One of the greatest dilemmas any Youth Minister faces is what to do during a long bus ride. “I Spy” gets old real quick, sing-a-longs died when the Brady Bunch was canceled, and a game of License Plate Bingo is just not as exciting as it sounds. With options dwindling, there’s always one choice that works 60% of the time every time: movies. And, as any good Youth Minister knows, if you want to fire up your teens before they even set foot on the retreat site, one movie trumps all: Rudy.
As a Youth Minister one of the biggest parts of your job description is to teach teens the faith. Now, if the previous statement came as a shock to you . . . umm . . . well . . . you may want to chat with your Pastor. If not, then you know the pressure that comes along with this. While many well-intentioned and “very wise” parishioners and staff members think this is easy, you know that, unfortunately, a classroom, a Catechism, and a chalkboard just don’t grab a teen’s attention
You’ve only got a couple hours until youth group starts and you realize you forgot to buy food. With only $20 left in your budget and the need to feed 200 teens, as a youth minister, you know there’s only one item that can save you now: Red Vines.
What is it about Red Vines that we as youth ministers love so much?
Honestly, I hated that thing. And seriously why did it have to blink? It was as if it was taunting me:
“You know all those things you wanted to get done today? Not gonna happen.”
“I’m blinking, so you know you have messages, but you don’t know how many. Could be 1, or could be 10, but you’ll have to dial in to find out.”
“Hmmm . . . I wonder who left you a message. Maybe it’s a teen thanking you for a great Life Night. Or maybe it’s an irate parent.”
I was tired of living paycheck to paycheck, so I took a part-time job as a personal trainer. (Cha Ching). Ready to make the big bucks, I shadowed around another trainer for a week. Finally, it was time for me to hit the floor and start working with clients. I motivated them as they did crunches. I drilled them as they worked their legs. I pushed them to improve their cardio . . .
Ok. Admit it. You’ve used it. You know you have, but perhaps you don’t know to what extent. Perhaps you don’t realize that it’s the one word you use to describe every youth ministry activity that you’ve planned. For some reason, the word “awesome” is always on the tip of your tongue. At some point (probably in conjunction with “that one song”) it infiltrated the world of youth ministry and to this point, it has never left. “Rad” couldn’t survive. “Dope” just
Whether you’ve been in Youth Ministry since the revolutionary invention of the overhead projector or you’re fresh out of college with a guitar strapped to your back and a Frisbee in hand, there’s a good chance that you’ve asked yourself the question, “How do I get teens to come to youth group?” I remember asking that question. Heck, I tried anything and everything: Food, guilt, bribery, doing their homework, whatever. I just wanted teens in the door so I could impart my wisdom
As Youth Ministers and Core Team members, it’s vital that we walk daily with the teens we minister to. Sometimes that may mean catching them doing something wrong and lovingly correcting their behavior. But how often do we catch them doing something right? Imagine what our ministries could look like.
If you’ve turned on your TV at all in the past few weeks, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve heard the name Jeremy Lin, especially if you watch ESPN. Standing 6 feet, 3 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds, Jeremy Lin is the starting point guard for the New York Knicks. But it wasn’t always this way. Although a star in high school, Lin did not receive an athletic scholarship to play basketball in college. After playing at Harvard, he went undrafted but eventually got a deal to play
As a Youth Minister, you are the leader, the captain of your Core Team. They look to you for direction, guidance, and inspiration when it comes to leading teens closer to Christ. They want training and clear communication so that they can effectively fulfill their role, and yet, as I talk with Youth Ministers around the country, arguably their biggest frustration is with their Core Team. Perhaps the Core Team isn’t the problem. Maybe it’s the captain.