Archives For saddleback church

Saddleback Church Needs Your Prayers

April 8, 2013 — Leave a comment

If you have not heard already, tragedy has hit my pastor and our church this last week. It really is awesome to see the love poured our to Rick and Kay Warren over the passing of their son last week. Rick sent this out to our whole church and I would love if you would join us in prayer for the Warren’s during this difficult time.

 

To my dear Saddleback Family,
 
Over the past 33 years we’ve been together through every kind of crisis. Kay and I’ve been privileged to hold your hands as you faced a crisis or loss, stand with you at gravesides, and prayed for you when ill. Today, we need your prayer for us.
 
No words can express the anguished grief we feel right now. Our youngest son, Matthew, age 27, and a lifelong member of Saddleback, died today.
 
You who watched Matthew grow up knew he was an incredibly kind, gentle, and compassionate man. He had a brilliant intellect and a gift for sensing who was most in pain or most uncomfortable in a room. He’d then make a beeline to that person to engage and encourage them.
 
 But only those closest knew that he struggled from birth with mental illness, dark holes of depression, and even suicidal thoughts. In spite of America’s best doctors, meds, counselors, and prayers for healing, the torture of mental illness never subsided. Today, after a fun evening together with Kay and me, in a momentary wave of despair at his home, he took his life.
 
Kay and I often marveled at his courage to keep moving in spite of relentless pain. I’ll never forget how, many years ago, after another approach had failed to give relief, Matthew said, “Dad, I know I’m going to heaven. Why can’t I just die and end this pain?” but he kept going for another decade.
 
Thank you for your love and prayers.  We love you back.

Pastor Rick

In Uncategorized , , , , ,
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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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Ministry Idea: Photo Wall

December 18, 2012 — 2 Comments

photo

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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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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4 Reasons Why Hand Written Notes Work

November 28, 2012 — 5 Comments

I just wanted to try something last week to see what sort of response I would get.

Last week wrote 7 hand written letters to 7 the junior guys in my small group. I hand wrote them in a page in my personal journal, talking about how proud I am of them, loving seeing them grow in Christ, and talk about some personal stuff going on in their lives and that I was praying for them, and then sent them out. I waited to see what the response would be. I mean, these were 16/17 year old guys, tough guys. How would they respond to a little hand written note?

I waited a few days and then all of the sudden I started to get text after text from the guys in my group about how awesome it was to get a hand written note and they never get them anymore. Some said it mean so much to them that I would stop and write something to encourage them, even though I just saw them a few nights before at church. I even had a mom tell me that her son has it hanging up in his bathroom because it mean so much to him and it encouraged him. I was blown away.

There are a few things I can pull from this little experiment that I need to remember:

  • Communicating through social media (texting, Facebook, etc.) is convenient, but hand written, personal notes mean way more than a quick text or Facebook message.
  • Students take note that you cared about them enough to stop in the craziness of the week and hand write something to them. Hand writing notes takes WAY longer than shooting over an email, but it is WAY worth it.
  • Students could never have too much encouragement. To know an adult is thinking about them, praying for them, and encouraging them to keep walking in faith, they can have the confidence they need in Christ to do amazing things.
  • It is not hard to do. It’s actually really easy and is something I should be doing every single week.

This is my goal. To keep up with this experiment until it becomes a normal weekly thing to write at least one note to a student and send it to them during the week.

In Communication, creativity, high school ministry, Leadership, Ministry Idea, personal growth, student ministry, Youth 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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It’s More Than Obedience

November 26, 2012 — Leave a comment

OBEY! I don’t know about you, but when I hear that word at first, I cringe a little bit. Do what you tell me to do? Come on. But this word is essential to our faith as Christians. This word is more than just do what your parents tell you to do, it is more than a list of commands, it’s even more than a popular clothing brand, it is a word which is the essence of the Christian faith.

Obedience is defined as “dutifully complying with the commands, orders, or instructions of one in authority.” Even looking at this definition from the dictionary, we can see how this word fits right into the biblical definition God lays out for us. “Dutifully” means we are responsible to obey God, just as Jesus fulfilled His duty of dying on the cross for us. “Commands, orders, or instructions” refers to the Bible and all of the teachings God has laid out for us in this amazing book. “One authority” is God Himself whose authority overrides anything else in this world. For the Christian, obedience means complying with everything God has commanded because it is our duty to do so.

There is a difference in straight up obeying and the spirit of obedience.  If your parents gave you a list of things to obey and do and you just get it done because you have to do it, your relationship with your parents would seem like a burden because they just tell you to do certain things and if you don’t obey you will be in trouble. If you are obedient to them because you love and respect them and trust they know what is best for you then your relationship with them would be much closer because you obey them because you WANT to. Same with God, if you were to look at obedience like a list of things to get done because you HAVE to do them, of course you are going to resist it and think it is a burden. When you have the mind set of of love and respect for God, and have the spirit of obedience, you obey because you WANT to our of love for Him.

Because of Jesus, all of the Old Testament Laws and rules were fulfilled. Jesus calls all of us to a new law to abide to. A law He summed up in two commandments. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the prophets hang on these two commandments’” (Matthew 22:36-40).

We are not going to do this perfectly. We are imperfect people. But if we love God, we will obey Him to the best of our ability and have the desire to do so our lives will be evidence of that desire. When we love God and obey Him we naturally have love for one another. Obedience is commanded by God, it is a must, but not only because it glorifies Him, because His commands are best for us to follow. Obedience brings joy, comfort and peace in a world where such things are hard to find, mainly due to disobedience and rejection of God and His Word.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9-“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

John 15:14- “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (Jesus’ speaking)

Galatians 5:13-14- For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

John 14:23-24- Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him. “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

Ask yourself:

  • Am I obeying God? What has He prompted me to do that I have not yet done?
  • What are things in my life that I have not listened to God about?
  • Have I even been open to what God has to say about my life?

Today, pray:

  • That God will give you the spirit of obedience.
  • That you will serve and obey Him because you want to out of love.
  • Others will see love pouring out of you because of your obedience to Him.
  • For God to reveal anything in your life that He has called for you to do but you have not been obedient with.
  • That you do those things He commanded for you to do.
In Devotional, God, high school ministry, Ministry Idea, organization, personal growth, 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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Guest Post: Learning to Say No

November 6, 2012 — 2 Comments

Recently I had a conversation with my pastor (Moses Camacho), where he said to me “you have to learn to say no”.

Anyone who has been in ministry long enough knows that regardless of whether you are a volunteer, part time, or full time staff that you spend more hours on your work than your time card says. 

Why? Because you love what you do. When you love what you do it doesn’t feel like work. 

The problem comes when you have a full plate and yet you still find yourself saying yes to any request that comes your way. Most of us say yes because we genuinely love to serve and help others. 

One of the biggest struggles I’ve seen with people in ministry is their inability to say NO. Unfortunately in most cases this leads to burn out. 

Last year I ended up in the emergency room multiple times for ongoing pain. Every time I went to the emergency room I was hooked up to an IV with some painkillers that would put me out for the rest of the day. One of the times that I went in I said to the nurse “would you mind not giving me so much of the pain killers, I have a lot of meetings to be at and I don’t want to be knocked out”.

The nurse’s jaw dropped. As did my heart when I heard the words I was saying. She leaned over to me and said “sweetie I don’t know what it is that you do, but I do know that if you don’t take care of yourself you can’t take care of anybody else”. Those words will forever be embedded in my mind.

A lot of times we get too caught up in the work of God and we put our relationship with Him on the back burner. We trick ourselves into thinking that if we are working for Him then it’s just the same as spending time with Him. It’s not. 

He wants you. Just you. Not your power point presentation. Not the curriculum you wrote for the new series. Not even the awesome sermon you wrote for Sunday. He just wants you. 

As people in ministry and as Christians we are called to be there for others. However, we aren’t called to lose sleep, get stressed out, or get sick from not resting. 

Saying no isn’t a bad thing. Saying no to something that isn’t right for you now, opens you up to say yes to something in the future. 

Saying no opens up the opportunity for someone else to rise to the occasion an serve. We have to remind ourselves that we are part of a body that needs each part to work. We cannot fill every role 100%. We weren’t built that way. We were built to need each other. Don’t rob someone the blessing of serving. You saying no could be an answered prayer to someone waiting for an opportunity to help out. 

Be encouraged that you’re not alone. I’m the biggest offender when it comes to wanting to say yes. But contrary to popular belief, I am not Wonder woman, and I can’t do it all. 

Brenda Medina. Student Ministries Director | Saddleback HB

T: @_Bren_

F: BrendaSays

B: BrendaSays.blogspot.com

In Devotional, God, Guest Post, high school ministry, personal growth, student ministry, Uncategorized, 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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