Category Student Ministry Stuff (SMS)

SMS: 4 New or Renewed Commitments

Brian Aaby Leave a comment

Believe it or not it rained in Seattle yesterday… I know, shocking!

Though it is a little strange in August to receive the downpours we experienced the rain did more than just water my lawn and dampen my wife’s spirits. As the collected waters flowed toward our downspouts, so my thoughts grew rapid toward  the fall and the return to routine.

Of course part of your routine as a youth pastor will be the return to weekly group gatherings, staff meetings and crafting some outreach events. Before you get back to the grind, you should consider four areas of recommitment we all know should be part of our DNA, but few are prioritizing.

  • Commitment to the Campus: I recently (privately) asked 10 youth pastors how much (if any) time they spend on a junior high or high school campus. Of the 10, one person spent any significant time (1 hour or more per MONTH) on a campus. I completely understand that our hours can be consumed by ministering to our flock, but your encouragement to show up on their mission field will greatly enhance your ability to partner with them. But think outside of the box… what if your primary purpose is not just relationship with students on these campuses, but also to bless, encourage and build relationship with the adults on that campus?
  • Commitment to Families: Most youth leaders understand the influence they have on students, but you can be very significant in the lives of the entire family of those related to the teens in your group. Without adding too much time to your schedule a renewed commitment to the parents of teens will go a long way in building community. Be creative and intentional by looking for entry points into the lives of the families of your teens. What would a youth group “bring your family” night look like? How about an hour a month was spent shooting off 7-10 personal messages to parents just for the sake of encouragement and thanks? Maybe even an “open house” at a coffee shop one evening just for parents to come and socialize with you?
  • Commitment to a Network: One of my greatest joys in nearly 20 years of ministry is the network of youth ministers I call friends. In fact, in the last year alone the circles of youth leaders I run with have been able to experience life together through each of the following areas: marriages, moves, newborns, engagements, firings, hirings, separation, financial stresses, personal evangelism and much more. The word REFUGE is what comes to mind the most when I think of the two networks I am a part of. I love the guys and gals I get to partner and pray with. I love that I see THE church (not just my church) in this way. Most youth leader networks meet monthly, if you don’t know of one, certainly contact NNYM, but a simple phone call to another youth pastor in your area will probably get you on the right track. Let’s not lead from an island anymore!
  • Commitment to Peer Ministry: I’ll keep this one short and sweet. We need to be pursuing peer-t0-peer (similar age) relationships with those who don’t know Jesus if we expect our students to do the same. No longer should our mantra be “bring your n0n-churched friends to this event.” Our new example should be that we are actively pursuing relationships with the unchurched. Find ways to get outside the four walls of your church personally and love on the lost. Which brings us full-circle, what if those “lost” are the teachers, coaches, custodians and administers at one of the local campuses?
As you are thinking through your routine and your fall schedule, I urge you to renew your commitment to peer-level relationships with the unchurched, to be committed to other youth leaders in your area, to love better the families of your teens and to recommit yourself to the mission field our students are at daily!
Grace,
Brian

SMS: Back from Mission, Camp or Retreat? Now What?

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NOTE: This article/blog was originally written by me for youthworkers.net (click here to read it there).

I’ve read some amazing stories on blogs and Facebook of the things God has done at camps, retreats and on mission trips this summer! I believe youth ministry is alive and kicking and God is at work, but was it just there (on the trip) that the Lord moved? Of course not, but for some reason growth and change there seems more obvious, practical and tangible. I’d love to see these things here (at home) become just as evident.

Imagine with me some of the first century Tweets we might have read had the technology existed then …

From Luke: As @saulpaul was preaching I saw a snoozing teen @eutychusrocks fall from 2nd floor 2 his death! PTL the dude was healed and now lives! #paulkeptpreaching

A ReTweet: RT @weddingcrasher Just saw the strangest thing, Mary’s son Jesus changes water into the best wine I ever tasted! #whoisthisguy

Of course a status update didn’t happen in real time back then, but rest assured, news did travel quickly. Praise God for people like Luke and John who recorded these amazing acts.

The wonderful reports of what took place on your mission trip have landed on the hearts and ears of parents and friends back home. Students have Tweeted about how great the camp was and they have become fast-Facebook friends with those they met at the retreat.  But is that it?

How are you handling the transition off of the trip and into the next 51 weeks? This is a question I grappled with as a youth pastor. I got tired of students living for the “camp high” or the “mission trip great feeling.” But the bottom line is that those feelings produced are the things that often bring kudos from parents, other pastors and/or the board.

I believe a plan is needed to merge your students onto the freeway of life that has been flowing back home. We can help students navigate from commitment there to commitment here.

Three Tips for Merging Back Home

  1. Give them a Practical Way to Remain In The Word! I believe God’s Word and God’s Spirit were key in the things that took place there. Hopefully your group was consistent in God’s Word on your mission trips; the Bible was teaching and challenging students, life was lived together in fellowship, service and witness; and students were responding to the Spirit in obedience: crucial components for life-change were merging together in amazing ways. And it doesn’t have to stop when your kids come home! Give them a practical way to remain the Word. I’ve seen it work, through our MERGE resources for returning home from the mission, retreat or camp (or other experiences). Of course I’d love to see you use our resource, but at minimum, give them a one or two week outline of passages to study, journaling questions and some practical questions to go through as they merge back home.
  2. Throw a Better Than A Reunion Party! There’s nothing that can kill a youth group faster than a holy huddle. Because your students who were at camp together came home with great inside jokes and other shared memories they usually think that these stories are funny to all, but we all know THEY AREN’T! As the leader, you should throw a “Summer End Celebration” to celebrate all that God did in and through the ministry as a whole, not just one specific event. Give ample opportunity for stories from those who went to sports camp (rather than the youth group camp), or those who shared Jesus at their summer jobs, for instance.  Invite them to share their stories of what God did in and through them, in their varied settings. This can be organized with specific testimonies chosen so that all participants can see and hear the collective work of God through the summer!
  3. Invite them to the next Mission! A body of water like a lake or pond becomes toxic when it becomes stagnant. So it is with a body of believers. The camp, retreat and mission were exciting and active because there was movement! The mission-high ceases to exist if the mission is complete. Help students to know that there is a new mission ahead as they return to their campus, engage in their clubs and reinvest in the community! This is something we at Youthmark coined Mission51–the 51 weeks beyond the mission or camp!

As summer comes to a close, perhaps you already sense that the momentum has been lost, but I urge you to jump back in now, it’s not too late! Your students are cause-oriented, give them a cause greater than reliving memories. Challenge them to get back (and stay) in the Word through something like MERGE, reunite them so they can testify and remember His faithfulness, and above all, invite them to fully invest in their new mission field at home!

Grace,

Brian

Worth more than $5!

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I’m finishing up another week of speaking at a camp; this time in my beautiful home state of WA! It’s nice to not have to go “over there” to share the best news ever. Sometimes “over there” is a lot of fun, but I’ll tell you, it’s a lot of fun to be sharing with teens right now who get to share “right here” with their friends and family!

In a few short weeks, teens will be heading back to their “mission” on their campus, at their clubs, building into their community and probably participating in the new programs at their church… I am praying RIGHT NOW for this mission.

However, I am not just praying, I am doing my part to actively train them (and I hope even more importantly, participating with them by pursuing any opportunity I have to share the good news too)!

If you are in the Northwest, I’d love to have you participate with me in a training event we have at Youthmark. It’s not just a training event, it’s a concert  and also will have a time of wonderful worship through song! My friends, Everfound, will be there as well as soon-to-be-friends, Kye-Kye! I can’t wait. LIFT takes place in just one week (Wednesday, August 17, 7:00 PM) at Faith Church in Kent. It’s only $5!

Here’s the promo materials.

Whether you’re young or old, this event will entertain and equip! Mission51 exists, let’s reach our community now!

Grace,
Brian

Got Grads?

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Hey Youth Pastor and Youth Leaders!  Do you have some students who are still struggling with “what’s next?” I remember each summer as a Youth Pastor, the mission trips, camps and retreats were coming to an end and I was in the planning stages for the fall program. The “Jordan’s” and “Taylor’s” who hadn’t decided what to do next were still attending (and probably planning on attending) Youth Group even though they had graduated already.

There wasn’t anything wrong with Jordan or Taylor, they just didn’t know if college was what they wanted to do next, or even if it was, they wanted/needed a community to be a part of while they commuted to the local community college.

As a Youth Pastor, I wanted to see these grads have the opportunity to grow and be a part of a community but I also didn’t want them to be in Youth Group anymore. I wish a place like Adelphia Bible School were an option back then.

Over the last four months I have been able to lend my voice to Adelphia and I’m excited about the one-year program they are offering. Not only will the students receive a year foundation in the Scriptures (22 different weeks of teaching, with best-practice teachers coming new each week), but they get to practice what they’re learning NOW, not just later.  The Cohort program that I’ve been able to help develop will give students the opportunity to intern or apprentice at a local church (perhaps even their own “home” church). I love this, because I know a number of young adults who think they want to go into full-time ministry, well now they can find out at a very affordable cost, instead of the $35k some schools charge per year.

Each afternoon at Adelphia is intentionally “open” so students can be in a job, get ahead on credits through local or online schools, and/or serve in a local church (Cohort program).  All this is done within the context of a great community on the campus of Lake Retreat.  The year ends with a two-week mission experience to one of three places the students will choose! Adelphia is all about Mission51 as well!

On top of this… a free iPad2!  They’re going green (plus I think it just adds to the “cool” factor).

Because I’ll get to be involved I am biased, but I really am being serious when I say that if you are a Youth Pastor or Youth Leader (or parent) and have some recent (or even not-so-recent) grads/young adults in your sphere of influence, please check out what Adelphia has to offer! I believe this is going to be a top-notch experience!

Adelphia will be at the LIFT event that I get to speak at, I’d invite you to this event as well (bring your group). You can meet with an Adelphia representative as well. Here’s the info!

Grace,
Brian

SMS: An Open Letter to Parents

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Dear Student Ministry Parents,

Hi! Let me introduce myself, my name is Brian Aaby, I have been involved with Youth Ministry for about 20 years, 16 as a Youth Pastor and now I serve as the President of Student Ministry related organization (Youthmark). I want to write this letter to you, parents of students involved in Youth Ministries across the country, just to give you a quick heads-up.

A few weeks ago I walked in to a very familiar setting, the coffee shop that some of my best friends meet in each week. This group of friends represents 5-8 different churches each week (depending on who is able to attend). I love this youth ministry network, but on this particular day, I grieved for this group!  They had the look.

It was early June, too early for the look, but I saw it nonetheless.

Parents, you know the look, because you often have the look.  Metaphorically (or perhaps for real), your feet are sore from all the running around at your job. Your legs are cramping from lifting your own load and carrying the burdens of your family and friends. Your back is tight from the stress the economy has placed on your budget. Your brain feels fried from the bombardment of questions that need to be answered by anyone and everyone. Your hands are calloused due to the constant cleaning, straightening and fixing of everything in your house. And unfortunately, it’s not just your hands that feel calloused, but your heart too. Sometimes you feel unloved, under appreciated and certainly unnoticed.

Yeah, you know that look. Tired. Weary. Questioning.

Yet, like you, most of these youth pastors in my networks (and around the nation), will keep going, because it is their passion, their calling and their love: Your children! They do it not for the money (’cause rarely is there much), they do it not because they couldn’t make it in other careers (unfortunately, we have too many good Youth Pastors leaving because they no longer can afford to be in youth ministry) and they do it not because they NEED the affirmation (because, as mentioned above, it’s just not always there).  They do it because they love to see LIFE!

Youth Pastors (and I’ll expand it to Youth Leaders, many of whom are you–parents), live in the lifestyle of Youth Ministry because they love to see lives changed. They long to see Jesus change hearts. They live to see your students reach out to others with the gospel of Jesus. They pray, plan and produce, so that your children can learn, love and lead!

Parents, youth pastors need to do much more to include you, inform you and appreciate you, NO DOUBT. But as a former youth pastor, I so appreciated when parents went out of their way to draw me in. Youth ministry was such a balancing act, I wanted to pour into students, develop a volunteer team, look good in the eyes of the elders and THEN try to keep parents happy. It was an endless cycle and one that I had NO CLUE about when I was in my lower to mid 20’s (the age of most youth pastors).

That look in June is dangerous, because the summer season hadn’t even begun. Mission trips, camps (i.e. “time away from family”) VBS, fall planning, filling the pulpit for the vacationing senior pastor, weekly studies & programs and all the impromptu events haven’t even happened yet. It’s a look I expect to see in mid-August, not in June. But it is something YOU CAN HELP! You can help GIVE LIFE so that in turn, youth leaders can do the same. Here are a few quick suggestions:

  • Prayer partnership. How cool would it be to have a couple/family take a month to love on and pray for the Youth Pastor (or other pastors for that matter)? 12 couples committed to taking a month… wow! A weekly phone call, a text check-in and an occasional note just reminding them that you’re praying for him/her.
  • Be the last parent to leave. After the mission trip, retreat or camp, as the parking lot empties, the Youth Pastor always remains to pick up the leftover sleeping bag, suitcases and the lone-sock. Yep, there is always a single sock that somehow makes it way out into the parking lot.  What if you volunteered to stick around and clean out the van and let him/her get home to his/her family?
  • Date Night. We longed for this (still do). A night in which a trusted family volunteered to come to our house and watch our kids (even for an hour or two) so that we (as a couple) could reunite. The 10 days of the mission trip being away from my wife/kids was very hard, but then to try to re-engage in the midst of chaos at home made it feel like the 10 days extended to 30 (she needed a break, I wanted a break, etc.). Your willingness just to give these youth ministry couples even two hours will lead to a healthier marriage and ministry.
  • The Simple “Thank You.”  This is by far the least costly, but often the most-rewarding. A specific thank you from a  parent (and student) is often the Gatorade of the youth ministry marathon. It tastes great and refuels.
There are so many more that I can think of and plan to implement even now as a recipient of a great Children’s Ministry at our church. I want to be aware of the look in every ministry.
Parents, thank you for allowing youth leaders to have influence in the lives of your students. We count it an honor to impact lives  (and be impacted by you and your family as well) and the more healthy we are as youth ministers the better impact we can have. We know it goes both ways and we truly do desire to improve the relationship with parents!
My hope is that this open letter will lead to even one step toward unity in the body (1 Cor. 12). I long to see our youth pastor network feeling refreshed because of the refuge they have not just in each other, but in the parents in their ministries. My prayer is that even one parent will read this and respond with an action. I long to see that look even less! Love well. Others will know us by our love!
Grace,
Brian

One Week In Evangelism

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WARNING: The following is a longer post, but will have you standing an applauding Jesus if you take the time to read through a one-week window of what He did!

Some say “social justice” is the new “evangelism.” I say some are wrong. Don’t get me wrong, social justice (which I think should be re-named acts of compassion) is needed, but I believe most of the time it can/should be accompanied with evangelism (sharing the Gospel with actual words).  I believe EVANGELISM is alive and is life giving! In fact, I tracked the role of evangelism over a one-week period in my personal life and in the life of the ministries I am associated with. Quite a one-week period! Praise God.

Friday/Saturday, June 24/25: Simultaneous launches of several Youthmark Mission Venture (YMV) teams took place in Northern California and the panhandle of Idaho. All told, 11 churches were starting their missions.

  • I personally was able to share Christ with a family who was gracious enough to host a mission team prior to the launch beginning. 

Medford, OR "Friends helping Friends"

Sunday, June 26: After the launch in Redding I drove to Medford, OR for my flight to Colorado. While in Medford, on Sunday morning, I took a long walk; here I witnessed a homeless ministry at a park in Medford. I was greatly encouraged in conversation by a team member who reported to me about the ministry. This “Friends Helping Friends, Medford” (they have a Facebook page) meets in this park EVERY Sunday (rain, sun or snow)! Every week the Gospel is presented (in Word and deed). This was a divine appointment.

  • I personally got to minister/witness to a hurting girl who sat next to me on the plane from Medford to Colorado. Amazing how a tearful “I miss my friend” comment can turn into a conversation about Jesus.
Monday, June 27: Reports begin pouring in on the blogs of successful starts to the ministries of Youthmark Mission Ventures. Meanwhile I started my speaking in Colorado at Summit Camp (Ponderosa). 200+ teens in attendance, many whom do not know Jesus.
  • While at Starbucks in Monument, CO (near the camp), I was asked about the uniqueness of my Sbux card (it’s an old Seattle card). Through sharing that I was from Seattle and being asked about why I was in CO, I was able to turn the conversation with three Baristas into an evangelism opportunity where I was point blank asked “what are you going to speak to these teens about?”  AHHHH, love those set-ups!
Tuesday, June 28: I was drawn to tears as I read a few of our blogs, reading about evangelism opportunities our Youthmark students were taking advantage of in CA, ID, MT, OR, WA and Alberta. I received an email from one Youth Pastor who asked specifically for prayer for the town in which his group was serving. The students who were attending their outreach had backgrounds that included parental abandonment, parental abuse (one student was burned by his parent’s crystal meth pouring out on him) and one teen showing up at the park who was dealing with his dad’s recent murder of his girlfriend (and this teen saw the act).
  • My Tuesday was a spiritually intense day; while playing putt-putt with a few students at camp, I mentioned to a couple middle-school students, “you guys are a lot of fun.” One boy stopped, looked up at me and said, “you’re the first adult to ever say that I was fun.”  From about 2:00 to 4:00 that day, the Holy Spirit worked on my heart and changed the message I was to speak that evening; the coolest part, the passage I had already outlined fit the theme so well… God had me speak on the Bleeding Woman and the theme of “burdens”
  • Immediately after my message I drove to a restaurant to meet my Colorado friend, Steve for some wings. While at the restaurant, we were able to talk to Harold and Dan.  These two guys have served in Iraq three times each, have killed too many people to count (including women and children who were deemed “a threat”). The guys were desperate for escape. They both were on four different Post Traumatic Stress Disorder drugs and said, “but they don’t help.”  Steve and I shared the Gospel with these guys for about two hours! They believed they deserved hell and couldn’t do anything to make up for the stuff they have done. THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND GRACE! They were receptive and I am praying for their souls!
  • I believe that God gave me a great spiritual birthday present this day, it was 21 years ago, June 28, where I placed my trust in Christ.
Wednesday, June 29: More amazing “God” things were happening out and about through YMV teams. My favorite report came from Bangor, CA; Jeff Clabaugh the Youth Pastor serving there that week reported about two young men (one the Pastor’s son and the other a non-Christian friend) NOT showing up for the morning Teen-time like they had been showing up each morning. They were late because the Pastor’s son was personally sharing Jesus with his friend. Upon arrival the friend announced, “I am a Christian now!” Later that evening, the new believer showed up at the park for evening outreach, only he didn’t show up alone, he showed up with his brother, whom he had shared the gospel with during the day, the brother trusted in Christ as well! INSTANT evangelism!

  • Glad I didn't wear my Soul Surfer shirt today!

    Though it was “evangelistic,” in terms of sharing, I took the time to travel up north to the home offices of Dare2Share and was able to attend their mid-week chapel. Afterwards, Jason Lamb and I had lunch together. Jason is headed back into a Student Ministry pastor position; it was great to hear his heart for getting back to direct student ministry.

  • Again, the Holy Spirit threw me a few curveballs and tweaks to my planned message. While I preached on Wednesday the Lord made it known that I was to clearly share the complete GOSPEL. However, He also made it clear that I was to NOT do an “altar call.”  Instead, I challenged any/all students who wanted to place their trust in Christ for his/her salvation to talk specifically with a youth leader during the closing worship set that EVERFOUND was leading. We know of at least 9 of these conversations that took place that evening! Praise God.
Thursday, June 30: By mid-afternoon I was blessed to read a report of a baptism taking place up in Alberta! I was rejoicing with Wescott, the Youth Pastor from Westwood Baptist of Olympia as his team was seeing the fruit of the ministry in Picture Butte and Raymond!
  • As I spoke on Thursday I was able to clearly communicate not just the gospel, but the call on the Christians to share the good news with their lost friends. That evening we saw at least another 16 students trust in Jesus and another 150+ make a commitment to share Christ with an unsaved family member or friend! What a night!
Friday, July 1: The week at camp came to a close, but the good news was about to be preached to over 1000 people on Friday evening. I received an email about my Young Life students at camp from our team leader. He reported that over 100 students placed their trust in Christ at the end of the week at camp! WOW! In addition to the salvations from YL camp, I was reading about scores of students in each of our 11 locations we had teams. I think when it was all said and done, over 100 students trusted in Christ in our YMV communities!
  • Friday evening brought some great “evangelism encouragement” as Greg Stier and I were able to grab dinner together. I love being with a like-minded person. The ministries of D2S and Youthmark have so much common DNA; I believe we’ll be able to cross-polinate a lot as both organization move forward.
One week. In just one week I was able to see THIS MUCH in the area of evangelism. I thank all of you who prayed. I thank all of you who participated by actively pursuing the lost and I can’t wait to see more and more respond to the call! One week is just one week, Mission51 has begun, the 51 weeks after camps, mission trips and retreats matter all the more! Back in my Jerusalem the harvest is JUST as plentiful!
Grace,
Brian

Get Over Your Evangephobia!

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Question: Why do you go on mission trips? Is evangelism a major in the equation or an occasional bi-product? Do you and your youth have evangephobia? I hope you’ll take steps toward sharing your faith, a free resource is being offered by Dare-2-Share on Tuesday, June 28 (described below).

I recently returned from a short-term mission with a Youthmark Mission Venture team to Costa Rica. In our short-history at Youthmark we have been blessed to have been in many rural setting in the US (including Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada. Last year we had a large team in Mexico, but this Costa Rica trip marked what I would say was our first true “international mission.”

We loved serving (and serving with) the Costa Rican people. However, our goal with Youthmark has never been to just serve, we long to see service and evangelism fit together like me and a Venti coffee! Well, God provided those opportunities in unique ways. Though a language barrier existed, the barrier for some of our students far-surpassed language. Though they were raised in the church, some had never shared their faith.  Praise God, this Costa Rican experience will, I hope, fuel their future of sharing Christ-crucified and Mission51 (the 51 weeks of the year beyond this mission) will take-off!

As you examine your ministry, your group or perhaps even your church; is there a heart for evangelism that is followed by feet ready to swiftly move so that hands can be used for service and mouths may be used for witness? This is, after all, our call! Jesus has left us here (on earth) to share his story!

My friends at Dare-2-Share are once again doing a one-hour webinar titled, “Evangephobia” on Tuesday, June 28 at Noon eastern, 9:00 AM pacific. I went through the first one and having been through many D2S events, this one-hour event is well worth your time.  Greg Stier will give you some very practical tools for your church, group and self!

I believe God has called us to “all nations” (including Costa Rica), however, our first calling (according to Scripture) is our “Jerusalem.” I believe every believer is called to reach our own neighborhood with the good news!  I hope you’ll consider checking out the webinar (go to Dare2share.org and pre-register, it’s free) and even better, I pray that we’ll see our neighborhoods as our mission field!

Organizations like Youthmark, Dare2Share and a few others are making a concerted effort to see the Great Commission become the MAJOR focus for all churches (and believers for that matter). If you’ve got the phobia, get trained, get reliant and by the power of the Spirit, get going!

Grace,
Brian

SMS: Prime Time for Youth Leader Recruitment

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“I just don’t have any leaders!”

Another downtrodden phone call from a Youth Pastor who is frustrated by the lack of adult leaders helping him with the student ministries. I wish these phone calls, emails and conversations weren’t so common. In previous Student Ministry Stuff (SMS) posts I have written about the Pied Piper youth pastor, some are this way by choice (and by personality) and some are Pipers simply because they aren’t good at and/or don’t know how to recruit leaders. My hope with this post is to help youth pastors see that the summer is prime-time for leader recruitment.

As you scope the landscape of your summer calendar you probably see a shift from programs to events; a move away from mid-week program to more fun/relational events that augment the camps, retreats and mission trips. It is because of the typical summer schedule that I see ideal opportunities to recruit, train and inspire your new teammates!  Here are a few things I would suggest.

  1. Mission Specific. The typical youth mission trip has elements that need expertise. Building projects, painting projects, landscaping, children’s ministry emphasis or perhaps your trip brings safety concerns. Your current “youth staff” may not include a construction worker, handy-person, landscaper or that gal who is just so good with the little kids. Every trip could use a nurse, doctor or EMT to help answer the “safety” concerns.  Of course, you want these gifts being used for the mission, but your recruitment of these adults needs to be way more strategic than just their gifts being used for this trip! The reality is, your students will end up doing the recruitment for you! Students are infectious and desperate for adults to pour into their lives. These “mission specific” recruits will fall deeply in love with the students in a mission-intensive setting.
  2. Camp Created. Our “Bus Caravan” (a 10 day, mobile camp to a state park or two) provided the ideal recruitment ground for adult leadership to “check out” what it was like to be a Youth Leader. Like the above mission specific I recruited specific helps for our summer camp in the hopes they would stick far-beyond the one week camp. There were a couple families who owned boats, one who had a camper and several leaders who could grill with the best of them. Though these adults were happy to help, they had no idea they would get hooked on students. Again, the students and their willingness to invite an adult to speak into their lives became the enticement. The boat driver turned into an ear for the lonely student to feel needed (as simple as holding the flag). The Lunch-lady eventually was holding an accountability time with a couple gals while they chopped up the carrot sticks and best of all, these one-week helpers became full-year small group leaders.
  3. Event Invite. I know some adults who love to hunt and fish. I don’t. In addition, I know that some of these adults would make excellent youth leaders. Why not build an event around them and their area of expertise. Let him or her know that they are meeting a need you cannot. A gal whose family owns a great second home may just be willing to host the gals-getaway and you may just end up recruiting your next wonderful woman leader! How about those adults who have a social justice heart and inroad, what would it look like for you to recruit them to champion their cause at a summer BBQ?

I could go on and on with simple ideas, but the key to all of these items comes back to the thing we always need to come back to–RELATIONSHIPS! In order to recruit great volunteers you need to invest in relationship with these potential leaders. Youth ministry is NOT just about the youth. In order to have a great ministry, you need to build a great team through the power of God. Keep in mind, it isn’t just about inviting the potential leader to an event, camp or mission, it’s about following up (first by praying all the way through the process) and making the ask after the specific ministry setting you invited them to. When following up and making the ask:

  • Thank them for their service
  • Bless them with a small gift
  • Affirm them for his/her gifts (be specific in what you saw/heard)
  • Invite them to something greater
  • Be realistic in your ask (not all are called to be at Sunday School, attending mid-week and in a core-group), make your ask a specific ask.
  • Train them!

My hope is that this post gives you some sort of spark for your recruitment mindset. You need a team, why not make this summer your time to form that group of leaders?

Grace,
Brian

SMS: $5 and 50-Minute Ideas For Summer

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Sun is out (well, at least I assume the sun is shining somewhere outside the Pacific Northwest) and summer has unofficially begun. Youth Leaders and students everywhere are wondering what to do. Today’s Student Ministry Stuff (SMS) is a simple list of affordable  and time-sensitive ideas for those of you involved in Student Ministry.

Camps, missions, retreats, festivals and many other events are VERY expensive and time consuming. Sure, many times these spendy get-aways produce some great growth and fruit, but I am also a firm believer in affordable fruit as well! The reality is relationships are the key factor.  Students, staff, leaders and parents will get what you’re giving in the context of relationship, regardless of the setting and length of time.

Here are some five $5 and mostly 50-minute ideas you can use to build into these relationships…

  • $5 Feet… Subway (and other sub shops) customizes and allows for each side of the sandwich to have it’s own toppings. Grab that footlong and walk along a footpath… Walk, talk and chow.
  • Balloon Blessings… Raid the Sunday School supply room for some construction paper, get a student or two, head to a Party City type store and get three $1 helium balloons and three candy bars to tie to the end and bless three leaders (or other students) with notes of encouragement and the delivered balloon and candy treat. Surprise them with an anonymous blessing by doing so when you know the recipient is not home.
  • Late Night Appetizers and Answers… Many “trendy” restaurants offer half-price appetizers during their happy hours (often late afternoon and then after 9 p.m.). Instead of doing the “fast food” thing, shoot an email to a couple students asking them to join you at an Applebees (or something similar) for “Appetizers and Answers.”  Tell them they need to come with three questions each about you, God or the Christian life.  For less than $5 total you can share some Nachos and engage in a wonderful faith-discussion!
  • Major in the Minors (this is one exception to the 50 minute suggestion)… This one may cost $5 each instead of $5 total, but chances are you live within an hour or two of a minor league baseball stadium. For a fraction of the cost of the big-leagues you can have a wonderful evening with students and have 9-innnings of big-time discussion. These ball players are young and excited about their hopes and dreams of making it to the next level. An easy discussion question for a minor-league game would be about hopes and dreams and how God is preparing the student, staff member or parent for “what’s next.”
  • iBlessing and Student Ownership… Get five students together for an hour and give them the assignment to pick any $.99 song on iTunes.  Give them 10 minutes to pick their song and then the next 40 minutes to write a Bible-study built around the theme of that song.  Take the next 5 weeks for a summer Bible-study or Sunday school class for these students to lead the discussion about the song, the devotional and the practical applications flowing out of the Bible study on these themes.
Hope these ideas plant some seeds for some ideas you can use this summer within your sphere of influence.  These ideas and many others are part of book project for Youthmark. Sometimes we need to be reminded that keeping it simple is sometimes the best option!  I hope your simple and complex plans all lead to deeper relationships in your circles and the end result is God glorified and the Kingdom multiplied!  Mission51!
Grace,
Brian

Steering the Titanic!

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Last week I was in “The O.C.” Orange County California is a fun place to visit and it was even more fun to be there as an invitee to the Youth Ministry Executive Council (YMEC). There were about 45 people gathered, the Presidents/Leaders in Student Ministries of the major church (denomination) and parachurch organizations.  I was honored to be representing Youthmark at this gathering.

I knew and had interacted with well over half the people before and was blessed to spend some quality time in conversation with many of these familiar faces. I also enjoyed the new relationships and hearing different perspectives and strategies from others in Youth Ministry.

YMEC was done differently this year; a change I couldn’t have been more pleased with. Through the use of “Open Space Technology” many conversations were birthed. Instead of inviting a speaker to “speak at” the participants, we the participants were invited to speak into a variety of subjects and then see what rose to the top in our conversations.

I was very excited to see personal evangelism surface as an area that we, national leaders, better be emphasizing. It was very interesting to me that in most conversations, including these at YMEC, most people are very quick to give a head-nod of agreement that we (church/parachurch) should be emphasizing evangelism, but when it comes down to it it isn’t much more than a verbal recognition. Well, I felt the tide began to turn at YMEC. The voices that were speaking seemed to give it a little momentum and I actually felt like the proverbial Titanic could get turned around before it strikes a rock and sinks.

My friend Greg Stier described the moment I believe this started to take place in a recent blog post of his (read that here). Friends of mine like Greg, Mark Moder, Bo Boshers, Chuck Klein and Mark Matlock seemed to keep the ball rolling for the last half hour of the conversation, so much so that I literally was getting a little teary eyed thinking that if (and please pray) we really want to get serious about seeing the church, parachurch and individual call to evangelism taken seriously then we had better seriously take His call to prayer seriously!

I am praying for these three things right now.

1. Praying that my personal prayer life would grow tenfold and that a major component of those prayers would be for other orgs and churches as well as the lost!

2. I’m praying for unity to continue among these denomination and organizational leaders (and am willing to play my part in keeping the conversation going).

3. Praying that we (adults, leaders, parents, pastors, elders, etc.) all would understand that if we want to see evangelize/make disciples then we had better model it ourselves.

I’m willing to risk and be obedient to the call. I hope you are too. Let’s change the course the Titanic is on!

Grace,
Brian