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3 ways to avoid living in the past.

May 12, 2016 by Chris Parker 1 Comment

quotes-about-moving-on-forward

The glory days.

I remember back in 6th grade I had hit my prime on the football team. I racked up 26 touchdowns that year, I thought I was headed to the NFL. Then I stopped growing and oddly enough stopped being good at football. Sometimes I wish I could go back and relive that season, but that’s not going to happen and I have to live with the fact that it’s a different season of life and no matter how badly I wish to be in the NFL it’s simply not going to happen, I need to focus on what I can do with the gifts and strengths I have now.

We hear senior pastors and youth pastors reminisce about the good old days when they had 500 students show up for a camp way back when or people bring up what happened when “that” person was on staff. Or perhaps they hang on to “one of the best moments ever in our church was when…”

The past. It’s a slippery slope. The longer we live in the past the harder it is to strive for the unseen success of the future.

A mission/vision statement should be able to tell us if we have done our job in the past and keep us focused on what we are chasing after next. Strategy will shift and morph along the way with culture to help accomplish the said vision, this part can be frustrating for those that like consistency and to some point you do indeed need consistency to have the necessary traction to move forward.

So, how do we stay focused on what’s next rather than dwell on what was? Here’s 3 thoughts. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Student Ministry Tagged With: future, leadership, past, stumin, youthmin

Should I become an intern?

February 4, 2016 by Chris Parker 1 Comment

 

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I have friends that have been in school for 25 years non-stop, graduating from high school, attending college, then on to get their masters and even a doctorate! Attending ivey-league schools and graduating top in their class you think they would be ready to conquer the world. Unfortunately, the classroom and textbooks will only cater so much knowledge to the developing brain of someone ready to dive into their calling. Going to school for something is a great foundation to build upon and I believe its necessary but much of school is a repetitive cycle of learning how to learn. When graduating from most schools the diploma basically reads, “We recognize this person has the self discipline to obtain information and practice that information.”

Now, before you get upset about me dismissing your nephew that worked three part-time jobs to get himself through college, I applaud him, I know it’s hard work…I lived it and I believe he will be better because of it. I’m not minimizing the information learned in the classroom, like I said, it’s necessary. What happens after graduation though? Should we be given a job of our choice just because we graduated top in our class? I believe that method has come and gone. Long ago in the 90’s my generation was promised by parents and teachers alike, “Go to college and get your degree so you can have the job of your dreams.”

It happens every single year. I hear a story about a student that is $100k in debt for going to college to study their “dream job” and after graduation they are working at the local grocery store. What?! It never gets old and always surprises me, and I always ask the question…”So what are they going to do?” Many times people shrug and say, “I don’t know.”

Enter the internship model. Interning, shadowing, residency, apprentice work – this mindset has been around since the beginning of time. Sit under the expert you want to learn from and keep learning until they believe you are ready to be on your own. My college offered “internship” programs that were really self selected. You want to be a youth pastor? Pick a church and youth pastor you want to learn from, have them agree to the timeline and get them to sign off on your hours, but it is so much more than that.

An internship is not simply a stepping stone into your job of choice, it’s an opportunity for learning that you will not get in the classroom. Too many students I talk to look at an internship as the final hoop to jump through, the icing on the cake or even a guaranteed position at the company where they are interning. Remember, nothing is guaranteed and the internship is a learning opportunity. So learn, learn, learn! Take notes, ask questions, be available, execute tasks given to you.

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I was an intern in my field both prior going to college and post college…oh and during college.

PRE-COLLEGE I was offered an internship my senior year of high school into my freshmen year of college, I took it to see if I really wanted to do what I was feeling called to do. A pre-college internship is a wonderful opportunity to confirm your desires to be a __________. I would highly encourage this option if you can find it before spending loads of your parents money or the money you don’t have on a college education in a field you may eventually despise. I went to the local community college and took care of my basics during my internship.

DURING COLLEGE These are not simply the education years but the networking years. Get to know people that do what you want to do. Begin chasing down leads, take them out to coffee and pick their brain on the vocation they are living out daily. You will begin to see another side to this role you are studying in the classroom. Do they have an opening for custodial work during the week or need someone to greet clients at the front desk? Seize the opportunity. It’s amazing what you can learn about a profession by simply living in that world a few hours out of the week. You never know who you might meet, it could be your future boss.

POST-COLLEGE Perhaps one of the most critical times to intern yet short lived by many. Young professionals want the paycheck and the title. Both will come with time but perhaps the best next step is to find the person you want to learn from. Perhaps you are following in someone’s footsteps, just ask them, “What do you think about me shadowing you for a year?” If they say no, ask them who they might suggest. When you intern for someone or a company you will quickly see that you are taking on a specific DNA of how something is accomplished. Remember, it’s not the only way to do things. Just as much as an internship is learning how to do things it’s also a place to make promises to yourself such as, “I will never do it that way.”

In closing, I hope you find the job of your dreams. I believe if you chase after what you believe you were created to do it will eventually happen with time but time best spent could be learning from someone that is currently living it.

I’m really excited about the opportunity we have for those that are interested in entering into vocational ministry. If you want to be a youth pastor, worship leader, program director, church planter we have a pretty neat program for you. Its a front row seat to the daily life of those on staff at a church, the good bad and ugly.

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This is not an internship. It’s so much more. The Leadership Development Program is an immersive ministry experience with mentoring and leadership training. You will do hands-on ministry and work along-side our staff teams and our goal is that after this experience, you will be ready to find a full time staff position at a church or para-church ministry. Come get prepared! To learn more, download the description of the Leadership-Development-Program and then click here to apply!

I am thrilled to be one of those on our staff team that speaks into the future leaders of the church and love sharing my success and failures with those that want to learn. If you are interested in a learning opportunity in Austin, TX this is a great one! I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the leadership development program. Don’t hesitate to reach out!

Filed Under: Church Planting, Leadership, Uncategorized Tagged With: church staff, intern, ldp, leadership, learning

Checking for leaks in your ministry.

October 21, 2015 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

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I’m in the trenches of dumping money into my truck for maintenance issues. At this point I’m ready to wipe my hands clean and start again with another vehicle, which will come with it’s own problems I’m sure…sadly that’s how cars are unless you can buy a new one every year. So, how did I know my truck needed maintenance?

The leak.

I spotted it one evening after an oil change. Thinking it was residual oil I kept an eye on the leak…it got bigger overnight. A day or two after watching it and looking for the source I found it was something bigger, which lead to another repair needing to be made. I think you might see where I’m going with this so I’ll jump out of the analogy and speak straightforward as a pastor and leader overseeing many.

I’m in the people business. Just as a mechanic knows cars because they have been around their fair share of vehicles, I know people. In student ministry I deal with teenagers, college aged leaders, adult leaders and parents…pretty much the entire gamut. When you work daily with various age groups you are constantly troubleshooting problems, re-arranging leaders, consoling a depressed student, or listening to an irate parent. What do all of these people have in common? Maintenance and maintenance indicators. Just as a warning light would display low fuel, or low tire pressure, people do the same thing.

Observing a leak or warning light is one thing, identifying the source of the problem and fixing it is entirely different. That takes work and experience. We need to roll up our sleeves and get under the hood constantly to identify the leaks in our ministry. If a leader [Read more…]

Filed Under: Church Planting, Leadership, Student Ministry Tagged With: checking for leaks, leadership, leak, maintenence, stumin, youthmin

Your journey for knowledge will take you farther than you can imagine.

October 18, 2015 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

readers-leaders

I want to figure out how “it” works. I want to know why “it” exists. I have a desire to understand what makes “it”unique.

My journey for knowledge has taken me to some wild places. Let me share a few snapshots of what “it” is with you… perhaps some of  your journey is similar to mine. “It” is:

  • Under the hood of my jeep to fix an overheating issue. This journey taught me how remove and replace a waterpump, thermostat, radiator along with a couple fans and belts.
  • Figuring out what chickens need…and what they like. This journey has been a fun one, from building the chicken coop to collecting eggs and letting them free range the backyard.
  • A winter camp. For the past 7 years I have attended a middle school or high school camp as a staff or intern. This journey has taken me into the spreadsheets, planning sessions, and training of small group leaders to make it happen. (This weekend I’m in Atlanta learning from another church how to improve our camp process)

In my quest for knowledge, I know this… I’m further along in my journey than where I started. I don’t think I will ever settle for the answer “I don’t know.” I have a drive to discover and improve my knowledge so I can be better at what I do in life and in ministry, and I love sharing this knowledge with others.

My source of knowledge comes from different places be it books, specialists, research, youtube videos or here’s one… prayer.

I pray on a regular basis for wisdom and creativity. Why? Because I need it as a youth pastor, as a leader, as a husband, and a friend. Here’s the ironic part, you know what people say most about me when they are describing me? “Chris is a wise guy for his age.” or “Chris is so creative.” Wow, that’s humbling. I don’t say that to toot my own horn, but rather give a shout out to the one answering those prayers. In your quest for knowledge I’d encourage you to start praying more and just see if God doesn’t throw more opportunities for knowledge your way.

What area of ministry or life are you desiring more knowledge? What’s the next step you can take towards knowing more?

Filed Under: Leadership, Student Ministry Tagged With: knowledge, leadership, learning, prayer

An answer to prayer – the Gateway Leadership Development Program.

September 10, 2015 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

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It is my privilege to announce that on the tenth day in September in the two thousand and fifteenth year of our Lord that a leadership development program started at Gateway Church in Austin, TX! I’ve been waiting since I came on staff for this…over the past few months as this program was discussed and approved I quickly began searching for some potential LDPs that may want to spend a year learning in student ministry, as this kind of opportunity greatly shaped who I am today.

They are here now and I couldn’t be happier! Kristen Johnson (a former student of mine and current Moody Bible student) and Kelli Woody (a die hard Kamp Kanakuk counselor) will be joining the student ministry staff and volunteers for a year.

Learning will be had by all the LDPs in the various ministry areas at Gateway along with all of their managers. This will be a first for me…it seems like I’ve always been the intern or in a program but I’m excited to teach what I can and share with them in the learning experience this year.

Here’s the neatest part. One of the things I’ve been trusting God for this year and fervent in prayer was for another full-time staff for student ministry…well in some ways he gave me two. Yes, I’m still praying that we can hire another full-time staff in the near future but for now I’m ecstatic these two ladies will be joining our ministry this year.  Welcome Kelli and Kristen!

If you want to read more about the opportunity here, the door will open back up in Spring for applications for the following school year.

Filed Under: Church Planting, Leadership, Student Ministry Tagged With: intern, ldp, leader, leadership, stumin, youthmin

#OC15 hacks for you and your team

April 28, 2015 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

Facebook-Cover

Who do you want to meet and why? Two years ago I read the book: Leading Change without losing it by Carey Nieuwhof. It guided me greatly as I lead tons of change in our student ministry including building small group culture from the ground up. Carey was a hero of knowledge in his book, I simply wanted to thank him for writing the book and share some victories I had because of his leadership imparted to me. Not only did I get to meet him but we had breakfast! Last year it was talking with Doug Fields for about 10 minutes about our current student ministry goals and getting his feedback. Don’t be shy, get out there and meet someone new, introduce yourself. Oh… and may I add, some of my most beneficial conversations didn’t come from the well known ministry leaders – it was buying a coffee for some Orange specialists. I really enjoy my time with Jeremy Zach & Matt Ivy when I get the opportunity.

Your team should rarely be together. You spend almost every waking moment with your team trying to solve the world’s problems within your own church. The next few days, here’s your strategy – divide and conquer. Don’t attend the same breakouts, if you all have the same schedule do yourself a favor and mix it up now – switch your breakouts and exchange notes when you get home.

Down time is prime time. If there isn’t a main session or breakout happening you need to understand this very plainly – 6,500 other like minded people are sitting, eating or browsing the bookstore! Now is the time to meet new people, develop ministry relationships outside of your own bubble and talk shop. Use social media (Twitter) to connect with others quickly. Example:  Hey #stumin people at #OC15 I’d like to meet some other youth pastors and learn from you, you have 5 min? I’m in main lobby by water fountain. For real, if you’d like to hangout for a bit during the conference hit me up on Twitter @ChrisParker0

What are your top 3 questions in ministry right now? Have those questions ready for any peer or leader in ministry you might encounter.

Here are mine:

  • How do you create a program that is equally inviting to unchurched students while also discipling the current students you have?
  • Ministry is really heavy, how do you avoid taking it all home with you?
  • Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently over the past few years in ministry? I always ask this question, I want to learn from other’s mistakes… hoping I won’t make them myself!

Back to the drawing board. Here’s what I’m stoked about. The next few days will fly by but it doesn’t end there. Schedule a time NOW with your team, supervisor, volunteers to discuss what you learned and talk strategically about how you want to implement these ideas into what you are doing already. Get the flip chart out or sticky notes and go to town. There should be too much to talk about and that’s ok. I’d recommend at least two full days with your team to digest and develop a game plan moving forward. The biggest mistake is to go home and just continue in the same routine without unpacking anything.

Are you reading from afar? No worries you can watch LIVE sessions from the couch or office, by yourself or with your team. Set aside some time in the next few days to look at the schedule and make a point to join us!

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Filed Under: Leadership, Student Ministry Tagged With: leadership, leadsmall, OC15, Orange Conference, stumin, thinkorange, youthmin

You should tell them, “I’m not going to remember this conversation”

April 7, 2015 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

fearless-selling.ca

fearless-selling.ca

 

One of the worst habit phrases you could fall into…

“I’ll get back to you.”

This phrase most often is a “nice” substitute for:

  • Hold on a second.
  • This isn’t important to me right now.
  • I’m too busy to make your priority my priority.

Now, I know you don’t mean it that way …but it can (and has) come across that way. We have all used this phrase multiple times in ministry with staff, volunteers, parents and students.

Whether you oversee a dozen people or hundreds, someone will always have a question for you to answer or a problem to solve. Here’s the ironic part, [Read more…]

Filed Under: Church Planting, Leadership, Student Ministry Tagged With: communication, leadership, management, prioritize, stumin, Youth Ministry, youth pastor

Humble beginnings & building a team of volunteers

March 30, 2015 by Chris Parker 5 Comments

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…]

Filed Under: Leadership, Student Ministry Tagged With: building, developing, humble beginnings, leadership, recruiting, team

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

March 10, 2015 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

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…]

Filed Under: Leadership, Student Ministry Tagged With: dream job, hate, leadership, love, love what you do, stumin, work, youth pastor, youthmin

Putting out fires and starting new ones.

March 9, 2015 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

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…]

Filed Under: Leadership, Student Ministry Tagged With: armor, church, division, firefighter, leadership, stumin, unity, volunteer, wildfires, Youth Ministry, youth pastor

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Hey there, my name is Chris. I wake up every morning thinking youth ministry. If you are in the same boat, then I know you will identify with me, because you also live the life of a youth pastor .

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