Tag: quick tips

Quick Tip: Prepping for Fall Kickoff

Posted on by Leave a comment

Depending where you’re at in the country, it probably doesn’t feel like fall right now. Here in the northeast it’s been fairly warm and we haven’t seen a lot of rain. We have been utilizing our summer programmatic schedule and just finished our trips at the end of July.

Coming up, we still have a lot of activities and gatherings planned for August, but fall programming is just around the corner. Fall sports have started practicing, kids are preparing for classes, families’ rhythms are being reestablished, teachers are preparing classrooms, and it feels like summer is quickly fading away.

As fall approaches that means we are engaged in planning and preparation for the school year, and for us we start our Wednesday night programming with a celebratory fall kickoff. We host an invitational and relational gathering that is filled with high energy, connecting opportunities, and lots of food. It’s a total blast and helps us set the year off with a bang!

Your fall programming and your kickoff may look vastly different from ours, however there are some key elements every fall kickoff should have. So what are some ways to ensure that your kickoff is a success?

1. Ensure it aligns with your vision and mission.

Whatever your event looks like, you need to make sure it highlights and champions your ministry’s values. This comes through in what the event is, how it is structured, the scope and sequence of the event, how it’s communicated, and what the message is for it. This ensures that everything aligns and is communicated in all that you do.

2. Create the environment that fits your programmatic structure.

There were many times earlier in my ministry career where I attempted to pack as much as I could into whatever event we were hosting. When you try to squeeze three hours of fun into a two hour event, something falls flat and people will miss out on things. Instead, I’ve learned that for our structure, less is more.

This means more time spent hanging out and building community instead of super structured games or activities, followed by an equal distribution of time for a message and small groups. Whatever environment you are going for, make sure that you align it with your program overall to ensure that your mission and vision are communicated through everything you do.

3. Connect students with their leaders and peers.

Fall kickoff is a wonderful opportunity to connect and reconnect students with their small group leaders and other students. Students crave community and authentic relationships. If you intentionally create an environment that embraces those aspects you will see your ministry start off on very strong footing heading into the school year.

4. Cast direction for the school year.

An integral part of your fall kickoff should include casting direction and vision for the school year. You should seek to incorporate your vision for the ministry and allow for that to drive the direction for the school year. In our ministry we will always talk about our vision for the ministry but we will use that as the catalyst for our direction for the school year.

Part of our vision statement has to do with “being sent to build the kingdom of God,” so the past couple of years we have challenged students to invite and reach their peers. When you can incorporate your ministry’s vision with the direction for the school year, you will be creating consistency throughout the ministry.

5. Have fun.

While this may seem like a no-brainer in student ministry, we need to be intentional in this. We aren’t supplementing the Gospel or discipleship in doing this, but instead creating an environment that is intentional in how we welcome, engage with, and care for students.

Typically fall kickoffs happen during our midweek programming which tend to be more invitational and evangelistic and so having an environment that is fun will encourage more students to participate and invite their peers. This is also an encouragement and reminder to us as ministry leaders and for our volunteers. Students see how we engage and respond and they will reflect that. So having fun, engaging, and displaying Jesus as we have fun is key.

    Quick Tip: Preparing Yourself for a Trip

    Posted on by Leave a comment

    Let’s just pause for a moment and consider how all-encompassing student ministry trips are. If you’re the primary leader you’re in charge of everything. Organizing transportation, collecting and distributing medications, handling first aid, making sure students are following the rules, pouring into leaders, making sure curfew is followed, engaging in discipleship and relational community, tackling tough questions and circumstances, handling administrative tasks, and so much more! These trips can truly take a lot of planning and organization, but they also can take a lot out of you physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.

    Trips require our holistic presence and as a result, they can deplete us rapidly. While I don’t yet have a miracle booster to rebound from trips, I can tell you that proper personal planning leading into the trip can do you a world of good that will help you lead and live well, and prayerfully bounce back soon.

    1. Rest well before you leave.

    This is so important because leading up to a trip it can be all go, go, go. But that can lead to a lack of sleep, more stress, and more anxiousness. If you take the time to rest and sleep well, it will help you lead well on the trip and be able to give everything you need to while you’re serving your students and teams.

    2. Be preventative when it comes to illness.

    Trips are notorious for sickness. Every youth pastor has a story about their students getting rocked by illness on a trip (ask me about the time norovirus hit our winter retreat), but there are steps we can take to stay healthy. Rest and sleep, hydrate, eat good meals, take preventative medicines like Airborne or EmergenC, and drink things like herbal teas and kombucha to help your body gain natural boosts. Also make sure to wash your hands regularly, especially before eating anything.

    3. Have a plan and stick to it.

    When it comes to preparing for a trip, it’s important to plan things out so you can reduce any anxiousness in the prep period and ensure that you’re not forgetting anything. Plan when you’ll communicate to your team, plan how and when you’ll communicate with families, plan what to pack, and plan down time for yourself.

    While some of this may seem a little excessive, when you create structure and stick to it you are allowing yourself space to breathe and acknowledge you have completed all you need to. This helps to relieve stress and anxiety.

    4. Pack your essentials and everything you need to lead well.

    There are two types of packing we do as leaders of the trip: packing for the team and packing for ourselves. When it comes to packing for yourself, pack all the things you will need. Think about things like personal snacks, power strips, phone chargers, a camera, medications, ear plugs, clothing, and whatever else you may need.

    When it comes to your team, think about not only what your team will need on the trip, but also ways to encourage them and lead well. Things like prayer journals, candy, fidgets, extra Bibles, coffee and tea for leaders, snacks for leaders, Bible studies, sharing the Gospel tips, and whatever else will help you lead, shepherd, and care well for your team.

    5. Stay organized and communicative.

    This ties into point 3 well, but the more organized and communicative you are, the better the trip will function overall. This isn’t a foolproof way to ensure a perfect trip but it is a way to ensure everyone is up to date and informed. That helps to make sure that plans are followed and understood which helps the trip to function well and for everyone to know what is happening.

    Quick Tip: Trip Communication for Parents

    Posted on by Leave a comment

    We just wrapped up our first out of two summer trips for our student ministry. It was a great time with our students but it also contained multiple calls and communications with families due to the intense heat we were experiencing during camp and the subsequent heat-related illnesses.

    That got me thinking about how we communicate with parents before and during trips in order to provide the most effective and clear communication when needed. Here are five tips to help you do this well and keep parents up to date on what is happening.

    1. Before the trip, provide information about how to get in contact with you and/or your team. One of the best things you can do is host a parent meeting, send emails, and have a print out of contact info for parents on departure day. These intentional steps will help parents know how to contact you and your team and also get all the pertinent information that they need.

    2. Prior to departing, make sure to indicate how and where updates and communication will happen. Letting families know how you will post updates and where they can find them is important as it will help alleviate confusion or questions. Whether it’s via a texting group, social media, emails, or whatever works for your group, make sure that it is clear how and where you will share updates and communications.

    3. Provide timely updates and prayer requests. One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that families love to see photos and know what is going on while their students are away on trips. The more photos you share the more engagement you will get from parents, but it will also help to amplify any information you are sharing. Therefore, you can utilize the photos to share prayer requests and updates for parents and there is a greater possibility of them seeing and retaining the information you’re sharing.

    4. Share arrival and departure information clearly and multiple times. The more you share clear and concise information about timing for your the trips, the more likely it is people will be on time and know what is happening. When sharing information be sure to make it abundantly clear and simplified which will allow for better understanding.

    5. Utilize students and leaders to help with communication when appropriate. When you’re traveling with students and leaders you may have more opportunities to get information out to parents and families. The key to leveraging this aspect effectively is clearly stating what needs to be disseminated outward. That means information is clear, constant, and consistent across all mediums. This resource when utilized correctly can be a big win in helping to share information.

    Quick Tip: Connecting with Your Audience

    Posted on by Leave a comment

    When it comes to public speaking we must recognize that while God has gifted us to connect verbally with others, there is also a craft and skill set that comes with it. Any communicator who has been active for a long period of time knows the benefits of connecting with an audience as this will help in effectively communicating God’s Word to those with whom we are engaging.

    As communicators of the Gospel we have an obligation to communicate truth and to help our audience not only understand but also apply that truth to their lives. Being able to connect with our people helps our message take root and grab ahold of their hearts and help to transform their lives.

    So what are some effective ways to connect with your audience?

    Know who you’re communicating with.

    Whether you’re speaking to your youth group, at a retreat or camp, or in a church service, the more you know about your audience the better suited you are to connect with them and connect the Gospel to their lives.

    Be personal.

    Sometimes speakers just come to speak. And while that may be fine in certain environments, we can look at some of the great communicators throughout history and see that being personal helps to connect with our audiences. This is especially true when communicating with younger generations and new environments as it makes you real and relatable.

    Tell stories.

    Stories are a great way to connect with your audience because they can help to make truths understandable and provide insight into how to apply them. When you tell stories always be courteous, intentional, and clear in how you tell and the point(s) you trying to make. (Read more on storytelling here.)

    Use props.

    Let me be clear here: use props intentionally. Don’t use props just to have something on stage with you or if it’s a weak connection to your point. A prop should always be something that intentionally connects to the message and will help the audience remember what you were communicating.

    Be yourself.

    Don’t try to be a replica of another preacher, communicator, or influencer. Be who God designed you to be and let Him work in and through you as you communicate.

    Have fun.

    One of the best things you can do when attempting to connect with your audience is to have fun. Smile, laugh, be engage with your material, relate to the audience, and be willing even laugh at yourself. Having fun helps you to relax and helps your audience see you as an authentic communicator who is more than just another talking head.

    Quick Tip: Finding Community

    Posted on by Leave a comment

    Last week we kicked off the Quick Tip series and we talked about the importance of community. But that very tip begs us to ask a follow up question: how do we find community? Or maybe we should be asking a second question of where do we find community?

    Community is something that we were all created for by our communal God. The very fact that God is three in one shows us that He is not only designed for community but the epitome of community. He is the very definition of community and when He created humanity in Genesis, He created us for it as well.

    With that being said, community can often be difficult for those of us in ministry. We are often surrounded by people, but ministers often feel the most unknown or unseen. Everyone knows us and considers us their friend, but it can often be difficult to find friends ourselves.

    With that being said we must remember that without effective and meaningful community we cannot be effective in our calling. So how and where do we find community? Let me share six quick ways we can do this.

    1. Participate in a small group at your church where you are not the leader and can just be yourself without expectations.

    2. Join a cohort or coaching community.

    3. Utilize Facebook groups and other social media networks to not only find online community but community that physically gathers together.

    4. Build friendships with your neighbors.

    5. Find local groups, organizations, and opportunities in your community.

    6. Participate in a youth worker network.

    What are some ways you’ve found community in your life and ministry?

    Quick Tip: Building Community

    Posted on by 1 Comment

    Today we are starting a new series that we will pick up intermittently throughout the year called “Quick Tips.” This series is designed to be a quick read with helpful truths and ideas to facilitate growth. While some of these tips may warrant longer posts, we wanted to offer a quick sound bite-style blog that gets helpful information into your hands quickly.

    So with that said, and to save time (which is part of the point of these posts) here is this week’s Quick Tip: build community.

    Community is vitally important for all of us. We were designed by God Himself to be oriented toward relationships and community. And when we lack community we will feel alone, isolated, unseen, unloved, and unappreciated.

    Building community both inside and outside of the church allows you to know others and be known for more than just being the youth pastor. You’re being known as an individual and as someone who isn’t defined simply by their job or title.

    Don’t let community fall by the wayside. Instead, make it a priority and watch how you continue to grow and flourish.