This is an incredible weekend each year, and is a time for me to renew, refresh, and refuel my relationship with God. It’s something I won’t miss because it’s so beneficial to my life right now. You can read more about my thoughts on Wilderness here and here.

photo credit: gfxdave99 via photopin cc

In the past, I’ve always driven to Colorado, camping out a night or two along the way. However, with our move to Florida, that became impossible. So I flew.

I don’t fly often; it’s just not something that I need very much. And with a large family, it gets expensive fast.

But this time I flew.

The trip out was uneventful. But my experience on the trip home gave me some things to think about.

The Transportation Security Administration stole my toothpaste.

My toothpaste.

Before I left home, I checked my airline’s website for what I could and could not bring with me. According to their website, I could carry on up to 17 ounces of personal products, such as shampoo, deodorant, and toothpaste. I checked most of my personal items, but I wasn’t sure what the lack of air pressure would do, and I really didn’t want toothpaste on all my clothes for the week, so I packed it in my carry-on with my shampoo.

Going to Colorado was no problem.

Coming home was.

TSA pulled out my toothpaste, all four ounces of it, and told me that it was larger than the permitted size. The lady was nice about it, but it still bugged me a bit. I don’t use a common toothpaste; mine is all natural and fluoride free, and so it’s a little more expensive.

TSA told me that since it was more than the permitted 3.4 ounces, I had two options: I could check my backpack, or I could mail it to myself.

Checking my pack wasn’t an option, since my laptop, Kindle, and the books I needed on the flight were in there. Mailing it too myself didn’t appeal either, as that would require exiting the secure area,and going through that long line all over again.

In my mind, I had two additional options. One was that she could just let me have my toothpaste. But I didn’t suggest that. i didn’t want to make her mad. My other option was for her to simply drop it ion the trash can at her feet. She did.

I proceeded to pass through security, sans toothpaste.

While laughable, and I had a good chuckle with a couple of the other guys over it, this gave me a few things to think about.

In my mind, this experience relates well to youth ministry. I can think of at least three key similarities.

Consistency

I carried the same tube of toothpaste on both legs of my trip, headed to Colorado and headed home. TSA in Florida didn’t see the need to take my toothpaste. Which is good, because my breath would have been atrocious in a day or two. However, TSA in Denver felt the need to take my tube of toothpaste. I think some consistency is needed. Either way, really, I don’t care. If it’s not an issue, let it go. If it is, then take it from me. But don’t send conflicting messages, which is what they did.

Youth ministry is the same way. We must maintain consistency in our ministries, whether that is in our teaching, or in the areas of structure and discipline, or in our own personal life. What we say must reflect what we do, and what we do must reflect what we say. Without consistency, the students in our ministry will receive conflicting signals, just as I did in my travels.

Perspective

I realize that TSA has a tough job, and one that is usually thankless. I’m not complaining about them at all. I completely understand where they are coming from. But here’s a bit of advice. Don’t see threats that aren’t there. A couple of quick questions would have probably satisfied the agent, and I could have kept my toothpaste. I mean, after all, it’s just toothpaste. Ok, I know, someone could use just such a disguise for something else. I know that. But in the bigger picture, I was obviously not using it for that purpose.

Perspective in youth ministry is crucial as well. In my ministries, I’ve dealt with some tough kids. But understanding their circumstances went a long way towards understanding why they acted the way they did. I’ve ministered to teens who have been abandoned by their parents, teens who had an abusive boyfriend or father, teens who were dabbling in drugs and alcohol, and many other situations. Every time, maintaining the proper perspective helped me to be more effective as a minister.

Humor

In the end, I had to laugh. First because this TSA agent was doing all of this over an ounce or two of toothpaste. Second, her face when I suggested that she just throw it away was amusing as well. I don’t think she expected that. I can’t imagine how she might have reacted if I’d simply suggested that she overlook it. (Actually, I can, and every scenario I can envision doesn’t end well for me…) But after we all cleared security, we sat in the food court and had a good laugh about it all.

I’ve seen a trend in my life, and in other youth minsters as well. We tend to take ourselves too seriously. That has to stop. The stress added to my life, the arrogance of such thoughts, and the simple boredom of a life with little or no laughter are all reasons to lighten up. One of the ways I keep my sanity in a busy ministry is to be able to see the humor in any given situation. Maybe not right at first, but at some point, I want to be able to look back and see something that I can enjoy. After all, joy is one of the fruits of the spirit.

In the end, I made it home safely, and enjoyed seeing my family after being gone for five days. And a tube of toothpaste isn’t that big of a deal in the big picture. Is it?

What other similarities can you see between this situation and youth ministry? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post Toothpaste, TSA and Youth Ministry appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

This post is part of the Foundations Of Youth Ministry series. Check out the rest of the series!

Just over four months ago, I moved my family from the middle of the United States to the Gulf coast of central Florida in order to accept a new youth ministry position.

It’s been a crazy transition. We have five kids, with one one the way, so that means a lot of stuff to move. We’ve never moved this far before either, which made things even crazier.

And to top it all off, we moved out of the Bible belt of southern Missouri. The culture shock has been pretty significant. But we are adjusting nicely. The kids are building new friendships, and so are my wife and I.

But for the past few months, I’ve been the “new guy” in the area.

One one hand, that means that I may get lost trying to find someone’s house, or even the local Wal-Mart, but on the other hand, I’ve noticed some great advantages to being the new guy.

I have the opportunity to build this ministry the way I want

When we moved to Brooksville, I was told that this youth ministry had experienced some struggles. As a result, I have the opportunity to build this ministry from the ground up.

That’s pretty exciting to me. While I don’t want to build any program based on me, that would fall apart if I left it, I do have the opportunity to structure things according to my personality, as well as the personality of the church as a whole. This give me the ability to add or eliminate elements that may or may not work.

For example, we have completely restructured the Wednesday night program, giving it a totally new look and feel. My hope is that this capitalizes on my strengths, and the strengths of the team I build. My prayer is that it attracts teens from our surrounding communities and becomes a place where they can plug in, not just to a youth group, but into Christ and his church.

Being new, I carry a sense of authority

Whether I deserve it or not, As the new guy, I carry a sense of authority. As these students get to know me, they may shrug off some of the things I teach them. But right now, there seems to be a fascination with me, and the things I say are taken to heart, and often repeated.

This, however, can be a double-edged sword. I have to watch myself more closely, because I am being watched more closely. My thoughtless and careless remarks can be misinterpreted and repeated. This forces me to take greater care in what I say and do, which I should do regularly anyway.

I don’t know all the “we’ve always done it this way” restrictions

It’s easy to get into a rut in ministry. When we do things the same way for a long time, it’s natural to keep doing it that way because we’ve grown comfortable in the rut. Being the new guy, I have no idea how things operated before I arrived on the scene. Sure, I’ve been informed of a few things here and there, but just because the last guy did it a certain way doesn’t mean that I have to.

Sometimes, there is the expectation that I will do things differently, because I am a different person. But other times, I’m expected to do things the same as they operated before I got here. In the process of getting to know the people of this congregation, they can get to know my personality, and I can get to know theirs.

Even my well-used ideas seem fresh to new people

There are some things I’ve implemented in my ministries for several years. Even though they seemed old to me and to my students in previous places, they feel new and fresh here because they are new and fresh here. No one here has experienced things the way I do them, and that can breath new life into my old ideas.

I’m not using this as an excuse to stay in that rut. I’m still reading, learning and growing in my abilities as a minister. And I’m still forcing myself to think outside the box, to come up with new ideas and strategies. I’m still pushing myself to grow, even as I push these students to grow.

Things that didn’t work well in another place may work better here

I will be the first to admit, many of the ideas I thought were great… weren’t. They flopped. Sometimes colossally. But I still think they were great ideas. Some of them may get pulled out and dusted off to be tried here. They may work better here and be successful.

Then again, they may not.

We get to experience a part of the church we’ve never seen before

I’ve been a part of the church on two different continents, and in six different countries. In the US, I’ve been involved in churches in numerous states and regions of the country. But I’ve never experienced the church in Florida. It’s a whole new culture, different than anything I’ve experienced before.

It bears some similarities to the church I was a part of in upstate New York, where I interned. It’s also similar in may ways to southern Missouri and to northeast Indiana. But it’s crucially different from each of these other locations as well.

As a result, my family is experiencing something none of us has ever experienced before, and meeting people from many different regions and cultures, both from within and outside of our own country. It’s pretty cool, actually.

A new ministry allows me to serve God in a new place, in new ways, with new people

God chooses to use me in this capacity. And that is pretty incredible!

What do you see as an advantage of being the “new guy”? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post 7 Advantages Of Starting A New Youth Ministry appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

This post is part of the Foundations Of Youth Ministry series. Check out the rest of the series!

Successful leadership communicates trust.

It’s that simple. If you want to be successful as a leader, so matter where you are, you must make sure your people know that you trust them.

While this is true for every workplace, this is especially true in ministry, with your students, and especially with your leaders.

If you don’t trust your people, there is no way that you can reach your potential.

Here are a few of the benefits of building trust in your youth ministry:

Trust solves problems

Little problems stay little when you trust your people to take care of them. But little problems become big obstacles when a lack of trust is evident. And these huge obstacles require more energy to be expended in order to untangle the mess and resolve the issue. This will result in hurt feelings, and that will hamstring your ministry’s effectiveness.

But a little trust in your leaders goes a long way to eliminating those problems before they become big. And when you trust your team to take care of those little problems, you build their confidence in how well they think they can tackle the bigger ones when they occur. A little trust goes a long way.

Trust enhances communication

A lack of trust closes communication between you and your team. When your people don’t feel as if you trust them, they become closed, not sharing their thoughts and ideas. And if they aren’t contributing to and buying into your vision, your ministry isn’t growing.

Showing trust opens up the flow of communication, encouraging your leaders to freely share their thoughts and insights. Open lines of communication go a long way in heading off issues before they can become problems.

Trust allows for failure

A low trust environment communicates the expectation of perfection. Your leaders may feel like if they fail, they will let you down. But a higher level of trust communicates that it’s alright to fail. Fear of failure simply results in a failure to try. But eliminating this fear allows people the freedom to try new things. If they fail, no big deal. But if they succeed, then you’ve just allowed your team to step to the next level.

Trust build a positive atmosphere

A high trust environment creates an atmosphere that is light and refreshing. Your people, whether they are part of your leadership team, or the students you are reaching, will want to be involved. They have fun. They enjoy being there. And they want to bring their friends.

Low trust environments are oppressive and dark. People will soon find a reason to leave, maybe permanently. And they will tell their friends just how bad it is.

Building truth in your team isn’t necessarily an easy thing to do. But it pays off in huge ways for your leadership skills and for your ministry’s effectiveness. You can’t afford not to build that trust.

The alternative isn’t worth thinking about.

What do you do to build trust in your ministry? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post 4 Benefits Of Building Trust In Your Youth Ministry appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

I’m back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed
Back in the saddle again

Whoopi-ty-aye-oh
Rockin’ to and fro
Back in the saddle again
Whoopi-ty-aye-yay
I go my way
Back in the saddle again

It has been a very busy season for my family, especially for the last couple of weeks.

In case you missed it, we moved halfway across the country, from south-central Missouri to the Gulf Coast of Florida. We left Missouri on April 30, arrived in Florida on May 2, and have been unpacking boxes ever since.

One area of priority has been my office at our new church. This needed to be accomplished quickly, so that I could feel comfortable, and therefore more effective, in new surroundings. Here are a few before and after photos:

This last photo shows my Chemex and Hario V-60 coffee drippers. These were one of the more important pieces of the unpacking puzzle to put into place.  Priorities, right?

But now that my office is organized, I can be more relaxed and really find my stride in this new ministry. Having a cluttered office really throws me off. I find it distracting.

There are a few things that will be taking place in the next few days in this new office:

• I will be developing an overview of my plans and goals for this new ministry.
• I will be organizing and laying out lesson plans for the coming months.
• I will be finding a time to host a parent meeting, so I can meet the families of the kids I’ll be working with.
• I will be planning a few fun events for the summer.
• I will be able to slide back into a normal routine of reading and journaling.
• I will also be able to get back into a normal writing and blogging routine.

I’m back in the saddle again…

It’s good to be back.

Do you have a regular routine for the major components in your life? How does it affect you when your routine is disrupted? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post Back In The Saddle Again appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

Today, we celebrated our time of ministry together by eating at a great little Thai restaurant in Mountain Home, Arkansas.

These guys have been a great network of peers during my ministry here. In fact, they’ve been great friends. I’ve enjoyed our time together.

We’ve shared resources with each other. We’ve suggested books to read. We’ve encouraged each other through times of great joy, like when one of the guys lost over 100 pounds, and when another got married last year. And we’ve been there for one another through tough times, like when my dad and step-dad passed away last June.

With these guys, I’ve always known exactly where I stand, and if I needed something, I had but to ask. And many times, they would see my need and stretch to meet it before I could even speak out.

And they are all different, in tremendous ways. I can have great discussions centered around favorite authors, like Timothy Keller or C. S. Lewis, with a couple of these men. And with a couple of others, we could stay up till the wee hours of the morning playing Phase 10 and laughing our heads off.

We’ve planned summer camps, and winter retreats. Some of us floated the Jack’s Fork River for three days, in January. And once, four of us loaded up in my car and drove to Colorado for CIY’s Wilderness, camping out downwind of a cattle slaughter house on the way.

We’ve teased one another. We’ve encouraged one another. We’ve helped one another. We’ve prayed for one another. We’ve spurred one another on to keep serving. We’ve laughed. We’ve cried. We’ve sweated together. We’ve frozen together. We’ve created a lot of great memories, and I will be thankful always for the friendships we’ve developed.

But these men taught me a few important things. Things I probably already knew, but didn’t know that I knew. If you know what I mean…

These men taught me that it’s not all about me

Being in a position of leadership has taught me how to be a “take charge” kind of guy. And after over twenty years in ministry, it’s easy to expect to do things the way I want to do them. I don’t think I’ve every been arrogant or cocky in this, unless in a joking manner. But I’ve learned that just because it’s my idea doesn’t mean that it’s the only idea, or even the best idea.

These men have reminded me of the “why” behind youth ministry. And for that, I’m eternally grateful.

These men taught me that I shouldn’t take myself so seriously

Sometimes, I can do that. I can get lost in the details. These men taught me that it’s perfectly ok to play cards at three in the morning, even though we needed to be up by six. And we had fun doing it.

Often this reminded came in the form of a sarcastic comment from one or another of these guys. But occasionally, I would be told point blank that I needed to relax.

I think I listened… most of the time.

These men taught me that serving in youth ministry is a privilege that I take for granted

I’ve been doing this youth ministry thing for a while. And it’s easy to get in a rut doing things the same way over and over. You can easily take things for granted.

This network of my peers and co-laborers has helped me to see things from a fresh perspective. To look at things in a way that’s different than the way I have been seeing them.

This is perhaps the biggest contribution from these guys, at least in my thinking right now. As I wrap things up here in Missouri and prepare to start a new ministry in a new location, outside of the Bible Belt, I know that I will need to see things in a new light. I won’t be able to do the same routine like I’ve been doing, because the culture and mindset will be different.

These men have helped prepare me for that. And I can’t express just how much that means to me.

Though I will be moving away, these men will continue to serve in the trenches of youth ministry here. My prayers will be with them as they work, striving to build the Kingdom, one teen at a time.

Thanks, guys. You’ve impacted me more than you’ll ever know.

Do you have a peer network that spurs you on? If not, who can you speak with to get something like this going? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post Three Important Things I Learned From My Youth Ministry Network appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

I hear it all the time:

• “I don’t like organized religion.”
• “I don’t like the music/preaching/style/time/etc.”
• “I don’t have time for church.”
• “Sunday is my only day to sleep in.”
• “I don’t need any help.”
• “I don’t need the church.”
• “I can do this on my own.”

This really bothers me, for several reasons. But let me state it succinctly: You need the church. And the church needs you.

Let’s look at both of those reasons in more detail.

You need the church

• The church helps you grow. The church is a place where you connect with God and where you connect with other people for the purpose of discipleship. You can get some of this on your own, by reading the Bible, but it’s very limited. You need the church.
• The church is a place to worship. Can you worship on your own? Absolutely! But corporate worship is as critical as personal worship.
• The church is a place to serve. The church is a place where you can get involved. Serve others. Serve in a ministry. Serve in the community.
• The church is a place where you can connect with like-minded people. Maybe they won’t see eye-to-eye with you on everything. But they do serve the same God as you. Don’t be so arrogant to think you can’t learn from them. And realize that they may learn from you as well.
• The church is the Bride of Christ. To blatantly state that you don’t need the church borders on insult. If Christ loved his Bride so much so that he sacrificed his life for her, then we have no right to treat so lightly what he loved so intently.

The church needs you

• Ministry happens in the church. But without people involved in all areas, things won’t get done. People won’t be reached. The Kingdom of God won’t be impacted.
• Your presence is an encouragement to others. When people see you in church, they know that they aren’t walking this journey with Christ on their own.
• Your presence is a testimony to non-believers. Attending church says that you are committed to Christ, even if it means sacrificing your only day to sleep in. The priority you place on church is seen by those around you.
• The church needs your time and your money. While too many churches seem to always have their hand out, the need is very real. And your help is critical.
• The church is a body. Every body is made up of different parts. And every part is needed and has a role to fill. When one part of the body is absent, the whole body feels it. Take a few moments and read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.

The church is a necessary part of the believer’s life. And to forsake being a part of this body is to miss out on some significant aspects of your walk with Christ.

The writer of Hebrews said it best:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:24-25

One of my favorite authors is C. S. Lewis. He addressed the issue of church attendance in a way that makes it easy to understand.

My own experience is that when I first became a Christian, about fourteen years ago, I thought that I could do it on my own, by retiring to my rooms and reading theology, and I wouldn’t go to the churches and Gospel Halls; and then later I found that it was the only way of flying your flag; and, of course, I found that this meant being a target. It is extraordinary how inconvenient to your family it becomes for you to get up early and go to Church. It doesn’t matter so much if you get up early for anything else, but if you get up early to go to Church it’s very selfish of you and you upset the house. If there is anything in the teaching of the New Testament which is inthe nature of a comand, it is that you are obliged to take the Sacrament, and you can’t do it without going to Church. I disliked very much their hymns, which I considered to be fifth-rate poems set to sixth-rate music. But as I went on I saw the great merit of it. I came up against different people of quite diferent outlooks and different education, and then gradually my conceit just began peeling off. I realized that the hymns (which were just sixth-rate music) were, nevertheless, being sung with devotion and benefit by an old saint in elastic-side boots in the opposite pew, and then you realize that you aren’t fit to clean those boots. It gets you out of your solitary conceit.

— from “Answers to Questions on Christianity,” God in the Dock

That pretty much says it all, don’t you think?

See you in church on Sunday!

What are your reasons for attending church (or not attending church)? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post Why You Need The Church (And Why The Church Needs You!) appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

This was a weekend that a few other area youth ministers and I have been planning since back in September.

In my opinion, it was a huge success!

We took a bit of a different approach this year rather than how we had been doing it. We brought in a different type of speaker, not your normal local guy, and used a band we’d never worked with before for the worship. Again, it was hugely successful.

We asked John Luzadder to speak to our teens. John is a former youth minister who now works with CIY, overseeing Wilderness, a youth minister’s retreat that I attend every fall.

I was a bit unsure just how all our teens would relate to John. John deals more with youth leaders in his current position, and while he was in the youth ministry trenches in the past, I wasn’t sure how our students would take to him.

He knocked it out of the park!

Our theme for the weekend was “@God: More Than A Facebook Friend“. Over the course of the weekend, we examined each aspect of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, and then wrapped it up with a “What does this mean to me?” session.

On top of the excellent preaching John brought about God, here are a few of the things I took away from the weekend:

A confirmation of my call to youth ministry.
I turned 40 last November, and as a result, I’ve been wondering just what that means for my ministry. I’ve been struggling with whether or not I’m getting “too old” to do youth ministry. The problem is that I have no desire to do anything else.

This weekend reaffirmed to me that youth ministry is my calling, regardless of the fact that I may feel a bit old now and then. And though the age bothers me a little bit, I guess it’s something I’m just going to have to do my best to get over.

The future of youth ministry looks bright.
One of the biggest battles i believe that we face in youth ministry is the increasing level of apathy among teens. It is certainly a problem, and one that will become more and more of a challenge in American society. But the teens we spent the weekend with refreshed my faith in our ability to pass the torch on to the next generation.

Much of the youth culture is infused with apathy, and this weekend was no exception. But I felt that the teens at Rock Garden did not represent most of American youth. I saw teens who were not afraid to express their faith, regardless of whether or not their peers thought it might be cool or uncool.

That was refreshing.

Relationships were built and renewed.
Many of the faces at the retreat this weekend were familiar. Most of them I knew, and they knew each other. But there was a large portion of new people there as well. The weekend enabled me, and others, to refresh friendships with teens I only get to see a few times a year, and adults that I see just as infrequently.

I am truly blessed. I have several significant relationships among these people, both teens and adults, and it was great to spend the weekend with them, sharing life together.

It was somewhat bittersweet.
Right off the bat, my daughter asked me if I could bend the rules and allow her to attend the weekend a year early. I said no. While I am excited that she will be old enough to attend next winter, that thought also saddens me, because it sounds a warning bell of the coming end of this phase of life with my daughter.

The weekend served to reinforce in my mind the need to spend as much intentional time with my daughter, as well as with all of my children, as I possibly can. I want my children to always remember me as a very involved parent in their lives, no matter what their age.

Though sad, the changes coming down the road are very exciting as well. I look forward to seeing just what God does in the lives of each of my children. I’m sure it will blow my mind.

As I mentioned above, the Winter Retreat was an enormous success, in my opinion. Spending the weekend away refreshed and refocused my faith, just as we intended it to do for the teens who attended. God was present and active. Lives were changed.

And that’s exactly what we were praying for.

What helps you refresh and refocus your faith? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post The State Of The Youth Ministry And A Winter Retreat appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

This post is part of the Foundations Of Youth Ministry series.  Check out the rest of the series!

Defining a purpose and vision for youth ministry isn’t as difficult as it may seem.

In fact, the process is extremely easy; and it’s lamentable that so many ministries operate without one. Ministry is so much more effective when a clear purpose and vision is defined.

Before you begin the process, make sure you understand the difference between purpose, mission and vision.

Here are seven steps to help you define your ministry’s purpose and vision.

Pay attention to what God is doing
Nowhere in Scripture do we see any successful ministry that happens because man wants it to happen. Your purpose has been defined by God. Watch what he is doing and make sure that you follow his leading.

Pay attention to the direction your church is headed
Your purpose and vision should be aligned with the overall purpose and vision of your church. If your church is targeting lower income families, it will be really difficult to target more affluent students to your youth ministry. Youth ministry should never be a separate entity on a ministry smorgasbord offered by your church. In order to be effective, you need to be partnered with the overall purpose of your church.

Understand your gifts and personalities
Take a look at your team. Do they understand the difference between purpose, mission and vision? Do they see God’s leading in your ministry? If not, teach them. And take inventory of the gifts and talents present among your team members. In other words, know what tools are in your toolbox.

Have key leaders and volunteers write down their ideas
Share the burden of defining purpose and vision with your team. Have them jot down key thoughts and ideas. Brainstorm together. Pray over the process as a team and as individuals. Gather your ideas into one area.

Craft a concise vision statement
Use the ideas and thoughts generated to craft a short, memorable statement that defines your vision for ministry, while remaining true to your purpose. Keep in mind that this statement should be simple. You want your team, your students, and your parents to remember it. This statement should be meaningful. Don’t sacrifice clarity and meaning for cleverness. This statement should be action-oriented. Fill it with action verbs such as seek, grow, reach, discover. This will help you and your team take steps toward completion of your purpose.

Share your ideas with your church leadership
Before launching a huge campaign full of banners, posters, mailing, and lots of other expenses, take the time to sit down with your Senior Minister and elders. Cast your vision to them, and seek their input. Make sure that your effort falls in line with their vision for the church as a whole. With the leadership behind you, you’ve got a much better chance of being effective.

Back it up
Put yourself into this purpose and vision wholeheartedly. Memorize the statement you crafted. Apply it to as many areas of your own life and ministry as you can. And encourage your team to do so as well. When they see you living it, they will be much more likely to jump in as well.

Having an established purpose and vision for your ministry will multiply your effectiveness. You will be able to view every aspect of ministry through the lens of your new purpose and vision. If doing something will help you achieve your purpose and vision, then go for it. If a program or event won’t get you closer to fulfillment, then you know that you can scrap that idea and search for something better.

A defined purpose and vision will go a long way to helping your ministry be as successful as it can be.

Do you have defined purpose and vision statements? How do they help increase your effectiveness? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post 7 Steps To Defining A Purpose And Vision For Youth Ministry appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

CIY is a youth ministry organization that impacts youth like few others can. Their purpose is to “change youth, change the world.”

I’ve attended several CIY conferences over the years, for Junior High and High School students.

But they also offer a retreat designed specifically for youth ministry professionals and volunteers. It’s called Wilderness. And it’s incredible!

I will not miss attending Wilderness every year for a number of reasons. Here are four of them.

Wilderness rejuvenates my spiritual life

Summer drains me. With camps, mission trips, and service projects, summer is a busy time. And this year, we had three funerals of close family members thrown into the mix. It’s been crazy.

Wilderness is scheduled at a time when I’m settled back into the routine for the school year. But I’m drained. I’ve poured out so much, I need something to refill me.

Wilderness does just that.

Wilderness happens in the mountains near Colorado Springs, usually at InterVarsity‘s Bear Trap Ranch. Although this year, it’s been moved to Glen Eyrie, another InterVarsity location.

Every morning after breakfast, each person is handed a journal topic for the day. From that point until lunch, all you do is find a quiet, secluded spot to spend time alone. It’s just me, my journal, my Bible, and God. For four hours each day.

That kind of intensity refuels me like nothing else can.

Wilderness reconnects me with others

After lunch, the afternoon is free of scheduling. There are no sessions. No workshops. No programs.

CIY realizes that if they packed too much into this retreat, it wouldn’t refresh anyone. And so the afternoons are free.

If you want a nap, take one.

If you want to climb Pike’s Peak, do it.

If you want to hang out at Buffalo Wild Wings and watch a game or two, feel free.

In the past, I’ve climbed mountains, spent the afternoon hiking, visited the Air Force Academy chapel, explored Garden of the Gods, toured a working silver mine, and visited a ghost town museum. I’ve done all of these things with other men who are in similar life situations as me. We talk. We laugh. We relax. We build friendships.

We don’t network… much. This isn’t a time to talk about what we do. It’s a time to discuss who we are, and who’s we are.

This year, I’m traveling to Colorado with three other youth minister’s from my area. We are camping out together overnight on the way out. It’s a great opportunity to allow God to do things in my life that my normal routine seems to hectic for.

Wilderness refocuses my passion

Every evening, after dinner, we have a time of worship and are challenged by the Word. And then comes my favorite part of the day: Mentoring Groups.

While at Wilderness, each person is placed into a group of very similar men. Men who are close in age, family status, and ministry experience are grouped together as much as possible.

Each evening, during group time, we talk about the topic we were given for the day. One day is focused on ministry issues, another on spiritual health issues, and yet another is centered on marriage and family health.

None of these discussions are about who is doing what in their ministry. They are completely focused on becoming more and more the man and minister that God desires each of us to be. Wilderness is focused on being, not doing.

These groups generate some incredible discussion. I remember my very first experience with this. I assumed we would be in our group for 45 minutes, maybe an hour. When I looked at my watch, I was shocked to find that over three hours had passed! And I hadn’t even noticed!

Wilderness restores my joy

There is a lot over the course of a year in youth ministry that wears me down and stresses me out. Wilderness restores my joy. It restores my joy in my family, in my ministry, and in my personal spiritual life.

Not too long before I attended Wilderness for the second time, my wife asked me how much longer until the retreat started. She had noticed the change in my life after my first year, and saw how a year of ministry had worn me down. She recognized my need to be refueled.

Wilderness is such a crucial part of my year, we have determined that, even if our church didn’t cover the expense, it would come out of our own budget. It’s too critical to miss.

I won’t miss a single year of Wilderness. At least not right now. It has quickly become a foundational part of my spiritual health, and I look forward to it with increasing excitement every year.

If you are in youth ministry, you should consider joining us. It will be well worth it!

What kinds of things like this help your spiritual health the most? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post Four Reasons Why I Won’t Miss CIY Wilderness appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.

It’s been a really great trip. There are 24 people from our church on this trip, mostly teens. And they’ve been stellar on this mission trip.

I’ve watched teens step up do things they’re not comfortable doing.

Each morning, we work around the mission campus, painting, cleaning, fixing fence, clearing brush. Later in the afternoon, we head out to Canyon Day for a tent revival, where we are responsible for the children’s activities. We are doing it VBS style.

Each night, we’ve seen 40-50 Apache kids of all ages come and join us. And our teens have reached out and developed some great relationships.

They’ve also stretched themselves in directions they’ve never imagined. I’ve watched some of our teens teach lessons, lead worship, assist kids with crafts and playing games with them. I’ve seen teens fall in love with Apache kids, knowing that they may never see them again, at least this side of heaven.

I watched one of our teens show Christ’s love in an amazing way. Mason is the kind of kid that makes you wonder sometimes. He’s always at The Journey, our Wednesday night service. He always goes on every trip we take. But he’s also pretty wild.

He bought a couple of new, cool, t-shirts the other day. He’s pretty proud of them. He wears them all the time. But they display skulls and blood. Not exactly the best thing for a mission trip.

Yesterday it rained in Canyon Day. As a result, it got pretty muddy.

As we were playing some games, a young Apache boy, maybe six years old, fell face first into the mud. Mason was the first one to him. He picked him up and used one of his new t-shirts to clean this boys face, hands and arms. The little boy cut his hand in the fall. Mason helped patch that up and brought the boy to his mom.

I am willing to bet that Apache kid will remember that for the rest of his life. I know I will.

I think all of us on this trip have been reminded of one crucial fact: It’s not about me.

It’s not about me. When is the last time we thought that thought? Probably not very frequently, if at all. As Americans, we seem to think that everything is about me.

News flash. It’s not.

There is something bigger, something greater, than me and my piddly desires.

Last night, Mason figured that out. On a mission trip to an Apache reservation a thousand miles from home, Mason found that greater something.

Oh, he new it already. But last night, it became real.

What will it take for you and I to realize the same thing?

Do you struggle with the concept of “It’s not about me”? How do you combat the sneaky deceit that you are all important? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post How God Gets Your Attention: Things We Can Learn On A Summer Mission Trip appeared first on JeffRandleman.com.