Tag Archives: Youth Ministry

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Leadership Lessons From Vacation Bible School

Sometimes, you can learn some great lessons in the most unlikely of places. Like this week’s Vacation Bible School at our church.

Sports Camp VBS

This week is our annual VBS. But we are taking a twist on the normal routine and going a bit different than we ever have.

Typically, we do a program that is from one of the major Christian publishers, like Group or Zondervan or Standard. But this year, we took a deep look at it, and decided that our Vacation Bible School program is more of an outreach than anything else. Although we strive to disciple the kids who are a part of our church through events like this, we wanted to reach out to those who may not be a part of a church regularly.

So we decided to do a week that was different than anything we have ever attempted. We decided to do a sports camp style VBS. As we planned it, we knew that this could be a big thing for our church and community. And it could be great, or it could flop.

We started our week on Monday, and we got off to a great beginning. And I am excited to see what the rest of the week holds.

But as we are moving along, I have noticed a couple of things.

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Book Review – After You Drop Them Off by Jeramy Clark

After You Drop Them OffOne of the biggest parts of any youth ministry is connecting and working with parents. Parents are the lifeblood of any youth ministry, simply because the goal of youth ministry is to reach youth for Christ. What better way to do that than building relationships with parents?

However, parents often don’t see youth ministry the same way. Some see it as free babysitting; others see it as a way to separate the youth from the rest of the church, and yet still more view youth ministry as simply a Christian social time. Almost all of these misconceptions are because parents don’t understand what youth ministry is about, why it exists, and what happens in a youth ministry.

In order to address this lack of understanding, Jeramy Clark wrote After You Drop Them Off. This simple guide is designed to help parents understand the purpose and the necessity of a youth ministry, as well as what goes on there, and how they can get involved.

As a youth minister of more than twenty years, I found a mix of great information and not so great information in After You Drop Them Off.

Let’s start with the not so great first. Clark has several years of experience in youth ministry, and has done a great job of sharing what he’s learned. However, his experiences, his students, and his churches are not the same as every other youth minister out there. So, much of what he writes is simply generic, across the board, information. A lot of his suggestions simply wouldn’t work in the churches I’ve worked with.

That’s not necessarily bad; it’s just not great. Clark has written from his experiences, and has tried to make it applicable to churches and parents all over the country. But that doesn’t always work too well, and it doesn’t work well here either.

On the other hand, there are several great aspects to After You Drop Them Off. I found the chapters on praying for a youth ministry, dealing with disappointment, and constructive criticism especially helpful. I’ve dealt with parents who were disappointed or critical of the youth ministry, for whatever reasons, and it’s never easy handling such situations. Many of the parents I’ve worked with would have benefited greatly from these three chapters.

All in all, Clark has done a pretty good job of presenting youth ministry to parents who may not have any idea of what it is, how it operates, and why. While much of this book doesn’t translate well into every other ministry out there, there are still several portions that are excellent information for parents to know.

As a youth minister, I’m glad I read After You Drop Them Off. It allowed me to see things from a different perspective, helping me to reassess my ministry, making sure that I’m connecting with parents of students as best as I can.

If you have students in a youth ministry, especially if they are middle school or high school age, you would benefit from much of After You Drop Them Off. Grab a copy, read it, and then find a way you can support or be involved in the youth ministry your kids attend. It will help you, your kids, and your church’s youth ministry.

Do you volunteer or otherwise support your church’s youth ministry? If so, how are you involved? If not, are you willing to consider ways you can help out? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading After You Drop Them Off, by Jeramy Clark, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Multnomah Books as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Toothpaste, TSA and Youth Ministry

Last week I spent a few days in Colorado at a youth ministry retreat called Wilderness, put on by Christ In Youth.

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.

Airport Security

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.

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7 Advantages Of Starting A New Youth Ministry

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.

New Sprout

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.

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4 Benefits Of Building Trust In Your Youth Ministry

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.

Key and Lock

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

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Book Review – Kingdom’s Dawn by Chuck Black

Kingdom's Dawn by Chuck BlackA few weeks ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to attend the Florida Homeschool Convention. It was a great convention, with lots of incredible workshops and great resources. While we were there, we took a walk through the vendor’s area (actually, we took several walks through there…). My son was drawn to one particular table, holding a display of books… and swords.

My kids looked at the swords, I looked at the books, but we didn’t buy either. we had just moved to Florida, and extra funds were simply non-existent at the moment. As we browsed, though, I struck up a conversation with the guy behind the table, Chuck Black, author of Kingdom’s Dawn, and several other books.

A year ago, I read and reviewed Sir Rowan And The Camerian Conquest, the fifth book in Black’s Knights Of Arrethtrae series. That series is the follow-up series to The Kingdom series, of which Kingdom’s Dawn is the first. Chuck handed me Kingdom’s Dawn, asking if I would do the same again.

As Chuck and I talked, explained to me that The Kingdom series, and Kingdom’s Dawn, is written as an allegorical series of novels, attempting to capture the incredible story of the Bible. Kingdom’s Dawn covers the book of Genesis, describing Leinad’s adventures through life, including hearing about Creation, experiencing Noah’s Flood, and living through the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

Black has done an excellent job of capturing the essence of these stories, and inserting them into a storyline that captivates the minds of young boys. This is a series of books that I will be completely comfortable allowing my son to read, as he strives to understand the Bible, his faith, and his role in this world.

Chuck Black has developed and incredible resource with these books. The rest of the series will soon join them on my shelf. If you have younger children, especially boys, you should pick one up. It will be worth the cost, and whether your kids read it on their own, or you read it to them, it will be time well spent.

I really enjoyed this book. It brought me back to my childhood, when knights and swords were commonplace in my dreams. And this weekend, I plan to begin reading it chapter by chapter to my boys. And in the process, teach them a little bit more of what it means to be a man, with such qualities as chivalry, compassion and faith.

And it will be fun as we do it.

What resources have you enjoyed reading to your kids? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading Kingdom’s Dawn, the first book in The Kingdom Series, by Chuck Black, you can purchase it at Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Chuck Black, the author, to read and review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“

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Three Important Things I Learned From My Youth Ministry Network

Today was my final opportunity to meet with the other youth ministers from the south-central area of Missouri where I’ve been serving for the past few years. It was definitely a sad moment for me.

Missouri/Arkansas Youth Ministry Network

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.