Life of a youth pastor .

Archives for March 2015

Humble beginnings & building a team of volunteers

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Photo Cred: toddhenry.com

Photo Cred: toddhenry.com

Have you ever felt as if you were swimming against the current, going the opposite direction and all the while trying to get everyone else to turn and swim with you? This is what my first year on staff as a youth pastor felt like.

When I arrived on scene almost 3 years ago, accepting the position of student pastor at my church, I was handed a hefty job description. This job description was littered with a myriad of bullet points, given the focus each needed to succeed I knew (God willing) I would be in this position for some time. Most of my interview process 3 years ago was zeroed in on questions like…

  • “Can you build a team?”
  • “Can you recruit leaders?”
  • “Do you know how to make leaders of leaders?”

I don’t have it all together. I’m not the best youth pastor out there and I have had my fair share of failures learning moments. Even so, God has allowed me to continue to partner with Him to build the student ministry I believe He desires. Exchanging war stories with other youth pastors it seems my humble beginnings at a new church may not be too rare…

I started with 18 volunteers and from those original 18 I had lost 12 of them [Read more…]

6 “must visit” youth ministry websites

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thumbs-up

We youth pastors can be guilty of spending too much time on the internet all with good intent… browsing, spiraling, ending up watching too many videos of cats. Your intentions are good and you are just trying to find a game for this coming weekend or hit a writer’s block so you hopped on facebook. When it comes to youth ministry related topics wether it be games, curriculum, or ideas, these are a few of my favorites [Read more…]

The Outsider

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outside-the-loop

Perhaps you enjoy the crowd, noisy bleacher seats, and the occasional stepping into something gooey… something tells me it’s the mustard from your corndog that has now ruined your new kicks. While a seat among the crowd can have it’s perks and excitement it can also be distracting as all get out. I for one appreciate watching the big game from a leather recliner on a big screen. Sure, there might be a 2-3 second delay from real time but who cares? I get to see it all! I see the players faces up close, I can see the line of scrimmage right down the middle every single play… something no one, not even the coaches get to see. I’m completely in tune with what is going on, but I am an outsider.

We get caught up in the game of youth ministry. We are overwhelmed with whether or not students are coming back, parents are on our back about why we are eating pizza yet again, and still we are frustrated why others just can’t see how much we have going on. We are stuck in a loop of the same people, doing the same thing, week after week after week. You know the saying, “If you keep doing the same thing expect the same results.” So, are you tired of the same results in your youth ministry? Let me present to you one person that could help you greatly, the outsider. [Read more…]

Best Bible Memory Apps

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memory

We live in a day and age where technology can work both for and against us. I spent my last airline flight playing a game, listening to a podcast, memorizing a bible verse and falling asleep to some classical music. All of these things were done on my phone.

While in high school I dedicated the book of Philippians to memory. This was done through long and tedious hours of writing out each verse by hand. I made note cards and [Read more…]

Doing what you love will not always mean you love what you do.

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Love Hate Computer Keys Showing Emotion Anger And Conflict

I love working in the yard. Many times glancing up at the sky I’m reminded that these 100+ year old oak trees have seen much more than I have. My four chickens (Gladys, Gertrude, Marilyn & Lucy) follow me around hoping I’ll stir up some kind of treat for them. In the heat of summer the native flower garden is in it’s prime. I LOVE working in my yard. It usually means I’m without my phone, my hands covered in dirt, sun shining, deciding which plants need water, along with figuring out the best height for the lawn mower. Oh, and if I may, I think blues/jazz makes for wonderful music while working in the yard. While I love working in the yard, there are things about it I don’t always love doing. [Read more…]

Putting out fires and starting new ones.

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APTOPIX Western Wildfires Yosemite

Recently I watched a documentary on forest fires within Yellowstone, reminding me what I had seen first hand last summer. The charred and barren spots within the park remind us that fires can be damaging or beneficial, sometimes both. This all depends on where the fire begins, the duration of the fire, and the one fighting the fire.

Ministry can often feel like you are playing the role of a fire fighter, and many times it can feel lonely. [Read more…]

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