#6-Top Twelve Ideas for a GREAT YM Year

on January 26th, 2012

#6 is “Buy some buy-in.”

The youth ministry isn’t yours. It belongs to God and is played out through your church. If you constantly find yourself with too many ideas from others but not enough help, I suspect your buy-in tank is on E.

Here are 3 ways to fill increase support:
1) Don’t tell the church your plans. Ask them their plans and work the youth ministry into their vision. Much easier to get help from people you’d never expect when they’re excited.
2) Recruit intentional cheerleaders. Find people with influence in other areas of the church. Ask them to champion the cause of YM with the people in their spheres. Ask them to listen for ways the YM can do the same in return.
3) Communicate! You’d be surprised how little those people outside the YM know about what’s happening. People in churches get weird when they think they’re in the dark or out of the loop. Especially staff.

OK, my plane is about to land so I gotta scoot. More tomorrow.

Stephanie

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#7 of Top Twelve Tips for a GREAT YM Year

on January 25th, 2012

Why do small churches fight it? It is so simple, just do it! Yet, when I go into churches to do an assessment, this is a gaping hole on the  ”we haven’t done that yet” list. Geez, churches!

Background checks. Whether its the “we don’t want to offend Miss Donna who has been teaching since 1915″ or the “do we really have to spend the money?” to “What if we find something wrong” excuses…it has to be done. Did you know that a registered sex offender attempts to join into the work of a non-profit organization every 43 minutes.

Read what my friend, Matthew Fry, had to say about his experience at his new rural church:

My best example of this is with doing background checks on volunteers. When I came on staff I asked what the policy was. They stated that they usually called the police station, when one of their friends was working, and they would run the name through the system. I then asked them what kind of documentation we would have on file to prove we had done a background check if we ever needed to prove it. I was met with a blank stare. It was as if I was speaking a foreign language. I informed them that completing the checks and having the results on file helps protect everyone involved: the church, our students and our volunteer leaders. I have been met time after time with various excuses as to why we don’t need to do them. [...]

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#8-Countdown to a Great YM 2012!

on January 24th, 2012

#8 Get Help! There are youth folks who may know just a little bit more than you. Talk with them. Don’t be afraid of outside help. Bring people in to observe and assess what you’re doing. Find someone in your area who’s got the YM thing going on and bring them in. Seek wise counsel. Read resources. Teach/train your volunteers.

Here’s a shameless plug but still VERY heartfelt on my part:
1) Simply Youth Ministry has resources for the small church YM. Check out the book tabs above. Read Group’s Small Church Column. Follow this blog. Find others doing small church stuff.

2) Youth Ministry Architects (Mark DeVries’ organization) has started a new division, Small Church Ministry Architects…and I get to be its Director since I love all things Small Church. We serve churches with #150 or less in worship with their children’s, youth, Discipleship, Christian Education ministries. Its the same great YMA Sustainable stuff only sized for the smaller church’s needs.

Here’s a link: http://ymarchitects.com/small-church-ministry-architects/

 

Stephanie

 

 

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#9 – Top Twelve Countdown for a Great YM Year!

on January 23rd, 2012

Get Group Magazine.

That’s it. Not a cheap sales ploy for Group but because it’s good, relevant, keeps aging youth workers current, keeps young youth workers wise, and connects us all.

There’s a column dedicated to small church youth ministry.

S

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Top Twelve Countdown for a GREAT 2012 in Small Church YM-#10

on January 16th, 2012

Spend more time face-to-face with adults than you do with your students. 

I mean it and its a tough thing to do. See, most church leadership boards think just the opposite. They say they want you to relate best with students (though that only holds up till you don’t get your paperwork done), but the truth is: there’s only so much of you to go around.

But really, if you invested the largest majority of the time you have for ministry each week on finding and equipping volunteers, plus making sure that parents are resourced for their child’s faith walk – you’d have WAY more significant spiritual results than if you spent all your time with just your youth. Makes sense when you think about it, doesn’t it?

You’re not hearing me say to neglect one-on-one time with the students. I’m just asking you to examine how you carve up the pie of your time. The largest piece should go to what it takes for investing in volunteers and parents.

Simple. Or not.

S

 

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Poll: Big Youth Worker Conferences – Do you go? If so, which one? If not, why not?

on January 5th, 2012

I really want to know; I’m working on some national conference stuff. As smaller church youth ministry is becoming more of a visible sub-ministry area, I want to stay on top of what challenges other youth workers face getting to youth workers training conferences. So…answer away! PLEASE!

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Top Twelve Countdown for GREAT Small Church Youth Ministry in 2012 – #11

on January 4th, 2012

#11 – “THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT” -

This New Year’s Eve, I become the owner of my first Apple product, an iphone4. I had resisted it for years based solely on the snobbery of Apple users who looked down on mere mortal PC people.

Seems I was right and wrong. Right about avoiding the “judgier than thou” attitude towards people who might not be able to afford the i-stuff. I was wrong about not getting an iphone sooner. It rocks! I loved my BB’s and have them for everyone else in Casa Caro, but the iphone has made my busy ministry life much easier. There’s an app for so many things an they’re better than the BB app’s ever were.

The point? #11′s, “There’s An App for That” is an encouragement to small church youth workers to use as much technology as the church can provide to make your ministry easier, faster, more organized. I think many small churches, especially older ones, resist technology. That attitude can turn its nose down on the youth worker’s ideas…but quietly fight the good fight.

Suggestions? These aren’t anything new but I think they can help a part-time or volunteer youth director make more of his/her precious little time.

1) Youth Assistant or Youth Track: A data management program that can do it all in one place, making it easier for multiple people to communicate and use the youth data.

2) LIVE Curriculum by Simply Youth Ministry: At first you might say the ticket price isn’t advantageous for a [...]

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Top Twelve Countdown for a GREAT 2012 Small Church Youth Ministry!

on January 2nd, 2012

Its January 2nd. What a weird day! The Rose Bowl Parade was today so I didn’t’ know if I should be working or still on vacation. I elected for the latter earlier and went to lunch/shop. Now I’m watching the Fiesta Bowl since my Okla BFF is at Casa Caro, a BIG college football fan and OSU is playing tonight.

Which leads me to #12 in Tips for a GREAT Small Church YM Year:

#12 – PLAY MORE IN MINISTRY. Have fun with your students. They need a model of Sabbath rest and laughter, too, in addition to all the serious, spiritual stuff. Joy and enthusiasm in your ministry will go a lot farther in developing a healthy lifestyle than cynicism, grumpiness and taking everything just a little too seriously.

I think I just decided on #11′s Tip. You’ll see.

S

 

 

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What You Should and Shouldn’t Do Between Christmas and New Year’s

on December 15th, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the height of double-tasking on my part…but for today’s holiday blog, I’m sending you to a blog I wrote for Youth Ministry Architects.

Thoughts on that golden 5 day workless week between the right and left bower of the holiday break.  http://ymarchitects.com/4135/what-you-shouldshouldn’t-do-the-week-between-christmas-and-new-year’s

 

 

 

 

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Christmas and Critical Mass-part trois

on December 12th, 2011

One last idea (I think… unless I change my mind) for using Christmas as a tool for reaching a larger number of youth – especially those illusive inactives.

A simple, but savory idea: plan a youth trip to a soup kitchen. What, you say? This is your big idea? Hear me out:

Its been my experience that moms and dads of inactive youth are looking for ways to nudge their teen back to your youth ministry. During the week before Christmas, everyone is feeling the need to give back and we parents want our kids to know how good they have it. A soup kitchen trip just might be the recipient of an award-winning push from a parent for that fringe teen to attend. Its worked for me before and what do you care? Whatever it takes to gather a few more-than-normal of your kids is usually not a bad thing.

That’s my deep thought for today.

S

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