Life of a youth pastor .

Project Planning (DIY10.10)

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project planning

This is in response to a former article I wrote on DIY Student Ministry. This is the final topic I’m covering in this series. After writing on numerous topics where it is much better to recruit, delegate, and empower others to come alongside you and do student ministry, I’m living in the middle of this one currently. This is a pioneer year for mission experiences with our students, we have three trips running this month – one middle school, and two high school trips. With over 80 students involved on trips with another 60 students back in Austin with regular programming, I could never do this alone.

When you delegate, you empower. When you empower, you give ownership. When you give ownership, someone will likely do it better than you and if they don’t, at least they will be invested in something that they are contributing to. When you empower a leader or volunteer with a task you are not just getting a task finished you are getting someone bought into the larger picture of what leadership is by helping them understand the smaller nuts and bolts of what holds this whole thing together we call student ministry.

With our experiences combined, my wife and I have collectively participated on well over 50 different short-term missions, along with leading a handful ourselves. Each experience whether easy, difficult, domestic or international has proven invaluable in how we design a trip for students. Everything from support raising, to travel/lodging details, and simple details that could be lost such as sensitivity to food allergies. A huge blessing for us was that Gateway saw my wife’s experience and needed a part-time Global Director – she helps organize and empower trip leaders during this season. While this is a huge blessing for me and by me I mean student ministry…it comes with its hurdles.  When you “know” how you want an event or trip to run sometimes it can be easier to just do it rather than explain your thoughts and bring others into the process.

This has been my challenge since coming on staff at a new church but I’m glad to see this weakness now and eager to explain more and give away more in the upcoming months. It was made very clear in my first few months here that I had an issue with delegating projects or tasks… because I felt things needed to be done in a particular way and I had little time to explain these philosophies or processes while doing them myself. While these moments could have their appropriate places – it won’t be very often that you are doing something that someone else couldn’t do.

For big event planning you must realize that there are many details to be considered. If you don’t think so, you probably shouldn’t be the project planner/manager. Just a snapshot of my recent project: rental vans, charter buses, lodging, showers, week-long schedule with every hour accounted for, expenses, reimbursements, trip leaders, adult leaders, kids club curriculum, kids club games, kids club music, kids club crafts, emergency response number, and the list goes on and on.

If you as the student pastor or project planner get sucked into any of these details and doing them yourself, the rest of the project could easily unravel and unfold in such a way that you wouldn’t have wished for. When it comes to project planning and pulling off the big event you should have one role and one role only…this actually sums up the entire DIY series. YOUR ROLE IS NOT – JUST DO IT, but rather JUST DELEGATE IT. Be sure to follow up with encouragement and constructive criticism, just because you delegate it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.

This post goes out to all my volunteers and part-time staff that keep student ministry operating and firing on all cylinders. You are rockstars in my book and do so much more than most would ever credit you. Delegating to you is not a way for me to “get out of it”, delegating and empowering you all actually allows me to get more into it, helping me keep my eyes on the big picture. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Church & School – Build the Bridge! (DIY9.10)

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blueschool-hallwayThis is in response to a former article I wrote on DIY Student Ministry. This is the ninth of ten areas that I’m covering in this series.

Nothing says, “I want to be in your world” more than a visit to the student’s school. Whether it be for lunch in the cafeteria or sitting in the student section at a football game – when you approach the school you approach where they do most of their life. Now before I get into this, we must make an observation…some schools are open and some are closed, meaning some schools will let you and your volunteers into the building for lunch with your students while others will not. There are some loopholes. Some campuses would like to make you think they are closed…start asking questions of where they need help or how you can meet with an individual student. The administration may start by asking you to fill out a volunteer application or have a written letter on file from the parent of the student you are meeting with.

When you get into a student’s world at school, you will better understand the crowd you are trying to reach on a weekly basis. If you lose touch of this, you diminish your effectiveness as a student pastor. You might as well be teaching an empty hallway.

When I was in Chicago the campuses were closed but I was able to apply for a mentor program that allowed me to get on campus and meet with students that needed help thinking through the process of going to college. This allowed me to see some of my students but also meet students I didn’t already know.

Here in Austin it’s a little bit of both, it’s actually not even consistent within each school district. I had a regular habit of visiting the closest school this semester until things got ridiculously busy. One thing I quickly discovered was that my HS group of 60 students represented 16 different high schools in the Austin area. Knowing that I barely had the time to visit one school, I knew that do-it-yourself student ministry would not have the impact that these students and schools needed from the church. I currently have one HS volunteer visiting (going through the application process) the school I was visiting and one MS volunteer visiting a MS just down the road. Slowly but surely I hope to get more of my leaders and volunteers to help build the bridge between the church and school.

Here are some ways to get started:

  • Do a prayer walk. Pick a Saturday morning, invite your volunteers and walk the campus asking God to open doors (literally) for you and your team.
  • Just do it! Try to meet with one of your students with lunch. Make sure to check-in with the office.
  • Schedule a meeting with the principal, let him/her know that you and your volunteers are available for anything that they may need help with.
  • Go to the games. Students love to be supported, make a sign, paint your face, make it memorable!
  • Send a gift basket their way with a card in it on teacher appreciation day.
  • Offer to plant flowers or do landscaping to make the campus a more enjoyable place, see if the garden center in your town would donate flowers and plants to this.
  • Recruit specific volunteers to be the liaison for a specific campuses. Get this team together in the late summer to strategize and set goals for the school year. Talk about what success looks like.

How have you made a presence on your school campus? What is your success story of partnering with a local school?

This is in response to a former article I wrote on DIY Student Ministry. This is the ninth of ten areas that I’m covering in this series.

Supply Run! (DIY8.10)

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shopping-cartThis is in response to a former article I wrote on DIY Student Ministry. This is the eighth of ten areas that I’m covering in this series.

I’ll make this one short and sweet. You don’t need to do all of the shopping for your ministry. There are plenty of leaders and parents out there that are willing to swing by the store for you, just ask. Get away from do-it-yourself student ministry by delegating to others, allowing them to be a piece in the process of pulling your program or event together. Bringing others into your supply run outings can bring great benefits.

ALWAYS

  • Ask another leader or parent to do your supply run.
  • Encourage leaders to take students with them, it’s a great time to build community.
  • Have a supply list prepared, more time is wasted in the store if you don’t have a list.
  • Understand your method of payment and how reimbursements work at your church, be up front with your leaders/parents and make sure they get their reimbursement.

IDEAS

  • Amazon Prime – Free two day shipping on most items, delivered right to the church. Eliminates the time and money spent on an outing to the store.
  • The dollar store…hidden treasures await you and your students.
  • Old stuff in your youth storage space, you haven’t used this stuff in a year. Get creative with supplies you already have or bring back an old game.

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Geocaching – a small adventure paying huge dividends!

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geocache

Since coming on staff at Gateway, I have quickly discovered the inner adventure nerd of my boss Kenny. He has a slight fixation on something called “geocaching”. This is simply finding unique containers that have been hidden at specific coordinates that can only be found with a GPS. It’s like a treasure hunt! There are some destined to be within a mile or two of where you live, there are over 2 million world wide!!!

I have used geocaching to help build camaraderie among new friends, volunteers, students, and even family. It takes a great deal of teamwork and each find is unique, always presenting a new challenge. What’s in the container? Well, there aren’t bags of gold but there is always a log for the finder to write their name on, this is a must and will be found at every geocache site. Some containers are larger and hold items from other finders that have discovered the cache, I have found anything from a rubber ducky to a nickel…you just never know.

What I like most about Geocaching:

  • It’s nearly free & tons of fun!
  • Family friendly.
  • Memories are made.
  • It requires teamwork
  • Develops perseverance.
  • Nightcaching – these can only be found at night, usually using flashlights. It puts a spooky spin on the treasure hunt! I recently hid one near my house, my wife and I took some kids on the hunt, they loved it!

Needed items:

  • GPS Device: I use an iPhone 5 that has a log, or you can get a handheld device at your local sporting goods store.
  • Login/Subscription to Geocaching.com, it’s free – but the app cost if you are using a smartphone ($10 one time fee) – totally worth it!!!

Give it a try, find three geocaches and I almost guarantee you will be hooked!

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Create or maintain a student worship band! (DIY7.10)

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StudentBand-1This is in response to a former article I wrote on DIY Student Ministry. This is the seventh of ten areas that I’m covering in this series.

I’d be the first to say that I’m not a musician. I know some scales, a few chords on the guitar and have a singing voice that would scare young children. While I was in 7th grade, the best thing my youth pastor ever told me was, “Chris, you can’t sing – let’s find another area for you to serve.” I never again took the stage as a musician. Let’s face it, you have room full of students, who like me, want to be a part of something great like a worship band but should never make the cut. On the other hand, gifted and talented musicians are out there…perhaps they are students or maybe adults. Let’s explore some options together and weigh the pros & cons of arranging a band for your ministry.

The student band – When it comes down to strictly students you are in for a treat, potential student leadership, some drama and little bit of everything else. I have eye-witnessed amazing student bands that understand the heart of worship but lack musical ability. The opposite can also be true, amazing musical talent with a lack of reverence and understanding who we are singing to, these are the crowd pleasers. The turn over rate in a student band is almost unreasonable…students are graduating each year, a new sports season comes along, a student gets a job. There is always a position that needs to be filled, thus a tryout process is always being discussed. Some student pastors do their best to provide leadership or ownership in this area – it takes a lot of time, patience and can be distracting from the big picture of the program or ministry overall.

The student/adult band – This tends to be the most preferred and economical model for the student pastor and the church. You may still be dealing with some of the things same things from the ‘student band’ model mentioned above, but now you have an adult or a few adults involved as well – which are hopefully a bit more matured in their thinking and musicianship. Recruiting an adult volunteer(s) for this position get help maintain order, bring better organization, and overall develop better consistency for your students and your program. They may play/sing with the students or simply be there for practices and programs. This role can be a huge encourager for students and will allow the student pastor to be more hands off, giving attention and detail to other areas of the program and ministry. This is my current model.

The professional band – Make it a paid position. I was a bit uneasy when first hearing about this model, but then I saw the product and the results. Recently visiting NorthPoint church in Atlanta I discovered that they pay a group of rotating professional musicians to come and lead the music element of the program for both HS and MS students. They are never late, rarely cancel, and deliver an A+ performance for students and leaders. Two things happen here. One, the student’s primary aim is to participate by bringing their friends to a dynamic and engaging program. Secondly, you don’t have to worry about uneasy transitions, teen band drama, and wonder what the band will sound like this week. Perhaps you can’t afford to pay a whole band each week, but how about a few rotating lead vocalists?

If you aren’t musically gifted, surround yourself with people that are. If you are musically gifted, still – surround yourself with people who are also musically gifted. Get away from DIY student ministry by recruiting and budgeting for great musicians to better your program.

Final thoughts:

  • Help your students understand the aim, that its more than performance, they are playing for Jesus.
  • If the student or adult is not the grade musician you are looking for…be honest.
  • If your current band sounds bad to you, it sounds bad to others.
  • Partner with your worship/creative arts team at church, get their opinions.
  • Rotations are good! Get different people playing on a regular basis if you can. This prevents fallout.

Retreat Research DIY(6.10)

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research-studies_000

This is in response to a former article I wrote on DIY Student Ministry. This is the sixth of ten areas that I’m covering in this series.

Thank God, literally…that He has created and designed other people in my ministry to be more organized and administrative than myself. When it comes down to nitty gritty details, planning, gathering information, keeping it organized, etc. I go a little bit off the deep end. I love details but usually have a hard time organizing them if they don’t have my full attention, and let’s be honest, if you are a student pastor – you can hardly ever give one thing your full attention.

Maybe you have been to the same camp year after year…or go on the same mission trip summer after summer. Have you ever considered something different? Is there a better location for your money? For your time? Have you taken the time research or better yet have someone else research for you? Get away from DIY student ministry by finding the leader or volunteer in your ministry that is type A, has a clean and organized home, gets a high off of details…you know what kind of person I’m talking about, this could even be a parent in your ministry. Promote them to be the chief researcher for your ministry. This person could be beneficial for you in a number of ways, researching numbers, growth, school calendars, best time for retreats, mission trips, locations, lodging, transportation.

Retreat Research. When it comes to a retreat, camp or mission trip there are a many things that cannot go unseen. I want to know all the details, and usually want to hear an alternate option for each one…I like options, it helps me make better decisions.

  • Location. How far away is this place? Just because you have been at the same camp for 8 years doesn’t mean their isn’t a better option, don’t let this blind you from having an even better experience.
  • Transportation. What is the most economical? Plane, Charter bus, school bus, 12 passenger vans, SUVs, carpool. I’ve done them all, each of them have their pros and cons.
  • Lodging. Paying for lodging is not the only option. I have been in multiple situations where lodging has been provided for free, the organization appreciates what we are doing for the community – as a thank you they will let you use their facility. I have stayed in high schools (use their gyms for sleeping quarters), YMCA’s, and even colleges. When it comes to staying in hotels…I always try to get adjoining rooms, with two leaders per room for the safety and accountability factor.
  • Food. The dollar menu can be your best friend! It’s not the healthiest food, but when you are in a bind on a trip or need to make a quick stop…find two or three fast food options for students and give them 45 minutes. (Call ahead! McDonalds will love you for it, if you give them an ETA so they can prepared ahead of time…this could get you in and out of the restaurant faster) They will love you for it. Buy lunch meat, PBJ, and a variety of bread – have them make their own sandwich – this is a cheaper/healthier option but requires some additional set up.
  • Pre-trip. Whether it be for camp or for a mission trip I find it imperative to see it for myself before taking a group of students with me or sending them with someone else. I look at things from a risk-management perspective (anything that could go wrong, prepare for the worst) I need plan B’s and rainy day schedules in my back pocket, this is hard to do if you have never been to the location. This also helps you gain a perspective of reality rather than just looking at the numbers on paper or exploring the computer screen. Some things you think are great ideas will soon fizzle away once you step into reality.
  • Process. Students don’t just show up the day of and you go on your trip. There is a huge process that takes place before this. Collecting registration forms, money, liability releases, etc. If you are doing this all on your own I think  you are making a mistake, find someone to help you or delegate to someone else. Brainstorm how you can make this process easier and quicker for everyone involved. The harder your process, the harder it is on your team, and families who are signing up. It’s 2013 people, let’s get creative – use the technology thats been given to you.
  • Think outside the box. Get a new camp speaker, switch up the location, do a hybrid camp/mission trip. You might discover something new!

This is in response to a former article I wrote on DIY Student Ministry. This is the sixth of ten areas that I’m covering in this series.

Leveraging Social Media! (DIY5.10)

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InstagramLogo

This is in response to a former article I wrote on DIY Student Ministry. This is the fifth of ten areas that I’m covering in this series.

If you know anything about students, you know how much they value social media. It’s where they connect with each other. Whether it be through pictures, text, or video…long gone are the days that the student actually calls a friend to have a phone conversation or shows up on their front door step to play outside on a Saturday. Their turf is digital and it’s glued to their hand. We know in student ministry that we cannot always expect the student especially the unchurched to come to us, our church building. We need to go to them, and meet them on their turf. Showing up at their game or at school for lunch has amazing impact, and that’s physically getting on their turf and into their world – you should do it. The next best thing is to get where they are at through social media. “Follow, Like, Friend”…your students on facebook, twitter, instagram, vine, etc. Paul said, “I became all things to all people…that I might win some for Christ.” For students this means to think like a student and interact with students on their level – through their means of communication.

Leverage Social Media for your ministry:

  • This can pay huge dividends for your ministry when it comes to communication, don’t feel like you have to be the one to own it, give it away to another student or volunteer. Get away from the DIY model.
  • Use facebook as a homepage. Create a cover photo to match each series or to promote upcoming events. Create something to scale using photoshop (851×315)
  • Build your presence on Instagram. I printed a 4’x4′ canvas with the app logo that hangs in our student space. You can’t help but notice it. We have also had Instagram scavenger hunts, this builds your audience because your students are promoting for you amongst their friends! In 5 months we have reached over 200 students and their friends.
  • Find out what other social media is hot for your students, trends tend to come in waves depending on your geography. While twitter might be popular among one crowd, vine might be popular among another.
  • Interesting fact: It seems most of my HS students have or use facebook…almost none of my MS students do. For this reason it’s important to diversify your social media to extend your reach.
  • Posting at least 3 times a week is a good average. One silly picture, one reminder about programs, and one of students hanging out, playing games, band rocking out, etc.

“But what if I see students interacting or communicating in a way that I don’t approve of?” It will happen, more than once. I have bumped into many unsettling, even disturbing facebook posts, instagram photos and even text messages. First and foremost, consider social media an education piece. You will learn more about the student culture through social media than you could through having a conversation with a student. Why? They aren’t afraid to speak their mind on social media. It must be a psychological mishap, but for some reason students either think they can post something and no one cares, or our teen culture has evolved to such an inappropriate level that bad words, lack of clothing and bullying are just the norm of social media.

So should you engage a student in conversation if you see something like this? It depends on the student, and it depends on the content.

For example, let’s pretend I have one student “Suzie” that frequents church and is somewhat engaged with our student ministry – she posts on facebook “Can’t wait for the party after prom!” I have another student that is unchurched, “Jessica” has only visited twice and I haven’t seen her in a while, I follow her on Instagram and it seems that she had quite the party last night according to the picture #partygirl #allnight #wasted. Both show up to church the next morning. To both of these girls I think you could say something. To Suzie, you could ask more of a leading question to find out more about this party and help her better understand what ambiguity on social media can do to your reputation…I have had this conversation with multiple students, I really think they are ignorant sometimes.  To Jessica, do everything except confront her on her behavior. BE CAREFUL HERE…DO NOT RUN HER DOWN OR MAKE HER FEEL GUILTY – THIS DOES NOT PROVIDE THE WELCOMING FACTOR FOR A STUDENT. Tell her that you are so glad to see her and excited that she chose to come to church. As you or other leaders build trust, then consider making a soft approach to the party life by first talking about how much you care for them. I have seen too many students walk away from church because they feel judged – if you are following students on social media and only point out the bad behavior, your chances of seeing them again are slim. Like or comment on the good stuff you see to show your encouragement toward better behavior.

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Detouring to Celebrate Faith.

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detour

Though I don’t fly back to Texas until Saturday, today I leave Atlanta.

I got the call while on a small putting green out behind the hotel I’m staying at…my mom had called and told me that he had taken his last breathes. It’s so strange when you get news like this. You will never forget where you where, what you were doing, the weather and time of day. The news of death, that moment, seems to be frozen in time.

I’m driving 4 hours west to attend my grandfather’s funeral in north Alabama. He went to be with Jesus this week at the age of 87. I am grateful to be nearby so that I can be there for my dad and his family during a difficult time. Losing a loved one is never convenient nor easy. Though I wish the circumstances of my visit with family were different there is an amazing swell of hope in the air. My grandfather – James Clifton Parker knew the grace of God by placing his faith in the person of Jesus Christ. He now celebrates the eternal detour of a sinful world into the everlasting glory of God.

Many thoughts come to mind when one grieves the loss of someone. One particular thought I’d like to expound on…”It just doesn’t feel right.”

It’s not. We were not created to observe or experience death. We were created to experience life and life to the fullest. (John 10:10)  This is what God had planned for Adam and Eve, life to the fullest in garden…complete unity with God. But the former part of John 10:10 became a reality rather quickly, “The thief (Satan) comes to steal, kill and destroy.” Because Adam and Eve fell to selfish desires and the enemy’s schemes we now live in a world that experiences the consequences and ugliness of sin, our rebellion against God. One of these curses is a short physical life numbered by years. Though this is the case and unfortunate for us to experience, there is great news! Despite our rebellion God pursued us, His creation throughout history, ultimately giving up His one and only son so that we could be reunited with God, our creator. One of God’s greatest mercies is that He does give us the life intended for us in the garden, life to the fullest. For now we deal with a broken world ridden with death, but remember “He makes all things new.” (Rev. 21:5) Having a relationship with God here and now is just the pre-game show for what’s to come in eternity.

I’m looking forward to celebrating the life of my grandfather this weekend.

#OC13 The Good Stuff!

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photo (16)A zombie tap-dancing pirate, the orange-man-group beating on trashcans, and Annie belting out “the sun will come out tomorrow!” …and then DC Talk walks out to a balloon drop resurrecting the old school song “Time is ticking away” this pre-game show has been incredible!

Gwinnett Arena – Atlanta, GA. The seats are filling up with #kidmin and #stumin staff and volunteers for Orange 2013. Though this is the first main session, the day has already been packed with multiple breakouts and pre-conference gatherings. I have learned quickly that if you do not get out of your comfort zone a little bit and network at conferences then you are making a big mistake. It has been a joy to meet others in the same profession, bearing the same burdens, experiencing the same trials and joys of student ministry.

One of my favorite conversations thus far was with Carey Nieuwhof, I have been reading his book “Leading Change Without Losing It“. Being at a new church, leading through lots of change this book has been a #1 confidence builder. I thanked Carey for writing the book and was excited to hear that he is working on part two of three books. One of the things we talked about was how important it is to build trust during a season of change.

I’m sure I don’t have it with every one of my volunteers and students, but I do try hard to earn it. What does this look like? Do life with them. Church and student ministry is important but you don’t have to talk about it all the time. Taking interest in someone’s life, not their role or history in your ministry, can help build bridges of trust. Try going out for a meal and any time discussion about ministry or church comes up try to re-direct it to more of a personal conversation (family, hobbies, their history).