Freebie Friday: “Youth Ministry Tips & Ideas” by Tim Schmoyer
A few weeks ago, I posted a review of Mark Oestreicher book A Beautiful Mess. As I said in that review, it was one of the best student ministry books I have read in a long time. That book is part of a series of books from Group and Simply Youth Ministry called Everyday Youth Ministry. Today I want to share with you another book from that series called Youth Ministry Tips & Ideas by Tim Schmoyer for FREE!
I have already downloaded this book and started reading it. So far it’s been really good! Tim shares practical tips and ideas that will help you when you feel like your “stuck” in your student ministry. Sometimes we run out of ideas and this book will help you with that. I would recommend everyone in student ministry to have this book handy for the next time you need a fresh idea or looking for a practical student ministry tip.
Here is a quick bio of Tim Schmoyer from the Everyday Youth Ministry website:
Founder of Life In Student Ministry and is dedicated to facilitating discussions among Christian youth workers about youth ministry. He is the author of the Youth Specialties/Zondervan book Life In Student Ministry: Practical Conversations on Thriving in Youth Ministry, a national youth leader trainer, speaker, and a super-volunteer at his church.
Click here to download Youth Ministry Tips & Ideas by Tim Schmoyer
Guest Post: Five Leadership Lessons that I Learned from Lincoln
I have always been fascinated with Abraham Lincoln. I first read about him in grammar school. I remember my very first book and was intrigued with the pictures of a tall lanky young Lincoln. I was captivated as I learned about a boy from humble beginnings with a strong work ethic who defied the odds and changed the world.
Since that time I have read numerous books on Lincoln, perhaps more than on any other one individual. Even now I have two books that I plan to read this year. There have been 16,000 books published on Lincoln–125 on the assassination alone–more than any other American. It appears my fascination is shared.
There also have been volumes written about or extracted from Lincoln’s life on the topic of leadership. But, as I stated, I am intrigued by him and his abilities to lead. He even learned from those who were his greatest critics. So at the risk of redundancy here are:
5 Leadership Lessons that I Learned from Lincoln
- His leadership was a demonstration of his character. Repeatedly I have read how he was challenged, criticized or disregarded, but it did not change the way he led. Lincoln knew who he was and what he believed and acted upon it.
- He was not afraid to make the hard decisions even if they were not popular. His decision to abolish slavery was principled and costly, but he did not flinch.
- He was wise and mature enough to draw wisdom from everyone including his detractors and even his enemies. I suggest every leader read Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin to see how Lincoln led with adversaries.
- His family was a high priority and had access to him. I remember reading accounts of his sons running into the Oval Office during “Meetings of State” to see their father and knowing they had that right.
- He never forgot where he came from which helped him maintain a keen sense of awareness of people. Even as President he was mindful of individuals and never seemed to be too taken with himself.
I do not believe Abraham Lincoln was the perfect leader. He did not make all the right decisions, but no leader does. His faith was important to him, but he was not the perfect Christian; however, his faith was one of the guiding forces of his life. I just know that every time I read another book about him I am inspired and challenged to be better than I am right now.
This guest post was written by Mike Calhoun. Mike is the Vice President of Word of Life. Mike has written many books and resources, most recent being 8 Reasons Why I’m Not a Christ. He also enjoys writing, teaching, and speaking. Click here to check out more of his thoughts on his blog.
The Most Important Part of Student Ministry
If I were to ask you the question, “What is the most important part of student ministry?” what would be your answer? Some people might say it’s disciplieship. The most important thing is disciplining the next generation. Some people might say evangelism. The most important thing is sharing the Gospel with students. Some may even say relationships. The most important thing is for students to build healthy relationships with Godly adults as well as other students. Some people may not say it, but deep down they put a lot of important in having a large student ministry, with the best building and best stage set up. I believe all these things are important and should be important parts of our ministry, but I do not believe any of them are the most important part of student ministry.
Before I share what I believe is the most important part of student ministry, let me share with you my journey thus far in student ministry that has led me to this conclusion. I grew up and served as a volunteer youth leader in a large student ministry. We had big Wednesday night gatherings, went to some big events, and went to a crazy and big summer camp. All I knew was big student ministry, I have never really been in, as a student or volunteer, in a small student ministry. Throughout my college years as I studied student ministry, I read and looked up to guys in “big” student ministries. Because I knew of nothing else, I desired and prayed for a big student ministry in the future. I loved the student ministry I grew up in and have loved the student ministries I have served in as a volunteer and as an intern. I thank God He placed me in some large student ministries that were top-notch. I still have dreams and a vision for a large student ministry and I am striving in my current student pastor position to see that happen, but I have come to the conclusion that having a big student ministry is not the most important thing. As a matter of fact, I have come to the conclusion that discipleship, evangelism, and relationships are not even the most important thing. I believe, with all my heart, that the most important part of student ministry is the student pastor’s relationship with God.
In his book, Life in Student Ministry, Tim Schmoyer explains it this way:
Your own [referring to the student pastor] relationship with Christ should come first. How can you model mature Christian faith if you’re not growing. Teens need to see the priority of your relationship with Christ as something real and genuine-not just something you talk about. Plus, the more your love grows for the Lord, the more your love will grow for the teens around you.
A lot of times, including myself, student pastors put great importance on the work of Christ rather than the person of Christ. The most important thing in student ministry is making sure the student pastor is growing in his personal relationship with God. That is the starting point of student ministry! Houston Heflin, in his book Youth Pastor: Theological and Practice of Youth Ministry, defines youth ministry this way: “Youth ministry is a Spirit-led discipleship process by which God works through Christian adults to lead teens into relationship with God and to Christlike maturity as part of the body of Christ, the church.” Did you catch that? Student ministry is God working through adults. If that is how God works through student ministry, student pastors, and their leaders, must be growing in their personal walk with God. That is the source of student ministry, that is the most important thing!
I do not think a student pastor can focus enough on his personal relationship with God. His walk with Christ must come before student ministry. It’s his walk with Christ that will make him usable and effective in student ministry. Where is your focus? What is the most important thing in your student ministry?
Guest Post: Where Do Jr. High Students Go During Summer?
Summer is here and our junior high students are left dealing with hours and hours of free time. Although they have baseball, softball, camps, and a multitude of other activities in the summer months, they still have a lot of spare time. The question for leaders to consider is, “How do we keep junior high students connected during the summer?” Many youth groups have their numbers drop drastically during the summer; as a result they cancel part or all of their programming. Many students can go the entire summer with out attending church or even opening their Bible. This is not ok. We must figure out how to keep them connected. Students aren’t anti-church in the summer, but we may have to adjust our plan of attack. Here are a couple of ideas:
1. Plan outdoor activities.
Plan a trip to a pool, water park or theme park. Schedule some time to have a junior high family picnic. Plan ahead for these events and start advertising them before summer comes around.
2. Schedule a spiritual emphasis.
Prepare a special summer ministry plan and promote it for your junior high students. Plan an exciting series of messages and activities during your groups meeting time that your students don’t want to miss. Don’t lose momentum in the summer. Even if you do have a little smaller group, keep moving them in the right direction. Junior high students can make life-changing decisions during the summer.
3. Be available.
Don’t sit in your office all summer. Be deliberate about contacting your students for lunch, golfing, supply hunting for youth group or even help you with yard work. Spend time with junior high students (be specific with making sure you don’t show favoritism in this). This will build trust and let them see you outside the building.
4. Connect.
Contact your students on a regular basis during the summer. Whether it is through social media, texting, or even and old-fashioned phone call, do it. Make sure that you are available as aa student or parent need arises. This will make you a part of their life instead of just that guy at the church.
Follow this plan or tweek it for yourself and you will find that summer isn’t just to sit back and relax. You might find that it is one of your most effective times to do ministry.
This guest post was written by Terry Goodwin. Terry has been working with Junior High Students for the past 12 years. He currently works as Junior High Minister at Second Church of Christ in Danville, IL. He is also the creator of JuniorHighMinistry.org (your source for everything junior high).
3 Summer Water Games for Your Youth Ministry
One of my favorite seasons in student ministry is the summer! I love getting my students outside and I love the events you can do in the summer. One of the big things I love doing in the summer with students is water games! I am normally not a huge game guy and I struggle with doing games in student ministry, but I love doing water games during the summer. This summer I am planning on doing three water games with our students that I have done in the past and they have always been a big hit.
For each of these games, you will need one major thing: clear painter’s plastic. You can pick up a pretty large roll of it at Lowe’s for a decent price.
Slip n’ Slide Kickball. By far, this is my favorite water game. It’s simple! All you need is the painter’s plastic, four blow up kiddie pools, and water. Take the four kiddie pools and spread them out as bases as you would in a normal kick ball game. Once you have the kiddie pools (bases) set, outline the diamond with your painter’s plastic. Each kiddie pool should be connected with the plastic. Fill up each kiddie pool with water (for an added bonus, add something like shaving cream or baby shampoo to the water in the kiddie pools) and spray the plastic so it’s nice and slick. Grab a ball that is easy to kick if barefoot, and play it like a normal game of kickball. The fun part is watching the students run the bases on the slip n’ slide and jumping in the pools as they go. I have done this game numerous times in the past and it is always a hit with the students! Just make sure there are no hidden rocks under the plastic or pools!
Slip n’ Slide Relay. This is another pretty simple game to set up. Take the plastic and make a straight, flat slip n’ slide that is about 20-30 feet (or whatever you see fit for the space you are in). On one end, have a large trashcan full of water. On the other end, have a smaller, empty trashcan or round cooler with a pitcher inside (one for each team). First, split your students up into two teams. One team starts behind the empty trashcan and one at a time has to run down the slip n’ slide, fill up the pitcher with water, and bring it back and dump it into the empty cooler. Their goal is to see how much water they can dump into the empty trash can in the allotted time that you give them (I usually do 2 minutes). Here is the twist. The other team gets to stand on the sides of the slip n’ slide and throw balls at the other team as they run back and forth trying to fill up the trashcan (use the plastic balls from Wal-Mart in this game). Switch it up every two minutes so each team gets two or three rounds in this game. The team with the most water at the end wins!
Giant Slip n’ Slide. This really isn’t a game, but it is always a huge hit with students. After you have done a few games with the painter’s plastic, take all of the left over plastic and make a giant slip n’ slide. Allow the students to have a free for all and enjoy the fun of the giant slip n’ slide. Be sure to check for rocks and sticks before you lay the plastic down to save your students, and yourself from injury.
These are just a few of the many water games you can do with your students this summer. Again, games are not for everyone and some student ministries may do better without games, but if you’re looking for some outdoor, summer games, these are three that I recommend. If you need more info or details on one of these games, feel free to contact me via e-mail (austingmccann@gmail.com) or on Twitter (@HUBpaustin).
Book Review: A Beautiful Mess
A few weeks ago I was scrolling through my Twitter feed and saw a link to a free download of Mark Oestreicher new book called A Beautiful Mess. This book is part of a series of books from Simply Youth Ministry and Group called Everyday Youth Ministry. I have a few of the books in this series and have enjoyed each one! Recently, I just finished reading A Beautfilul Mess by Mark Oestreicher.
It seems like every time you turn around there is a new youth ministry book that is promoting a new “model” or “philosophy” of youth ministry. Don’t get me wrong, I am not against these types of books and many of them have been instrumental in shaping my own philosophy of youth ministry (click here to check out my personal youth ministry philosophy). But far too often as youth pastors and youth workers, we look to the next “big thing” and quickly abandon what we are doing for the sake of doing youth ministry differently. This is not always bad because in a changing youth culture, we must be changing the way we minister to students in that culture. But we must not get caught up in what’s wrong with our youth ministry and quickly jump to trying something new. We need to realize a lot of what we are doing is working and actually making a different in the life’s of students for the sake of the Gospel!
This is why Mark Oestreicher book, A Beautiful Mess, was such a breathe of fresh air for me! Finally, a youth ministry book that didn’t talk about what is wrong with youth ministry, but actually explained what is right with youth ministry! Mark explains some of the current things in youth ministry that are working and bringing fruit in the life’s of our students. He helps us see that the glass is half full, not half empty. This book allows youth pastors and youth workers to be encouraged and walk away feeling like they are making a difference, because they really are making a difference! Mark admits that we must not resist change because we always need to be changing the way we do student ministry, but we must not change for the sake of change. We are doing some things right in youth ministry and let’s see the glass half full and continue serving students with the love of Christ.
I would recommend this book for anyone involved in youth ministry. This book will help you identity some of the things we are doing right in student ministry and encourage by reminding us we are making a difference! Click here to download this book for FREE for a limited time. If the free offer expires time you see this, you can still purchase a copy of the book for a great, low price here.
Freebie Friday: 10 Things to Ask Graduating Seniors
When was the last time you took a step back and evaluated your student ministry? I’m not talking about a few minutes of reflection, but a period of time where you ask yourself some tough questions about your ministry. Are we fulfilling the Great Commission? Are we producing committed followers of Jesus? Are we developing our students as well as our adult volunteers into Godly leaders within their culture? These are just a few of the many questions we need to continually ask ourselves to properly evaluate our student ministry. It would be wise to bring others into this discussion and evaluation as well. This is why I am excited to share today’s freebie with you!
One of the most important groups of people you should use to help you evaluate your student ministry is your graduating seniors. The majority of them have been in your student ministry for quite some time and see the ministry in a whole different light than you normally do. They can reveal things about your ministry that you may not be able to see. Plus, they will probably be extremely honest with you about your ministry flaws and failures because they are about to be out of it! Either way, your graduating seniors are a great group to help you honestly evaluate your student ministry and it will also show you how your ministry has impacted them.
Chuck Bomar, founder of College Leader and pastor of Colossae Church, has provided a document with ten questions you should ask your graduating seniors. Chuck says, “Asking graduated seniors the following questions can help you become better at what you do, be more in tune with the actual needs of your students, and provide a natural way for you to give a few things for them to think about as they move onto the next stage of education.”
Click on the link below to download Chuck Bomar’s document of ten questions to ask your graduating seniors.
Recovering from a Bad Sermon
If you have been in a ministry position where you preach or teach on a weekly basis, you know how it feels to preach a few terrible sermons. I had one of those experiences last night in our student ministry. Honestly, it was one of those sermons that I was just ready to be done with. Don’t get me wrong, the Lord spoke through His Word in spite of my terrible preaching and many students talked to me after the service about the topic. So what do we do after our preaching and teaching doesn’t go as well as planned? Here are a few things I have been reminding myself of since last night:
1. Trust in God’s sovereignty. At the end of the day, God doesn’t need us to preach or teach the world’s best sermon. Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” God’s Word is powerful and able to change the heart of those who you are preaching to. You don’t have to read the Bible very long to see that God uses things that look “terrible” to us to accomplish His will. God still spoke through your terrible sermon. However, this shouldn’t push us to not prepare well and not strive to communicate God’s Word the most creative way we can, but it should give us comfort when our preaching doesn’t come out the way we intended it to.
2. Don’t dwell on it. I have a tendency to dwell on a terrible sermon. I will usually ask my fiancée over and over what she thought about it, and sometimes I even catch myself trying to “explain” to her why it was so terrible. The best thing you can do after preaching a terrible sermon is simply move on and focus on preparing your next sermon. Remind yourself of number one, trust in God’s sovereignty, and move on.
3. Learn from it. Another thing you can do after preaching a terrible sermon is to simply learn from the experience. Last night when I had my “terrible sermon” experience, I knew it wasn’t because I didn’t prepare the sermon right or study the Scriptures; it was because I stayed up way too late the night before. I was mentally and physically exhausted which resulted in not being able to communicate God’s Word well. Learning from a terrible sermon is a good way to stay humble as a preacher of God’s Word. Admit it was not your best sermon, and move on by learning from the experience. See what you need to change or do better so you can avoid it next time you preach. As people who are preaching and teaching God’s Word, we must continue to learn and grow from our mistakes.
I hope these simple thoughts will help you when you face your next “terrible sermon.” Even though God’s Word is powerful and can change hearts, we as preachers and teachers will struggle to share it well every time. If you preach God’s Word often, you will have some sermons that are not your best, but rest assured, you will have a few sermons and lessons that you knock out of the park!
Steven Furtick, lead pastor of Elevation Church, wrote a great article on this same subject. I ran across it after I wrote this post and believe it would be a great article to check out. Click here to view that article.
NEW Hub Youth Facility
One of the first things I felt that God wanted me to do as the new student pastor at Courtney Baptist Church, is launch a new look and structure to the student ministry. After a month or so of praying and planning, we officially launched the NEW name and look to our student ministry. Our student ministry is now called The Hub Student Ministry. The Hub is more than just a cool name for the student ministry, it’s a name that illustrates our vision for students. A “hub” is the center of something; it is the center of all activity. On a wheel, everything is built around the center, the hub. Our vision is to see students make God the center of their life and allow everything to be built around God as the center. With the new name, came a new look to the current student ministry facility. We painted the whole place and upgraded the space with some awesome stuff! Below is a video with pictures of our new youth facility:
For more info on The Hub Student Ministry, visit our Facebook page. You can also see more of our video on our vimeo page.
Saying No In Student Ministry
One of things I am learning in my first student pastor position is the value of saying no to certain things. For ministry leaders, and student pastor like me, simply saying no can be one of the hardest things to do in ministry. In his book, What Matters Most, Doug Fields says, “While saying no results in many personal benefits, it’s a difficult word for most ministry-minded leaders to utter because their ministry culture values yes.” A lot of times student ministry culture says “you have to do more” and student pastors are falling for that lie left and right. I’ll admit, I’m not an expert at this. Being fresh out of college and in my first student pastor position, it’s easy to “always make sure I have enough on the calendar.” I’m in the process of learning how to say the word no. I am learning that there comes a time, usually it’s a lot of the time, when I need to say no because there is more important stuff to focus on. Here are some times to say no in student ministry.
1. When it takes the place of your own personal relationship with God. In a post awhile back called The Hardest Person to Lead, I quoted Chris Finchum as he said, “It’s easy to fall in love with the work of Christ rather than the person of Christ.” Student pastors must say no to something if it will get in the place of their personal walk with God. Doug Fields said this about his early years in ministry: “Because in the busyness of my first decade of ministry, I abandoned my first love (God) and developed a love affair with doing ministry.” The number one key to successful youth ministry is being a student pastor who is in love with Jesus and walking consistently with Him. Many student pastors are missing this important key because they are too busy with youth ministry to invest in their own walk with God. Revelation 2:4 says, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” Say no if it will get in the way of personal walk with God.
2. When it puts your character and integrity at stake. Another time we need to say no in student ministry is when it puts your personal character at stake. The first qualification for a leader given by Paul in 1 Timothy 3 is to be “above reproach.” As student pastors, we must guard our character. From example, don’t say yes to taking a student of the opposite sex home if it’s only going to be yourself and the student in the car. Your personal character is more important than a ride home. Some may disagree with me on this point, but I believe a student pastor’s personal character is more important that ministry to teenagers. We are called to be holy and must say no to whatever puts that at stake.
3. When it gets in the way of your family. I remember listening to a Perry Noble leadership podcast as he talked about the topic of putting your spouse before ministry. One statement he said that stuck in my head was “Jesus will take care of His church.” God called student pastors to be pastors to their spouses and children first. We are to be leaders at home, before we are leaders at church. At the end of the day, Jesus will take care of your youth ministry. God has called us to be pastors of our home before pastors of the students at our church. Don’t sacrifice your family on the alter of student ministry, it’s unbiblical and not worth it. Say no if it gets in the way of your family.
These are just a few times I believe we need to say no as student pastors. You may have noticed, I didn’t say anything about programing or even the student ministry, I focused on the leader as a person. I believe building a person is more important than building a ministry. Ric Garland says, “Build the man and God will build the ministry.” When student pastors focus on growing in Christ as a person, God will grow the ministry.
I mentioned Doug Field’s book What Matters Most a few times in this post. This is a great little book that I would recommend anyone in ministry to read. It will help you underatand what matters the most and how you can say no to all the other stuff. Click here to purchase a copy of it from Amazon.
