by David Hanson | Jan 6, 2015 | On the Job, The Youth Ministry Blog
It’s that time of year again! It’s time to dream, plan, and schedule what the coming year will look like in your youth ministry. Every year, I progress through the same routine to ensure that I’m operating at the top of my game for the glory of God.
This routine involves creating 3 different calendars. Watch this video I made last year that explains how you can crush 2015 and make it your most productive year yet:
Get My Ideal Work Week (Excel File)
Thanks Michael Hyatt for the new template!
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David Hanson: Texas native, Texas Tech Red Raider, M.Div. at Truett Seminary, husband to Ashley, father to Ava & Ben, Student Pastor at LifePoint Church in Plano, Tx, table tennis (ping-pong) extraordinaire, addicted to coffee. For anything else…you’ll just have to ask.
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by David Hanson | Dec 20, 2014 | On the Job, The Youth Ministry Blog
Unless you have been on Sabbatical, like me, then you have undoubtedly heard your students talking about the #1 App in both the Free and Paid Categories on iOS and Android.
Meet Trivia Crack. In Trivia Crack you spin a wheel and try to answer three trivia questions so that you can answer a fourth question and earn one of the six needed characters to win. Sound confusing? It’s actually simple and addicting…check it out.
As I was playing Trivia Crack, and really when I’m doing anything, I asked myself: “what can I learn from this?” After running out of hearts and having to wait 30 minutes to play again…I came up with 4 things Youth Ministry can learn from Trivia Crack:
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Students like competition. In competition…people lose.
One of my biggest pet peeves in youth ministry is “everyone’s a winner.” I hate when youth ministry games end with “everyone wins!” And if I’m being honest, I’ve done it a few times myself as not to break the heart of a puppy-eyed 6th grader. But it’s my firm belief that we are doing students a disservice by letting them always win.
Why? Because they will experience this nowhere in life after high school and it distorts their understanding of pain and suffering. If students believe they are suppose to “win” at everything, what happens the first time they experience failure in their pursuit of Christ? Or, what happens when God uses struggle to grow them, but they completely miss the lesson of the journey because the end result doesn’t look they way thought it would?
By allowing our students to lose, and encouraging them in their pursuit, we can teach them the beauty of failure, and force them to reflect on the One who has overcome.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
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Students like validation…even if it’s in the form of a cartoon character.
There is this sense of validation whenever you answer four correct trivia questions and receive a small cartoon character. Why? Because we all like recognition and praise for our successes. While it might sound like I’m talking out both sides of my mouth after that last point about letting students lose, I think youth workers need to up their game when it comes to random encouragement.
When is the last time you intentionally reached out to a student just to validate their pursuit of Christ. I’m not talking about congratulating them after a game, performance or at graduation; I’m talking about in the middle of a week where nothing spectacular has happened. You would be surprised at the confidence capital that is built through a simple, “I truly see Christ working in you, and I just wanted to say I’m proud of you.”
If Trivia Crack is building confidence in teenagers, how much more should the church?
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11
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Students are capable of learning…so challenge them.
While some of the questions on Trivia Crack are incredibly easy, others are quite difficult. So just when we thought students didn’t like extra homework, they seem to be blindly consuming tests and quizzes because it’s in the form of a trivia game!
This should remind us that students are far more capable than we give them credit for. Yes they can be extremely apathetic, but they are capable nonetheless. So let’s set the bar high. Let’s ask hard questions. Let’s expect students to retain what we are teaching them.
Which leads me to a follow up question: How are you helping students retain the lessons you teach each week? There is nothing more depressing than asking a room full of students what you talked about last week and having no response! Find a system that reminds the students what you learned and then be prepared to push retention with follow-up questions the following week.
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If you’re not patient, you’ll pay for it.
If you’ve played the free version of Trivia Crack, then you know that after your hearts (sessions played) runs out, you have to wait 30 minutes before you can play again. This has become common in free competition apps and is possibly one of the most brilliant and frustrating tactics invented!
But they will not break me! I refuse to give in and pay for the “paid” version or buy any “in-app purchases” that give extra tries! If you are not patient, you’ll pay for it.
This holds true in youth ministry as well:
If you’re not patient with a student through their rebellion…you’ll pay.
If you’re not patient with parents…you’ll pay.
If you’re not patient with volunteers…you’ll pay.
If you’re not patient with other ministries in the church…you’ll pay.
If you’re not patient in your youth ministry tenure…you’ll pay.
And yes…somehow all of this came out of playing Trivia Crack…
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David Hanson: Texas native, Texas Tech Red Raider, M.Div. at Truett Seminary, husband to Ashley, father to Ava & Ben, Student Pastor at LifePoint Church in Plano, Tx, table tennis (ping-pong) extraordinaire, addicted to coffee. For anything else…you’ll just have to ask.
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by David Hanson | Dec 18, 2014 | On the Job, The Youth Ministry Blog
This last Sunday I had the opportunity to preach to my entire LifePoint congregation. I preach two services most Sunday’s to students, but it was nice to preach to both my students and the greater congregation at LifePoint Church.
There is just something special about intergenerational worship and showing the greater population of the church the flavor of the student ministry.
This last Sunday, I unwrapped Christmas by focusing on the incarnation. Watch it and let me know what you think in the comments below!
Unwrapping the Incarnation from LifePoint Plano on Vimeo.
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David Hanson: Texas native, Texas Tech Red Raider, M.Div. at Truett Seminary, husband to Ashley, father to Ava & Ben, Student Pastor at LifePoint Church in Plano, Tx, table tennis (ping-pong) extraordinaire, addicted to coffee. For anything else…you’ll just have to ask.
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by David Hanson | Dec 15, 2014 | On the Job, The Youth Ministry Blog
The word legacy gets thrown around a lot these days. We’re very concerned with leaving our mark on history. Even in ministry we want to make sure that we will be remembered for what we’ve done for the kingdom.
Our digital world means that we can quantify our social impact by literally counting our friends, those who like us, and the reach of our writing through tweets and blogs. I fear that we have become obsessed with making a greater name for ourselves. We think that because we CAN be known by everyone, we SHOULD be known by everyone.
Do a thought experiment for me: how many youth ministry people can you name? Is it 20, 30, 50, 100? According to an informal twitter poll, the estimates are between 30,000 and 40,000. So out of that many you can only name 50. Now, how many youth pastors from the ’90’s can you name? I can name like 10. The further back you go, the less we remember. Out of every century there are only a handful of Christian leaders’ who’s names will live beyond their lifetimes.
The point is this. Unless you are one of the few people who truly change the direction of the church, your name is heading for anonymity. A few generations after you are gone you’ll be most likely forgotten. This is your legacy. Far from being depressing news, this should free you!
The history of the Church is populated with names of people you’ve never heard of. They were faithful men and women who worked to advance the kingdom and pass off the faith to the next generation. Hebrews 11 describes them like this…
35 they were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. (Hebrews 11:35-38 NLT, emphasis mine)
Even John, the voice in the desert, proclaimed. “He must increase. I must decrease.” (John3:30).
Without these brothers and sisters, the church would not exist. The church exists precisely because generally these people cared more about promoting the name of Jesus than their own name.
I’m aware of the irony that I’m promoting this post on a blog. This is not a rant against anyone with a blog, twitter account or podcast. It’s not a shot at those who do have social media clout. If anything, it’s a lament that I have spent too much of my time worrying if anyone will remember me as a great youth pastor. That’s time that I could have spent serving and loving others in the name of Jesus without expecting anything in return.
Trying to make a name for yourself is a losing proposition. You’ll end up hating others or hating yourself. Your students won’t get the best of you and your family won’t either because you’ll be too busy building your brand.
If you struggle with this like I do, here are some questions to ask yourself when you share, post, tweet, and write:
- Will I be disappointed if I don’t get credit/praise for this?
- Am I trying to catch the eye of someone of influence?
- Is there a number of responses that I’m looking for to feel validated?
- Is this more about promoting me than blessing others?
Join the rest of Christendom and dare to be anonymous. We must decrease and HE must increase.
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Kevin Libick is a Middle School Pastor living in Fort Worth, TX with his wife Kara and her two cats. He is a novice banjo picker and expert Hawaiian food eater. Kevin loves to connect with other youth workers and equip them to live out their calling in God’s Kingdom. Kevin loves to connect with and empower youth workers. Connect with Kevin on Twitter: @kevinlibick
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by David Hanson | Dec 11, 2014 | On the Job, The Youth Ministry Blog
“Well I don’t think what you have to offer is going to work for our family.” I’ve heard those words more times than I’d like to admit, usually from parents looking for a youth ministry that will take their kids off their hands for a few nights a week. While they might not say it, I’m often left feeling like they want a babysitter, which is certainly not what I do.
The “Average” Youth Ministry
Even though I was 19 when Jesus saved me, I spent my first few years as a Christ-follower serving as the ever ambiguous “student leader” in a youth ministry. While the church had an energetic and imitable youth pastor, the youth ministry was in the church annex and had little overlap with the rest of the church body. In fact, while it never spoken out loud and was likely unintentional, it was hard to avoid the impression that the rest of the church wanted little to do with the youth ministry. Sure, parents might drop their kids off and enthusiastically give them money and supplies for events and missions trips, but the leaders and folks without teenagers seemed thankful that the “loud” and “awkward” teens were out of sight and out of mind. As I’ve grown and witnessed more youth ministries, unfortunately I’ve found this to be all too common.
The Problem With The Status Quo
This method of doing youth ministry is problematic when we contrast it to the biblical view of the Church as a body. When the youth ministry starts to operate as if it is an autonomous unit, yet, still brands itself as an umbrella of the local church; it looks less like a healthy body and more like a tumor. A sobering image for us to face when we are striving for healthy church bodies, yet an image I’ve seen far too many times. There is hope, however, for bodies suffering with the growth of tumors and it doesn’t always involve radiation or chemotherapy. The cure is much more simple.
Strength Through Weakness
Three years ago I accepted a call to pioneer a brand new youth ministry at a young church plant. I had to be creative in building it as I was only a volunteer and still had to work full-time in secular employment. Additionally, the church plant was regional and attracted students from six or seven different school districts making it difficult to host frequent-midweek events. Yet, just as Paul found “when he was weak, then he was strong,” (2 Cor. 12:10) these weaknesses ended up being some of the strongest parts of our youth ministry. From the beginning the vision has been to partner with parents and offer very few events. Largely, we have stayed faithful to this vision and it has born fruit.
Absorbing the Tumor
Out of necessity and design our youth ministry meets only twice a month on Sundays for Bible study and prayer and then once a month for fellowship, games, and outreach (which a family hosts and I don’t always attend). We then offer 1-2 big events per year and usually partner with another church for these events. On the other Sundays of the month the teens worship with their parents with the rest of the church.
The blessings of this model of ministry have been that parents are very involved, both out of necessity and out of desire (both mine and theirs) and that they are bought in to the vision. I am not expected to shoulder the burden of being the only spiritual influence in the lives of the teens. It’s my conviction that parents should be the primary influence in the lives of their teens and this design helps that happen. We intentionally avoid doing lot of events in order to ensure students have more time with their parents. We also look for ways for the teens to join the “adult church” on mission trips, retreats, small groups and service opportunities within the church. Ultimately, I’ve found that we our youth ministry is very much a part of the greater body of our local church and has been embraced by disciples of all ages within our congregation. Now and again I’ve had a hard conversation with a family that wants to hand off their responsibility to some youth worker and decides the ministry isn’t for them, but I’m okay with that as our call is to make disciples and the families that have stuck around want to share in that call; they too want to be a part of a healthy body and not just dead weight being carried on the body’s back.
What about your youth ministry? If you assessed it honestly, do you feel you are partnering with parents to disciple their teens? Or are you operating independently of the rest of the church body? What will you do in the future to ensure a healthy balance?
Stay tuned for future posts where I will discuss some more of the theology behind this approach and some additional ways it plays out in the real world.
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Sean Nolan teaches hermeneutics at Augustine’s Classical Academy and leads the youth ministry at Terra Nova Church in Troy, NY. He’s an aspiring church planter and is married to Hannah and father to Knox. He irregularly blogs at Hardcore Grace. He likes activities that don’t involve sweating.
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by David Hanson | Dec 10, 2014 | On the Job, The Youth Ministry Blog
On Tuesday, our staff celebrated Christmas. We did so by having lunch and then taking a tour of AT&T Stadium, aka. Jerry World or Cowboy Stadium. It was a blast touring this BILLION dollar building, but even more fun living out my dreams of greatness on the field!
After the tour, 8 of us spent around 45 minutes playing four-on-four and running fade routes to the endzone. It was so surreal. We also discovered how difficult it is to hit a 20-yard field goal!
The whole time we were on the field, I kept thinking, “what is it like to have 80,000 people watching, cheering, jeering, and criticizing your every move? What kind of pressure do these players face in their attempts to get an oblong ball across a line?”
After pretending to throw and catch touchdowns, I drove 30 minutes back to my office in Plano for a time of discipleship with two students.
We spent 45 minutes talking about our identity in Christ, and I listened to them talk about how they are slowly but surely finding themselves in Him rather than in the things of the world. It was a rich 45 minutes.
As I was packing my bag to head home, I couldn’t help but parallel my 45 minutes on the field with my 45 minutes with students. My mind wondered, “what is is like to have friends, parents, siblings, teachers, pastors, and random people at school watch, cheer, jeer, and criticize your every move? What kind of pressure do students face in their attempts get through jr. high and high school?”
Getting through jr. high and high school and keeping Christ preeminent…now that’s greatness!
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David Hanson: Texas native, Texas Tech Red Raider, M.Div. at Truett Seminary, husband to Ashley, father to Ava & Ben, Student Pastor at LifePoint Church in Plano, Tx, table tennis (ping-pong) extraordinaire, addicted to coffee. For anything else…you’ll just have to ask.
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