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Partnering with Other Ministries

You know what’s awesome? When our student ministries don’t operate in isolation but are part of the bigger picture – the whole church! Let’s talk about how we can get our youth involved in other ministries within our church and create an environment of collaboration and support.

Youth ministry is all about growth, and that means welcoming new members from the children’s ministry. Let’s make their transition smooth and exciting. How about having our youth leaders help out during Vacation Bible School? It’s a great way for them to connect with the younger kids and become mentors. If you missed out on this summer, ask your children’s director how you can plan to have students involved next year!

We can also encourage our youth to be teacher assistants in Sunday School classes. That way, they build connections with the kids they’ll soon be leading. How great would it be to have a rotation of students helping out in kid’s Sunday School so your elementary director isn’t scrambling for volunteers each week?

Our youth might be the future leaders of the church, but they’re not alone on this journey. Let’s bring different generations together. Joint activities with adult small groups can be a blast! Discussions, games, and service projects can help everyone understand each other better and build lasting relationships. How about starting a mentorship program? Our older adults have so much wisdom to share, and our youth can benefit from their life experiences.

We’re a family, right? So let’s support and bless other church ministries. Partnering with service-oriented ministries like the lawn mowing crew or homeless outreach can teach our youth compassion and make a real impact in our community. Let’s be there for other ministries during their events and fundraisers. Our youth can lend a helping hand, set up stuff, or provide technical support – they’ve got talents to share! What if you didn’t have to worry about filling the youth calendar with as many events because you were partnering with events that OTHER ministries already have?

Hey, here’s the deal – we want to be the cool kids in the church, not the ones causing trouble! Here’s how we can build partnerships without giving others a headache. Communication is key. Talk to other ministry leaders, express your desire to collaborate, and find out how we can support each other. Flexibility rocks. When we join forces with other ministries, let’s be open to adjusting our schedule or activities. Teamwork makes the dream work!

So, fellow youth pastors, let’s remember that our youth ministry is part of something bigger – our church family! By collaborating with other ministries, we can create a strong and united community. Let’s welcome new members, connect with adult ministries, bless others, and avoid causing headaches. Together, we’ll raise up a generation of youth who love serving and supporting the body of Christ. Keep that youth ministry thriving!

GUEST POST: Partnering with Parents

By Josh Griffin|2016-11-08T11:59:32-08:00November 8th, 2016|Parents|0 Comments

Derry is the Student Ministries Pastor at Nappanee Missionary Church and a DYM author. We released 9 of his resources on the site that are specifically geared toward partnering with parents. You can buy all 9 (valued at $50) for a ridiculously cheap $25 in our Parents Superpack.

Partnering with parents… we use this phrase a lot

In our ministry we have historically talked a lot about the importance of partnering with parents. You probably do too, but what do we mean when we say it?

Partnership can take up a lot of forms. For example, consider this fictional man:
Bob Lahblaw is a married lawyer who works in at a major firm and gets together with a college friend 3 times at the gym to work out.

In that short sentence I’ve hit 3 different “partnerships” that are vastly different.
1. As a married man, Bob’s spouse is a partner.
2. In the law firm, he has business partners.
3. In the gym, he has a workout partner.

Can you imagine if Bob started approaching his workout partner in the same way he approached his business partner? Or what if he took the same attitude toward his spouse that he did his workout partner? It wouldn’t be long before Bob would be bankrupt and divorced, right?

Here’s the point. We can say we want to partner with parents, but what does that look like?

In our ministry, we’ve taken some time to do a little DTP (Define The Partnership) so parents are clear in what we are there for AND we can stay on mission. Here are a three core biblical values we are holding to our partnership:

1. Our partnership will be rooted in the GOD THINGS over the GOOD THINGS. In the same way Paul talks to the church in Philippi about their “partnership in the gospel,” the parents of your ministry need a partner who is laser-focused on the spiritual development of their kids. Be that partner! There are a lot of people partnering with parents to develop students academically, athletically, etc. Although some of these teachers and coaches may be Christians, there are limitations on what they can do as well as other motives to the investment. We care about one thing… students encountering an authentic relationship with God. Keep that in mind and make it known!

2. Our partnership puts us in a support role. Deuteronomy 6:4-8 makes a clear statement that parents are to be the primary spiritual authority and investors in their kids’ lives. We are there to support them in their efforts. As we keep this in mind, we may find ourselves stepping back a little when there is a clash of philosophies with parents. As we communicate it with parents, they are reminded that you are not the spiritual dry cleaner left in charge to “straighten their kids out.”

3. The Partnership Model: We are Aaron and Hur to their Moses. Exodus 17 tells this bazaar story of the Israelites fighting the Amalekites. In the battle, the Israelites were winning as long as Moses’ arms stayed in the air with his staff in hand. In order to keep his arms in the air when he got weary, Aaron and Hur came on each side of him and held his arms up. You and I are to be the Aaron and Hur to the parents of our team. When they are growing weary, we can come alongside them through prayer, affirmation and encouragement. Outside of promotion, this is where use social media, texting and email the most.

We also want to equip and empower parents as we partner with them, but the above three are the ones we have sought to focus on and clarify to parents.

Is it time for you to have a “Define the Partnership” in your ministry?