Life of a youth pastor .

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Raising the goblet of rock & creating musical fusion.

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Raise your goblet of rock! I love how the student asks, “Are we going to be goofing off like this every day?” Yes, he is Jack Black and has every right to “goof off” but he was getting the point across and had a personal critique for each student… all the while cutting loose and having fun.

At my church, we have been through the ups and downs of a student band, different leaders approaching leadership of the band from a different angle. Through fun times and not so fun times, we are heading in a great direction now but wonder if this is a struggle among most youth groups that desire to have music as part of their program?

What does your band practice look like? What elements are a must? Do you play any secular music at youth group? Why or why not?

Hillsong United makes history with “Oceans”

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Where do you find an amazing worship song? Among other well known artists…consisting of Beyonce, Jason Derulo, Imagine Dragons, etc. “Oceans” simple yet profound lyrics have drawn a HUGE following of both churches but perhaps even the unchurched in helping it snag a spot in the Billboard Hot 100. What a great achievement to celebrate in making God’s name known among our highly competitive music industry.

“The earth will be filled with knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the ocean.” Habakkuk 2:14

God has used this song, at this time, to unite His people worldwide, while also delivering a message of hope for those without.

My favorite verse of the song is, “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the water, wherever you would call me.” I believe we all have a border of trust… deep down we have some sort of boundary of what we will give over to God. No one has a perfect trust. How often do we stop to ask the Holy Spirit for help?

Ask the Spirit to expand your trust, that you would continually transform into the willing vessel of a servant found displayed in the person of Jesus.

Click here to read more about Hillsong United’s achievement.

Ready your room! (DIY1.10)

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

It’s Sunday morning and students start pouring into your room for the program. The lights are stuck on some weird pink color, the woofer is pumping so loud that the gray haired people are coming and asking you to turn it down, and for whatever reason that projector keeps flashing “replace bulb”. So what do you do? Well, this isn’t the first Sunday all of this has happened, its actually a rut you find yourself in and you carry on like usual and yet somehow seem to “make it work” for your students and leaders.

I know the feeling all too well, this has happened to me in multiple environments and I’ve seen many student pastors fall victim to a room that is not functioning properly for them. Here’s the good news, this is not a DIY project! There is an army of students, parents, technicians, other staff, leaders, volunteers that are willing to help. Here is the secret of all secrets, “MAKE THE ASK!” Letting down your pride and letting others into your problem areas can only help the process get better, misery loves company right?! But seriously, you need to move away from these items so that you can connect with people.

Here are a few simple truths or common practices that have helped me:

  • Turn that music on! Music seems to make any set up better, whether you are rushed for time or not.
  • Setting up chairs. Don’t do this alone, there are too many people to help. Don’t waste your time.
  • Get off the ladder, and away from “isolation” projects. You need to be connecting with people.
  • If you are handcuffed to the sound booth, you just built a wall (literally) between you and the people you need to be connecting with. Think outside this box.
  • Students can run slides, cameras, lights, and even sound sometimes. They just need someone to invite them into the process, teach them how and then let them own it.
  • Take one day a month to spend in your space outside of programming time. Pray for creativity, tidy up the room, think about new ways you can use your space.
  • Set up for your program  a day or days before. I use a shared space, the days that I can get in there before and prep the room for program I am WAY ahead of the game when it comes to the programming day for my students. My mind is clear of prep work and focused on equipping, encouraging, and empowering my leaders and students.
  • Recruit. Be specific when recruiting leaders/volunteers. Have one own stage design, another own Audio/Visual, yet another check-in process. When people’s responsibilities start to blur lines you will lose quality and assurance that the specific area is going to be taken care of.

Listen to “their” music…just push play.

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Music is not what it use to be. If the Beatles are still your favorite band then we need to talk. The music conversation is one that most youth pastors will have with a senior pastor, fellow staff member, student band member or even a parent. I remember a parent asking me recently, “Do you think it’s okay if my daughter listens to Taylor Swift?” Here’s the reality, as a parent or a youth pastor…most of the students out there are listening to a secular radio station your city plays or quickly downloading the hottest #1 release on the digital market. If that’s not the case of your child or student, they will still hear this stuff around their friends or when they go out. While it might not be your taste, visit a radio station that plays music with bad words being bleeped out, lyrics about one night stands and a beat you can’t understand.  Here is what you need to remember – this is “their” music. This is what students listen to, this is what their friends listen to. These are the lyrics that are filling up their minds, driving their emotions, and even affecting their decision making. The chorus that sings about love, will be one of the ways they think about and interpret love as a teenager. Their favorite lead musician may appear to have it all together, this is literally a rockstar they look up to – they want to sing like them, dress like them, talk like them.

Surprisingly, there is still some clean secular music out there and when you find it… you should play it. Play it in the home. Play it as students are walking into church. Play it on the bus as you travel on your mission trip. Play the music video at camp. Students appreciate you knowing their music, and keeping up with their taste. When you play the clean stuff you are affirming and encouraging that specific song or artist. When you choose certain songs or decline particular song requests, this allows for honest conversation in why you chose these artists/songs rather than others. Avoiding the subject all together and just playing what you want is not an option.

I’m guilty of listening to plenty of songs that are irrelevant in today’s student culture. I’m an old soul. When I say to a student that I like listening to The Eagles, Marty Robbins, or some Johnny Cash they look at me real funny. So here is the challenge to you and me, find that radio station playing all the current rock/pop and just push play. Give it a whole week. Reflect on the lyrics, better understand the culture they are living in and what they are listening to. Find the fun and clean songs, write them down, download them, add them to your playlist.

I’m sure there is way more to this conversation…what do agree or disagree with? How do you feel about the challenge? What were the results if you did try this?