Author Brian Aaby

Rest and Remodel

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Blessings on you and your loved ones in this wonderful time of year. The holiday stretch between Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are typically busy days for me. I decided to take this time of year away from the blog and invest some additional time in some other areas requiring some attention.

I am also taking this time to rethink the blog, expect some changes/additions in 2012.

Take some time to celebrate Jesus today! I am resting in his grace and thankful for the opportunity he has given me to love and serve him!

See you in 2012!

Grace,

Brian

 

The Annual Thanksgiving Poll!

Brian Aaby 2 Comments

I know you’ve been waiting patiently for about… well… the entire year, but wait no longer. The Thanksgiving Poll is here!

For the last 7-8 years I have had fun creating a similar poll, trying as hard as I can to make you anguish in pain over your decision.

Most everyone I know loves Thanksgiving, but what if some of the elements had to be eliminated? This is the premise of the Thanksgiving Poll. Of course this isn’t happening so don’t fret too much, it’s just a make-believe, made-up, hypothetical, what if… question.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Grace,
Brian

(SMS) Top 10 Reasons To Network (The Finale)

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Do you have your elevator speech ready? You know, the speech you give when someone asks what you do?  Take 30 seconds to describe yourself are and what you do (the approximate length of time you have with another person in the elevator). This past weekend I gave that speech a number of times at the National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC). Don’t get me wrong, I love sharing the story of Youthmark, but, I long for the deeper conversations with trusted friends.

Though the national reunion at the NYWC provided some fantastic networking opportunities (and in-depth relationship) I was continually thankful for real-life being shared in my local networks! So, by way of transition (with focus being more on local) I’ll continue my TOP 10 Networking Benefits by giving you the countdown from five to one (10 to six are posted here).

Five: Shared Discipleship. We share students. Some of our students attend one church on Sunday with family and another one on Wednesday for Youth Group. Tag-teaming in discipleship through networks allows us to be on the same page with families and with individuals. We’ve been amazed at some of the discoveries we’ve made in network that have led to reconciliation of families, sexual abuse being reported and many positive spiritual advancements!

Four: Accountability. There are so many common struggles with relationships, sin, ministry issues and much more. At times of weakness I have been gently rebuked, uniquely encouraged or just spurred on in love and deed. Accountability isn’t always about being asked the “tough questions,” it’s nice to know I have a place I can safely go and make the “tough confessions.”

Three: Witness. You don’t often see a group of three to 10 folk gathering, laughing, talking and then praying. Our network gatherings have brought about a number of gospel opportunities with onlookers asking “who are you people?” In one situation we were able to follow up with an onlooker and lead him to a relationship with Jesus.

Two: Network Missions. On a few occasions our groups have gone out on mission trips together! This has been awesome especially in light of the philosophy that I believe in–Mission51! That is, I believe the mission trip is not the end-all, in fact, we ought to be training our students for the 51 weeks beyond the mission. Well, in a network context, these students who went out to Mexico, California, Costa Rica or Alaska together and served on a mission trip, are coming back to the same campus, clubs and community together for the mission at home! I’d love to see Youthmark do this with more networks!

One: Refuge and Prayer. Our network is safe. I am known in this tribe and I know that I am supported in prayer. If our group “errors” on one side, it’s that we want to love on each other and pray for one another more than anything else. This, of course, is not an error at all. We are trusting the Holy Spirit for great things in our own lives, ministries and geographical area; getting together to lift one another up is enough reason for a network to exist these other 9 (and others) are just the icing on top!

What have been some of your fun stories? What are the benefits that you’ve seen come out of your connections? Let’s see this virtual network influence the other national and local networks!

Grace,

Brian

(SMS) Top Ten Reasons To Network

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

I’ve been asked to be a regular contributor to youthworkers.net and provide some original content for their site. I’m excited about this opportunity and believe in what they’re doing. With that said, I’ll still bring that content over to this site as well… I’ll just let the content “debut” over on that site. Here it is at youthworkers.net.

But, if you didn’t click that, you can read part one of the Top Ten Reasons To Network below.

Student Ministry Leadership in many ways is a culture in and of itself. I love being a part of this unique and diverse tribe! I am a firm believer that we (Youth Leaders) are better together. In nearly 20 years of being “in charge” of a variety of ministries (church and parachurch) I have found great value and blessing in being connected to other youth leaders through gatherings of all sorts– local, national and virtual.

Though all three avenues of networking exist, the one that I value and push the most is the local network. Over the last 15 years of ministry, the local network has very much been a refuge, resource and sometimes a prime ministry outlet. If you’re reading this  and don’t feel connected, please consider linking up with others in your area…perhaps you will experience something similar to my top 10 reasons I network.

Ten: Events – I think the “knock,” or reason some have chosen to not network is that they feel networks are always trying to do something together. I have NOT found this to be the case. Our groups have rarely done “all group” events–our meetings rarely are driven by an agenda to “do” things together. However, we’ve seen lots of partnerships (two to three groups) take place as a result of like-mindedness discoveries (i.e. three groups doing an all-nighter together).

Nine: Food and Beverage – Not going to lie, I have eaten well and enjoyed some good coffee at network gatherings. Just calling a spade a spade, networking has given me a good chance to feast.

Eight: Camps and Retreats – Over the last few years I have seen some of the best camps and retreats be prayed up, planned out and delivered as a result of the collaborative efforts of folks in our networks. For instance, one network I am a part of has two different winter retreats, the more pentecostal churches all link up and the less charismatic churches do a different one- but many ideas are shared all together as the planning is done! It’s a sweet gig that leads to two gigs!

Seven: Social – Of course the meetings are somewhat social, but the gatherings have brought about deep friendships, some of these friendships have gone far beyond the ministry connection as we socialize together with spouses and families and “do life” together (including babysitting swapping)!

Six: Spiritual/Ministry Retreat – Youthmark has a retreat called “Glean” that is specifically for Youth Pastors and Spouses. These getaways truly serve as one part marital retreat, one part ministry enhancement and many parts social! Gleaning is an old testament principle of leaving 10% of your best crop for others in need to glean from. At these retreats we bring our best 10% and share ideas for ministry, marriage and life! I have been honored to lead a couple of these for my own networks!

Let’s hit the pause button for now as you digest, dream and think through how networking has or can benefit you. If you are not involved in a network, I think these first five give you enough reason to jump onboard, but if you are still not convinced, stay tuned and we will go live with the top five on Monday!

Grace,
Brian

Has Anyone Modeled Evangelism To You?

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I get really excited about the Spring! Though we are five months away from our retreat season, we are busy putting together the framework for our 2012 tour.  The Mission51 Retreats give us the opportunity to train all who attend our Spring Retreat in the area of life-evangelism. We truly believe that mission is not a trip. Though trips are great, I believe that the other 51 weeks of life beyond the mission is where the real work of mission takes place (for both the sending team and the receiving communities).

In the spring of 2010 our theme was “Live and Love Loudly” for our Mission51 retreat. We focused on the first letter from Paul to the church at Thessalonica. It’s a great letter and it gave me some fun ideas. One of those ideas I will give you as a “freebie” to use in your youth group, small group or just for personal thought!

The video below was used to help set that stage for evangelism training. When we hear the word “evangelism” or “share your faith” we see many begin to squirm. Quite simply, people are afraid to share because they fear failure and rejection. But the reality is, their fear and failure stems more from a lack of model than anything else.

Who has modeled witness to you? Who have you learned from when it comes to evangelism?

For those who haven’t had it modeled to them, I invite you to find a mentor. For those who are active, I invite you to teach others.

With a very small budget, a decent camera and some very low-paid (read: “no-paid”) actors and some okay editing equipment we put together this little piece we call “read, daddy.”

Grace,

Brian

(Contest) WAIT: Halloween Prop Edition

Brian Aaby 15 Comments

Another “What Am I Thinking”  (WAIT) contest has begun. This one is a creative scary inappropriate unique prop a guy in North Carolina created that ended up being a bad idea as 9-1-1 was called a few times as a result.

So, rather than it being a real-life bad idea, I thought we could redeem it and make a contest of it…

If you have a thought or caption that can go with this one, let’s hear it!

I’ll give props to those who come up with some clever captions and pick a winner on Halloween. The winner receives a handful of Aaby-leftover Candy (and we get good stuff).

Happy Caption-ing!

Grace,
Brian

******** In the Running *******

Looking for John’s dear.
She was last seen jogging.
If you’ve seen John’s dear.
Please call … … …. asap.
Thank you. ~ Jan A.

Looks like more overtime for my husband! ~ Lori (NOTE: Her husband is in law enforcement)

Unfortunately, no one was around to hand John a screwdriver or a bandage….maybe the mailman would come soon… ~Chris Cummings

Bright side? At least the bag attachment was on. ~Ron Larson

With a rebel yell, he cried “Mower, mower, mower!” ~Lori

“I accidentally laid under my lawn mower.” ~Taylor Murray (so stupid, but so funny!)

“Hey Ciscoe, in a situation like this should I bag or mulch?” ~Ron Larson

How to know she’s really not that into you: a John Deere Dear John. ~unowho

Daily Gazette — Husband lays down for nap after mowing the grass. Wife last seen running away from the scene. ~ J Web

See, Brian . . . we TOLD you that David couldn’t handle mowing the lawn. Now go be a good big brother and get him out of there. ~the wifey

************* The Winner **************

Gotta say that pretty much every comment could have been in the running, these were hilarious! Loved a couple of Ron Larson’s and almost gave it to him with either of his contenders, but honestly, the one that continues to make me laugh the most, is the 80’s flashback and creative use of Billy Idol’s song. Good job Lori, you get two handfuls of candy!

Would This Really Happen?

Brian Aaby 2 Comments

Picture this:

After much prayer a dedicated, Jesus-loving family decided to move overseas to become missionaries with the hopes of sharing the gospel with any and all in this foreign land. They moved to their new community, invested in new furniture and prepared their living room for the folk they planned to be there. Missionary-man rented space in an office for dedicated times of prayer and study of the Word. While mom home-schooled the children, dad  commuted to the office where he studied evangelism and met with the three or four young missionaries he was brought in to train. The office space was conveniently located near the city center where thousands would gather daily to eat lunch in the city-park. 

Though their house was open for dinner every Tuesday and Thursday evenings, the three or four younger missionaries were the only ones to show up. Months passed. The missionaries grew close to one another and really began to understand the theological basis for evangelism and discipleship. Most Thursdays their prayer time was interrupted by the loud noises coming from the kids and families at the nearby “park nights” sponsored by the government. 

The Obvious Questions:

Why didn’t the missionaries eat lunch with the people gathered near the office?

Why didn’t the missionaries participate in the park-nights?

Why did they call themselves missionaries?

The Unfortunate Reality:

The above story looks/feels too much like what may be happening in the youth ministry realm. Many Youth Pastors/Leaders (and churches, to be quite honest) have gotten away from the most obvious mission field that is in our own backyard–The campus!

I published a post a couple weeks ago about the areas of ministry I believe many in student ministries have gotten away from. Just a few days later I flew to Kansas City to attend a Campus Alliance gathering of about 45 Youth Ministry leaders (presidents of youth ministry orgs/denominations) to tackle the subject of reaching the 67,000+ U.S. campuses (middle school/high school) with the gospel. This was a rich time of prayer, partnership and planning.

It will be worth nothing if we don’t do anything about it!

Part of the Solution, Not Just Naming the Problem:

Many have rallied around the books and movements that name and blame the church (and youth ministries) for our shortcomings/problems, but rather than just naming them, I want to see us take action to change the blame-game and get back on the actual field! This is what I am committed to. This is what Youthmark is committed to. Are you (and your ministry) going to commit yourself to sharing the ONE hope we have?

I am committing Youthmark to this alliance with other ministries who are committed to reaching the campuses of America with the good news of Jesus. We are committed to not just “living” it, but loving the people on these campuses enough to share (with Word and actions) about Jesus and his plan of redemption.

Politics can help us with some temporary changes in law and standards. Government may help the homeless for a short time. Humanitarian aid may give short-time sustainability to thousands in need after a disaster… but Christians should give long term, even eternal relief through the gospel. The gospel lived out brings physical, emotional and spiritual solution.

Youthmark is committed to what we call Mission51. Though we are short term mission sending organization, our heart beat is for training for the 51 weeks beyond the one-week venture. Where is Mission51?

Campus. Club. Community. Church.

Youth Leaders and organizations, the mission field is the campus! It is in our back yard. There are over 67,000+ of these centers around the country and you are the shepherd for those who can and should be the best missionaries in the United States! We should gather, we should train and we better release our missionaries (students) to this HUGE mission field. But they need to know they aren’t going alone! May they go with prayer, may they go prepared and may they go partnered!

I am honored to be a partner with Campus Alliance!

Grace,

Brian

From Concept to Community

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

As I sat in the Fireside Cafe for dinner with my family and several new friends this last Monday I found myself smiling and reflecting…

In late March I had a conversation with a friend involved in an upstart Bible School. “Adelphia” was a concept that he and others had been hoping would become reality in either the fall of 2011 or 2012. During this coffee conversation Eric let me know that they had made the decision to “go for it’ and attempt to start in 2011. Over the next few days and a few conversations I was invited to play a part.

Over the next two weeks the DNA would form a logo and marketing campaign began. A commercial needed to be written and produced and recruitment of students began. Decisions were made on a minimum number needed to begin, who would be in charge of different aspects and what the curriculum would be.

From the get-go it was bathed in prayer. My prayer all along was that Adelphia would be a place where students could come and IMMEDIATELY live out the stuff they were learning. My hope was to avoid the mantra of “get away for a year (or 4) so that you can learn the stuff you can use after you’re done.”

We’re just completing our second week at Adelphia. The teaching has been phenomenal (new teacher and subject each week, creating 22 “intensives”). The students are already jumping into church leadership roles in local children, youth and worship ministries. I had eight students go with me for Youthmark’s LIFT event in Portland last Sunday and it was plainly evident that the community was already tight! We even have a basketball team participating in the culture of Maple Valley through a city-league.

I am thrilled to have an advisory role with the school. I get to lead the cohort program and participate in leading the the in-house times on Monday mornings. We’re currently going through a process of discernment as the students each decide on a mission opportunity for their last two weeks of the Adelphia program year. It truly is an exciting time!

In March it was a concept. Today it is a community, seeking to impact the culture for Christ!

Grace,
Brian

What We’ve Gotten Away From…

Brian Aaby 6 Comments

I’ve been involved with in Youth Ministry for just about 20 years now. Though there have been many tweaks and occasional shifts away from the norm, the typical youth ministry program has included some form of  hang time, game time, worship time and teaching (“talk”) time. These four elements are about a predictable as my desire for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert!

Our youth ministry forefathers formed something that we’ve had a hard time re-inventing (and to be honest, may not be the primary area in need of an overhaul). I believe the real change in youth ministry doesn’t have anything to do with re-envisioning our mid-week programming, but an examination of some key things I believe youth pastors/leaders have gotten away from in the greater landscape of student ministry.

  1. We’ve Gotten Away From The Campus. Most youth pastors haven’t even attempted to get on the public (or private) school campus. I hear them say “the campus is closed” yet they haven’t once made an effort with the administration of the said “closed” campus. I am telling you, I have NEVER been turned down by the admin to be a volunteer on campus. Be smart, don’t look at your time on campus as a time to proselytize, rather as a time to serve the school, the teachers, the administration and to build relationship with anyone God brings you in contact with. Just being present (even just an hour a week) will pay large dividends and build major trust! It will bring a whole new ownership when attending games, musicals, concerts and award banquets.
  2. We’ve Gotten Away From Evangelism. A “discipleship-first” model is honestly the safe choice. Parents are quite happy that you’re providing a “safe” place for their child(ren) to participate in ministry. Service-based trips where we work with our hands building, cleaning, painting and serving meals are now called “mission trips.” I am a big proponent of service, it often creates an entry point into spiritual conversation, but I believe we’ve gotten away from sharing the gospel with our WORDS! I think youth missions can/should include evangelism opportunities because it is an extension of what we’re doing at home as well (what we call “Mission51” at Youthmark). I believe youth leaders (and parents) have allowed youth ministry to turn away from evangelism because we’re typically not involved with it in our own peer-community. It’s hard to teach what we’re not doing. What if evangelism and discipleship were not mutually exclusive? What if youth leaders, pastors and parents began to model discipleship that included evangelism first?
  3. We’ve Gotten Away From The Gospel! This may sound a lot like the last, but I believe student ministry as a whole has gotten away from sharing the gospel and settled for a “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life”-message. The gospel is good news, in order to have good news, there must be bad news as well. This “bad news” is HORRIBLE news. Without Jesus there is no hope. No hope is hell (bad news)! Many of our programs talk about the bible, Jesus, prayer and accountability without talking about the “why” we need these things. A failure to share about the wonderful grace of God actually leads our followers down the path of works-righteousness. Students begin to “work” on the practices of faith without actually having grace-based faith.
I want to be part of a solution, not just point out what I see as some of the problems. So, I have a few suggestions for myself and other youth leaders (or pastors).
  • Start with prayer: pray for your own heart response and examine whether or or not these things are true of you and your ministry. Ask God for a peer-level harvest field for you to work in (so many youth leaders don’t even have non-Christian friends). Pray and ask for prayer. I believe your prayer will lead you to care and then your care will lead you to share!
  • Make contact today: Get up, drive to the local middle school or high school or make an appointment with the administration and simply ask the question “how can I serve this school… how can I help?” Don’t abuse the privilege to be there, keep the campus options available to other Christians by being a smart missionary if given the opportunity to serve the school. Your present on campus (or campuses) will lead you to opportunities to experience the harvest field.
  • Share the gospel in youth group! Don’t assume that even your core-students know and understand that gospel. Be clear in your presentation of the gospel. Always include the need for salvation (because of sin), Jesus’ life, death, burial and resurrection. As you share this more and more not only will it permeate your other conversations, but as more for your group place their trust in Christ, it’ll permeate their conversations outside of your group!
May your hang time, game time, worship time and message time  be an extension of everything that is taking place outside of your program! I’m ready to see us get back to some of the things we may have moved away from.
Grace,
Brian

Conferences, Connections, Churches and Chapels…

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Like any good Pastor I am sticking with a single letter theme for this post. The last week of my life has been bombarded by Christians of every kind, here is a quick review of my Thursday to Thursday and all the different C’s I was able to experience.

Conference: I attended the National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC) by Youth Specialties in San Diego. I would guesstimate that I have been to 10 different NYWC’s in my life and this one was certainly one of the best. A few of the things that stood out to me and what made it so sweet from my perspective:

  • Lower cost: More “teams” participated because YS made it more affordable.
  • Diverse, but less “controversial” speakers: All who spoke appeared humble and weren’t looking to just push the envelope but actually deliver a message that would equip, encourage and spur on those who are working with youth.
  • Friendship: I was personally blessed by growing deeper in conversation with many across the nation that I can call “friend.” I appreciated spending time with the likes of Eric, Lars, Mark, Jeremy, Sean, Tim, Mindi, Jeff (two of them), Jim, Len, EJ, Ryan and several others that I am certainly forgetting right now.
  • Partnerships: It is really fun to dream together as to “what can be” when people with a kingdom mindset gather. I look forward to seeing how Youthmark may partner with others who are passionate about seeing lost people trust in Christ!

Connections: Alon Banks (Youthmark and National Network) and I drove north on Sunday evening to meet with Hope Partners International on Sunday Night and Monday  (all day). We are so excited about what HPI is doing and enjoyed talking through the next steps of our partnership with them. It will be amazing to see what God does as prayers are lifted, financial constraints are shattered and the harvest workers are unleashed on some impoverished areas!

I was blessed to have Elisabeth fly down to SoCal on Monday and spend Tuesday and Wednesday with her talking to Spire Resources (our publisher) about several projects! I am so proud of my wife and love partnering with her on some new endeavors!

Church: On Tuesday I was able to meet with a large church in Southern California and do a brief consult about some student ministry visioning! It was a great meeting! I firmly believe this church “gets it” and doesn’t want to entertain students, but wants to see their students equipped to reach out with the gospel!

Chapels: On Wednesday afternoon I took a quick flight over to Phoenix to speak on Thursday at Scottsdale Christian Academy. SCA is our first Christian School partnership for Youthmark. This is the second time I have spoken for this school (I spoke at a retreat with them in August). I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces and look forward to seeing Scottsdale transformed through these students and staff!

My 5th C I’d like to add is the word CRAZY. Now that I have returned, I immediately turn around and speak three times at MissionsFest Seattle this weekend and end the weekend by welcoming in the initial Adelphia Bible School Class! I’ll be speaking twice at orientation on Sunday! Great stuff, but a crazy schedule!

It is so good to be back with my family, though it was just a week (my longest trip in a long-long time) it felt like way longer! So good to love on my family! Speaking of family, I have to conclude this post, Will and I have an appointment to wrestle!

Grace,

Brian