Just A Volunteer

"The words "Just" and "Volunteer" should NEVER be used in the same sentence. It's because you just volunteer that people get led to Christ every day, and that the people who wonder what God has to offer can find out. So I thank you for "just volunteering" when you don't have to, when an extra hour of sleep is what you really want, yet you drag yourself out of bed to volunteer, Thank you."  Trey, College Student

Basic Student Ministry Tip 32 - Rest

TAKE TIME TO REST: 
Weariness is worn as a badge of honor, busyness is touted as a sign of importance, and "I am needed 24-7" is a defense mechanism that produces pseudo significance. - D. Salter

I am still focusing on REST & REFUEL!  So many of you "preach" this, but few put it into practice. Spend time with family, friends and those people who energize you today.  Believe it or not, life and ministry will continue if you take a break... you're not THAT important, sorry.

Basic Student Ministry Tip 31 - Refuel

For those who care for the souls of others, you need to find time to refuel your soul. Leaders often discover they are running on low and are trying to grow in their relationship with God from the fumes instead of fuel.  If you rely on Sunday to recharge and refuel your spiritual tank, you might want to consider finding another way. Most pastors and church leaders are often pulled in many different directions on Sunday making it a time of intense work rather than refreshing worship. 

 

Take time to talk with your pastor or church leaders to gain wisdom and suggestions on how to make sure you have a time of worship. Daily refueling is necessary, so is having a time each week to worship with a group of people who simply love Jesus and desire to grow.

Top Pick for Music Of The Month

Filled with passionate songs birthed in the furnace of worship, prayer and intercession, Desperation Band's first studio album is a powerful experience calling the body of Christ to mercy and justice. Light Up The World is a fresh new sound of worship from the Desperation Movement through which thousands of students have taken the Desperation Vow to wholeheartedly follow God. In a special partnership with Heartwork Uganda, this album is dedicated to being a source of mission preparation and funding for the building of orphanages in Uganda.

Basic Student Ministry Tip 30

Encourage parents to become a part of the youth ministry.  By involving parents you:

• Allow parents to see students in a positive, Christ-honoring atmosphere designed with their student in mind.
• Give students an opportunity to see that their parents aren't "losers" and other people actually enjoy being around them.
• Gain support for the ministry from people who have had their driver's license for more than 8 months.
• Allow parents to see that their student isn't the only one "dressing that way."
• Begin to open doors that allow students and parents to serve together.
• Give unspoken but intentional support to the family unit.
• Develop relationships and gain wisdom from people who spend everyday loving, caring and raising teens.  

Take the time and make the effort to get parents of students involved, it's worth it!

Video Resource

Something To Think About

"If you have group of twelve kids who don't understand your illustrations and one of them wants to kill you, you have a youth group just like Jesus."  - Mark Yaconelli

Basic Student Ministry Tip 29

Work on developing person-to-person relationships for the individuals sake. People don't want to feel like another customer or number, they want to know that they matter and are valuable. Take time for people!

Basic Student Ministry Tip 28

Show love!  Love students - all of them, love parents - all of them, love volunteer leaders - all of them, love your community - all of them, love the staff & board you serve with - all of them, love your spouse - I'll assume there's just one, love your family - all of them. LOVE!

John 13:34-35

"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."

I Believe

I recently read an article in which a Sociologist penned that youth pastors "need the kind of job description that allows them to spend lots of time with teenagers-there is absolutely no substitute for spending time with youth and sticking to it for a long time." I agree and disagree with this notion and am choosing to "blog it" to further explain through a series of I BELIEVES.

I BELIEVE: 

·     Youth leaders need job descriptions that give them direction and help them understand the expectations of their position. I don't believe they need more "free-time" to spend time with students, but intentionally planned and scheduled time.

·     There are better uses of a youth leaders job than just spending time with students, keep reading before you jump to conclusions. I believe in ministry through multiplication... investing in adult leaders, which multiplies our ability to connect, multiplies our effectiveness, multiplies our gifts and multiplies our Kingdom building efforts. Spending quality time developing, training and encouraging leaders is one of the best investments we can make. Great resource: Sustainable Youth Ministry by Mark DeVries. 

·     Spending time with students and families is one of the greatest benefits of being a Youth leader. However, we shouldn't just spend time with students and families to meet a quota. We need to be students of students, asking questions that give us insight into their world and life. Through these interactions we will better understand how to plan, equip and communicate to students and families.  

·     That youth leaders need "personal and family" times built into their job descriptions. Not to mandate a time of day to spend with their family or on personal development, but to have high accountability in this area. Many youth leaders ignore their own soul and family for the sake of the ministry. Most do this with the best intentions of trying to build the Kingdom; some do it because their job may be at stake if they don't produce the right numbers or office hours. BOTH are wrong and lead to burnout and in many situations the departure of good leaders. Family and personal time are imperative to longevity and health.

I BELIEVE in youth ministry and the local church. I believe that students can lead... now. I believe that Jesus provides and that we need to do our part. I believe!