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

May 3, 2013 by Chris Parker 1 Comment

This 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.

Leveraging Social Media! (DIY5.10)

April 27, 2013 by Chris Parker 1 Comment

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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#OC13 The Good Stuff!

April 24, 2013 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

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).

Packin’ my bags for OC 2013!

April 19, 2013 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

Ready or not Atlanta, here I come for a full 7 days! It’s been 4 years since I last went to the Orange conference, it was actually my first conference as a full-time student pastor. The people over at Orange will constantly say, “it’s not just about a curriculum, it’s a strategy”…

“What if church leaders and parents synchronized their efforts to fuel wonder, discovery and passion in the next generation?” By combining the critical influences of the light of the church (yellow) and the love of the family (red) the Orange Strategy shows a generation who God is more effectively than either could alone.

I am constantly convicted that as student pastors we must aim at equipping, empowering and hold accountable our parent relationships. There is no doubt that the best disciple of the student can be mom or dad, but without encouragement, training and partnering with the local church, how effective can the family be? I know there can be a lot of tension around this conversation, but what I am seriously pumped up about is that Orange is tackling this conversation from multiple angles – small groups, age-appropriate questions, stuff for at home, equipping volunteers and lay-leaders in the church, etc.

After having met the HS pastor for Northpoint (Kevin Ragsdale) at the Orange Tour in Dallas, I am really excited about the kind of ministry he is running in Atlanta. I love large-group environments that funnel into small-groups later in the program. This is a huge win for both students and leaders alike. I’m checking out his ministry this Sunday and hope to learn some new things that could be implemented where I am currently doing ministry.

What else am I looking forward to at Orange 2013?

Blogger’s Lounge – apparently Kenny over at childrensministryonline.com is getting me into the box seats. Right Kenny?! 🙂
Meeting up with old friends and making new ones. If you are headed to Atlanta too, I’d love to get together for a meal or coffee and talk shop! Contact me and we can set up a time.
I’m signed up to attend and learn from the following breakout sessions:
- Leading You: The Art of Self Leadership
- NextGen Ministry Leadership: Leading 360 Degrees
- Understanding the Middle School Mind
- Orange Interactive: Student Ministry
- 10 Things I do to Learn, Lead and Network with Others
- Casting the Vision Daily to Keep Everyone Aligned
- Crafting Life-Changing Messages for Teenagers
- Evaluating a Lead Small Experience
I think one night I will need to go and see Oblivion, can’t wait, the movie trailers are a tease!

Stage and space design! (DIY3.10)

April 19, 2013 by Chris Parker 2 Comments

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

Being an artist at heart, I become very picky about how things look. My leaders and volunteers would be the first to tell you that if I don’t like the way something looks, I have no problem voicing that concern and/or adjusting it myself. I probably slave over the dreams of stage design too much, but feel that I have settled for an adequate stage design that can be slowly improved over time. For a particular series or event I have been guilty of spending entire days setting up rooms, stages, adjusting lighting, etc. I will have a vision in mind and just can’t seem to walk away until that vision begins to come to life. For those of you who don’t have your own space for students, I get it. None of churches I have worked/interned for have had a designated student building. While the student ministry may frequent the space the most often, the room is usually shared with other ministries in the church. With this in mind, you can’t go over the top being student friendly by making permanent changes to walls or staging. So how can you make the most of your stage/student space?

Before I share some tips and tricks I’ve learned over the past few years, I would encourage you to recruit a stage designer and interior designer, perhaps even a construction crew of dad’s (they love this stuff!). Having a stage designer for each one of your series can constantly bring that “new” feeling to an area – this also gets you away from the DIY SM concept. My stage designer is quite crafty and thrifty making the most of products so we can have a dynamic yet cost effective display. She is good about re-using and re-purposing products to get extended use out of them.

Tips & Tricks:

Make the most of your lighting! Get away from those hideous fluorescent lights and install some floor lamps, pars, and LEDs. LEDs can totally change the mood of a room…use a deep blue at the back of your stage to make it look bigger. Custom laser etched gobos can bring a “student owned” feel to your room even if it’s not your space. When you’re not in the room simply turn it off.
Using foam core, or white stretching fabric to make shapes and designs you can light up with LEDs.
Do you have an ugly background? Use pipe and black drape.
Rather than decking out the entire stage for a series, use a designated location. We “decorate” a 4’x8′ section of the room for each series and light it up. This allows us to give it our best shot in a smaller area…this is more cost effective and is easier to change over every couple of weeks.
Go digital. If you have a projector, use it! Our screen is the focal point of the stage…we using looping graphics and videos that go with the current series. This helps tie everything together in an entertaining way. If you have the money in your budget to upgrade to a brighter or higher resolution projector – it’s worth it.
Create multiple levels for your stage. You can do this in the construction of your stage or by using risers. If you use risers, throw an LED underneath, it can look pretty cool.
Experiment with student seating…on the ground, in chairs, or find some cool retro rugs. Considering how big or small your space is, you might be limited to your options.
Use a large TV as an external secondary monitor for rolling announcements and reminders. (this is a next step for our area)
Did I mention how much lighting can make a difference in your space? 🙂
Remember…you’re not in this alone, get others to help and actually own this!

What’s your advice on a student space/stage?

Game Over! (DIY2.10)

April 17, 2013 by Chris Parker 3 Comments

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

Once again you find yourself trying to transition from a messy game to a serious message. As you wipe the shaving cream off your hands you ask the student’s to bow their heads and pray with you. As you disconnect your mind from your prayer…you begin drifting into thinking about how much time you spent on that game, how hard it was to set up and realize that you invested so much more time into the fun factor of the program rather than preparing a message that students can relate to…as you say Amen, you think “Well, here goes nothing.”

I’m have been guilty of this more than once. Some could blame procrastination or a lack of creativity, but games for students can be down right hard! Planning, preparing and executing games for a program takes time, thought and energy. Though you can probably do both the teaching and games…DON’T DO IT! Sometimes this can come down to a trust issue, “They can’t do games the way I do games.” “They don’t understand all the logistics that go into a group game for 100 students.” “This volunteer is not capable of putting on the fun hat and really getting the students out of their comfort zone.” While all of this can be true, you need to teach them. Lead your leaders to be great at games. Share the burden of the program with other dedicated volunteers and get away from doing both games and teaching. You can be good at both, but better at one when you empower someone else to own the other. Doing this will only help you get away from a DIY student ministry.

With that being said, I’d ask you to consider your student ministry philosophy of the program. What’s the purpose of a program? What’s the purpose of the game? Is it essential that I have a game in every program? These are some good questions to ask.

A few ideas when it comes to games:

What leaders come to mind when you think games? Who can be recruited, trained, and own this?
Have a night without the game, do something different.
Flip that around and have a night of programming that is just fun and games.
Don’t give away a prize every time someone wins, this can get expensive! Let them just have the satisfaction of winning.
Do a current inventory on all supplies, what can you use for games, what needs to be tossed?
Have a healthy mix of both up front games and group games.
Messy games are memorable games.
Practice communicating the game with fellow staff members before an audience of students, asking them, “Does this make sense?”

Ready your room! (DIY1.10)

April 11, 2013 by Chris Parker 2 Comments

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.

DIY SM – Do it yourself student ministry!

April 8, 2013 by Chris Parker 23 Comments

Confession, I’m guilty of reading Popular Mechanics magazine. I love to find articles on do-it-yourself (DIY) projects around the house. Whether its staining the wood trim around our windows or changing the oil on my motorcycle, I find it fascinating to learn and do things on my own.

While time alone and DIY projects are life giving to me…I know that doing student ministry alone is not! I hope you would agree with me that student ministry was not created for the student pastor. The student ministry is not a DIY project for one to carry all alone.

Student ministry is not about you! It is not about what you accomplish, it is not about the best message you ever gave, and it is certainly not about the youth space or branding that you have created for students. At the end of your term as student pastor, you will eventually be forgotten and replaced. That might seem a little harsh, but its the truth. Remembering that student ministry is not about you, and keeping that in front of you, will only benefit your ministry and expand its reach. Only when you have this mindset are you able to truly empower your volunteers and students do some ministry of their own.

You may be thinking, “If I want things done right, then I need to do it myself.” Get over it. When you empower others to do ministry you relinquish your rights to be the “do-er” but you don’t relinquish your rights to be the visionary. Practice painting the picture for people, and let them do it! It won’t be done the way you would do it, but more is being accomplished overall through others than if you run a DIY SM. Many times I have found that when I empower someone else…whether it be a mom, dad, student, or fellow staff member…they do a far better job than what I could have done myself! The best memories in student ministry are made when many hands work together, making the job light, everyone is participating by putting their best foot forward in an area that needs attention. Healthy teamwork within your ministry is necessary in moving things forward.

Here is a list of to-do’s that many student pastors (including myself) are guilty of when it comes down to a DIY SM:

Readying the room. Setting out chairs, turning on lights, music, etc.
Finding or creating a game and leading it.
Stage design…hours can be spent doing this.
Creating and maintaining a visitor followup process.
Social media interaction – FB, Twitter, Instagram. Following & liking student posts.
Trip/Retreat research. Lodging, meals, travel.
Helping create or maintain a student band.
Supply run. Need I say more?
Liaisons between your church and local schools.
Project planning and recruiting for the BIG event.

…and the list could go on and on. As the student pastor you can’t do it all on your own. Empower your people!

After writing this article I feel compelled to write out a few thoughts on each item listed above. Stay tuned.

Question for you: What has been your biggest mistake or learning point in a DIY project? Whether in ministry or personally?

Get more followers on Instragram – Do a Scavenger Hunt!

March 28, 2013 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

I love scavenger hunts. It’s a thrill to race against time and compete for the prize. The team aspect is downright fun and helps people understand the importance of bringing others into the “picture” for a better outcome. When doing this hunt last night our student ministry upped our followers on Instagram by 600!!! Ok…not quite that much, but we did get 25 new followers 🙂 Before you dismiss that, really consider what this means. Extending your reach through social media by doing something like this can capture the one person that “needs” to see your photos.

Our students were the ones posting upwards of 10 photos a piece and tagging our group. Their friends from school, sports teams, work etc. saw these silly pictures, liked them and are now following the posts that I put up weekly informing students of gatherings, summer trip options, Biblical truth, and just funny, silly stuff. After the hunt we had some judges hop online and look at photos…we judged on timestamps, creativity, and those that best followed the directions. I printed off and gave them this picture to the right as an example before giving them the scavenger hunt challenge. Make sure students and those participating in the hunt understand the “MUST HAVES” so that you can leverage the game for the social media win!

MUST HAVES

GEOLOCATION
TEAM PHOTO
@GROUPNAME

WHAT DO I HAVE THEM FIND? Here are a few…

Use your team to build a pyramid.
What time does our group meet on Wednesdays?
Give us your best Chuck Norris pose!

See more ways that I leverage our Instagram account by visiting http://instagram.com/gatewaystudents

$20 vs. Freedom

February 20, 2013 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

Lately I have been looking around the house for things I don’t use, trying to decide whether I want to repurpose the item or sell it. I came across my old iPhone – I have upgraded and this one is collecting dust. So, just like you may have done, I took some artsy pictures of the phone and put it up on Craigslist. I listed the phone for $250. When the phone went up it was like bait in a shark tank, 6 or 7 responses in the first hour. I negotiated with a mom and her son, his phone had been stolen, we agreed on $225.

As I approached the McDonalds last night to make the exchange there was a faint whisper, “Give them $20 back after the deal.” “What?!” I exclaimed. I ignored the absurd thought and started dwelling on the fact that this was MY money and I had every right to take the cash from the amount we agreed on. Yet again, but this time a bit stronger, “Give them $20 back after the deal.” I walked through the doors and saw they were the only ones sitting at a table, I sat down and showed them the phone, that it worked just fine. They liked the product and wanted to proceed with the deal. They asked me to help find an ATT store to reactivate the phone, then the mom whipped out the cash and started counting it in front of me, the pull on my heart came again, yet even stronger, “Give them $20 back, you will regret this missed opportunity.” This voice was all too familiar, the voice of the Spirit asking me to trust Him and obey. At this point I was mad, confused, and really just wanted to get out of there with my money. I counted $225 and pocketed the money. I was a gentleman of course and held the door open for them as they walked out to their car. As Matthew, the son, was about to close the door to his car I broke down and yelled, “Hey Matthew! You will need this to reactivate the phone at the store.” I handed him the twenty dollar bill, he seemed rightfully confused, his mom looked extremely thankful, with a smile and a wave from both of them I walked back to my truck grinning ear to ear. It was the best $20 I have spent in a long time.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

Last night I had the privilege to experience the freedom in choosing to give, I was not a slave to my selfish desires or money. There is a strong joy in giving, there is an even greater joy in obeying the Spirit when He calls you to do something, even when you don’t completely understand. People say that money can’t buy you happiness, in this case I think it did for both parties.

Later that night I got a text from Matthew and his mother, “We made it to the ATT store with 5 minutes to spare. Thanks for you assistance and generosity! There aren’t enough people in this world with those characteristics. Thanks again!”

As much as I would like to take credit for what happened, I cannot. The Spirit wanted to test me and be in the spotlight. We can be different than the world around us when we choose to walk in the Spirit. I know the fruits of the Spirit are attractive to the believing and unbelieving world, but what about the one that is responding to the call? Sometimes we want others to understand God more when we choose to walk in the Spirit (that others might see Jesus in us). In this particular situation I believe that I came to understand God and my freedom in Christ more, I may have got more out of this than they did. I am extremely thankful for my divine appointment with Matthew and his mom.