Category Student Ministry Stuff (SMS)

SMS: Parent and Youth Pastor Relationship (2)

Brian Aaby Leave a comment

Last week’s SMS received some good feedback by being re-posted and linked to by several folk (thanks!). I guess the subject of Youth Leader and Parent relationships is one that could have some traction. It’s certainly an area that needs to be addressed in order to best shepherd teens the Lord has given us.

Once again I’ll address this issue from the perspective of the Youth Pastor/Leader to the Parents (in a week or two I’ll probably switch it up and do a post advising parents on their part in this relationship). I’d encourage the Youth Pastor to not just see the parents of the teens in our group as the at-home authorities in the teens life; but rather see them a valued resource, worthy of our respect.  To that end I’ve created just a brief outline that I hope will help. Each of these points can/should be developed and fleshed out, but for now, use these to examine, dream and explore implementation.

How a Youth Leader should view Parents:

  • As a resource.
  • As people also in need.
  • As protectors.
  • Worthy of respect.
How a Youth Pastor should listen to Parents:
  • As if their feedback matters; make sure you hear what they are saying, regardless of you plans to implement their plans.
  • In conflict you must process and separate their emotions from the facts.  Respond to and acknowledge immediately to the emotion and check out the facts (statements like, “I can understand how you would feel that way…”)
  • Follow-up and foll0w-through in a Biblically consistent way.
  • Listen in a different-but-equal stance. You can learn from them, they (hopefully) can learn from you. The way YOU listen isn’t dependent upon how they view him/herself, it’s your stance that you can control. Ultimately they are the authority in the life of their teen, whereas you are a so-called “expert” in the lives of teens.
How a Youth Leader can encourage Parents:
  • Ask for their skills, gifts and help. Ownership in the program brings joy.
  • Offer them your skills, gifts and help! Are there ways you can personally bring yourself to them in relationship/helps?
  • Always express your love & concern for and pleasure in his/her kids.
  • Affirm them in their role with their own kids. We love when a parent passes on something they “heard” we did; let’s do the reverse, make sure you point out the successes you see in their lives!
  • Affirm them in your talks. Let the students know that you VALUE their parents. They may not understand it, but they’ll hear the message for sure!
How a Youth Leader could involve Parents:
  • If qualified, use them as staff and/or help.
  • Use them as an advisory board… think “coffee club” where you throw out ideas and discussion forums.
  • Develop them as a support network for yourself and other leaders (prayer, encouragement, etc.).
  • Work with parents in discipline situations.
It is MOST important for you to remain in constant communication with these valuable team members. In a sense you can overload parents with information (at least the availability to the information). Always remember, you are on the same side- you both love their kids. You’ll show this by letting them know they are important to you!
Grace,
Brian

SMS: Parent-Youth Pastor Relationships

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One of the more common struggles I hear about among my Youth Pastorate friends has to do with the relationship between Parents and the Youth Pastor/Leader. Because this is the case, I will continue, from time-t0-time, to write about this subject in my Student Ministry Stuff (SMS) category.

More often than not the Youth Pastors who struggle the most are the younger Youth Pastors or those who have only been in the position at their current church for a short time.  In short, this simply has to do with trust being built. I understand this more and more as a parent of young children. For instance, at the beginning of the school year when I drop off my daughters at school there is a different feeling than there is in the late Spring. We’ve gotten to know the character qualities of the teachers, we’ve heard feedback from our daughters and we have had personal interaction with the teachers. Even if a particular teacher had the best reputation among parents who have had this teacher before, we still go in cautious, hoping our child will have a great relationship with the teacher (and vice-versa). So it is with Youth Leaders; parents are rightfully skeptical, because they are the primary shepherd.

As I begin a loose series on this Parent/Youth Pastor Relationship I’ll start with the things the Youth Pastor can/should do to help build that trust (regardless of the season).  Here are some quick tips.

  1. Direct and Consistent Communication. We often think “because I told the student, the parent probably heard.” Even as I write this, I snicker, as do you, we KNOW this is not the case. Rather than throwing the student under the bus for not communicating, you, Youth Leader, make sure the parent has access to you and you to them.  Facebook, Email, text and phone calls are needed. I suggest you prioritize at least a monthly newsletter, blog post or web entry on the church website that is not just posted, but sent directly in an email. Don’t just expect the parent to find the information, deliver it to them. Use this publication to give dates/rates and the state of the ministry.
  2. Intentional Impromptus: Going along with the last one, don’t expect parents to reach out to you; for the most part, they will be coming to you when they have an issue (“suggestion”) or need your advice as a “teen expert.” However, this should not be the only context for your relationship. You can be proactive with them in settings that will not take much of your time. Approach a parent in the parking lot when they drop-off or pick-up students. Grab a moment between services to compliment the parents on something specific you see in his or her child’s life. Shoot an encouraging Facebook message to a parent, just to lift them up. Seriously, 10-15 minutes a week (total) of going out of your way, will go a long way in these relationships.
  3. Always Respect and Speak Highly Of The Biblical Role of Parenting. Though not all of our students will have great parenting taking place in their lives, the Lord has given us a great handbook for parenting in the Scriptures. The parent-teen relationship is often a strenuous one, we, Youth Leaders, can/should do our best to respect the role of parents and build it up Biblically. Don’t just believe what students say about their parents (and also the reverse is true too), but speak about the Biblical role of parenting/shepherding.  Though students may not like the way they are being parented, we can help students understand the realities of parenting.*
  4. Involve and Invite Parents. The majority of my elite leader were parents of teens. The key here, they weren’t at youth group activities to parent-his/her-teen. They were at our activities to shepherd “our” teens. As a Youth Leader we can involve parents at a variety of levels. Sometimes we do just need chaperones, but more often than not we are looking for shepherds. Develop roles to get the right team together. Those you don’t want to invite to be on the staff can be involved in a variety of other ways (driver, host home, fundraising event, parent prayer support team, etc.). The more you have involved, the better relationship and support base you will develop. Trust will be built.
There are a number of specific things I’ll develop to post about later in this series. For now, let’s let these quick tips get us thinking!
What are you waiting for? Why not shoot off a few Facebook messages right now to get the ball rolling?
Grace,
Brian
*In light of the home life of our teen, please recognize and report incidents that you know are dangerous for teens. Use discernment and be sure you are cautious in how to handle situations in which you feel a student (or parent) is in danger.

Specific Prayer Partners!

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Hey Friends!

We have these really cool blogs going on over at youthmark.com.  Just yesterday I shot an email to all the participating youth groups for the 2011 YMV’s. In that email I stated that the biggest mistake that Youth Pastors admit to after a YMV experience is not soliciting prayer early enough or often enough! Even now, only about 1/3 of the teams are blogging, let’s pray them onto here!

I don’t want to make that same mistake of not soliciting prayer!

This blog post is a unique one, it is a call for prayer (right now) but beyond that a call for prayer-partnership for those who would like to carry us through any of the areas listed below. If you want to “partner” please comment on this post. I will then be able to email you anything specifically because email addresses can be seen by me for anyone who comments.

Here are the things I am looking for prayer partners:

  1. San Diego area Spring Retreat (April 15/16)
  2. Denver area Spring Retreat (April 29/30)
  3. Seattle area Spring Retreat #1 (May 6/7)
  4. Seattle area Spring Retreat #2 (May 13/14)
  5. Portland area Spring Retreat (May 20/21)
  6. Prayer partners for Joe Poppino (worship leader)
  7. Prayer partners for The Admission (the band launching out of these retreats and co-leading with Joe)
  8. Prayer partners for the 40 or so Youth Groups training through the spring for Mission51 (and a mission trip this summer)
  9. Prayer partners for me specifically and the teaching done at these retreats
  10. Prayer partner for my family specifically and the great times I have with them before and between each of the training times!

Would love to see all 10 of these areas “partnered” and perhaps even more than one parter on each!  Any takers?

Grace,
Brian

Join Us!

Brian Aaby Leave a comment

The next couple days are going to be a lot of fun. On top of putting the finishing touches on our Spring Tour,  ‘Together,” I will be speaking at the NW Ministry Conference alongside some great people!

If you are in ministry in the Northwest, I hope you’ll join this VERY AFFORDABLE conference. In fact, if you’re in Youth Ministry, you really should consider the “Speaking To Teens” additional seminar put on by Doug Fields and Duffy Robbins.

I’m excited to have Greg Stier here this year for the NW Ministry Conference as well, but most excited to have Jeramy and Jerusha Clark up here this weekend as speakers as well. Jer and I have been best buds since college and I can’t wait to have this extended time with them (they’re crashing at our place).

Here is the info for the conference, are you coming?

I’d love prayer for Friday afternoon, I’ll be training Youth Leaders for “Mission51!” Hoping they catch the vision for the 51 weeks beyond a mission trip/camp/retreat!

A little surprise feature, I’ll be on the big-screen on Friday morning as well… stay tuned!

Grace,
Brian

 

SMS: March Madness

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The “Dinner Discussion Starter” at the Aaby home a few nights ago: If you had to pick your favorite holiday of the year, which one would you pick and why?

“Christmas!” (with a really quick) “and Easter”

“Easter”

“Umm… Umm”

Halle (9), Audrey (almost 7) and Will (almost 3) respectively. Both Elisabeth and I answered “Christmas,” mainly because this last Christmas was such a special season for us, we really seemed to be in a groove.

I know several people, including myself, who would like to to see “March Madness” and especially the first two days of the NCAA basketball tournament be declared a national holiday. Two days that every workplace should shut down, since most slow to a crawl anyway. I love March Madness. It’s the only time of the year that most find ourselves excited that James Madison, Butler or Princeton is about to pull-off a win!

Real holidays, like those mentioned above, or fake ones, like March Madness got me thinking about Youth Ministry Madness. What is it that gets you pumped up in Youth Ministry? Today’s Student Ministry Stuff addresses the broad-stroke areas of youth ministry that get me the most fired up during the Youth Ministry Year.

Small Group. Any given Wednesday! If you had to strip everything away from me and I could only do one thing in Youth Ministry I would lead a small group of guys for several years. I loved my small groups. I always chose to go through a book of the bible, verse-by-verse with the guys. Along with a co-leader, I would grab the group as fr Though the Bible study portion was important, doing life together was what made the Bible study so great. These are guys that are still near and dear to my heart!

Mission Training/Trips. I emphasize the word “training” in the training and trips. I really struggle with those who don’t put time into training students for more than just a mission. Obviously it’s why Youthmark exists, but even while serving as a Youth Pastor, I didn’t understand the “sign-up and show-up” mentality that some YP’s had. To me it just feels manipulative in some ways. Some YP’s just want to give students an experience outside of him or herself. Without roots firmly planted (Psalm 1, Jeremiah 17) I feel like we’re teaching students how to be blown and tossed by winds of emotion. I loved gearing up for a trip by getting grounded in the things that we need to be practicing all the time, not just “there.”  This included time in the Word, fellowship, practical service training, gaining support/networking, etc. I COMPLETELY understand the motivation that a “trip” provides and I believe we should simply take advantage of that motivation by using it to do it now, not just then!

The mission trips themself were an absolute gold-mine for service, evangelism and discipleship. What took place on the field typically accelerated the growth process in individuals tenfold (it seemed). I loved the intense times with students and leaders! It’s great looking back at the places served as well, we always left feeling mutually blessed (sending team -us, and receiving place- them).

Camps/Retreats. Because I didn’t overdue the “program” side of the weekly ministry (not a huge “hoops and whistles” guy) I would try to do at least one or two events (including a camp) that was really more programatic. I really geared up for these and though it was a lot of work the culmination of the event felt a little like “March Madness” to me! These were typically outreach events and we really saw our students respond to the opportunity (especially in response to the mission training and trips they had been a part of). But, like a mission, a camp is only “great” if it has proper roots and proper foll0w-up strategies and structure in place!

I can think of a ton of other things that I’d love to list (one-on-ones, staff retreats, even a Sunday School structure we implemented), but for now I’ll call these my Youth Ministry Madness evoking events!

What Youth Ministry areas get you jazzed?

Grace,
Brian

SMS: Connecting Nationally

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

I believe it was my 7th or 8th grade year the three-point shot was added to the basketball courts for middle-school basketball! I loved shooting downtown and now the shot from 20 feet was worth an extra point. In an attempt to avoid the bunch-ball bombing that our coaches feared, our coach issued a challenge; unless you were able to hit 5 out of 10 at practice, you wouldn’t get to shoot them in a game. On top of this challenge, he gave an added bonus. Whomever made the most during this 10 shot challenge was going to have a set play run for them during the next game, freeing that person up for a three point shot!  Connecting from long-distance became my ambition!  I won the contest (7 of 10) and nailed my long-distance beauty on an out-of-bounds play the next game!

This last weekend I got to connect from long-distance once again.  I traveled to the Simply Youth Ministry Conference (SYMC) in Chicago. Because I value these long-distance learning and networking experiences so much, I offered this or one other national conference as an incentive to our “early bird” registrants for a Youthmark Mission Venture. Most of the early-birds are heading to San Diego in the fall to the National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC put on by Youth Specialties) but one Youth Pastor (Nathan) decided that the SYMC and Chicago was for him.

I’ve posted in the past about networking and the value I sense in connecting on the local level through city, regional and area networks. But from time to time I think there are some major benefits to connection nationally. I decided to make this the subject of todays Student Ministry Stuff (SMS) post.

Connecting Nationally Provides a Refuge. Though the refuge of “being known” in your local network is huge, the respite of not being known has advantages as well. I had the opportunity to work with The Shelter at the SYMC. Three different times I met with Youth Leaders who just wanted to talk and be coached through specific issues by someone they didn’t know. Sometimes an outside source, completely separated from your context can provide such a valued view. In addition to providing this refuge, I had conversations with others who provided that sort of view for me. Guys like Doug Franklin (LeaderTreks) and Brian Cress (International Justice Mission) were a couple of the valued conversations that stood out to me (veteran guys who have forged the way). In addition I was able to connect with folk that I’ve known better on line than I had in person, taking friendships to a new level (guys like Brian Ford).

Connecting Nationally Gives Broader Training: The SYMC in particular gave me opportunity to learn at a greater depth from ministry leaders in the context of Forums and Workshops. I really like the NYWC and SYMC (and I’m sure others) because you can get some real broad-stroke training from people you wouldn’t normally hear from.  For instance, those who are not in a city where Dare-2-Share comes for their tour would benefit greatly from their training.  My first exposure to Doug Fields and Purspose Driven stuff came at a conference like this. At the NYWC in particular I have sat in on seminars that I specifically known that I would disagree with the presenter, it’s very helpful to know a different point of view rather than just be inundated with views from people who you always hear from.

Connecting Nationally Gives Great Exposure: The SYMC is pretty particular about their “vendors,” “speakers” and “talent;” choosing to only partner with those with whom they have relationship. Youth Specialties on the other hand has a literally hundreds of vendors and many more speakers and a broader stroke of artists/talent. I love the different approach that these conferences take. At YS I am exposed to other ministries in both the exhibit hall and the teaching times. Whereas at SYMC I got to know more about the practicing partners of Group Publishing (parent company of Simply). Orgs like Youthminstry360 and the already mentioned, LeaderTreks are a couple that I’m really impressed with.  One nice thing for me, I was pleasantly surprised by how many people upon meeting me said, “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of Youthmark, you guys are the ‘Mission51‘ people, right?”  How cool.  I guess we even have some exposure!

Connecting Nationally Allowed Me To Connect Nationally. Along the lines of the last point, I was able to greater network Youthmark. Besides the existing friendship I already had with many national folks at some of the previously mentioned organizations, I was able to meet leaders from many other organizations. Though some would see them as “competitors” I really feel that through the relationships built we are all on the same team. I genuinely like just about every person I meet at these conferences. One “competitor” that stood out is the parent organization of Youth Specialties (YouthWorks), I say competition in jest, YW has probably 20,000 students out on trips each summer (Youthmark is hoping for 1000); but Eric (a “high up” with YW) and I hit it off at SYMC, we spoke a number of times. As my iPhone powered up after my flight home I read on my Facebook Wall something that blessed my soul!

“Youthmark is gonna really push the youth ministry world to invest in prep and especially follow through on student short term mission experiences. Hoping they change will not suffice.”

Thanks Eric! I am praying that this is true and that Mission51 becomes a theme for all ministries, because then, the KINGDOM wins!

If you are in youth work and have not done one of these national conferences, I would suggest you try to get to one every year or two. It’s one part refuge, one part teaching, one part exposure and whole lot of connecting! I return feeling like I just hit a fadeaway three pointer at the buzzer; ready to take on the world!  Let’s do so, together!

Grace,
Brian

(T-4-T &) SMS: Get Out of The Rut!

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It was my fifth or sixth attempt at the long driveway; blasting through the snow was fun and with each attempt my 4Runner was creating another eight to 10 feet of drivable space.

Closed Course, Do NOT attempt!

I repeated the process: full speed ahead until the car stopped, reverse 100 feet to the flat, shift it back into low-drive, full speed and blast through the virgin powder creating another car length of roadway.

Okay, one more time and I should get through the steepest part and it should get easier.  Full speed ahead until the tires start spinning… reverse… reverse… I said REVERSE!!!! Tires spinning.  Stuck!

Stuck in the snow on my way to the winter-escape cabin.  Rest and bliss on the horizon.  Rest would have to wait.

Being physically stuck, trapped and having my pathway hindered is one of the worst feelings in the world. Somehow it feels like the fourth grade playground bully standing at the bottom step of the slide tormenting the third graders, not letting them climb up the ladder to enjoy the slippery-spiral slope that awaits. “C’mon, let us go!”

Being stuck in a ministry rut often feels the same. Is your ministry stuck? How would you describe your student-ministry rut? Who or what is the bully mocking you?

My 4Runner high centered and got me stuck because I was doing something stupid, repeating a pattern that was only sort-of working. Are you doing the same thing in ministry?

I think a lot of ministries are stuck. Left screaming “c’mon, let us out.”  Rest is on the horizon, but the horizon seems so distant.  Right now it just feels like work.  I’d like to give three suggestions to help you get out of that rut!  Three possible applications that could very well be the solution you need to get “unstuck.”

Teach Something You Don’t Know: Well, it may not be something you don’t know, but at least something you didn’t know before you started teaching it. When you’re excited about what the Lord is teaching you (not just what he previously taught you) your teaching is fresh. Look at what you’ve taught in the last three months, six months, perhaps even the last year, has it all been stuff/series/books you’re somewhat of an expert in already (yes, accuse me of teaching Acts… a lot!)? Dive into Malachi, Habakkuk, Jude or Philemon.  Here’s the shovel suggestion to dig yourself out: Do a series on something unexpected and as you learn perhaps the traction you gain will get you “unstuck.”

Ditch the “Discipleship First” Mentality: Whoa, did I seriously just say that? I love training (discipling) Christian students to live out and speak out the Gospel. The natural end-result of discipleship is multiplication (disciples who make disciples). So many put their efforts into helping the Christian grow deep so they can grow wide.  How’s this working?  How “wide” is your group because of your emphasis on discipleship?  Not saying it is wrong at all, but I will argue that the “fuel” or “spark” for discipleship might actually be a passion for evangelism.  As YOU (yes you, Youth Leader) challenge yourself to love on and lead others to Jesus, you’ll find that you actually need the church (and all it entails: teaching, worship, fellowship, accountability) more. Prioritizing Bible Study, prayer groups, accountability, etc. often leads to complacency in programming and concentration on numbers (guilt for not “performing”). Passionate pursuit of the lonely and lost actually leads to a need for discipleship (to learn the answers you need and get the support you desire). Don’t just make this your priority, but a practice in your ministry! I say, prioritize the lost and see if they may actually lead you out of the rut?

Make a Short-Time Commitment to Something Crazy: I was horrible in French Class; heck, I wasn’t even all that good at English; but because I had a girlfriend who had a deaf sister I decided to learn sign language. You have any idea how many times I’ve been able to converse with many who often go ignored? Sometimes doing something new in your own life will carry over to something new for the ministry.  Sure, it may not be teaching the whole group sign, but what if you committed yourself to something outside of yourself; taking on something new may just get you out of a personal rut that leads to a ministry rut being conquered. Some ideas to get you thinking:

  • Try coaching or even once a week substitute teaching (side benefit: campus ministry and/or additional income)
  • Research and then support a clean-water well in Africa (guarantee you’ll get others involved)
  • Risk in your neighborhood by organizing a “neighborhood watch” group (it will require you to get to know your neighbors)
  • Go on a ride-along once a month with the police department (get a deeper understanding of your city and specifically teens)
  • Become a referee for a youth-league (get yelled at by parents for a different reason)
  • Go on a personal mission trip through an organization or to a missionary your church supports (come home with stories that will change your ministry)

My guess is that doing something completely new will open your mind up to doing something completely new in ministry.  It will literally plow away the old crusty layer and give you a fresh path!

Ministry bliss is fast approaching!

Grace,
Brian

Feeling Friendly: Graduates

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For the first seven or eight years of being a Youth Pastor in late May/early June I’d have the dreaded task fantastic opportunity of blessing our grads (in all seriousness, loved the blessing part, the shopping part was the “dread”). As graduation day and/or our “Senior Sunday” approached and as the invitations started pouring in for Grad-Parties I began to panic.  Mainly, because I don’t like going to the Christian Book Store that much.

I believe in honoring our seniors and gifting, but I didn’t like going to the local Christian Bookstore, Hallmark or gift-card factory to try to find something that would work, I didn’t want to get individual gifts for each student, because then it becomes the “he likes you better than me” contest.  However, I did want the gift to not be so generic that it was just a courtesy-gift. A Lucado book for him, a WWJD bracelet for her didn’t seem “fair.” But the WOW CD seemed to be just too generic and an attempt to make it more personal by getting a card for each grad on top of the gift just got too expensive.

Then I found it (and later they found me, Spire has since done my publishing)!

Feeling Friendly is a weekend series I began for my blog several weeks ago; through this series I hope to highlight ministries and products that enhance Student Ministries/Churches, etc.  Today’s Feeling Friendly highlights a gift you ought to consider for your grads!

Graduate To Greatness is a COMPLETE gift for your grads and was perfect for me with my grads because it met several requirements:

  1. It’s a Gift: Not only is it a book but it comes with the audio-version for those grads who aren’t readers (ironic huh?)!
  2. It has a Card: Not paying extra for a card, the card gives me the opportunity to write something short & simple, yet personal for each grad.
  3. No Wrapping Required: It comes in a Gift-Box which requires no wrapping; no extra time!
  4. One-Stop Shop: All I have to do is order online and it was delivered to my office!
  5. I Looked Good: Because our church also did a Celebration Sunday for the students I got to take these gifts to the individual grad-parties and hand them to the students, they all thought “Wow, Brian personally got me a gift.”  (I rarely let them think any different)
  6. It is BETTER and CHEAPER than any other gift I ever purchased for graduates: I’ve done the books, the music CD’s and the gift-card thing before, but everything was well over $10 (and then add a card on top of that).  You can get the Book, CD, Box, and card for under $8!

I believe you should check out the Graduate To Greatness early-bird special and get your grads their gift well in advance.  Spire has awesome products for churches, but I’m particularly impressed with this one, it’s specifically for our high school grads or  young adult grads (AA or Bachelors degrees)!

If you’d rather, you can call them at 1.800.992.3060 and mention the early-bird special!  I would typically buy two years at a time to get the lowest bulk-rate as well (just a thought).

You ever seen those “Hair Club For Men” commercials? (Please, no slams here, I am aware…); well, I can end this little Feeling Friendly the same way, “not only am I involved with Spire, but I’m a client as well.”

A great gift you should take advantage of!

Grace,
Brian

Consulting and More

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Chopper Dave to the rescue!

“Chopper Dave” is a faceless guy we’ve all come to trust.  Sure, his name may not be “Dave” but you know who I am talking about, the traffic voice on the radio with the thumping sounds of a helicopter in the background. It seems the position description is changing as I see more “TV-traffic-gals” showing up on the morning news giving us the high-tech traffic maps showing the highways to take and the roads to avoid during the morning or afternoon traffic rush.

Sometimes it just pays to listen to the person who has a different view than we do from the road.

I enjoy the role of “Chopper Dave” in ministry.  Over the last few years I’ve had the opportunity to do this for a number of churches. This is something I would love to do more! I’m able to do so at a very affordable rate where everyone feels like it is a “win.”

Who Would Benefit? My most common consulting has come in the form of Student Ministry, however, I have worked with Senior, Lead and Executive Pastors as well.  Here are the most common forms of consulting I am doing:

  • Transitional Consulting: Churches that are in transition between Youth Pastors have hired me to consult them through the transitional process including the assessment of needs, training of lay staff to carry the load and developing a philosophy of ministry.  In addition, I have developed the search process, team and the position description.
  • Ministry Remodel: Some ministries just need fresh eyes and an assessment that can lead to some new strategies.  Quite often this starts with a new philosophy of ministry.  This is most-often done with an existing pastor/director in place; but can be done with key volunteers implementing the changes as well.
  • Specialized Consulting/Training: Sometimes there are smaller aspects of a ministry that need tweaking, retooling or specialized training of staff.  Administration is often an area of weakness for Youth Ministries, I have been able to train Youth Pastors with key admin systems for communication, calendaring and training of volunteers.
  • Staff Training: Weekend retreats, one-night training seminars or a couple sessions with a volunteer team have proven to be ideal settings to bond a team, create momentum and infuse groups with practical “how to” knowledge.
  • Interim Role: I haven’t done this… yet, but I would consider a well defined interim role with a church to help establish the things needed for long-term success in a ministry area.

Perspective and Ownership!

Why? I believe that long-term ministry needs to have sustainable strategies that are rooted in Scripture and carried out by the Spirit through willing vessels.  I love working with individuals and teams to create the ownership needed to carry out long-term ministry.  Specifically in student ministry I believe that ownership in the program comes from Students, Parents and Leadership!  In essence, I eat, sleep and breath “Mission51” so in this context, it means helping a group understand that we are on mission all the time, let’s train and live in such a way that we understand our own Jerusalem is our mission!

Does your church/ministry need a fresh perspective? I’d love to talk to you.  Again, there are creative ways to make this work financially (in other words, we’re creative and affordable).

Do you know of a church in transition? Feel free to pass on my information to them and we’ll see if it could be a fit to help the church or organization the time of transition.

Don’t let distance detract, because of regularly schedule “other” stuff that Youthmark does, I am able to take on consulting roles virtually in any location; let’s chat we may be able to work it out where “travel” is not really an added expense!

Contact: info@youthmark.com

Grace,
Brian

So To Speak…

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, The United States and India of all places.

Summer 2010, Speaking with former Laker Mike Penberthy and worship led by Everfound

I know it’s not a lot, but it’s fun to reflect upon the places the Lord has given me the opportunity to speak. In addition to these countries, I’ve been afforded the opportunity to preach and teach in some pretty scenic settings; I think of the chapel viewpoint in Port Alsworth, AK. How about the scenic camp on the top of the ridge in Maui? Colorado is pretty much beautiful everywhere and I’ve done numerous camps and retreats there.

When I think back to ANY of these camps, conferences or retreats it’s never the scenery that stands out to me.

I sat here for 10-15 minutes struggling to remember the places.  But in each place I remember the faces.

The stories these faces told:

  • The boy in Oregon who by the age of 14 had been in and out of too many foster homes to remember. He trusted in Christ when he finally understood the pursuit and passion of a loving Father who doesn’t abuse.
  • I remember the look on the Mother’s face two years ago while speaking at Exposed, I said, “I think that our teens addiction to texting may end up being a worse epidemic than driving under the influence of alcohol.”  She later came to me crying telling me her husband was killed two weeks prior by a teen-texting driver.
  • The teary eyed girl on Vancouver Island who admitted to years of an eating disorder and knew Jesus wanted her to surrender all of herself.
  • The vibrant young man just this last summer who said, “I’m all in!”- I’ve followed him on FB ever since; by all indications, he’s lived all in since! He’s leading others to Christ!

  • Live and Love Loudly tour

    I remember hundreds of the faces of students with arms outstretched toward God or one another singing “How He Loves Us” at the top of their lungs just this last spring at each of the “Live and Love Loudly” spring retreats.

There are scores of other stories I could post. And I hope many, more faces to know.

Over the next few months I have several speaking opportunities I am really excited about, but I am willing and ready to take on a few more. A few weeks ago I added a “speaking page” to this blog. I’ll keep an updated list for each month; if you’d like to add your group or organization to this please do contact me (Youthmark has a toll free line: 800.455.1450, or email info@youthmark.com). Whether it’s a one-evening event, a retreat, a church service, parent gathering or Youth Rally, I’m intrigued by all of these and more!  Let’s chat!

Elisabeth speaking at women's event

In addition; any ladies group, women’s ministries, MOP’s etc. I would HIGHLY recommend you contact us to get in touch with my wife; I’m biased, but I think she’s just about the best I’ve heard; but I know the groups that she’s spoken to are not nearly as biased but many would share that same view!  Elisabeth speaks with such grace, Biblical wisdom mixed in with great story-telling and appropriate humor!

Speaking of speaking, just checked out the website of an upcoming opportunity I have this summer; I love the video near the bottom of the homepage, Summit is going to put on a great camp; check out their site here.

Grace,

Brian