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4 Jan 2023

5 Youth Ministry New Years Resolutions

By Ronald|2023-01-04T10:02:07-08:00January 4th, 2023|Leadership, Youth Pastor Life|5 Comments

As we come to the end of the year, it’s time to start thinking about our resolutions for the coming year. As a youth pastor, I thought I’d share some resolutions that I think all of us in youth ministry should work toward.

1. Cut down on the pizza and soda at youth events: We all know that pizza and soda are staples of the youth ministry diet, but it’s time to start making healthier choices. Let’s try to offer healthier snacks and drinks to our youth, and maybe even incorporate some physical activity into our events!

2. Take more risks: When we’re trying to reach young people, it’s easy to fall into a rut and stick with the same old activities. Let’s challenge ourselves to try something new and take some risks. It might be scary, but it’s often the only way to reach the teenagers who really need us.

3. Get out of the building: We all know the importance of building relationships with our youth, but sometimes it’s easy to get stuck in the youth room. Let’s try to get out of the building more often and meet our teenagers in their environment. Whether it’s going to a sporting event or just hanging out at a local park, let’s make an effort to meet our students where they are.

4. Listen more: It’s easy to get caught up in our own ideas, but if we want to really make a difference in the lives of our youth, we need to be willing to listen. Let’s strive to listen more and really get to know our youth on a deeper level.

5. Have more fun: Youth ministry can often be a serious business, but let’s not forget to have some fun. Whether it’s playing a game or just goofing off, let’s make sure that our youth know that we care about them and that we want to have fun with them too.

These are just a few of the resolutions that I think we should all be striving for. With a little effort and dedication, I’m sure we can make this an even better year than the last. What would you add? Happy New Year everyone!

Ronald

26 Sep 2022

3 Things I Would Tell Myself as a Newer Youth Worker

By Ronald|2022-09-26T08:45:23-07:00September 26th, 2022|Leadership, Uncategorized|4 Comments

I just started my 15th year of student ministry. For the last 13, I have been ministering to kids who had parents older than I was. I’m just now starting to minister to students whose parents are the same age as I am. My own daughter has been in the youth group for two years.

I started really young at 22. And in the last 15 years, there are definitely some things I would have done differently if given the chance!

Here are three things I would tell myself as a newer youth worker.

1. Seek out a spiritual mentor.

I went from a Bible college where I got a degree in youth ministry, straight into seminary. I had read a lot of books and was around a lot of smart people. And because of that, I thought that I had my spiritual walk taken care of.

I wish I had sought out an older mentor in the early stage of my ministry. I might’ve been reading a lot of books, but I would have greatly benefited from having someone who had lived a lot of life and faithfully followed Jesus during it.

I have two or three people now who are further down the road than I am and are speaking into my life. I am a better person and pastor because of it. If I had started this process sooner, I know I would’ve greatly benefited.

Try to find someone older than you to be a mentor. And not just 10 years older. Maybe 20 or 30 years older. Someone who is a few life stages ahead of you and can speak to the issues you’re dealing with. Don’t try to make it forever or even a weekly thing. Ask if they’d be willing to meet once a month for three months and then see where it goes from there!

2. Don’t do ministry alone.

The first place I served as a student pastor was in a small church in a small county in Tennessee. In the entire county, there was only one other full-time Youth Pastor. We got along well, but they moved away after too short a time.

It was tough to meet with other youth pastors in the area. Many of them were either bi-vocational or volunteers and were super busy. I was the one with all the time to try to meet people. And I used that as an excuse. I wish I would have found another pastor in the area to meet with regularly and talk church and life with.

Even if it means you must put some miles on your car, don’t do ministry alone! Find other pastors who get it. Talk to other people from other churches to understand the quirks and oddities of pastoring.

The people in your church are fantastic. Definitely have a team of volunteers and leaders who can serve alongside you.

But also seek out other pastors in your area, even if they are in roles different than yours. Encourage one another. Lift one another up. Do some events together! Whatever it takes, don’t do ministry alone.

3. You’re replaceable at church

You hate to think that it’s true, but after I spent six years at my church in Tennessee, my replacement was ready to go the next week. Granted, he was an intern who had served with me for the last three years, but still.

If you suddenly cannot do the job, your church will find someone to do it. It might be weird for a season. It might even be sad for some. But you can be replaced at church.

There are some places where you can’t be replaced. Within your family, it’s a whole lot harder to hire a replacement.

Your church is going to ask a lot of you. It’s going to say that you’re doing higher work for a greater purpose. Don’t lose sight of the fact that being present with your spouse or your kids is also admirable. Say no to things if you have to.

In fact, say no to things because you have to.

Your church can find another Youth Pastor.

Your family can’t find another you.

Those are just three. To be completely honest, there are a TON more I can think of. What’s something you would tell your younger self just starting out in ministry? Have you learned some hard lessons along the way? I’d love to hear about them in the commons!

I still have a lot to learn in this next season. I will never learn it all! Grateful to be on the journey with you.

Ronald

Hey! Need some encouragement as you’re starting out in your first few years of ministry? Check out the DYM First Few Years Conference below OR grab some of these LIFE saving resources to help you along your youth ministry journey!

29 Aug 2022

Setting Up Small Groups to Win!

By Ronald|2022-09-02T07:00:54-07:00August 29th, 2022|Small Groups, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry Hacks, Youth Ministry Ideas|26 Comments

It’s the kick-off season for ministry! You’ve spent the summer assembling your team, ensuring each group has the right leader, and now it’s time to get these leaders with their new students. Here are some quick tips for making sure your leaders have what they need to be the best small group leaders they can be!

Get Leaders Curriculum Quickly!

If the main thing you want leaders to do is telling their students the truths about Jesus, then make sure they have the curriculum in their hands as soon as possible!

Remember that you have recruited teachers and engineers and stay-at-home moms, and other busy adults. Make sure you aren’t getting them things at the last minute so that they can be totally prepared when they walk into a small group!

Communication is Key!

Have a rhythm of communicating with your small group leaders. Whether that means you email them once a week or have an ongoing text message thread, make sure your leaders know you are thinking about them and are available!

Practical Tips help leaders win!

It may be old hat to you, but All of the tips and tricks that you have learned over the years as a youth pastor are golden nuggets to share with your small group leaders!

Make a list of five or seven and send them out one at a time in your regular communication. Think of small bite-size tips like “Make a note on your phone about each student, where they go to school, and their favorite candy.”

Putting practical tips in your volunteers’ hands can help them win!

Small Group Your Small Group Leaders!

We want our small group leaders to be in the lives of their students. We want them to take them out for coffee and to go to their sporting events, and text them throughout the week to let them know they are praying for them.

What if you did that for your small group leaders? What if you invited them out to coffee regularly and sent them a text every so often just to let them know that you are grateful they were on the team and that you are praying for them specifically?

If you treat your volunteers like your own personal small group, they will see what it’s like to lead. Your example will show them how they can in turn minister to their own students. And the biggest win of all is your small group leaders feel loved and ministered to!

What else?

If you were going to add one more tip to this list, what would it be? How would you help your small group leaders win? We’re always looking for great ideas!

18 Jul 2022

Recruiting Youth Ministry Volunteers

By Ronald|2022-07-18T13:26:16-07:00July 18th, 2022|Volunteers, Youth Ministry Hacks, Youth Ministry Ideas|3 Comments

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “I can’t get any volunteers. I put it in the bulletin. I put it in the newsletter. We’ve asked from the pulpit. No one cares about working with our youth.”

The truth is that many people just don’t feel equipped to work with youth. I’ve always found this perplexing since I’ve always loved working with teenagers, but the average churchgoer feels either intimidated or not cool enough or young enough to work with middle or high school students.

The good news is I feel that some simple but effective tactics can yield really amazing volunteers for your ministry. Here are some simple but proven effective tips for volunteer recruitment:

Ask your current volunteers to recruit.

I’ve even gone so far as to ask everyone at a volunteer meeting to come back the next month with at least one person they are willing to personally recruit for youth ministry. A personal ask is always better than a broad plea, and people love to serve with their friends. Plus, your current volunteers will love to have some influence on who they’ll be working with!

Ask your senior pastor or minister to adults for names.

It is my humble opinion that the pastors who are ministering to adults should be the best people to identify adults in your congregation who may be willing to serve in your ministry. This can also help to coordinate with other ministries and make sure that you’re not asking the same 10% of adults to do 100% of the volunteer work in your church.

Ask parents.

Not everyone agrees that parents should be volunteers, but honestly, research tells us that students who see their parents practice their faith are more likely to become faithful adults. My guess is your ministry has loads of jobs you could use help with, from administrative to logistics to more student-facing roles. The parents of your ministry have incredible gifts and you should be using them.

Ask early.

In my experience, people are more likely to say yes in the winter and spring for the following school year. The summer is almost impossible to communicate with folks, and fall is too late! This also allows you to snag commitments before another ministry poaches all your prospects. Mostly, it gives the potential volunteer time to pray and discern whether youth ministry is the right fit!

Offer training!

The National Day of Volunteer Training is Sept 24, 2022 and is a super affordable way to train all your volunteers in one day. Your church can host or sign up to attend at another church. Your local denomination probably offers something annually or can offer you a list of local experts who will come to your church to offer training. Sometimes local seminaries will offer a training series. Create your own training program with some of your veteran volunteers. Your volunteers will feel empowered and will be more excited to serve with you when they feel confident and prepared.

Ansley has served in youth ministry for two decades and holds a certificate of Youth and Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. She loves the relational aspect of youth ministry as well as helping equip adults and students to lead. Ansley lives on her family’s beef cattle farm in Virginia with her husband and two young sons (and, sadly, no llamas).

See more from this DYM author here.

11 Jul 2020

What to do when your head is spinning…

By Ronald|2020-07-13T10:27:43-07:00July 11th, 2020|Leadership|0 Comments

With everything going on around us ⁠— from a global pandemic and the way my friends have responded to it, to racial tensions and the way my friends have responded to them ⁠— I have found myself swirling a bit. When I say a bit, I mean my work was suffering because I found that my time and attention were torn between my calling to be a pastor and my desire to win arguments online. Shortly after the tragic death of George Floyd I found myself getting in more discussions on social media than I ever had in the past. I hate arguing on social media⁠ — it’s dumb. No one changes anyone’s mind there. But alas, here I was spending too much time trying to fix the world’s problems. Then there is the virus. Like a bad Shakespeare play, “To mask, or not to mask?” I found myself just being too involved in everyone’s responses. Have you felt like this recently? Maybe it’s just me, but I bet a few of you have felt this way.

I had a moment with God several weeks ago that really helped me re-center. I found myself spinning with all the things going on, so I spent a day in prayer and reading scripture. This is what the Lord impressed on my heart. “Operate inside your calling.” It’s simple, but not easy.

“Operate inside your calling.” It’s simple, but not easy.

I’m called to preach the gospel. I’m called to reach the youth of this world for Jesus. I’m called to break chains of sin in the lives of the people I minister to. I’m not called to convince someone they should wear a mask inside the church building. So, about a month ago, I decided to operate inside my calling. I’m going to use the platform that the Lord gave me to preach as HARD as I can to show people what it really looks like to follow Jesus. Full of grace and truth. Full of the Spirit, I am going to bring the Gospel to the world.

That’s my calling. You have a calling as well. That thing the Lord spoke to your soul on that night or morning or whenever. But you know it. You at least know what you need to know at this point in your life. Whatever it is that God asked you to do, do that. Focus on that. Continue to be a good citizen. Continue to fight for justice. But unless those things are what God has specifically called you to do, you’re going to go grey early (or maybe you’ll go bald early like me) if you spend all the time in your day trying to win arguments on Facebook. Maybe you are called to preach. Maybe you are called to serve. Maybe you are called to be a warrior. Maybe you are called to bring change to systemic issues. Maybe you are called to display God’s love and faithfulness to the five high school students in your small group. If you don’t know your call yet, I’d encourage you to get away for a day.

Take one day, turn your phone off, and go to that place that makes you feel close to the Lord. I call them “near spaces.” Just listen. Ask God specific questions that you’d like Him to answer. Journal. Read Scripture. Nap. Dream. Believe that He wants to show you what you are supposed to do.

I was reading in 1 Samuel 13. The Israelite army was surrounded by thousands of Philistine chariots and as many soldiers as the sand on the shore. The Israelite army started to run away, and Saul was getting nervous. He was waiting for Samuel to come and perform the burnt offering, but Samuel didn’t show up when Saul was expecting. So, Saul decided to operate outside of his calling and do the burnt offering himself. Because of this disobedience, Saul lost his throne. Had Saul operated inside his calling, he would have been acting as a king should have been acting. He would have been leading his army. He would have been forming the ranks. He would have been preparing for battle. He would have been doing what Israel needed him to be doing. Instead, he was busy NOT trusting Samuel to operate inside of his own calling. And ultimately, he wasn’t trusting that God called the right people to the right tasks.

So friends, let us not act as Saul acted. When we are pressed by the world, when we are surrounded by the enemy and evil, let us remember what God has asked us to do. Let us operate inside our calling. God has called each of us in different ways to reach and impact the world for His glory.

So, here is what I am going to do: I’m going to continue to bring the gospel to those who need it. I’m going to continue to serve my church and love my students. I’m going to show my circle of influence what it looks like to love Jesus. And I’m going to trust my fellow servants of the Lord that they will operate inside their callings. Ultimately, I’m going to trust that the Lord has all of this in His hands. He is on the throne and He WILL NOT BE SHAKEN. I can rest knowing that He has never lost and will never lose. Blessings.

David Wood

Before I lived in Modesto, my wife, my three daughters, and I lived in Belize as missionaries. Before that, we lived in Southern California where I had an awesome opportunity to travel the U.S. performing at colleges and churches sharing the gospel through my illusions for about 3 years. I’ve experienced a whole lot in my life, and I love to share God’s story through my life as often as I can.

Check out davidwoodmagic.com if you would like more info on what it looks like to have David come to your church.