Life of a youth pastor .

An answer to prayer – the Gateway Leadership Development Program.

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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.

We got 180 campers to sign up in one day…here’s how.

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bait and switch

It’s all about deals…perhaps some would call a bait and switch, for which I don’t apologize. On September 1st we had 180 campers sign up for our Winter Camp in January! Yes, camp is still over 4 months away but we have almost 50% of our camp capacity filled…and here is how we did it.

It started a few years back with a desire to better partner with parents in my ministry. I wanted a place to bring together my parents, small group leaders and students to talk about our ministry philosophy of a small group culture and the events. So, first let’s answer this question: How do I get all of my parents, students and leaders/volunteers to one place? THE ANSWER for my first year of doing this was FOOD. Food brings people together, and in Texas there is no better way to do than offering a BBQ to families and leaders. Though this worked the first year, we needed a bigger reason to invite them back the following year…some parents may not seem willing to come to an event where “they already know what you are going to share” even if you have new content or vision for the year.

So, now let’s answer this question: How do I get all of my parents, students and leaders/volunteers to show up in one place year after year after year? …and not make it feel like pulling teeth?  I have used a phrase this year that seemed to go over well and somewhat contagious among my staff, “We bribe our parents/students to the BBQ, it is a bait and switch method and we don’t apologize for it, because in the end EVERYONE wins!” Let me explain in bullet points (to keep it brief) how this works.

THE BAIT AND SWITCH

  • Invite all parents/students to the annual BBQ.
  • REQUIRE that all small group leaders and volunteers attend.
  • Incentive: All who attend the BBQ will receive a promo code for $50 off camp registration. (Adjust your camp budgets accordingly so this doesn’t tank your budget, we plan to go into the hole a bit on the front end and compensate that with our “regular rate” and “late rate”)
  • Promo code can only be used by those that attended BBQ and must be used on opening day of registration.
  • On opening day we had 180 campers register for camp.

The other BAIT AND SWITCH

  • Remember the initial reason for the BBQ? We want parents to mingle with small group leaders.
  • After our large group program together, the parents must go meet and talk with the SGL for the meal ticket to get their BBQ.

Each year our NextGen team is refining this process but we have some BIG momentum from it. Don’t underestimate that there is a lot of planning for an event like this. However, it does generate lots of interest for your upcoming event or program along with creating a space for your audience to hear vision from your staff.

Get off the stage, you talk too much!

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shh2If the statement upsets you it could be a deeper conviction or perhaps I’m right. However, I’m not here to guilt trip you, but rather offer up one of the best kept secrets I have run into this past year. The method has benefited my student ministry tremendously.

You and I both know that even the most gifted and rehearsed speaker won’t connect with every student. I receive compliments and encouragement from some students while getting blank stares from others. Your audience needs different voices offering up the same truth in different tones. Just as there are a kazillion love songs on the radio, some prefer country music while others like the fat beat of a heavy rap song with a similar story…in both songs someone is stealing the girl or running off with their high school sweetheart  (I understand country music lyrics a little bit more clearly than rap…but maybe that’s just me?).

I found that asking guest speakers to take on a speaking series is beneficial to everyone involved in the equation. A couple of quick thoughts:

  • Give your audience another voice to connect with.
  • Rather than spend time on message prep that week, solve other problems in your ministry.
  • Allow a speaker/teacher to grow in their gifting.
  • Taking off a Sunday in the future will be much more possible when you share the stage with others.
  • Pastoral staff and those with the gift of teaching are selected guest speakers. BE SELECTIVE.
  • One day when you leave your position students will be more receptive to hearing from other voices…even the next youth pastor.

How often should you share the stage? The old-school youth pastor and even some modern day yp’s will speak every single Sunday. If you want to burn out and hate your job…then continue this method. Even if you LOVE speaking…your ministry needs your attention in other places other than the stage. I have done some math and it appears over the past year that I speak 40-50% of the time. That means that I am one of if not the most consistent faces on stage but not appearing every Sunday.

Getting off the stage has allowed me to recruit, train and cast vision for my leaders like never before. This year we have a full volunteer staff of almost 60 showing up every Sunday to lead small groups, greet students and serve up a meal for our high school program. This would not have been possible if it weren’t for the team of speakers I have around me that pour in their time to teach our students while I work on other “behind the scenes stuff” during the week.

In case the question came to mind. We use Orange’s Xp3 curriculum as our foundation for a teaching manuscript and small group questions. I allow the guest speaker to add their own stories and even some main points, but they have to stick to the bottom line and use the scripture given.

So, I leave you with this question: Who are you sharing the stage with?

2015 Student Ministry Survey

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This is not that conversation you have with another youth pastor to see who is “winning”, all of us are on the same team trying to reach the same generation, so let’s help each other out! The information I’m hoping to obtain with this survey can be life changing for your ministry and perspective on how your student ministry fits within your church.

After taking the survey you will know where you stand in these three areas compared to a variety of other churches.

  1. Student population in correlation to adult attendance
  2. Percentage of overall budget contributed to student ministry
  3. The student ministry staff sizes in relation to student numbers

After collecting information over the next few weeks I will email those that contributed to the survey, you will then be able to compare your own ministry to the averages obtained. This information will allow you to have real-time conversations with your church about where you are in these areas. (For me, I believe that I’m understaffed currently and I’m trying to discover if that is really the case.)

Your personal information and church name will be kept confidential, it will not be shared with anyone. The survey requires very short answers and should only take you a few minutes… when you are finished would you send the survey link to someone else? The more student pastors we can get to take the survey, the better averages and collective information we will have.

#OC15 hacks for you and your team

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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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The Sunday backup plan.

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pixshark.com

 

As I browse youth pastor forums it is pretty common to come across the guy or gal asking for last minute help on a Saturday night. We have all been in this situation where we just know that we simply can’t make tomorrow happen. Whether it be the flu, a death in the family, or you procrastinated all week, the truth remains the same: you have no idea how Sunday is going to work in your absence (or mental absence if you decided to wait until the last minute to plan).  [Read more…]

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

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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…]

6 “must visit” youth ministry websites

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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…]

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…]