Archives For leadership

4 Important Questions A Small Group Leader Should Ask Themselves

March 14, 2013 — Leave a comment

When a small group leader takes on leading a group they are taking lead of a group of students they have a responsibility to move forward in their journey to spiritual maturity. But, before that can happen, the leader must conclude precisely where the group member is on that journey.

These four questions would be helpful to the leader to be answered concerning each group member. The answers to these questions will determine how the group leader relates to and sometimes converses with each group member.

1. Is he or she a follower of Christ?

If a student in the group has not made that decision to follow Jesus there are a few things the leader can do when they know that student is not yet a believer.

  • Make the most of every opportunity the Holy Spirit creates to voice the gospel to that group member
  • Watch the group member closely during group meetings and capture a transformational moment when it occurs
  • Carefully answer any question the group member has and bathe that answer in the person and story of Jesus.
  • Integrate the Gospel into every group conversation when it is possible and appropriate.

2. Does the student have a past that is holding them back from fully committing?

Sometimes student don’t realize the freedom that they have in Jesus. They think because they did that one thing, there is no way Jesus can use them. Sometimes there is drama or abuse in the family, there is a hole in a friendship, maybe they are stuck in some sexual sin that they think they God can’t possibly understand and help them move past it. Realizing whether or not a group member is in this situation will explain their attitudes and reactions to many conversations and will make it possible for the group leader to point them toward the help they need that can aid them in their movement toward freedom.

3. Is he or she proactively seeking Christ-likeness?

Many of the times student make that decision to follow Jesus but they think that is the end. They made that decision. So now what? As leader we need to help be proactive in their faith, striving them to be more Christ-like. When the leader realizes the sort of spiritual apathy which is present they should motivate the student to be involved in spiritual disciplines, talk about study about God and who He is, and slowly move them toward a walk with Christ that is real, authentic, and transformational.

4. How can I help the student take the next step?

Once a group leader is aware of the answer to the three questions you just read, the group leader must ask herself/himself how they can help the group member to commit to taking whatever the next step is for them. Helping group members commit to next steps is the first step toward transformation that is real and eternal.

Knowing the answer to these questions for you student can help you engage them in conversation to knowing who Jesus is.

In high school ministry, Small Groups, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , ,
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Guest Post: Selecting New Volunteers Pt. 1

October 23, 2012 — Leave a comment

Volunteers are the key to having an effective student ministry. A student ministry will not last long with a single student pastor; it needs a committed group of volunteers as well. Currently I am in search of some new volunteers in our ministry. We have growing small groups, which means we need more volunteer leaders! Many student pastors are in the same boat I am, on the hunt for more volunteers. I want to share a view thoughts on selecting new volunteers that I hope will help you as you look for new people to add to your team

  • Don’t post an ad. The last thing you want to do is post a “volunteers needed” in your churches bulletin or website. If you do this, you will get a ton of responses from people that may not be close to what you are looking for. You’re opening up yourself to too big of an audience. However, if you do open it up so people can “apply” to be volunteers, make sure they know it’s not something you offer to everyone that signs up. For example, we just did a serve push for our whole congregation. We encouraged everyone to find a place to serve in our church and put together a webpage for them to fill out areas they are interested in serving. I had multiple people express interest in working with students, but that doesn’t mean they will get that opportunity. We want to get the right people for the job when we think about volunteers in student ministry.
  • Intentionally search. Instead of posting an ad, I encourage you to intentionally seek out new volunteers within your congregation. Through relationships and community, look for potential volunteers that would be a good fit for your team. As I meet new people in our church I am always thinking in the back of my head if they would be a good fit for our student ministry. It wouldn’t hurt to always have that in the back of your head as well as you meet new people.
  • Be open to recommendations from your current volunteers. Some of the best people to recommend new volunteers are your current volunteers. Many times they will know people that have an interest in serving students in your ministry. Usually they know a current volunteer and have seen what they have been doing which gives them an idea if it is something they would like to do. Encourage your current volunteers to always be on the lookout for new volunteers.

These are just a few random thoughts on selecting new volunteers. Finding the right people for your team is important so take your time and get the right people. Don’t forget who is really in control when it comes to finding new volunteers. God will direct your path and will bring you the right people at the right time. Trust Him and do your best to follow His guidance as you look for new volunteers.

*Austin McCann is the student ministries director at Christ Community Chapel-Stow Campus in Northeast Ohio. He enjoys reading, writing, spending time with his wife, and pointing students towards Jesus. You can check out more of his thoughts at www.austinmccann.com.

In God, Guest Post, high school ministry, Leadership, Ministry Idea, personal growth, Small Groups, 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: 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: Being a Good Pastor is Great But…

September 4, 2012 — Leave a comment

If your life has been anything like mine lately, things have been pretty busy.  The days go by fast, but the To-Do lists seem to grow.  Too often I’ve seen people excel as pastors, but fail miserably at being a husband, parent or friend.  I’m realizing how important it is not to let things and people slip through the cracks.  So for now, this will be a daily checklist I make for myself, and I¹d encourage you to do the same:

  • Thank God for everything you have.  This is one of the more difficult things to make a discipline, but the more we touch base with God, the more he’ll reveal Himself to us.  It’s pretty rad.
  • Tell your wife, husband, fiance, boyfriend or girlfriend how much they mean to you.  Think of something new every day.  Re-live old memories, or just tell them how awesome you think they are.  Remember, you are committed to them, too.  Being in youth ministry, my rule of thumb is to schedule dates and make plans with students and leave the last-minute spontaneous outings for my wife.  It makes her feel special, and there is no better way to show students what a healthy marriage looks like than having fun together.  There’s nothing wrong with telling students that you don’t want to leave your wife hanging. (note: obviously things come up sometimes, but students move on and wives are forever).
  • If you have a kid, NEVER leave without kissing them and telling them how much you love them, even if they¹re too young to understand.  You’ll never get times like that back, and even if you have over 50 kids because you’re in youth ministry, your own kids get priority.
  • Touch base with close family members through email, texts and phone calls.  Try to manage at least one phone call a week, and if you have a spare hour or so, stop by.  It¹ll mean so much to them.
  • Make sure your close friends feel like close friends.  We should never be too busy for each other.  Family is important, but friends fill voids even family cannot.

These are five easy things that will ensure the people who mean most to you know you¹re always thinking of them.  Yes, it could get crazy, but there are simply people in our lives that we shouldn’t let fall through the cracks.

Adam Knowles is the Junior High Director at Inland Hills Church in Chino, CA. Check out his blog HERE and you can find him on Twitter and Instagram at @Adam_Knowles

In Guest Post, high school ministry, Leadership, Relational, student ministry, 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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GUEST POST: Students and Their Gifting

August 28, 2012 — Leave a comment

One of my favorite parts about my job is that I get to help students discover their gifts.  I believe that knowing how you are gifted is a key characteristic of not just an effective leader, but a kingdom worker in general. God specifically created each one of us with unique talents and abilities that we need take full advantage of.  It is a huge part of us finding our identity in Christ.  We need to find security in who God created us to be so that we aren’t consistently trying to become who we feel others want us to be.  Normally, that message is taught about moral integrity, but I believe that it can also apply to Godly servanthood and leadership.  When it comes to student leadership, I always encourage students to lead according to how God created them.  While I want them to be looking at other leaders and applying leadership skills that they have observed, I don’t want them to lead like someone else who has different gifts. When we aren’t using our gifts, we are keeping ourselves from reaching our full potential.  I got to see a great example of this a couple months ago.

This summer, we took our student leaders to the Student Leadership Conference (if you aren’t already going, you need to go next year!). At the conference, two of our students (Delaney and Ashley) got the opportunity to lead a workshop.  Each girl got to teach their workshop two times, which allowed for them to learn a valuable lesson. The first time around, both workshops fell flat.  After some debriefing, we found that the problem was that they weren’t using their gifts. For example, Ashley is an incredible writer, often sharing her poetry in our weekend services. Being the writer she is, she wrote a beautiful lesson on how to lead like Jesus. Now Ashley is great at communicating what she has written down, but isn’t strong when she teaches off of memory.  The first time she led her workshop, she abandoned what she had written and taught outside her “sweet spot”, where she fell flat. Because of that, we told her to read off of what she had written.  99% of the time, that is the worst advice you can give to a speaker, but with her, it was perfect.  She started her workshop by explaining that God has gifted her with writing and she began to read off her message with the passion in which she wrote it.  The results were powerful and impactful, with several students walking out talking about it.

Once Ashley made use of the gifts that the Lord had given her, she was able to lead like never before. That is what I want to see all students doing, making use of their gifts! If you are wondering how to help the students in your ministry do this, here are a couple resources you can check out:

  • Student Leaders Start Here by Doug Franklin: What I love is that this book is a workbook.  It teaches students leadership principles while allowing them to take quizzes to find out more about their spiritual gifts and leadership style.  We are currently taking our students through it.
  • Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath: It is a secular book, but it is incredible. When you buy the book, you are also buying an online strengths quiz.  The book walks you through the pros and cons of your strengths.
  • Congratulations… You’re Gifted! By Doug Fields: This book takes you through the S.H.A.P.E acrostic (Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences).  We use the S.H.A.P.E. model even in our adult ministry at Saddleback Church.

What are you doing to help your students find their gifts?

 

Colton Harker is the Student Leadership Coordinator at Saddleback HSM.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact him at coltonharker@gmail.com or on twitter at @ColtonHarker

In Guest Post, high school ministry, Leadership, Ministry Idea, Relational, student ministry, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Book Review: The Tangible Kingdom

July 9, 2012 — Leave a comment

I just spent the last week in Palm Springs. It was amazing and refreshing. One of my favorite things that I get to do on trips like this is golf, sit by the pool, take a nap (remember those?) and my favorite…READ. It was a personal goal of mine to read two books during the 7 days I was here, and I did it. It feels awesome.

One of the books is called “The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community” by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay (you can find the book on Amazon HERE).

This book was challenging for me based on the churches I have grown up in and the church I work at now. It is challenging in the fact that they are writing from a church in which is focused on only the “serious people” stay at the church and they have a “talk” with the not so serious and they suggest that the church is not for them. I know, it rubs me the wrong way at first but understanding their context is important. They do not focus on programs or really cater to the “seeker”, but they simply follow the way Jesus did ministry, and that is to be apart, among, and with the people in the community.

“Their goal isn’t to attract people to worship services, but to BE the faithful church in small pockets throughout their city. They meet in coffee shops, homes, anywhere in public, and when people would ask what they were doing, they simply would invite them to join and “Come and see”, like Jesus said to His disciples. They challenge churches and leaders to take a leap from their safe environments of their buildings and truly enter the real world- God’s reality.”

I like it. Even though I do not agree with everything, I feel that I am able to take many things from what they were saying and apply it into our ministry at Saddleback HSM. Some things they suggested that I want to apply that I got from reading this book. These are just some examples of the incarnational ministry they talk about in the book:

  • Don’t just live in my apartment community, but REALLY live in the community. Get to know neighbors, staff, etc and just be a real person and have genuine relationships with people. Know about their lives.
  • Instead of being in the office all of the day, spend part of the day at your second office in public. For me, that would be Starbucks. Usually the same people are there at the same times always. And conversations usually happen when you see the same people, the same staff.
  • Have meetings with volunteers or students at Starbucks instead of the offices.
  • Instead of having our Bible study at the church, do it at a coffee shop or shopping center plaza. Get in the community and start the natural conversations that will happen.

These are just  a few things I can personally do in my ministry. Even though I sort of do this already, it is more about being intentional while doing it. This I will do and pray for the future relationships that can come out of it.

I really recommend this book if you are a leader of any sort of ministry or in any church context. It is a great reminder of how we can get caught up in ministry and loose the relationship aspect of the people who come looking for the only thing Jesus can give them.

READ THIS BOOK!

In Book Review, Devotional, God, Leadership, organization, personal growth, student ministry, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , ,
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15 Minutes Before and After

July 5, 2012 — Leave a comment

Having a service to help students experience Jesus is only half the equation. As some would believe they would think the most important part of our weekend services would be the services because they are the main reason why students come. The most important part, the most crucial part of our weekend services are the 15 minutes before and after each of the services. This is where the real ministry happens.

Here is why I think they are so important:

  • 15 minutes before and after the service is prime hang out relational time. This is where all leaders should be out and about talking and meeting people left and right. This time is the time where students are there waiting for service to start or they are hanging out after the service just ended.
  • 15 minutes before service is a prime time to meet new students because they are just there. They are not going anywhere, only inside service. If you meet a new student, you can offer to sit with them and talk more.
  • 15 minutes after service everyone just hangs out and talks. You can mingle and talk about the service and what it meant to them.
  • 15 minutes after the service is where real conversation and prayer takes place. It is where a student it touched by something in the service and you are able to talk and pray with them.
  • 15 minutes before and after service is just a nig hang out sesh. This is the time to joke and play and really get a chance to know how students are outside of church and it allows them to see who you are as well. Conversation is the first step to connection.

15 minutes before and after service is where the real ministry happens. Services expose students to Jesus, the relationships before and after services literally show Jesus’ love to the students through conversation and relationship. To not jump on this time would be wasteful.

In Devotional, God, high school ministry, Leadership, Ministry Idea, student ministry, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , , , , ,
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10 Foot Leader Rule

June 28, 2012 — 4 Comments

One of my favorite things about our team is that we love to be around each other. We have a blast during the week in the offices, we go to lunch together, we do life together and it is incredible. I encourage that in any office until no end. There is only one problem with this and that is when that bleeds over onto the weekend services where we tend to flock to each other and hang out rather than being with the students that are walking right past us.

On the weekend, we should implement a 10-foot rule amongst leaders. What this means is that no leader should be within 10 feet of another leader. In fact, within that 10 feet should be students that we are engaging with.

Benefits of this rule:

  • We are there for the students during service, not each other. We are there to serve the students, to know the student, connect with the students. We connect all week and the weekend services should not be the place to do it.
  • It will spread us out. Clumps of people are intimidating for new students. If all our leaders are spread out, it is less intimidating for a student to talk to a leader.
  • We will cover more ground. One of my goals on the weekend is to make sure that every student that walks in our doors in connected with one of our weekend leaders before they leave our building. Being 10 feet from each other will help everyone spread out and make sure we do our best to make sure every student is connected with.
  • It will help us all remember that church is about people. It is about the relationships and connections we all make. If there was no people, there would be no church and we are not doing our jobs. This will get us out of our comfort zone of people we know and love and help us get out and get to know and love new people.

It is simple but I think it can be really effective if we really focus on this idea.

In creativity, high school ministry, Leadership, Ministry Idea, service programing, student ministry, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry , , , , , , , , , ,
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