy on that? Do you plan this as well? How does it look different? 

In Devotional, high school ministry, Leadership, organization, Small Groups, student ministry, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , , ,
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When Students Are Being Butt-Heads

November 20, 2012 — Leave a comment

You think it sometimes, I just said it.

I do not really know how else to say it, but sometimes the only way to describe how we feel about some students: “You’re being a butt-head”. We love them to death. We pour our lives out to them and for them. We want nothing more to see them grow in their faith and walk closer with Jesus but their choices and attitude show otherwise. It can be tough because you know they have the capability to do amazing things but for some reason, they are doing dumb things, and as youth workers it breaks our hearts.

I just talked with a mom this week who’s son I am really close to and she was venting to me about how she wants her son to love Jesus so much and that he was doing so good in his walk with Jesus and then in one weekend everything changed and he made some pretty bold, not so smart moves and is slowly going down hill. She asked me if I can non chalantly spark up conversation with him and see what is going on in his life, which for me (I thought) would be no problem because we have done this numerous times while hanging out getting coffee or food. We have had a great, open, talks about anything and everything relationship. So I called him to see if he wanted to hang out and instead of jumping at the chance (like he normally does) he was short and rude with me and brushed me off. I tried to hang out with him a few more time and again, brushed off and more bad decisions.

So what do you do? What can you do? What do you do when your heart breaks for a student who has so much potential and they are not going that way at all? How can you minister to them even if they are pushing you away?

  • Dont stop trying- We might seem annoying, but it’s important for them to know you have not forgotten about them. If they don’t show up for a while or are out of communication, a simple text, voicemail, or note will let them know you are still there for them and they will know this. We never want the reason for them not coming back is because they felt we as their leader forgot about them when they were far away.
  • Dont stop praying- This sounds simple but it can get lost in the everyday business or ministry. Even just letting them know you are praying for them, and then actually pray for them will go further than you can ever imagine. Maybe God will work on their heart and prompt them to talk to you.
  • Talk to their friends- If they wont talk to you, they talk to friends. For the student above, I went to one of his best friends in our group and asked him to minister to him because he would not meet with me, and it seems to be working. (I only did this because I knew this student was mature enough to do this. Make sure that student wont do more damage than not).
  • Wait for them to come back- You can’t do much to help someone who does not want to be helped. So we wait. Like the prodigal son, we wait until they return and when they do, no matter how far they stepped away and what they did, you welcome them back with open arms and love on them. Hopefully they do come back, if not, repeat steps 1-3.

What are some other ways in which you communicate to students who all of the sudden want nothing to do with you or our group?

In Communication, God, high school ministry, Leadership, Relational, Small Groups, student ministry, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Confrontation With Students: Calling Them Out In Love

October 16, 2012 — 5 Comments

As much fun as ministry is and can be there always is a time in which you need to confront a student with life choices they are making or they are being disruptive in service. Let’s be honest, no one loves confrontation. It can be very hard at times. Even though it’s tough it is important in ministry to handle conflict with students well. A confrontation handled well can help launch them into the next level of personal growth in life and with Jesus. A confrontation handled badly can cause way more damage to the situation than their was before you entered into the situation. Hence, the importance of handling conflict well.

I have had quite a few times where I have needed to confront and I thought I would write down some practical tips in doing so, and doing so well that is beneficial to both parties:

  • Pray before- Seems obvious but if I do forget to one thing the most, it’s this one. It’s so easily overlooked but it really is the most important. There is nothing better than going into what can be a very difficult conversation than going in knowing that you went before the King and gave Him the situation before you even began with the student. I pray that He gives me the correct words to say in ministering to the student and discernment when counseling them.
  • Be up front- There is no use to dancing around the situation. I would always try to “warm them up” before actually getting to the meat. As soon as they sit down, I lovingly let them know that I want to talk about something that can be hard to hear but it important because I love and care for them, then I go into it.
  • Be on their side- Confrontation is exactly that when two people are going head to head. If you can’t confront someone with love and with a positive end in mind for them (redemption, restoration, growth), you shouldn’t be confronting them in the first place.  Remind them of this as well—that you’re on their side—and that you want to see this issue resolved in a way that everyone learns and grows through it.
  • Go in private-  Go in private according to Matthew 18:15. A one-on-one conversation. If you cannot overlook the issue then attempt to resolve the conflict or misunderstanding by applying God’s principle of going one on one whenever possible. There is no benefit in calling them out in front of their friends after service or small group about something they have been doing (Finish reading Matthew 18 if one-on-one doesn’t get through).
  • When it gets heated, slow down -When things get heated it can be really easy  to get revved up with them. The other week a had a student sit all the way in the back of the room when their was plenty of seats closer. We had the entire back blocked off and I went over and kindly asked him if he would be willing to move up to join us. With a rude response back that took me off-guard I asked him again to come up just to the last row of the blocked off area at least. More disrespect back, yelling back at me at this point about how he did not want to be there and didn’t know anyone and to leave him alone. I didn’t. Instead, I took a breath, sat down next to him, eye level, calmly said, “Have you ever thought the reason why you don’t know anyone is because you sit all the way back here? If you want to know people, I know almost everyone here, I will literally walk around and introduce you to everyone we come in contact with. Then you will be the most popular guy here. Even more popular than me. I’m not trying to be “that guy” to make you do something but I’m just asking you to move up a few rows so you’re not the only one back here.” With a different attitude, he said, “My name is Even” shook my hand and moved up. And after service we went around meeting people. It was awesome.
  • Point Them To Jesus- Overall, you are to point them to Jesus. As ministers that is what we are supposed to do. We need to use these times of confrontation as teaching and learning for our students and for us as pastors as well. If we can leave the conversation with the students leaning on Jesus more, than it is a success.

What else would you put? Add to the list?

In Devotional, God, high school ministry, Leadership, Ministry Idea, personal growth, Relational, student ministry, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Books I Am Currently Reading and Learning From

October 2, 2012 — 5 Comments

It is funny. In high school I don’t think I read a single book all the way through. For all my book reports, I would literally make it up as I went and I would get passing grades. Not saying that is okay, I’m just stating what happened. Regardless, I love reading now. I’m what some might call an “Amazon junky”. I can’t stop.  I thought it would be fun just to post the books I’m currently in the middle of right now.

I read a chapter a day in each of them. I don’t know if that is the best way for me to retain information, but it seems to be working for me. Here they are in no particular order:

  • The Next Generation Leader: 5 Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future- The Next Generation Leader has been challenging young Christians eager to learn, grow, and lead in ministry or in the marketplace since its original release in 2003. Now with an all-new look, this repackaged version continues to advance the mission of the first release. Mentoring young leaders as they face the unique issues of a changing world has been pastor and bestselling author Andy Stanley’s passion for more than a decade. Here he shares material from his leadership training sessions, developed to address essential leadership qualities such as character, clarity, courage, and competency. This is the perfect guide for any new leader—or for the mentor of a future leader!
  • Unleash!: Breaking Free from Normalcy-Why is it that we trust Jesus with our salvation but never fully trust him with our lives? God longs to unleash his full measure of power in our lives to fill us with passion and purpose. But too often the things of our past—fear, anger, bitterness, worry and doubt—hold us back. Rather than focusing on the reality of who Christ is and what he has done for us, we allow ourselves to be identified by all the things we aren’t. But we are not who our past says we are, and we are not who the enemy says we are. We are who God and his Word say that we are. Pastor Perry Noble challenges all followers of Christ to make a bold move by fully embracing the exciting adventure God has called us to. Are you ready to unleash all the life he has created you to live? Join Perry on this journey as he digs into the major barriers holding people back and shows how Jesus calls and equips his followers to experience a life most of us never dreamed possible.

  • The Power fo a Praying Husband-  Designed to accompany the powerful bestseller, The Power of a Praying Husband, this study guide helps men in their quest to pray more effectively for their wives. Through a variety of suggestions, examples, and thought-provoking questions, men will develop prayers that fit the circumstances of their marriage. Each week they will embrace the power to heal relationships, grow in faith, and accept the blessings of a life and marriage given over to God’s hands.

(I’m technically not a husband yet, but I will be in a month so I wanted to get ahead of the game.)

  • Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs- The best leaders not only lead well but also reflect on their leadership long enough and thoughtfully enough to articulate the philosophies that cause them to do so. Whether serving in the marketplace or in ministry, as executives or rank-and-file employees, as salaried staff or volunteer servants, good leaders can pinpoint the rationale for their actions and decisions with the ease of reciting their home address. In Axiom, author Bill Hybels divulges the God-given convictions that have dictated his leadership strategy for more than three decades as senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. Oriented toward four key leadership categories … 1. Vision and strategy (‘Promote Shameless Profitability,’ ‘Take a Flyer’) 2. Teamwork and communication (‘Obi-Wan Kenobi Isn’t for Hire,’ ‘Disagree without Drawing Blood’) 3. Activity and assessment (‘Develop a Mole System,’ ‘Sweat the Small Stuff’) 4. Personal integrity (‘Admit Mistakes, and Your Stock Goes Up,’ ‘Fight for Your Family’) … Axiom brokers accessible wisdom from one leader’s journey, as well as emboldens you to nail down the reasons why you lead like you lead.

What are some of the books you are reading and learning from? Which ones do I need to add to my reading list?

In Book Review, Free Stuff, Leadership, personal growth, student ministry, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Guest Post: When A Bad Day Strikes

September 27, 2012 — Leave a comment

Not every day is an easy day in student ministries.  Anyone the is even two months in on a good internship can tell you that.  Well, today was a day and a half for me.  While I won’t go into why, I will go into what I learned from this difficult day.  Anyone can choose to do a tough day alone, with Jesus, or with their spouse.  Occasionally, going it alone will be okay, other times, one may suffer for choosing to go solo.  Moreover, moving through a difficult day with a team can also be varied in a few key ways.  Recently, the team that I am a part of, has been faced with a couple of rocky days- emergencies with students, families, and each other; all things that are normal in any church environment.

However, today was different in that the whole team was in the office, and we all dealt with the emotion of the situation at the same time.  For us, timing was key.

I learned a few things today:

  1. It’s good to have a team that has your back.  Maybe your team is made up of staff in your department, or maybe it’s your church staff working as a team, or maybe your team is made up of elders and veteran volunteers.  Any of those options can make a great team.  If you don’t have a team, find one!  If you feel there is a rift in your team right now, be part of the solution to fix it!
  2. Moments of honesty are healthy.  You need to have moments where you can speak freely with your team.  Be wise and don’t let this become gossip, because we all know that it can.  However, as a team, with trust and confidentiality, you should be able to be honest.  Speak your mind, vent if you have to.  If you don’t have some one to vent to, find someone pronto!
  3. It’s good not be a workaholic.  While I am sure that the idea of being a workaholic is a blog post all in itself, being part of team and having people in your life that don’t let you become a “non-stop worker” is a good thing.  It means they care for you and don’t want to see you burn out.  Listen to them, and be willing to speak it back to them if need be.
  4. It’s good to laugh together.  After our tough day, I sent a funny video around to everyone in hopes that they would laugh.  The winning idea is that there will be more bad days, not just one, not just ten, but MANY.  So if you take every shot personally, if you let it be the issue on every team members mind, your doing a disservice to the team.  Have fun- you know fun right!  We all need to have that now and then, especially after a bad day.
  5. It’s necessary to take time to process.  Whether the struggles are related to volunteer leaders, students, or parents, make sure that you know the process or chain-of-command, to make sure that you not making it up as you go along.  When tough things happen, it is easy to be flustered and shocked, especially if it really is unexpected.  I know that every situation is different, but guess what, if you have some idea of what to do in a given situation, you at least have a starting point or a lead staffer that can delegate what needs to be done.

What do you think? What am I leaving out?  What do you do after a bad day at the office?  Share some tips and tricks for other youth workers like me to use for next time.  Trust me, there will be a next time, the only question is- Will you be prepared?

Justin Herman (@heyjustinherman)  is currently serving as the Director of Ministry for Jr. High at Mariners Church (@marinerschurch) in Irvine, CA.  Mariners is a large multi-campus church serving the people and needs of orange county.  Their vision is, “transforming ordinary people, into passionate followers of Jesus, courageously changing the world.” He has been in youth ministry for eight years in various roles from intern to full time.  His passion is students.  You can connect with Justin on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/HeyJustinHerman) or on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/heyjustinherman) or follow his blog (http://heyjustinherman.com<http://heyjustinherman.com/>)

In Devotional, God, Guest Post, high school ministry, Leadership, personal growth, service programing, student ministry, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Missing Miracles

September 18, 2012 — Leave a comment

I have been reading through the Gospel of John lately, and in chapter two I found something that I never really noticed before that sort of stopped me in my tracks. John 2:1-7 says,

“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b] 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.”

We all have heard this story before. Jesus turns the water into wine. It is His first miracle that He does in public, but I do not want to focus on that. I want to focus on the servants who filled up the water jugs. Think about it, they were given the “blah” job. These were jars that held around 30 gallons of water EACH! It was heavy times six jars. Not a glorious job by any means but they did not say “This is not our job” or “This is not necessary”, they just simply obeyed and got to be apart of a miracle.

“His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b] 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.”

By simply obeying Jesus by what seemed like a menial task the servants got to be apart of a huge miracle that launched Jesus into ministry and His name was spread. If we do what we feel Jesus is calling us to do, no matter how small and insignificant the task seems, we can have the opportunity to be apart of a miracle in someones life simply because we obeyed.

Doesn’t matter matter what it is, don’t miss out on a potential miracle because you thought yourself too good for a certain task. My prayer is that I always carry out what Jesus calls me to do, no matter the task, so that I may be able to be apart of the miracle to have His name spread like in John 2.

In Devotional, God, Leadership, personal growth, Uncategorized, worship , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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GUEST POST: Expectations for Youth Leaders

September 11, 2012 — 4 Comments

In any position, expectations are important…very important! The person applying for a job needs to know what is expected of him first. If the boss does not lay out the expectations from the get go, he cannot expect for his employee to meet those expectations. Therefore, I blame this on the boss. In student ministry, it is important that you lay out the expectations for the youth leaders ahead of time. When I came to this student ministry, we already have had youth leaders in place, and I have not had to go out recruit much, but when I do, this is important. Lay out clear expectations for your youth leaders. Okay, we got that…now, what are some expectations that I should have for our youth leaders? Here are a few of those for you to start out with:

  1. Maintain a healthy growing time with Jesus- Youth leaders time with God will show in how they approach their ministry! If they have not been growing in the Word, you will see it lived out in youth group, and you cannot have this! Youth leaders must be steadily growing in their relationship with Jesus if they ever want the students to grow.
  2. Be faithful to church/youth group- This is a no brainer in our minds, but let me tell you from experience, the youth leaders need to hear it! It is important and vital that you stress this. We cannot ever expect our students to be faithful to church if we cannot be faithful. Tell your leaders that you expect them to be at church when the doors are open so that is applicable to however your church does its service times.
  3. Attend youth events- Now, there are going to be times when some youth leaders cannot attend certain events throughout the year, but they should be at many throughout the year for sure! This is their responsibility. Attending youth events is one of the best ways to build relationships with the students. They love seeing their leaders at stuff. It is tough, but from experience the leaders with the best relationships with their students are the ones who try to come to every youth event!
  4. Build relationships with their small group students’ parents- This is HUGE. I actually had a breakfast meeting this morning with one of our youth leaders discussing how we can be more involved in the home and the parents lives. I am learning that we are ministering to our parents as much as the students and your youth leaders must understand this from the get go! Therefore, they must try their best to talk with the parents and build a solid relationship with the parents throughout the year.
  5. Participate with enthusiasm- This is important to me. The reason is there is nothing worse than you being excited and no one else is. That is awful for the student pastor. If you have leaders (and you should), this should never happen! Meaning as long as leaders are there, there should never be a dull moment in youth group. If there are, it is the leaders responsibility to kick up the enthusiasm and energy. Expect this from your youth leaders.
  6. Follow Rules & boundaries of church- Every church and youth group have certain boundaries. Sometimes they are crazy and far-fetched, but every youth leader must know that they are responsible for teaching the students to follow rules whether or not they agree with them.
  7. Offer suggestions for improvement- I desire this from every youth leader. If you have 5 youth leaders, that is 5 different perspectives that you need to hear! I love hearing feedback from our youth leaders, but you should expect every leader’s feedback, not just the same few every single time.
  8. Attend training and leader’s meetings- This is another big thing that we struggle with. If you have a leader who skips out on all of the meetings that you have, they are not going to be much good. It is your responsibility to find the best time for the most leaders to attend and schedule it. Schedule them far in advance so that the leaders can plan accordingly. After that, it is the youth leader’s responsibility to attend! They must plan around important meetings.
  9. Follow through on responsibilities- If you give them a responsibility, follow through with it! Youth leaders who sit on things for a long while are not going to be good leaders. Find leaders who are eager to get things done for you. Also, if they suggest for you to do something, you must follow the example and the expectation of getting it done in a timely manner as well.
  10. Pray daily for the student ministry- This is another no-brainer, but it sometimes goes unnoticed. We expect so much when it comes to the program, but when it comes to the biggest thing like praying, we do not stress this! Every youth leader should be responsible and held accountable that they are praying daily for the student ministry!

I could go on and on, but these are 10 expectations that you must have! Remember to lay out the expectations early. The student pastor’s who are frustrated with their youth leaders and their performance are normally the ones who have not laid out the expectations that they desire!

*Josh Evans is the student pastor at Union Grove Baptist Church in the Winston Salem, NC area. You can connect further with Josh on this blog or send him a direct email at joshhevans@gmail.com.

In creativity, Guest Post, high school ministry, Leadership, organization, service programing, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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GUEST POST: The Often Forgotten: Volunteers As Free Labor?

August 30, 2012 — Leave a comment

The role of a youth pastor is unfortunately cross-functional and creative.  Read that again.  The responsibilities that are the weekly to-do list are daunting and incredibly unachievable.  No, that’s not pessimism – that’s realism.

Here’s the thing, ministry is not meant to be done on your own.  That’s not profound, that’s simple.

I have been looking for a job as a high school pastor for 4 years now.  I have seen interview after interview, panel after panel.  Though each community is unique, one question remains consistent: “How do you balance your ministry?”

Believe it or not, my answer is not “I just do.”  The key responsibilities of youth pastors are two-fold: Lead students, Train leaders.  This second half is often overlooked.

As I said above, all churches and communities are unique, but this fact remains true no matter how big your youth room is.  You need staff support.  No, I don’t mean free labor to pick up a gallon of milk for your Wednesday night game.  I mean a group of people who are passionate about connecting with students.

I had a professor in college that continually beat into my skull that, “life-change happens in the context of a meaningful relationship.”  This means the gallon challenge won’t officially bring students into a relationship with Jesus Christ.  However, a student and a volunteer talking about the gallon challenge could.

That might seem a little unattainable but it remains true.  Students connect with each other and with Christ through volunteer leaders.  I would strongly argue that the best way to grow your ministry is through training and empowering your volunteers.

I know a lot of youth workers who think they can connect with every student and single-handedly disciple and grow the ministry.  I don’t know about you, but I might label this as a messiah complex.  The ministry of your youth group should involve the extension of your heart for Christ and students through the time and effort of your volunteers.  This is why it is crucial to focus on the development of your leaders as much as you focus on the development of your students.

Take a look at Luke 9:1-2 –

“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”

Huh. If Jesus didn’t do it on his own… you probably shouldn’t do it either.

So this is where the rubber meets the road.  Are you investing in your volunteers or are they free labor?  Is your staff growing or is it tough to get people to show up?  This is why I see the ministry of a youth pastor to be a healthy balance.  Investment in students is most successful when you empower your dedicated leaders to do it as well.

This is not an excuse to run your ministry as the CEO of a fortune 500, but it is permission to share the responsibility.  Ministry is not a one man or woman show.  Developing your relationship with your leaders allows you to see the gifts these volunteers bring to your community of students.

This isn’t a formula – it’s an idea.  There are a lot of ways to make this practical and I encourage you to find what works for your group.  A great place to start is looking at Justin’s blog on the 10-foot rule.

So as you plan your next message or event, grab coffee with a leader and see what happens.

*Timothy Crossland is a youth ministry major from Azusa Pacific University who is now up in Kirkland, WA (looking for a youth ministry position, get him, he’s amazing). He just started a blog at http://timcrossland.tumblr.com/ and you can follow him on twitter at @tbxland
 
In Guest Post, high school ministry, Leadership, Ministry Idea, Relational, service programing, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Summer Camp Highlight Video

August 22, 2012 — Leave a comment

Our summer camp this year was one of the best times I have ever had at any camp. It was my first camp with HSM at Saddleback and we partnered up with CIY (Christ in Youth, check them out HERE). We combined forces to put on this amazing week for both students and leaders and it was amazing to hear the stories of life change.

Here is the high light video from the week.

In creativity, Ministry Idea, student ministry, summer camp, Uncategorized, video, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , , ,
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Called To Join Forces

August 21, 2012 — Leave a comment

I would consider myself a bridge builder. I absolutely love connecting with other people and forming brand new relationships from people I just met. Especially when it comes to other people in ministry. I love to talk and learn from other people because I feel like it can watch and learn from other pastor’s and ministries. I understand that this is some people’s personalities and it is not some people’s natural instincts to go out and talk to people they do not know and start a relationship with a complete stranger. But this is something we all need to learn to do because it is vital to ministry.

To many of us are so stand-offish towards other ministries. They are them, we are us and that is where it is going to stay. But how effective is that really? We may be doing great ministry in our area, but someone else could be doing it “better” and together you would be unstoppable. Imagine the damage to the enemy if pastors from different churches joined forces every once in a while to put on huge outreach or discipleship nights where we raise up the next generation to show them that the ministry that they are involved in is not the only one in the area doing what they are doing!

It might not be everyone’s niche to be bridge builders of other ministries, but it is something that needs to be learned. I believe Jesus did not intend for a ministry to be an “island”, doing it’s own thing and that’s it. In Mark 6, Jesus sends out the disciples two by two, he sent them out together to do ministry in His name.

Mark 6:6-13

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

This is something that a few great friends and pastors are trying to do with this conference for all the local churches in the area. Trying to get as many high school and young adults together from many ministries for one night under one roof to be encouraged and learn about God to ignite their passion for Jesus.

Really think about it. Think about what could happen if churches combined on some events. We need to partner up just like Jesus partnered up the disciples before sending them out. Join us?

What events have you combined with other churches? 

*Click HERE to check out the IGNITE page.

In creativity, God, high school ministry, Ignite, Leadership, personal growth, Relational, student ministry, worship, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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