Blind Spots - You Have Them

It's happened to you.  

You're on a 4 lane road...

Before you change lanes you turn on your blinker...

you check your mirrors and began to ease into the other lane...

but at the very last second you hear a horn and realize there is a car right in your blind spot.  

About that time your heart jumps up in your throat as you swerve away from the potential collision.

It happens in the car - it happens in life. 

I recently had a friend share something with me I didn't realize I was doing. It reminded me of the importance of having people in our lives show us our blind spots.

We all have blind spots.  There are areas of our life and ministry we cannot see unless someone points them out.

We have personal blind spots - 

Having people in our lives who will lovingly tell us the truth is non negotiable.  God has called us to live in authentic community and many times that community includes encouragement, reproof and even rebuke.  Sure, the encouragement is always needed but we need men and women in our lives who have the courage to show us all areas we cannot see.

Proverbs 27:6
Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
But and enemy multiplies kisses.

We have ministry blind spots - 

In my opinion Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer in the world.  When he's playing his best there's no one who can beat him.  Guess what, he has blind spots.

Although he could drill his golf coach in a round of golf he needs his coach to help him see what he cannot see himself.  You probably have blind spots in your ministry and should consider asking someone on the outside to take a look.

Having a ministry friend, coach or consultant assess and ask questions is always a good idea.

So here are 3 questions...

1.  Is there someone in your life who you trust to show you what you can't see yourself?

2.  Be honest.  You know you have them but do you really want someone to point out your blind spots?  Ignorance is bliss...isn't it?

3.  Are you the kind of person who makes it easy for others to help you see what you can't see yourself?

I'm so thankful for friends (past and present) who have loved me enough to show me weaknesses or sin I couldn't see myself.  God has used them to form who I am and how I serve in ministry.

We cannot grow unless we are willing to listen, learn and change.  Seek others who are compassionate but courageous.  Give them a green light to share with you what they believe you don't see. 

I'm confident you and I will never grow without others who are willing to show us our blind spots.  Go find people who can show you what you cannot see.

Student Leadership - They Can't See It

Yesterday I had the privilege of sitting with some youthworkers at YS Unconference Kansas City to discuss student ministry.  One of the discussions I attended was on student leadership which created some fascinating dialogue.

I'm passionate about student leadership and have been working for years to help students discover, develop and utilize their giftedness.  In our ministry context we're only scratching the surface on doing this well so I'm  thankful for the other youthworkers in the circle who encouraged and taught me.

Sitting in the circle I was reminded of something so crucial in helping students in the discovery process.

They Can't See It

They can't see the fact that they're growing in their faith.
They can't see that God has uniquely wired and gifted them for service.
They can't see that their friends watch them and seek them out for help.
They can't see the impact it makes when they engage the student sitting alone.
They can't see that when they pray God moves.
They can't see the potential they have for the Kingdom.
They can't see that how they serve behind the scenes brings God glory.

Simply put, unless we tell tell them where we see God working in them and the potential they have for the Kingdom they will never know.  We must help them see what they can't see themselves.

When is the last time you caught a student doing some great and complimented them?  When was the last time you sat with a student just to cast vision for "what if"? 

If we don't help them see it, who will?

Kids In Pain - Perspective For Parents

Yesterday our student ministry led our students, adult leaders and parents in a discussion on the pain students experience.  

We have discovered that self mutilation (cutting) is common amongst our middle school and high school students who are hurting.

Trey Grant, our middle school pastor did a outstanding job seeing the need and bringing faith centered awareness and equipping to our people.

One of our parents was particularly touched by her own struggle with parenting and posted an outstanding blog this morning.

If you're a parent I encourage you to read it.

If you're a youth worker I encourage you to pass it on to your parents.

Parenting by Fear or by Faith

May we be people (parents, youthworkers, grandparents, leaders) who see the next generation as Jesus does, with great compassion.

2 Reasons I Love JFYM

I was a just a baby.

The first time I interviewed for a student ministry position I was asked about my "ministry philosophy".     To be honest I had no idea what to say.  It came out as "love Jesus and love kids".  Not a horrible answer but incomplete if you're going to have a student ministry with more than 6 students.

Believe it or not I got the job.  

A couple of years later my ministry philosophy was shaped and sharpened by a simple strategy called "Jesus Focused Youth Ministry".  JFYM isn't a program or event, but an overall student ministry strategy based on the ministry of Jesus.

Since the early 90's every student ministry I have led has in some way been shaped by this strategy.  

There's much I love about JFYM but here are two highlights...

It starts with the leader's connection with Jesus

The first time I heard Barry St. Clair talk about the importance of the leader connecting with Jesus through prayer and repentance it wrecked me.  As a young youth pastor I knew how important this was but to make my connection with Jesus an integral part of my student ministry strategy made total sense.  God used this time not only to grow me up as a pastor, but also as a dad, husband and man. 

It focuses on multiplication

I desperately needed to be challenged that one person couldn't single handedly reach and deepen every student.  That's not the way Jesus did ministry.  Hearing that God could and would use other leaders set me free to seek out and equip other ADULTS.  It wasn't about going from event to event but about investing in those who would invest in others.

With this change of approach my student ministry began to grow.  It grew in breadth and depth.

If you're looking to get off the treadmill of event driven ministry and develop a strategy that invests deeply in adult leaders and students check out JFYM.  It will make a difference in your ministry and for the Kingdom.

Reach Out Youth Solutions

If you have any questions let me know.  

Holy Week and Student Ministry

As youth workers we have a deep hope that students will still be following, loving and serving Jesus long after they leave high school.

A big part of them continuing their faith into adulthood is including them in intergenerational opportunities in our children's and student ministries.  High school students attending and participating in intergenerational worship is particularly important for their faith in the future.

Here's a question... 

How are you promoting your church's Holy Week gatherings to your students?  

Are your students in any way involved in the leadership of those gatherings?

Sometimes we push our student ministry activities but forget about the intergenerational gatherings that may impact them the most.  With all the beauty, depth and symbolism that is naturally included in Maundy Thursday services and Good Friday gatherings there's no doubt students could be deeply impacted.  

It's not too late to encourage them to participate.

Are you doing anything to encourage their participation?

Does your worship team / pastor recognize there will be kids in the room?

What about creative ideas to encourage their involvement?

Surveys for Student Ministry Assessment

If you work with students you know what it's like.  You're planning, preparing, hanging out with that hurting student or sitting in some kind of staff meeting (we all love those staff meetings).

Sometimes we run so fast we really have no idea how people are being served overall.

In my home church student ministry we're in a serious posture of listening and learning.  To learn more about the why and what of our assessment process you can read last Wednesday's student ministry post.

What's Really Going On In Your Ministry - Stop, Look and Listen

Part of our assessment process is sending and analyzing surveys.  Last week a few of you asked if I could share some samples of those surveys.

I was hesitant BUT what the heck.

As you look through the surveys please remember a couple of things...

1.  We're not experts at creating and analyzing surveys.

To be honest we have no idea what we're doing.  

Did you know there is actually a science to doing this kind of thing?  If you can find someone to help you think through how to ask the questions to get the information you need please take full advantage of that person's expertise.

Here are the broad questions we're trying to find answers too.

• Are people in our ministry being cared for generally?
• Do leaders and students feel connected?
• How are people feeling overall about the student ministry?
• Are we effective in communicating?

There is other information we wanted but these were the major themes.

2.  Obviously, these questions are for our ministry context.

They're very specific to IBC and the people we serve.

So, here are some samples to consider.  Take the ideas and use what you can to listen and learn from your ministry context.

Survey for volunteer leaders

Parent Survey

Student Survey

As you move ahead here are some warnings.  

If you send and receive surveys make sure you have thick skin and receive the information in a way that brings life and growth to your ministry.  Sometimes the truth can hurt but if that truth results in serving kids and families more effectively it's worth it.

Warning number 2 - Student ministry isn't a democratic process.  The purpose of our surveys isn't to let people vote on their preferences, it's to discover how we can more effectively build a relational ministry that results in the life change of students, families and our volunteer leaders.

Whatever you do don't get defensive and try to figure out who said what.  A defensive non-teachable posture will result in the opposite of what you're hoping to accomplish.

So there you go, let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

What's Really Going On In Your Ministry? - Stop, Look and Listen

Over the next 3 weeks we're in a time of heavy assessment of our student ministry.

Every once in a while it's important to push the pause button and take an honest look at what's going on.

Do you really know what's going on in your ministry?  

Do your adult leaders feel served or are they burned out?

Are your parents receiving the information they need to feel their kids are safe?

Is all the time and effort you're putting into planning and prepping effective in helping your students grow spiritually?

Listen, what you don't know doesn't help you.  Sometimes we're like the child who plays hide and seek not by hiding but by covering their eyes.  They're not really hiding, the're just simply not looking.

It's possible to lead ministry, invest in a few kids, experience a couple of great "God stories" and still have a ministry that's suffering from poor morale and lack of effectiveness.

How could we not know?

Well, we don't ask.  Sometimes we simply don't take the time to raise our heads above the clouds and look around.  And let's be honest, sometimes it's easier not to know.

Every effective youth worker I know stepped into youth ministry to see kids come to Christ, grow in Christ and change the world for Christ. (or something like that)  That's the grand goal.  It's so easy to be busy running a ministry without stopping to ask the question, "is there fruit"?

The assessment period

Spring is a great time to take the temperature of your ministry.  As you listen and learn you have time to implement change before next fall.  Here are a couple things we're doing in our ministry context.

Surveys

Over the next week we're creating and sending out 5 surveys.  I've found survey monkey is easy and cheap.  We're sending them to...

Small group leaders
High School students
Parents of high schoolers
Middle School students
Parents of middle schoolers

Surveys are not the end all but they do give valuable information.  For example, what night are high school students most available?  We all have the programming piece we believe requires prime time.  Are your high school students more available on Wednesday night or Sunday night?  Have you asked them?

Do your parents feel your partnering with them or competing with them?  Have you asked them?

Again, what you don't know doesn't help you.  By carefully asking questions you discover reality but also learn of perception and how people feel.

And by the way, it's almost always a good thing for the people we serve to feel heard.  By asking for their opinion you're showing them you care about them.

Conversations

During this period we're also having conversations with key leaders.  Key leaders include volunteers, students and parents.  This should be happening all the time but sometimes it's good to have an excuse and say to someone, "we're in a listen and learn season right now".  Having a set season where your giving special attention to listening and learning is important.

It's amazing what people will tell you when you ask them.

Eyes On

We're asking people who don't typically attend ministry programming to show up and watch.  We simply want to know what they see and experience.

I can hear it now, "no one knows my ministry better than me".  Well, maybe.  If you're at your programming all the time you have the curse of knowledge.  Often you're too close to the situation to see what you really need to see.

Take the risk of allowing extra eyes and ears.  You may learn something.

Data

I generally pay very little attention to attendance numbers, but during a season of assessment it may important to take a look.  Knowing how many doesn't tell you everything but it can tell you some things.  If the information is available now is the time to take a look to see what you learn.

For example, if you're ministry is driven by small group relationships it would be important to know kids are in small groups.  If 3000 are coming to your middle school worship event but 23 are in small groups there's a problem.  If you value high school students attending the main worship service wouldn't want to know if only 25% were consistently attending?

Compile

Finally, at the end of 2 or 3 weeks we'll sit down with all we learn.  It could be we discover we are the perfect student ministry and there is no need to change anything.  (ha)  Or it could be we simply need to adjust how we communicate.

My guess is that we'll find some areas in need of attention.

Final Cautions

Make sure you and your team have a teachable spirit.

We've tried to create an ethos of coaching and teachability.  This exist from staff all the way to adult volunteers.  Hearing people's opinions about our life's work is going to test this ethos.

Keep a positive tone

Just because your asking questions doesn't mean things are bad.  In fact, it's better to do an assessment before things are negative.  Language like, "we want to be as effective as possible" instead of, "the sky is falling" will serve you well.

Don't make promises

Try not to give the impression that someones's opinion = change.  If 75% of your middle schoolers want a lock in every other weekend you're probably not going to do that.

Don't promise change, just use this time to listen.

Remember the individual

At the end of the day ministry is about 1 kid.  The whole reason we're doing the assessment is to make sure we're doing everything within our ability to reach, connect and deepen that 1 kid.  If you have 500 in your ministry it's still a ministry of individual hearts.  Are they connected?

As a fellow youthworker allow me to encourage you.

Stop, look and listen.

It's hard work to discover what you don't know but taking the time to listen and adjust will result in greater impact on the Kingdom for His glory.  It's worth it.

Get Away With Your Team

I'm going to be honest, my first choice was to get away at a lake house or somewhere far away where our student ministry team could pray, play and perhaps even build a campfire.  Heck, maybe we could have joined together in a incredible rendition of Kum Ba Yay.  Who knows?

It wasn't going to happen.  Each of us have been traveling and are incredibly busy.  You know, that whole things where you try to balance life, school, family and ministry?  It's a challenge.

It was a priority to get away to dream and pray but how?  Where could we find the time and energy?

We came up with a solution.  Instead of escaping for 24 hours we decided on an in town retreat.  Our time was incredible.  We didn't accomplish all we would have by getting out of town but for us it was just what the doctor ordered.

Here are some thoughts to consider...

Get Away From Your Usual Meeting Space

We all need a change of scenery.  Whether its simply someone's home or a back room at a restaurant, it's important to find a spot that says, "hey, this is different than your weekly staff meeting".  We would not have accomplished what we needed without finding a cool spot in downtown Dallas.

Pray Together

The first 90 minutes of our time was spent sharing what's going on in our lives.  As each of us shared we were tempted to share ministry needs but we tried to keep our discussion about what was going on in each person's personal life.  As a team we're pretty close to one another, but when given the time and space to share it was amazing to hear what's going on in each person's life.

Talk About "30,000 Foot" Issues

Avoid the temptation of getting into the details.  You have your regular weekly meeting for that.

Our time was dominated by 2 issues.  How are we doing with our students who are in our deepest discipleship groups and how are we doing at our entry points for new students.  In other words we assessed and dreamed about the "bookends" of our ministry.  Sure, there was so much more we could have discussed but we worked hard at keeping our discussion at the dream / visionary level.

Eat Great Food

After spending 3 1/2 hours at our meeting space we headed to a close by restaurant and had some delicious food.  Yes, we spent some money but think about all the money we saved by not going out of town?  We laughed, shared stories and connected in significant ways.

Follow Up

This is where the challenge comes is.  When you dream about "30,000 foot" issues it's sometimes difficult to implement those ideas.  Right now our team is in between the dreaming and the doing.  We've dedicated an hour of our weekly meeting this upcoming week to think through what we spoke about at our half day get away.

Getting away for a half day is relatively inexpensive but effective.  Spring is a great time to take your team and dream because you have time to wisely implement change by fall.

By the way, if you don't have a paid staff team don't fret.  These half day settings work perfectly for key volunteers who would love to dream with you.

When are you getting away?

Best Picture Nominees Ranked AND My Favorite Move of the Year

I love story and how it is shared through film.  

2012 was a great year for movies.  Almost every movie I experienced caused me to think, feel, cry, laugh, long for God, and hate the broken world in which we live.

There were 9 movies nominated for best picture by the academy awards.  Here is how I would have ranked them 9 - 1 and a brief thought about each.  Also mentioned is the film in 2012 that impacted me the most.

9.  Amour

Love.  The story of love and pain between an aging couple.  In a word, the movie was excruciating but caused me to face the reality that death is coming some day.  Fun hugh?  Did I mention excruciating?

8.  Beasts of the Southern Wild

Very artistic in it's approach.  The 9 year old actress, Quvenzhané Wallis, stole the show.  As she goes on a search for her mom we get to learn about life through her young eyes.  It was also interesting to see how the story explored spirituality as all things fitting together.

7.  Django Unchained

Typical Terantino with exaggerated violence and story of vengeance.  Right or wrong I felt good about justice being done.  I know, kind of crazy.  It's funny how movies explore god like characteristics (justice) without a thought of the source.

6.  Lincoln

Unbelievable portrayal of Lincoln and others securing a constitutional amendment leading to the end of slavery.  Daniel Day Lewis was unbelievable winning best actor.  I found myself weeping at the reality of how slaves were viewed and treated.  Some unbelievable dialogue about leadership and seizing life and the moment for change that impacts millions of lives.

5.  Zero Dark Thirty

Compelling story of how one women led the charge to find and kill Ben Laden.  She never gave up even when the powerful around her doubted and flinched.  I'm not sure how true it is to historical fact but a great story never the less.  

4.  Les Misérables

Redemption, forgiveness, hope and love.  There are so many words that describe the incredible themes portrayed with passion in this musical.  And yes, I felt intense gratitude for how God has pursued and loved me.  I'm not sure if a movie this year caused me to connect with as many characters.

3.  Silver Linings Playbook

Another story of failure, redemption and new beginnings.  I particularly enjoyed the interaction with the love of parents for an older son struggling to find himself and start again.  And Jennifer Lawrence, wow!  She won and deserved best female actor of the year.

2.  Argo

Intriguing depiction of a CIA agent creating an elaborate scheme to rescue Americans during the Iran hostage crisis.  Ben Affleck was compelling.  Believe it or not I still remember the hostage crisis which made this movie particularly interesting to me.

1.  Life of Pi

Magical, spiritual, heartbreaking, surrender, beautiful are all words I would use to describe this incredible story.  The exploration of reality and fantasy was fascinating as well as it's depiction of spirituality in the midst of this pluralistic culture.  After watching it I woke up the following morning still thinking, feeling and questioning what I had experienced.  The story effected me personally at a deep level and gave insight into what many feel about spirituality today.

My favorite movie of the year

Or I should say the film that impacted me at the deepest level.  I care deeply for the next generation.  This particular film did an extraordinary job exposing what many middle school and high school students are experiencing every day.  I left the theater broken and with and extra longing to bring hope to those who are facing the complex issues of life in the teen age world.

If you care anything about the younger generation it's a must see.  It is perhaps the best window into the lives of teen culture since "The Breakfast Club".  

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

So there you have it.  How many of the nominees did you get to see?  How would you adjust the order?

I'm all ears.

Sticky Faith Cohort - Taking a Sip From a Fire Hydrant

What an amazing 3 days!

Part of the next gen team from my home church attended Fuller Youth Institute's Sticky Faith Cohort.  We and other churches from around the country are learning how to be more effective in preparing children, youth and families for the challenges they face after leaving high school and college, specifically challenges to their faith.

My team is encouraged, blown away and ready to tackle some issues.  We have never been more passionate about seeing the faith of our children and youth deepen as they grow and are released into emerging adulthood.

As I'm trying to wrap my mind around all we heard and learned these are some realities we're facing.

We have a lot of work to do.

We're not leaving discouraged, but know this journey isn't a sprint, it's a marathon.  To begin the process we're going to sit down with other staff members, parents and church leaders and take time to listen.  So often we can make the mistake of moving ahead without fully understanding.  So the question for us is simple, what can we learn from others that will help us develop and provide opportunities for the faith of our kids to flourish.

We must continue this journey.

As a team we're convinced that if we don't work to build authentic, grace driven faith in the lives of our kids and families, the church will continue to loose emerging adults.  For far too long the church in general has taught a theology of sin management instead of a transformational gospel.  As we invest in the younger generation we long to see fruit that remains.  Not just fruit that lasts through high school but for a lifetime.

We (next gen team) cannot do this alone.

The responsibility of handing authentic faith to the next generation involves parents, youth workers, volunteers, senior citizens, all staff members and everyone who is a part of the church family.  Sometimes we (youth workers) act as if we have to do this alone.  When considering the work ahead there is no room for a "Lone Ranger" attitude.  We need to see ourselves as ambassadors to the rest of our church family.  Our message?  Jesus has a special place in his heart for the younger generation and each of us who are older share the responsibility of loving, knowing and declaring God's greatness.

By the way, there is so much more we're thinking about.  While we definitely feel like flies taking a sip from a fire hydrant, we're going to slowly process what we feel God would have us put in practice.

Here's the good news, God is already at work in our churches.  What a privilege to be used by him to accomplish his heart and passion for kids.

Let's be faithful, creative, humble and patient as we work towards our calling to teach and model a faith that sticks.

Sticky Faith Cohort - Day One

This morning it's my privilege to be writing from FREEZING Pasadena California.  That's right, it does get cold in Southern California.

A team from our next gen ministry (children's ministry pastor, middle school ministry pastor, high school ministry pastor, and myself) is attending the "Sticky Faith Cohort" at Fuller Seminary.  We're hoping to learn a little more of how we can have a next gen ministry that launches students into emerging adulthood with a faith that has "stuck" through college or whatever they've chosen post high school.

Your know the stats.  Many youth group kids are leaving the church after high school and not coming back even after they have families of their own.  As church leaders we want to do everything we can to create environments, relationships and learning opportunities that prepare children and youth for adulthood.

After spending a few hours with Chap Clark, Brad Griffin, and Kara Powell our team was relatively encouraged by what we heard and where we are heading as a next gen ministry.  Obviously we have a lot to learn and a long way to go.

At our post meeting party (party is a little strong) there were some great questions that surfaced from our time yesterday afternoon.  Here are 2.

How do we teach children / students what the Bible instructs without presenting them with a bunch of "to do's"?  

We know kids have a proclivity to take whatever we teach and sift it through a moralistic thought process.  They hear truth and immediately feel they should simply try harder.  Because we live in a performance driven world they often translate our teaching as things you do to get Jesus to love you more.  That's simply NOT what the gospel message presents.

Here is part of the struggle, the Bible doesn't just instruct us on who we are and what Jesus did on our behalf, it instructs us in how we are to live out our faith.

Many of Paul's writings flesh out this way.  Romans 1 -11 is about who we are an what Jesus did for us.  Romans 12 - 16 tells us how we should live.  Perhaps we should follow the same kind of model as we teach.

It seems the key word in thinking through this question is the word tension.  Paul captures this tension in Philippians 2.

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 

Work out your own salvation / God who works in you. 

Here's the reality.  WHY students do what they do is as important as WHAT they do.  We long to teach them in a way that helps them live out their life by faith not simply by trying harder.

We don't have the solution but we're willing to journey on and embrace this tension.

How do we encourage the rest of our church leadership to adjust for the younger generation?

Our church does a wonderful job supporting the younger generation and longs to see spiritual formation in the lives of kids.  But as you can imagine we have some opportunities for growth.

When it comes to teen's involvement in church it seems we've (not just IBC but church in general) told them to be quite, listen and smile as we adults do adult type stuff.  The way we preach, lead worship, give announcements, encourage service and provide opportunities for involvement must be prepared and led with the teen ager in mind.

It's time for the church to adjust to the unique needs of the younger generation.

No, Sunday morning doesn't have to become a "youth service" but if it is the church's calling to reach and embrace the next generation we need to start asking the right questions about intergenerational worship and service.

In this area it feels like a little adjustment could go a long way.  Hopefully today we'll receive some great thoughts on how to be catalysts for adjustments in our home church.

So there you have it.  In reality we have more questions than answers.  We're trusting God to give wisdom, grace and direction as we desperately want life changing faith in Jesus to grow in the lives of our kids.

Gospel Centered Next Gen Ministry - 3 Questions

To be honest, I'm not sure what it means to be "gospel centered", but it sure sounds trendy.  Doesn't everyone in ministry want the gospel?

"Gospel" is a word we Christians throw around a lot.  We have gospel music, the gospel coalition, gospel bumper stickers the gospel tract and all other kinds of gospel things.

Over the last few years it seems discussion about the true gospel and what it means has become stylish and sexy.  There are even conferences dedicated and focused on "gospel."  For those who have been "gospel centered" for a long time (I hope I have been) I'm so thankful this discussion has gained momentum.

So I was wondering, are the ministries I oversee at my home church gospel centered?  How do I consistently press upon us the importance of the gospel?  What does it mean for us to be more gospel centered and grace focused?  What do other ministries focus on to make sure they're consistently dependent on grace in their ministries?

First, we need to remember how simple but expansive the gospel is.  From my limited perspective it seems "gospel" is a word often only associated with salvation.  As it should be, people are taught they will be saved if they believe the gospel.  Jesus said "repent and believe the gospel."  Of course authentic belief in the good news of Jesus results in one's salvation.  Paul says the gospel "is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes."

So it's obvious, the gospel is about salvation, but isn't it also about sanctification?

In many churches the inference is you come to Jesus by grace through faith but you grow through works.  This results is moralistic and perhaps a legalistic approach to discipleship.  And by the way moralism is the enemy of the gospel of grace.

Over the last few years this has been articulated well by University of Notre Dame's Christian Smith and the team at the Fuller Youth Institute.  Each has done extensive research on how youth group students view their faith.

Part of what they've learned is that middle school and high school students generally believe that God loves them and accepts them based on their behavior.  Acceptance from God is a result of what they do or don't do, not on what Jesus has already done and is currently doing.  Students (and most adults in my opinion) have not embraced the truth that we are saved by grace but we also grow by grace.  The result?  Moralism not grace infuses the religion of our day.

On of my favorite verses about discipleship and growing in Christ comes from Titus chapter 2.

¹¹ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

So, the grace of God that "brings salvation" is the grace that "teaches" us to live godly lives.  This same grace that brings salvation is the grace that teaches us to live godly lives and grow in our faith and purity.

We must continually be in the process of thinking about ministry that is centered on the gospel of grace.  I'm not just talking about bringing hurting kids and families to Jesus but seeing them continually transformed from the inside out because of God's work of grace in sanctification.

This is what I've been thinking about lately in my church context.  Here are 3 questions we're exploring as we think about our Next Gen as it relates to gospel centeredness.  

1.  Is God Dependent Prayer Central?

If the gospel work is dependent on God it would seem our ministries would be marked by consistent focused prayer.  For us it seems like prayer may be in addition to the work we do, not at the center.  That wasn't true of the apostles in the Acts 2.  When Luke describes what they did, prayer is listed right up there with giving attention to the Word.

If change in the hearts of students is truly supernatural and from the inside out, prayer cannot simply be an add on in our ministries, it must be a central part of our work.

2.  Do We Use Grace Infused Language?

Focusing on virtues, behavior and character alone will never result in gospel transformation.  For students we should consistently speak truth like...

"there is nothing you can do to get Jesus to love them more 

and there is nothing you can do to cause Jesus to love you less".  

Helping them understand that Jesus did for them what they could never do for themselves is so important and cuts against their natural moralistic beliefs.  Consistently unpacking statements like this quote from Tim Keller...

“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”

This isn't something we teach kids once and they get it.  Remember, reward for performance is in the air they breath.  Speaking the gospel of grace must be an ongoing drumbeat in our communication with students.  Grace must infuse how we pray, how we relate and how we teach.

3.  Is There An Environment of Repentance?

When kids hear the teaching of the Word and it exposes areas in their lives that are not pleasing to God they will naturally respond by thinking they must try harder.  Unless we help them they will skip a crucial step that helps them tap into the grace of God; confession and repentance.

If they only respond by trying harder they will constantly fail but if we point them to repentance and help them understand their battle against sin is not natural but supernatural they begin to experience the grace of God "teaching them to live upright Godly lives in this present age".

To have an environment of repentance you must also have an environment where it's natural to admit one has sin.  This transparency must be wisely modeled by the leader.  It's important we as pastors appropriately share our own struggle, failure and need of repentance.

This is an ongoing journey and I know there are so many other characteristics of ministry that is centered on grace and the gospel.

What are a couple you might add and what are you learning as you lead ministry towards gospel centeredness?

3 Things Your Volunteers Need From You - TODAY

Our ministries rise and fall based on how well our volunteer leaders are loving and serving students.  Ok, that may be a slight exaggeration seeing that Jesus is kind of a big deal, but you get the point.

Here's a little reality check, the greatest impact for students in your ministry will not come from the talk you gave last week or this week but from a loving adult leader who is pursuing Jesus and pastoring a small group of kids.  This isn't an excuse to get up tonight unprepared and bore students but it is a reminder that if we're not investing in adult leaders our ministries will never reach their greatest potential.

Here's the rub.  Very rarely are we praised by how well we're doing investing in adults, we're most likely judged based on the number of kids who show up to hear us speak.  Because this investment goes unrecognized our motivation to invest deeply in adults must come from a unwavering belief that Jesus can and will use these volunteers to shape the hearts of kids.  By the way, that's how Jesus impacted the world, by investing in 12 who invested in others.

You see, many times what you do for your adults behind the scenes isn't noticed, but it's those hidden habits that can yield the greatest ministry impact.

So as we think about our adult volunteers as the front line of ministry here are 3 things they need from you today.

1.  Prayer

Ok, not rocket science but much easier said than done.  Our hope and prayer is that adult leaders would have intimacy with Jesus and deep relationship with students.  This is supernatural stuff dependent on the transforming work of Jesus.  We need to ask Jesus to do this miraculous work in their lives.  If we're not praying for them that may be an indicator of where our hope truly is.

By the way, for us to pray specifically for our leaders we need to know what's going on in their lives.
When is the last time you reached out to a leader simply to ask them how you could pray for them?

Do your leaders feel served or used?  Praying for them is a tangible way for us to serve.

2.  Vision

By this time of the school year there has probably been attrition in a small group and students sometimes act like they don't care.  In fact I ran into a leader yesterday who was at the church to meet with her small group of girls.  Not one girl showed.

Remind leaders often why they do what they do.  I'm not talking about mission statements or values (although these have a place) but stories.  If you ever hear a story of how an adult is impacting students you have to share it.  If a parent or student tells you how awesome their leader is you have to pass that along.

Painting a picture of how kids are impacted as a result of their investment can go a long way.

3.  Gratitude

Nothing says "thank you" like a gift card to a good restaurant.  There are a thousand ways to say thanks.  Be creative.

Your leaders are most likely sacrificing an incredible amount of time and sometimes money to live life with students.  As the leader it's so important you recognize their sacrifice and show genuine appreciation.

Saying thank you is very good, but does your budget reflect your heart to serve and thank your leaders?  Move a little money from your pyrotechnics budget and use it to tell your leaders thanks.

Here's a confession.  Gravity pulls me towards investing time in areas I believe will bring me the greatest praise.  We need to change the score card.  If we invest daily in our adult leaders we many not get recognized but we will have the joy of watching our student ministry go much deeper and eventually wider.

God gets the glory and we get the joy.  Isn't that our greatest hope in ministry?

My New Month's Resolutions

Ok, I realize it's January 31st.  I'm going to use the end of this month going into February as an excuse to adjust a couple things in my life.  (well, by God's grace)

My January schedule has felt frantic.  To be honest, I feel like my schedule dominated me and I haven't lived as well as I could.

So here is my hope for February, just 2 things.

Walk A Little More Slowly

This is literal and figurative.  When things start moving super fast we tend to rush by what's right in front of us.  I long to find God in the midst of the journey not just in the destination.  By walking (and living) a little more slowly perhaps I'll see and respond better to what's right in front of me.

Schedule A Little More Wisely

Simple things like not scheduling meetings back to back to back.  Placing margin in the day will give opportunity to be on time, but also provide a little space to think and reflect.

How has your January been?  SHOULD you have a couple new month's resolutions?

Take a few minutes to reflect on your January.  Remember, small adjustments can have great impact.

Student Advisory Team - Shut Up And Listen

Imagine a student ministry where the students are more excited about what's going on than you.

They, the students, are pushing others to attend the weekend retreat because they're so excited about what God might do.  Students are approaching you about potential opportunities for them to serve the hurting.  Students are actually dreaming of ways to build relationships with their friends for the purpose of sharing Jesus.

God seems to do a unique work in the heart of students when students feel a sense of authentic ownership.  One way to tap into students wisdom is by creating a student advisory team.  Last week we talked about the why and how to create a sat, Student Advisory Team - Ownership and Influence, this week we're discussing ideas of how you might lead them.

Every gathering with your sat should include prayer and some kind of interactive discussion on humility or servant leadership.  Part of the beauty of having these student leaders together is you get to speak to their hearts about true servant leadership.  As you're pouring into them and helping them learn what it means to serve like Jesus, you're also asking them for advice and input.

Here are 4 areas to get you started.

1.  General Ministry Assessment

It's always fun and helpful to take students through some kind of "SW0T" analysis.  Although it's sometimes difficult for them to think that globally this is a good exercise for them at the beginning or end of a school year.

2.  Specific Ministry Input

Last Sunday I sat in on our high school ministry's sat meeting.  Our high school pastor asked how they felt about the current teaching series we're leading.  The input was golden.  They said the teaching was great but wasn't so good for their unchurched friends.  That was so important for us to hear seeing that our Wednesday night programming is designed for our students AND their friends.

3.  Planning Student Led Events

I love to get a group of students in a room and tell them they're responsible for the heart behind an event.  Asking them questions about the felt needs of their friends and how we might speak to those needs at a particular retreat or student led night of worship always yields great insight.  Last fall our sat did an incredible job thinking through the felt needs of their friends and how we might apply the gospel.  Then they developed a prayer strategy for our entire highs school ministry leading up to the event.  Yes, they gave great input but also felt great ownership.

4.  Asking About Morale

As youth pastors we typically have a sense of general morale.  How are students doing?  Do they feel like the student ministry has unity?  There have been times I'm so far off.  If your student advisory team is diverse enough you can get a true feel of unity and how students are generally doing within your ministry context.  By the way, students hear things we will never hear.

When asking for input it's so important to listen.  I mean REALLY listen.  This is a challenge for those of us who lead by speaking.  It's important that students not only feel heard but are truly heard.

There are so many other topics to discuss with students within the student advisory context.  What have you done that's been helpful or what would you add to the list.

I'm all ears.