5 Year Youth Ministry Contract: Students (5 of 5)

This is post #5 of the 5 Year Youth Ministry Contract. If you have not already read the first four posts, you'll want to read them before reading this one. Read the introduction first, followed by my thoughts on the youth minister difference, my thoughts on the church leadership & staff difference and then my thoughts on the church membership difference.

In this post, we will look at the difference a five-year commitment would make for the students.

The Students Difference

Anyone who has been in youth ministry for more than a few years knows that the best ministry happens after you have been at the same place for an extended period of time.

This might be the biggest difference of any we've talked about so far. I think the students will greatly benefit from knowing the youth minister will be there for at least five years. Will it make it easy for them to open up emotionally right away? No. But it will make it easier for them to trust the youth minister and know this relationship will last more than six months.

Students are used to people coming in and out of their life, which causes some of them to shut down emotionally and relationally. They do not want to open up and allow an adult to know what they really struggle with if they do not know they adult will be around in nine months. When a student knows the youth minister will be around for years, they do not have to worry about having another broken relationship with someone who claimed to care about them.

Beyond the improvement in the student/youth minister relationships, I think there is an even greater benefit for the students - one they will not immediately identify. In fact, this benefit might be one they are never able to verbalize until well after they are out of the youth ministry. The unidentifiable benefit is the intentional long-range planning for the ministry; including a systematic progression of lessons, purposeful retreats and events and an intentional discipleship ministry. Not to mention the improved ministry of the volunteers, thanks to more training and encouragement.

As students remain with the same youth minister year after year, there will be more opportunities for ministry. When talking with their friends, the students will talk highly of the youth minister and create some instant credibility among their peers. This credibility will allow the youth minister more access to minister to those friends and become a positive influence into their lives. The more students and friends of students are benefiting from the youth ministry, the impact of the youth ministry will increase exponentially. And when a tragedy occurs, the students in the community will know they can turn to your youth ministry for support and direction.

One last benefit comes from a deepening of the relationship between the youth minister and the students. As the relationships grow, I believe it will result in more memories for the students. There will be more opportunities for ongoing jokes, funny moments and more laughter. And this increased joy at youth ministry events will not only benefit the students, but also the youth minister and other adults involved.

Are there negatives for the students?

One of the only negatives I can think of would happen for those students entering high school after the youth minister's fifth year of ministry. They would be entering into a high school ministry ready to minister to their needs, but there would be no guarantee the youth minister will be there for their graduation.



What other differences do you think a five year commitment would make for the students?
Do you think the students would benefit from having a youth minister with this commitment to a local ministry?


Posts in this series:
1. The Introduction
2. The Youth Minister Difference
3. The Church Leadership/Staff Difference
4. The Church Membership Difference
5. The Students Difference

Book Review: Called to Worship by Vernon Whaley

(This review is for anyone, but might be especially helpful for a minister who works within an area of "worship." The lessons you will gain from this book would be a great small group study or as part of a lesson series on worship. You might even consider using this book as a study material for members on the worship team - whatever that looks like in your congregation.)

Called to Worship is not like other books on worship that you have read. Vernon Whaley has taken a look at what worship looks like from Genesis to Revelation. The reader is taken on a journey through the Scriptures exploring the good, bad and ugly sides of worship (of God and anything else). Reading through these pages is equal to taking a college class on the history of worship. You will read about the beauty of true worship and the destructive nature of false worship.

I enjoyed the layout of the book: a progressive journey from Creation to Eternity. Along with the wisdom (and humor) packed inside each page, the reader will find an unbiased look at worship within the Old and New Testaments. You will glean new information on old stories - stories you thought you knew well. This information will add new angles to your application and interpretation of familiar Biblical stories. Each chapter ends by looking at principles that can applied to your life, which would make a great lesson outline (and reinforcement of lessons you should implement into your own personal life).

As a youth minister, I find great potential in Called to Worship to become a go-to resource when I teach on worship. I will recommend this book to anyone looking for a book on worship; whether an introduction or scholarly study.


My advice (rating) – go out and buy it (4 out of 5)

Book Review: Speaking to Teenagers by Doug Fields and Duffy Robbins

Speaking in front of children is scary, even though they are fairly forgiving. Speaking in front of adults is nerve-racking, especially if most of them are older than you. But, speaking in front of teenagers is worse. It is like swimming with sharks, while you are covered with blood and have pieces of meat attached to your feet. At least that is how some people feel about the idea of speaking to teens. But thanks to Doug Fields and Duffy Robbins (and their book "Speaking to Teenagers: How to think about, create, and deliver effective messages") you do not have to feel this way any longer.

Fields and Robbins combine their many years of experience with a large collection of research to provide a valuable resource to any adult wanting to communicate effectively with teens. This book is filled with humor, graphs, pictures of bridges, insight, real-life experience, and tips. Though the book flows from start to finish, it is possible to find the chapter dealing with an area of speaking where you need help and find the assistance you need to improve.

The first section covers the thinking part of the message preparation. This includes some great information on what needs to go into an effective message (like how to build the bridge from you to the students you want to reach). Although this step in message preparation might seem optional - Fields and Robbins build a convincing argument to its importance. The second section focuses on how to create a message that STICKs. Here you'll learn the importance of Study, Thinking, Illustrating, Constructing, and Keeping focused. Finally, the last three chapters discuss how to deliver an effective message (everything from your vocal pitch and hand gestures to the set-up of the room in which you will be speaking).

This book is a must-read for anyone who speaks to teens. You will do yourself, and the students to whom you speak, a huge favor by reading and implementing the wisdom found in these pages.


My advice (rating) – go out and buy it (4 out of 5)

Photo Friday: putt-putt

lining up for a hole-in-one.


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These weekly pictures are provided as an available resource for use within your youth ministry. These pictures can be used for background slides, event promotion, or anywhere else you need a good photograph. What I ask is that you do not use them for anything in which you make a profit and attribute me as the photographer. I would also love to hear how you are using them (pictures of your final product would be great, too) within your youth ministry.

Trivia Wednesday #136: Onomatopoeia

answer #135 - The African Elephant. (What is the largest land animal?) (Male elephants usually weigh about 16,500 lbs and are about 20 ft long)

A few interesting facts: In one year an elephant can drink 15,000 gal/57,000 liters of water, they have only four teeth, which they can lose and replace up to six times, they can live as long as 70 years

question #136 - What is an onomatopoeia?


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This weekly trivia is provided for use within your youth ministry. You can use this random trivia in many ways: use it to start a conversation with a student, add it to your introduction for your lesson or message, include it in your next newsletter or email, or just randomly insert it into your daily conversations. No matter how you decide to use it, I hope this trivia knowledge can be beneficial within your youth ministry.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see used for the trivia questions, just leave a comment and let me know.

5 Year Youth Ministry Contract: Church Members (4 of 5)

This is post #4 of the 5 Year Youth Ministry Contract. If you have not already read the first three posts, you'll want to read them before reading this one. Read the introduction first, followed by my thoughts on the youth minister difference and then my thoughts on the church leadership & staff difference.

In this post, we will look at the difference a five-year commitment would make for the church membership.

The Church Membership Difference

It can be difficult for church members to be quick to fully welcome a new youth minister on staff. When the church has a history of having multiple ministers with short stays, it becomes an automatic disadvantage for any new youth minister entering into ministry at this church. Most members assume the new youth minister will only stay long enough to find another ministry, like past youth ministers have done. I think a five year youth minister contract would offer many benefits for these members.

Knowing someone is going to be around for a few years allows you start the relationship with a little more trust than normal. Most members will not question the youth minister's motives or actions as often as they otherwise would. Being able to have this higher level of trust for the youth minister will allow the members to support and encourage the efforts and changes being made by the youth ministry team.

I believe the willingness to volunteer within the youth ministry would increase. From my experience, I have seen that some people are apprehensive to volunteer to work in an area where they do not know the leader well or where they feel the leadership might change often. This apprehension would be countered with the five year contract. Think about the difference it would make to have a stronger group of volunteers at the beginning of your ministry. Not only would the youth ministry benefit and grow, but the congregation gets a huge benefit: more members using their gifts and doing ministry.

Finally, I think this five year contract would give the members a sense of relief. Most members do not know what expectations/requirements are put on the youth minister by the church leadership. This contract would give them the reassurance that a certain level of ministry professionalism will be kept in the youth ministry. The members will still not completely understand what all is entailed in the youth ministry, but this will be a good start to help them understand that youth ministry is more than just glorified babysitting.

Are there negatives for the church members?

Since the youth minister will be around for a few years, there might be some members who will not work hard at getting to know him. The assumption might be that there is plenty of time to get to know the new youth minister, so why put effort into it now. Someone else might think that the only reason the youth minister spends time with the students is because its in the contract. And there might be someone who decides their help is not needed within the youth ministry, because the youth minister is going to be here for a few years.



What other differences do you think a five year commitment would make for the church members?
Do you think the church members would benefit from having a youth minister with a five year commitment to a local ministry?


Posts in this series:
1. The Introduction
2. The Youth Minister Difference
3. The Church Leadership/Staff Difference
4. The Church Membership Difference
5. The Students Difference

Learned from Twitter: week ending August 22, 2009

Gained a few more twitter gems this week. Just had to share these ones with you. Enjoy.


1. snavenel (Len Evans) shared a great link that churches need to look at.

We Love Our Youth Worker http://www.weloveouryouthwo... 7 promises churches make to ensure they properly care for their youth worker

2. pattigibbons (Patti Gibbons) will bring a smile to your face (if you're a youth worker) with this quote from VBS.

Comment from VBS ldr after lesson on sin: "What's not fun about a room full of pre-K & K kids and a pooping snake?"

3. giveawaylist (Big List of Giveaways) posted a giveaway that could be very useful (if you won) for some great foll0w-up material for your ministry.

New giveaway listed - check it out! : 250 5X7" Custom Greeting Cards http://bit.ly/10c0VW

4. snavenel (Len Evans) suggests all youth workers (especially those who teach) read this free e-book.

Josh Hunt is giving way a free e-book Good Questions Have Groups Talking http://www.joshhunt.com/goo... great tool 4 Youth & SS teachers!

5. FlowerInTheRain (Janelle Painter) offers a great piece of advice. Read and take to heart.

Slow down. From what we know, Jesus never said, "I'm sorry, I can't help you. I need to be in Jerusalem by sundown." Pace your life.

6. AdamLehman (Adam Lehman) shared a great moment from his ministry - a "thank you" from a student. These are the things that keep a youth worker going for months.

Got my first "thank-you-for-what-youre-doing" text from a student: "Thanks for getting people together to play xbox. It was lots of fun."

What did you learn from Twitter this week?

Ministry of the Smile

Interacting with students is not always easy. Finding friendly faces at a youth event can be like finding willing adults to help with the all-nighter. But there is one thing you can do to bring out that smiling face on your students - smile at them.

A smile is an often overlooked tool in your youth ministry toolbelt.

A smile can break the tension.
A smile can cause a student to smile.
A smile can say more than words.
A smile can affirm a student's worth.
A smile can be the highlight of the event for a student.
A smile can make a student feel welcome.
A smile can start a conversation.


Smiles are free.
Smiles are limitless.
Smiles are never out of style.
Smiles are good for any occasion.
Smiles are contagious.


When was the last time you used a smile in your youth ministry? What affect did it have?

Photo Friday: T-Ball Helmets

t-ball helmets.


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These weekly pictures are provided as an available resource for use within your youth ministry. These pictures can be used for background slides, event promotion, or anywhere else you need a good photograph. What I ask is that you do not use them for anything in which you make a profit and attribute me as the photographer. I would also love to hear how you are using them (pictures of your final product would be great, too) within your youth ministry.

Trivia Wednesday #135: Largest Land Animal

answer #134 - 168 (prime number list) How many prime numbers are there between 1 and 1000?

question #135 - What is the largest land animal?


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This weekly trivia is provided for use within your youth ministry. You can use this random trivia in many ways: use it to start a conversation with a student, add it to your introduction for your lesson or message, include it in your next newsletter or email, or just randomly insert it into your daily conversations. No matter how you decide to use it, I hope this trivia knowledge can be beneficial within your youth ministry.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see used for the trivia questions, just leave a comment and let me know.

5 Year Youth Ministry Contract: Church Leadership (3 of 5)

This is post #3 of the 5 Year Youth Ministry Contract. If you have not already read the first two posts, you'll want to read them before reading this one. Read the introduction first and then read my thoughts on the youth minister difference.

In this post, we will look at the difference a five-year commitment would make for the church leadership & staff.

The Church Leadership/Staff Difference

When a youth minister joins a staff it takes time to become part of the group. It takes time to fit in, to learn how the other staff function, and to build a relationship with each other. The staff relationships are vital to the overall ministry of the church; the better the relationship, the better the ministers work together. If the youth minister was committed to staying at least five years, that would allow enough time to grow these relationships and then see the ministry improve thanks to them.

I think another big difference this commitment would produce is a "forced support" from the leadership. There are situations when the church leadership (mainly elected leadership, but could also include the families with the power) is not supportive of the youth minister and that only causes negative results. If the leadership knew the youth minister was going to be there for at least five years, they should have a greater desire to see that ministry succeed. This desire should lead to being supportive of the youth minister and working with him through all situations (good and bad).

There would also need to be more intentional communication (because sadly, the tendency is to have little intentional communication between the youth minister and the church leadership) on what the youth minister is planning and what the leadership expects. Clear expectations and guidelines would help the youth minister understand what the leadership is looking for. Knowing what the leadership is looking for would help the youth minister to be aware of what information to present, as well as how to present it.

Another benefit for the church leadership will be an opportunity to watch the youth ministry grow and mature over the five year period without trying to decide if the youth minister is doing enough those first few years. They do not need to evaluate each and every event or ministry program individually based on how "successful" they feel it is. Understanding the youth ministry is heading toward a certain goal, and knowing the youth minister will be there to see the process through for at least five years, can ease any worries they might have otherwise had. And this time-frame will lend itself to more strategic evaluations of the youth ministry, encouraging the completion of structured and timely goals.

Another benefit of this agreement could be a more focused training and minister development. The staff and leadership could spend the five years helping the youth minister grow professionally and personally. This could include in-house training, as well as providing opportunities to attend conventions and seminars. Part of good leadership is mentoring younger leaders. With a five year commitment, the youth minister would have ample time to be mentored by older/wiser leaders.


Are there negatives for the church leadership and staff?

There is the possibility that the leadership could use this five year contract as a chance to get the youth minister to do what they want. This would happen when the leadership "kindly" informs the new youth minister that the next five years could be great or miserable, depending on how happy they are with the youth ministry.

Another possible downfall of this type of agreement might happen in the fifth year of ministry. If the leadership is unsatisfied with the youth ministry, then there is a possibility of being extra tough on the minister or backing off and being distant. Either way, it would cause the ministry to suffer and the minister to be hesitant to come to work each day.



What other differences do you think a five year commitment would make for the church leadership?
Do you think it would benefit the church leadership to have the youth minister make this commitment to a local ministry?


Posts in this series:
1. The Introduction
2. The Youth Minister Difference
3. The Church Leadership/Staff Difference
4. The Church Membership Difference
5. The Students Difference

Learned from Twitter: week ending August 15, 2009

This week's edition covers last week and this week. Here are a few of the things I learned on Twitter.


1. timschmoyer (Tim Schmoyer) observed something that I agree with 100%.

The longer I'm in ministry the more I'm convinced that gossip will destroy a ministry faster than anything else.

2. HolidayWorld (Holiday World) celebrated a milestone on Aug. 3rd.

63 years ago today, Holiday World opened (Santa Claus Land till '84). Thanks to all the generations who've visited over the decades!

3. MarkMatlock (Mark Matlock) linked to an article on teens and Tweeting.

Teens Don't Tweet... Or Do They? More thinking on this hot topic ... http://tinyurl.com/llhvpq

4. uthpastor (Ryan Nielson) was one of many people who linked to an article on the sad reality that youth ministers need to be more responsible than "cool."

Youth minister indicted in teen's death. A sad reminder that being a shepherd is better than being cool. http://tinyurl.com/mz4hlb

What did you learn from Twitter this week?

Photo Friday: Fishing Tackles

Fishing tackles, etc... (a good background for a series/message on evangelism?)

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These weekly pictures are provided as an available resource for use within your youth ministry. These pictures can be used for background slides, event promotion, or anywhere else you need a good photograph. What I ask is that you do not use them for anything in which you make a profit and attribute me as the photographer. I would also love to hear how you are using them (pictures of your final product would be great, too) within your youth ministry.

Trivia Wednesday #134: Prime Numbers

answer #133 - 13 (How many states only have one area code?) (Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.)

question #134 - How many prime numbers are there between 1 and 1000?


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This weekly trivia is provided for use within your youth ministry. You can use this random trivia in many ways: use it to start a conversation with a student, add it to your introduction for your lesson or message, include it in your next newsletter or email, or just randomly insert it into your daily conversations. No matter how you decide to use it, I hope this trivia knowledge can be beneficial within your youth ministry.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see used for the trivia questions, just leave a comment and let me know.

Learned from Twitter: week ending August 8, 2009

This week I did not really learn much from Twitter, at least not from the actual site itself. This week, I took a sabbatical from Twitter. I did not tweet, check tweets, respond to tweets or anything related to Twitter. I took the week off from staying up to date with what people were doing, 140 characters at a time.

And I learned a few things along the way...


1. I am very relational.
I like interacting with people, knowing what is going on in their life and being able to quickly communicate. This is one aspect of Twitter that I truly enjoy. I know this fact because it is the one thing I really missed during my Sabbatical. I do not have as much regular "relational" interaction with people as I have in the past and I think I find this void partially filled in with Twitter. I know some of the people I interact with on Twitter I have only met once in real-life (and some I have never met), but that does not mean there is not a friendship in place. Most of the people I follow on Twitter are youth ministry-minded folks - and those are "my people."

2. Twitter is a great way to stay up to date with friends.
People use twitter to update the status of their job search, vacation, prayer needs, or new addition to the family (rather it be human or animal). Without making numerous phone calls every day, I would not be able to keep up with all of this information. Twitter is the central meeting place for all of this information, and I'm glad it is.

3. Twitter can be very time consuming.
Depending on how often you check Twitter or how long you stay on the site, it can eat up a few hours of your day without you realizing. On the other hand, if you use mobile devices for your updates, you can add up your time just as quickly and become distracted from your surroundings. It is easy to "just check" for new updates every half hour while working on something else that you never really get in a "groove." But this is not a problem with just Twitter, it can happen with anything in your life (see point #4 & #5).

4. Even if you take Twitter away, you can find other ways to "waste time."
There are many other websites that can take over your time: Facebook, myspace, YouTube, ESPN, or TMZ to name a few. I've heard many people (esp. people on Facebook) mention how silly they think Twitter is or what a waste of time it is. Yet, as I think back to my pre-Twitter days and my Sabbatical I can honestly tell you that anything can be a waste of time. I think things become a waste of time when we use them to avoid what we need to be doing. Some people use music or TV to avoid talking to someone (maybe its your spouse). You can read to avoid household chores. Anything can become an avoidance technique, which then becomes a waste of your time.

5. I need limits to everything I do, or I'm bound to become consumed by anything.
It doesn't matter if its Twitter, video games, TV shows, reading or exercising - I tend to take everything to the extreme. Personally, I struggle with finding balance in areas of my life. I start to do better in one area, which means I do worse in another one. This need for boundaries/balance is an ongoing struggle, which I assume will stay with me until I need someone else to do stuff for me.

6. I like technology.
Nothing much more to say - I really like technology. Case-in-point: I have been on Twitter since March 2007 - well before it became popular.

Book Review: The Jesus Book by Stephen Elkins

(This review is for youth workers with children or for those who work with the children's ministry. This book would make a great addition to the little kid classrooms, especially as a resource for the teachers to use when talking about Jesus.)

The Jesus Book by Stephen Elkins is a combination Bible concordance, Bible dictionary and theology primer. But when you see all of the colorful, fun illustrations throughout the book, you know it must be a book for kids. There is also a 30 song CD with over an hour of music - all about Jesus. Inside the book is packed with some great beginner information about Jesus for young children: who Jesus is, what Jesus did, what Jesus taught, when it happened, where it happened, why it happened and how it happened.

I really enjoyed the simplicity of most of the book, it does a good job at sharing complex themes in simple, kid-friendly terms. Since it is a book about Jesus, it is appropriate that the first section discusses a few of the major descriptions of Jesus: Promised One, Son of God, Savior, Word, and friend. Kids will also learn about some of the great things Jesus did and taught. Beyond these basics, the sections on when and where are superb additions. Before looking at some of the "when," the kids are shown a four-page timeline of events surrounding Jesus. And before the "where" section, the kids are shown a map of Israel and a map of Jerusalem. These maps will help any child better understand the geography of Jesus' life and ministry.

The last two sections are the "why" and "how." The "why" section answers a few basic questions about Jesus' life. But it is the "how" section I thought was a stretch. The section is entitled "how it happened," but it is really four brief pages on present events, not events of Jesus' life. Taking this criticism aside, the only other problem I have with The Jesus Book is the way it handles explaining salvation to kids. A few places (He taught about baptism and How do we receive eternal life?) merely mention that salvation is received through a simple prayer. I believe the Bible teaches there is more to salvation and I believe baptism is part of that process, not an outward sign.

The Jesus Book is a very good introduction for children into the complex and life-changing world of Jesus Christ.


My advice (rating) – go out and buy it (4 out of 5)

5 Year Youth Ministry Contract: Youth Minister (2 of 5)

This is post #2 of the 5 Year Youth Ministry Contract. If you have not already read the introduction, you will want to go here and read it first.

In this post, we will look at the difference a five-year commitment would make for the youth minister.

The Youth Minister Difference

When I begin a youth ministry, my desire is to stay at that same ministry for years (preferably until I retire) because I know the value of long-term ministry. I also know this is not always the mentality youth minister's carry with them into a new ministry. Some youth ministers see youth ministry as a stepping stone toward senior ministry or a chance to gain experience before taking on a different form of ministry. Without the determination to stay long-term, a youth minister will lack the desire to make it through some difficulties. The dip (to borrow a term from Seth Godin) will be too great and will cause the youth minister to quit too early.

This mentality would have to change if a youth minister committed to staying at a local congregation for at least five years. When you are committed to a five year minimum, you are challenged to work through the difficulties. You are challenged to have a vision and plan for the future. You are challenged to acknowledge the naysayers. You are challenged to resist the desire to coast through the ministry. You are challenged to rely on the leadership for support and guidance.

Most youth ministers I know have some of their greatest struggles within the first three years of their ministry. During this time, there are some major changes to the way ministry is done and who is doing it. Even without trying to make a big splash, a new youth minister cannot help but accept this aspect of ministry. Youth ministers need not try to minister the same way a previous youth minister did, because her strengths may not be your strengths. During these first few years, there will also be people in the congregation who desire to do what they can to keep the ministry from changing. For some ministers, these first few years can be too stressful and challenging - ultimately resulting in a rather quick exit from that ministry position.

When you are committed to staying for five years, you have to find a way to work through this stressful period. The youth minister must learn to make changes with the understanding that he'll be there for five years. The changes that happen need to be made by the entire youth ministry team, not just the youth minister. And since you know you'll be there for five years, you will make very strategic changes - moving toward a very specific end result.

Another difference would be in your interaction with students, parents and leaders. There should be an increased level of communication and intentionality in how you treat these relationships. Knowing you will see at least two classes through all four years of high school should motivate the youth minister to be more intentional about lessons, events, and overall discipleship. You are guaranteed to be there for at least a handful of difficult times and tragedies involving your students or their families. It would be beneficial for a committed youth minister to allow the parents and leaders to know your vision and plans of the ministry, listen to their input and modify the ministry as needed.

With a longevity of ministry in one location, you will gain a higher level of credibility with schools and businesses in the area. The people in the community will know you are not going to come into town and then exit within a year or so. This should afford you a higher level of credibility right from the start. You will be able to build a strong relationship with the school systems and collaborate with them.

Beyond these differences, I think the biggest difference comes before the agreement is ever made. If you are committing to staying at a local congregation for at least five years, you are going to spend a lot more time praying and thinking about the congregation before saying "yes." You should spend time finding out more about the congregation, the area and people you will be ministering alongside. If you are to truly think about the commitment of moving your family to a new city/state, you want to know as much as you can before you move. You will research the schools more, you will ask more questions, you will dig deeper into who the congregation is. You will spend more time seeking God's wisdom - making sure this move is the best move for you, your family, and the congregation.

Are there negatives for the youth minister?

One possible downfall of this type of agreement would come in the fifth year of ministry. If the youth minister is unsatisfied or is ready to leave, there is a possibility he will try to coast to the end. He may mentally and emotionally "check out" and become lackluster about the youth ministry, waiting until the time is up.



What other differences do you think a five year commitment would make for the youth minister?
Do you think it would benefit a youth minister to have this commitment to a local ministry?

Posts in this series:
1. The Introduction
2. The Youth Minister Difference
3. The Church Leadership/Staff Difference
4. The Church Membership Difference
5. The Students Difference

Photo Friday: Bowling

Bowling alley.


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These weekly pictures are provided as an available resource for use within your youth ministry. These pictures can be used for background slides, event promotion, or anywhere else you need a good photograph. What I ask is that you do not use them for anything in which you make a profit and attribute me as the photographer. I would also love to hear how you are using them (pictures of your final product would be great, too) within your youth ministry.

August Photo Fridays

The month of August will focus on sports related pictures.

Pictures will include:

• bowling
• fishing
• putt-putt
• t-ball

What is your favorite sport?

Book Review: Simply Christian by N.T. Wright

In Simply Christian, N.T. Wright sets out to help us understand why Christianity makes sense. In all honesty, I did not need to read this book to understand why Christianity makes sense, because I already thought it did. So, as I read, I tried to read it from a new perspective - as someone who was looking for answers to some of life's greatest questions. And I think I found some really good answers within these pages.

As I read through the book, I was pleased to discover that Wright is not trying to belittle any reader. He writes with passion and clarity, but never with arrogance. In the beginning of the book, Wrights talks about this echo of a voice we hear. He then spends the remainder of the book helping the reader discover who the voice belongs to: God. Our longing for justice, beauty and relationships are all indicators that we want the same things God wants - and Christianity is the one logical explanation for answering these longings.

Unless you are N.T. Wright (and if you are, thanks for reading this review), you will find yourself questioning and arguing with some of the contents of Simply Christian. As you are disagreeing, you will be challenged to dig into the Scriptures for more evidence, because Wright does not just offer his own ideas - he uses Scripture to support what is written. Whether you are using this book for your own personal growth or for helping a friend understand Christianity better, you will want to keep this in mind: "Faith can't be forced, but unfaith can be challenged."

I highly recommend Simply Christian to anyone looking to deepen their faith in God. Because when you close the last page of this book, you will have a deeper understanding of Christianity and why it makes sense.


My advice (rating) – buy more than one and give out copies (5 out of 5)

Trivia Wednesday #133: Area Codes

answer #132 - 1830s (When did fireworks become colorful?) (The multi-hued displays we know now began in the 1830s, when Italians added trace amounts of metals that burn at high temperatures, creating beautiful colors.)

Extra fun fact: Other additives also produced interesting effects. For example, calcium deepens colors, titanium makes sparks, and zinc creates smoke clouds.

question #133 - How many states only have one area code?


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This weekly trivia is provided for use within your youth ministry. You can use this random trivia in many ways: use it to start a conversation with a student, add it to your introduction for your lesson or message, include it in your next newsletter or email, or just randomly insert it into your daily conversations. No matter how you decide to use it, I hope this trivia knowledge can be beneficial within your youth ministry.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see used for the trivia questions, just leave a comment and let me know.

to quote someone else: N.T. Wright (faith)

"Faith can't be forced, but unfaith can be challenged."

taken from Simply Christian by N.T. Wright


As a youth minister, this quote challenges me to think about how I approach evangelism and discipleship. I need to be challenging the students, not trying to force them to believe what I want them to.

How does this quote affect your thoughts on reaching the lost in your community?

5 Year Youth Ministry Contract: Introduction (1 of 5)

Recently, I got to thinking about youth ministry and the amount of time youth ministers stay at one local congregation. I have a friend who was at a church for only a few days and I know a few ministers who have been at their current congregation for a few decades. Most other youth ministers fall somewhere between these two extremes. Every minister has a different story to tell about why they left a ministry, but ultimately it comes down to two things: you quit or you were asked to leave. Yet, as I ponder this ministry commonality, I am left wondering if there is another way.

And my thinking led to this - How would ministry be different if the youth minister was committed to staying at least five years?

You can apply this same question to the senior minister, worship minister, children's minister, or any other minister a church happens to have. But for the sake of this blog, I will focus solely on the difference it would make if the youth minister made this commitment. There are four specific areas of ministry that will be affected which I want to focus on: the youth minister, the church leadership, the members and the students. Before we get into those areas, we need to look a little deeper at what would need to happen in order for this five-year minimum agreement to become a reality.

At this point in the discussion, allow me to make this disclaimer: I know we do not know the future and we need to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I am not saying this has to be a commitment with no way out. There may be a family emergency that needs your time (and may cause you to move back home) or some unforeseen situation. But if we allow these "what ifs" to keep us from making a commitment, then we could really not commit to anything, could we? You would not be able to sign your kids up for soccer because you do not know what your life will be like over those few weeks. You see, in reality, we make commitments all the time with the understanding there are no guarantees about the future.

A five-year minimum commitment would need both parties to commit. The youth minister would be committed to serving as youth minister for at least five years. There would be no looking for a new ministry during this time - you are agreeing to work through any struggle. At the same time, the church would commit to supporting you (as the youth minister) during the next five years. Even if there are struggles, the solution could not be getting rid of you. (Cases of moral failure, for example, would be a different issue).

I do not think this is an impossible scenario, but it would take some adjustments in the mindset many people have about youth ministry tenure. I strongly believe the benefits of this type of ministry commitment would far outweigh the negatives or needed adjustments.

Before we get into the four areas of difference, I want to ask you what you think. Do you think this type of ministry agreement/commitment is possible? Who would have a harder time making this commitment: the congregation or the youth minister?


Posts in this series:
1. The Introduction
2. The Youth Minister Difference
3. The Church Leadership/Staff Difference
4. The Church Membership Difference
5. The Students Difference

August Trivia: School related

The trivia questions during the month of August are all going to relate to something you might need to know in school. The four weeks will cover four different subjects. How well do you remember your school trivia? We'll find out this month...

Learned from Twitter: week ending August 1, 2009

A lot of interesting and fun stuff on Twitter this week, and I only see such a small portion of the entire thing.

1. BtotheEtotheN (Ben Boles) shares with us a great moment he was able to share with a former student. This is one of the things that makes a youth minister almost forget the tough days.

putting finishing touches on a wedding ceremony for tomorrow, the bride asked me to do her wedding 7 yrs ago, can't believe it's here!

2. wuske (Shawn Wuske) summed up his thoughts about an upcoming lock-in using percentages. The only problem is that we're left wondering about the 28%.

I'm about to leave for the lock-in. 40% of me puking, 30% chance of me crying, and 2% chance of me getting stabbed.

3. MarkMatlock (Mark Matlock) provided a link to a story that reminds us that some teenagers are really hurting. (The author of the article is not a fan of God, or so it seems)

Parent Of The Year Awards (sadly, not for great parenting) Mom drugs daughter to impregnate her ... so sad. http://tinyurl.com/luazd9

4. HolidayWorld (Holiday World) says that the announcement for their new addition for 2010 will come in 2 weeks. I'm hoping for the addition of a "Groundhog Day Village", but my gut tells me its going to be a ride in the Thanksgiving section.

Will is telling our staff of directors about our addition for 2010; we're all sworn to secrecy. Public announcement is August 13.

5. tspencer (Travis Spencer) linked to a story about a lady getting sued for a thoughtless comment on her twitter account. Be mindful of what you say about companies, make sure you aren't making stuff up.

be careful tweets: http://cbs2chicago.com/loca...

6. dbeckner (Dennis Beckner) experienced a little role reversal while eating lunch with a former student. This is a situation that youth ministers dream about. :)

Ordering lunch with a former student. Realized I forgot my wallet. That's a switch. Usually I get stuck w/ the bill.

What did you learn from Twitter this week?