3 Reasons Why Your Volunteers Quit (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT
Doug Franklin gives three reasons why volunteers leave.
5 reasons Jesus would be fired if he were hired as a youth leader (Dare 2 Share Ministries International)
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:15:00 GMT
In the crazy "what if" world of impossible scenarios I am convinced that Jesus would be fired within his first few months of becoming a youth leader at the typical church. Here are five reasons why... 1. He would shrink the group before he grew it. In the Gospels Jesus scared away the loud crowds and nestled into the committed core on several occasions. What makes us think he would do anything differently in a modern youth group context as a youth leader? His large and thriving "youth group" shrunk to next to nothing after his hard-to-understand lesson on communion in John 6:66, "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." In Luke 14:25-27 Jesus implemented his crowd shrinking strategy in a much more direct way, "Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters?yes, even their own life?such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Calling for such radical commitment would cause pastors' kids to complain to their parents. Not to mention how Jesus' thought provoking teaching style (that often created more questions than answers) would cause parents and pastors alike to cringe. Their red faces would soon turn into a pink slip. 2. He would do most of his youth ministry outside the four walls of the youth room. How much time do we see Jesus ministering in the temple or synagogues (the equivalent of a church building in the Jewish context)? He was there some but, more often than not, his pulpit could be found by a fig tree, on a pathway, in a field, on a mountain or in a boat. He used nature as sermon illustrations and "that just happened" incidents as his teaching curriculum. Jesus was his own mobile app. He applied truth on the go to the lives of his mostly teenaged disciples in real life situations and it would get him fired real quick from most churches. 3. He would bring the "un" ones (dirty, flirty and rejected) into his inner circle. Jesus reached the dirty... "A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.' Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man." Mark 1:40,41 Jesus reached the flirty... "When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is?that she is a sinner.'" Luke 7:36-39 Jesus reached the rejected.... "When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.' So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner'" Luke 19:5-7. As soon as Jesus started bringing converted call girls, puss-oozing sickies and cultural rejects into youth group many pretty and pristine Bible-toting, Scripture-quoting teenagers would evacuate the premises. Soon the elders would call a meeting and, well, you know what happens after that. 4. He would confront the status quo in the youth group and church at large. "When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a market!' His disciples remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.' The Jews then responded to him, ‘What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?'" John 2:13-18 Imagine the scenario, Jesus flipping tables in the church foyer and screaming, "Why have you turned my Father's house into a den of robbers?" Sure, our churches aren't selling over-priced livestock for temple sacrifices. But many of them are selling the fattened calves of consumeristic Christianity that caters to self and not service to God. You wonder how many Sunday school classes Jesus would interupt and ask, "Why don't we get out of here and go down to the local shelter together? We can feed the poor, clothe the hungry and share the gospel. I can teach you the lesson in the church van on the way back." This would lead to the inevitable ..."Our leadership team is headed in a different direction" conversation. 5. His hair would be way too long to be taken seriously. Below the ears is risky but below the shoulders? Come on! If you can't trust a man to visit the barber once in awhile can you trust him to run a youth ministry? I didn't think so!
Youth Ministry Ideas for Lent 2012: 40 Days of Yes! (Rethinking Youth Ministry)
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:52:00 GMT
Have you asked your students to give up something for Lent? Maybe you are asking the wrong question.This past Sunday I preached on a passage I'd never encountered before -- a passage in which Paul argues that Jesus is God's "Yes" to the world (2 Cor 1: 18-22). I asked the congregation if they'd be willing to walk around wearing T-shirts that declared that message. We agreed that those looking at our shirts might all have the same question: What is Jesus saying Yes to?Lent is often thought of as a season of "No." We say no to chocolate or Facebook or TV or some other bad habit that we think would be worth saying goodbye to for a few weeks. But what if Lent was seen as the season of "Yes." What if the reason for saying "No" to some of that stuff was really a reason to say "Yes" to things that really matter -- to the things Jesus says "Yes" to? What if Lent was the season to say "Yes" to a richer prayer life, a deeper study of scripture, more involvement in Christian community, greater outreach to those in need, or a more intentional effort to love others and ourselves? What if Lent was seen as a season to say "Yes" to real sabbath, to sharing our faith, or simply enjoying the beauty of God's creation?I was inspired recently to think of Lent as "40 Days of Yes" by something I read on Jonny Baker's blog. What might this look like for your youth ministry? You could invite your teens to each adapt one practice that they could say "Yes" to for 40 Days. Maybe this could include saying "I love you" to someone each day, creating art each day, reading scripture each day, hugging their parents each day. Or you could covenant as a group to spend the 40 days doing the same thing together, perhaps posting positive messages on Facebook, praying at the same time each day wherever you may be, or reading a book together. Get creative and see what new experiences you can say "Yes" to in Lent that will help you and your youth be more open to Gods' presence.
Back to the Future: Traveling Back Into My Youth Ministry Past (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:51:00 GMT
How Good a Listener Are You? (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:49:00 GMT
A Youth Ministry View I Don't Respect (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:45:00 GMT
New From ym360! "The 7 Best Practices For Teaching Teenagers The Bible" (youthministry360)
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:27:00 GMT
Introducing the newest resource from youthministry360, "7 Best Practices For Teaching Teenagers The Bible."
Blog Less, Be more .... (Deep Thoughts by Gman)
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:14:00 GMT
Blog less ... be more there in person. Social media less, off the internet .... be more there ...play more. laugh ...cry .... As I'm home this week ...I'm seeing that there is a lot of work to be done and not just online. So let's focus on being there in person for people.http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO
What One wants in their Preacher? (Deep Thoughts by Gman)
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:07:00 GMT
What does one want in their preacher? The best conversationalist? The best communicator? The best dressed? Nope, nope and nope. People know that they shouldn't put their preacher on this pedestal; nor that is he perfect. In fact most preachers just need to point people, well, to Jesus. So here is three things I think people want in their preacher. I. Committed. A committed preacher to stay where they are. Committed to the Lord and to the local work. Pursuing to be Jesus' hands and feet to the World. II. Caring - care for people. Care for the Lord. Put love into action. III. Compassionate. Similar to caring but also be that listening ear. Compassion doesn't mean empathize but sympathy. Be there for the person but don't have to be that person. (Most times you are not them anyways) Being compassionate means displaying the Fruit of the Spirit ..."love, joy peace, patience ...." So what do you think people want in their preacher? Thoughts? http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO
Free Youth Series: "The Hunger and Thirst Games" (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT
"As a line from the book says, 'May the odds be in your favor.' I will say, may God richly bless you as you teach your kids what it means to hunger and thirst after God."
Bible in 50 words ... (Deep Thoughts by Gman)
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:55:00 GMT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO
FREE videos and mp3 recordings from the D6 Conference! (Life in Student Ministry)
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT
For the next two weeks, download free videos and mp3 recordings from the D6 Conference!
Innovations That Are Needed in Youth Ministry (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT
Mark Oestreicher points out three innovations he sees as necessary to the health of youth ministry.
A Word About Relevance In Your Youth Ministry (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:00:00 GMT
10 Trends That Will Reshape Youth Ministry (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:57:00 GMT
Remember Well: Recalling Your Memories of Adolescence (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:56:00 GMT
Raising Expectations (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:55:00 GMT
7 Major Topics You Should Preach on Each Year in Student Ministry (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:54:00 GMT
The Secret Structure of Great Talks (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:44:00 GMT
Too Old, Too Soon; Too Young, Too Long (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:42:00 GMT
The Real McCoy (Building Leaders of Tomorrow)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:24:00 GMT
Colt McCoy gives his testimony of one of the hardest days in his football career and possibly his life...In tough times, God has a purpose. Encourage you to apply this to whatever you might be going through right now.
A Word About Relevance In Your Youth Ministry (youthministry360)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:11:00 GMT
ym360 Contributor Bucky Rogers writes a challenging post with some thoughts on how we pursue relevance.
A Word About Relevance In Your Youth Ministry (youthministry360)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:11:00 GMT
ym360 Contributor Bucky Rogers writes a challenging post with some thoughts on how we pursue relevance.
Exclusive Members Offer: The 7 Best Practices For Teaching Teenagers The Bible (youthministry360)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:58:00 GMT
This Page Was Designed For An Exclusive ym360 Newsletter Member Offer Teaching The Bible To Your Teenagers Doesn't Have To Be Intimidating! 7 Best Practices is a really practical, really straightforward book that (hopefully) has something for everyone who teaches teenagers the Bible. DOWNLOAD A SAMPLE The heart of the book is pretty simple: [...]
8 ideas for making family your primary ministry [Guest Post] (Life in Student Ministry)
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:40:00 GMT
Serving our family at home is our primary ministry, not our ministry to the church or the youth group. Here's 8 ideas for doing so.
5 Common Actions in Every Thriving Youth Ministry (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT
Greg Stier explores, "five common actions that are taken in every youth ministry that is thriving on both a deep and wide level."
How Teenagers Are Using Technology (Life on Life)
Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:42:00 GMT
A recent study released by Ericsson revealed that teenagers would rather talk than text. Here are some other highlights from the report that you can download [here]:Video chat is growing53% say their phone calls last less than 4 minutesMore than a third say they use video chat for homeworkAverage number of Facebook friends is 265ooVoo is an emerging social tool
How to Keep Parents Informed (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:40:00 GMT
Challenge Day for You (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:35:00 GMT
Chronicle (ChurchLeaders.com Youth Leaders)
Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:34:00 GMT
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