youth pastors
Hey kids
read the other stuff and let's hear your comments...but.
Youth Pastors....what kinda stuff do you hope you and your adults would like to hear about this summer in the adult leadership tracks. What stuff has bugged you about what you have heard in the past? What rang your bell?
Lanny
read the other stuff and let's hear your comments...but.
Youth Pastors....what kinda stuff do you hope you and your adults would like to hear about this summer in the adult leadership tracks. What stuff has bugged you about what you have heard in the past? What rang your bell?
Lanny
posted by Lanny Donoho at 10:30 PM
14 Comments:
I love Reggie and always learn something new from him. I've read the "7 Practices..." book twice. My problem is that they really need to be church-wide practices. Unfortunately, the lowly youth pastor is not the one to implement these. For those with forward-thinking pastors, there is hope, but then there's the rest of us...
Frustrated
Hey Lanny
Since i have been out of the office the last week at National Youth Worker Convention, I have not been able to talk with you much. So maybe this blog thing will help us communicate about this summer. I am wondering who went to Youth Specialities and let us know if anyone or anything there (speaker, topic, technology, etc) would be a good fit for BigStuf this summer. I know there were tons of things going on and i was only able to see what on during the general sessions. SO... Youth Workers do you have any thoughts....
jamie
we should let the folks reading this know that we are back in the office now and we finally get to talk some.
So now...we are waiting to hear from youth pastors who saw something at YS and think we should consider that person or process something for BigStuf.
Lanny
Lanny,
I have been coming to BigStuf now for several years in a row, and really enjoy the adult leadership tracks. I left this year thinking about the environment in which the youth are worshipping, and also thinking about starting small groups.
These things have really improved our ministry, and the youth are responding very well to it. I take these sessions very seriously, and leave with a ton of notes. The problem I have is that it seems that the same messages are taught every year. For instance, these things have been covered at least 3 times when I have been at BigStuf:
1. All scripture is equally inspired, but not all scripture is equally relevant. Think of the top 10 things you want your youth to know.
2. Avoid sideways energy by clearly expressing the goals of the youth ministry to your youth team and to the senior pastor.
3. Create an environment in which the youth feel comfortable to worship and hang out.
I love these points, but I am ready for new material. Please aim for something fresh for BigStuf 2006.
Thanks!
Brad
Lanny,
We love the leaders sessions! Here's a thought. What if next summer you set aside time in one (or more)of the leader sessions to "wow", (stolen from that other guys blog) bless, and/or encourage some of the volunteers that carve out the week to make room in life for camp and students. Or, maybe honor/bless some youth worker who has really been "through it" in the last year in front of his/her peers.
Just thoughts. Thanks for ministering to us and our students. Your whole team is amazing...but you know that already.
In Christ,
Scott
I am a ministry assistant for middle school in AL. We lost our Youth Pastor about two months ago. My struggle is reaching the boys in our youth. As a woman, there is only so much I can do. The church is moving slowly on looking for a new Youth Pastor and our guys are dwindling quickly. Dads have been great about trying to fill in the gaps-but, let's face it, they are dads. These boys want someone young and not related to them that they can build relationships with and talk to, ect. Our former pastor was awesome at relationship building with these guys and they knew that they were important to our church and to our group and that we love them. It breaks my heart to watch them slowly stop coming to anything. How can I keep them from getting discouraged when my hands are tied on getting people in here other than their fathers to work with them?
Also, we use the DASH material. It's great. I would love to see more skits that go with the lessons suggested and really creative practical learning experiences for the guys. We use a Master Teacher/Small Group type of set up and while the girls get very much into skits, or dancing, etc. it's hard to get a guy master teacher that will do the creativity part of the Master Teaching or Small Group Leading. Any suggestions there for creativity on the guy level? Thanks so much!
hey guys,
i'm just looking through all this, and it's all good stuff. I'm just curious on the thought of the busy youth worker soul. The one who's busy going through all the hoops...and who's got the youth pastor/volunteer look down. When my wife and i were down at ys...it was all great. i loved it...but one afternoon for the first time (in 3 ys's) we wandered into the prayer chapel...and i just thought to myself...i shoulda' been here earlier. We all love what we do...but sometimes we buy into that lie, that God loves us for what we do...and that's just not the truth.
I watched the rain nooma for the first time in like 2 years the other night. And i just started crying when rob talked about the part where God loves it when we go through the rain, and just cling to him.
To be honest lanny, i don't know if that's transferrable/teachable in that setting...but just a thought.
phil owen
Hi Phil
I think the concept is one we all kinda know so....is it teachable...hmmm ....probably not....is it remindable...yep...and should we do that.
Yes we should...just like you have reminded us.
Life just takes over and we need to develop habits.
One of those habitis needs to include different ways to move away from the take-over part of life and let God take over....our thoughts, our time, our energy, our relationships,
As a matter of fact part of what we are doing at camp this summer is about that.
Thanks for the reminder.
lanny
Hi anonymous frustrated....
There are lots of folks in your position like you. change needs to happen and it doesn't feel like it can from the bottom of the totem pole. I remember Mike Yaconelli once chatting with all the youth workers in a little room at camp (back when camp was small) He got all choked up when he heard all the stories and pretty much told all of the guys there they needed to quit.
I can't say that to you or many because i dont know your exact situation,but i do know if you cannot lead students with the gifts you have, then change needs to happen. You can't stay frustrated. Talks need to happen, Hard ones. God certainly wants to use you.
So humbly and confidently move forward in the direction you know God wants to move you.
Either where you are or somewhere else.
Hi Brad
Thanks for the reminder about not doing too much of the same thing too many years in a row.
It gets diffiicult someimes because those messages are so relevant and so needed and we have so many new people. But...you will get new stuff this year.
And maybe just a few refresher notes.
lanny
Scott
thanks for writing.
great ideas
re remind us again...with an email to sheila when we get around to february.
ACtually all of you who have good ideas....
Just becuase the blogs may blog us down a little
Send us emails with subject lines called ideas for camp.
We will read them all
Thanks
lanny
To anonymous in alabama,
thanks for your note. I understand about what is going on with your guys. That is why it is so importaant to institute a more solid model of small groups than just Sunday school. Our church is built around small groups both for the adults as well as the students. The relationship and accountability is what helps all of us grow. I am not sure how any church or how individuals either can really hang in there without those close relationships and that would include great small group leaders for guys and for girls. it is difficult to get it going but it is worth all the effort and education of adults to help them get engaged.
There is a lot more but that is all for now for this blog.
lanny
Jicka
I am not sure i totally followed what you were saying but....i do agree... different churches need different kinds of encouragement and teaching because they are all going through their own individual difficulties. That is what makes it hard and why we are asking. We are tyring to get a feel for what in general churches are dealing with. WE certainly can't help everyone with everything. There are however certain principles which are universal and if look at in a balanced way from a flexible position will make a huge difference in almost all organzations. We will talk about that some more later. Thanks for your input.
lanny
Hey Lanny and Fellow BigStuffers,
I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in for what it's worth. It seems that whenever you ask people to give their opinions (especially critical ones), people can be kinda negative. I just can't believe my eyes on the negative comments about adult training. I think Reggie is one of the most incredible thinkers I've ever experienced and without exception our leaders have left the training time with lot's to talk about concerning the direction of our ministry for the next year and beyond. As I read some of the posts, I just wonder if I went to the same training. We leave discussing and evaluating everything from the topics we teach our students to what we need to add and subtract from our ministry to narrow our focus and help the students take steps to spiritual maturity.
On top of all that we do not take the same leaders every year to camp, so every year at least some of our adult leaders are hearing it for the very first time, as will definitely be the case this year. An idea I would submit is, if Reggie has time to come and be with us, to provide the training for those who have not been, but also have Kevin Ragsdale or Stuart or Clay to do a session on the latest youth topics and therefore have 2 smaller adult training sessions.
Thanks for listening, Brett
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