by Chase | Leadership, Ministry
Veteran ministry leaders understand this truth: There is nothing more terrifying than handing someone else a microphone.
This isn’t an arrogant statement! Most of us love bringing in guest speakers!
A statement like this is made because speakers have used inappropriate language, spoken 30 minutes longer than their allotted time, or made the service a commercial for their newest T-shirt line.
Even with the risks, I firmly believe that guest speakers can deeply impact your student ministry events.
I love bringing in guest speakers for our events, retreats, and midweek worship services so that students can see other adults who are passionate about Jesus, hear another voice on a particular subject, and connect with another person’s story.
Read: 5 Reasons You Should Use Guest Speakers In Youth Ministry
Before I bring a guest speaker to our student ministry I make sure that they line up to a specific list of characteristics that will maximize their impact and the Gospel.
I do this for two reasons:
- To protect our students from a negative situation.
- To protect my job at the church.
Below is the checklist I use to gauge a guest speaker’s effectiveness for our ministry.
7 Characteristics Of An Incredible Guest Speaker
Someone Who Will Bring Us To The Throne Of God Without Sitting On One
The event is not about the speaker. The event is not about the band. The retreat isn’t even about your students. Everything you lead should glorify King Jesus. I desire to bring in a speaker who is going to magnify Jesus, not their ministry or personality. There isn’t a fool-proof method of screening, but I diligently spend hours networking, screening, and researching a potential guest’s materials, social medias, spiritual growth, and reputation.
Someone With A Positive Social Media Following
After the event our students are going to follow the speaker on social medias. This means that the speaker will be influencing my students for months, maybe years, after the event. Obviously this can be a positive or negative situation. We want to bring in someone who uses social medias to minister. In contrast, we will not pick a speaker who inappropriately uses medias.
Someone Who Is Passionate About Students and Ministry
Joy and passion for Jesus are contagious! We want to surround our students with adults who are joyfully living out the Gospel of Jesus. Joy cannot be faked. This is a mark of a disciple of Jesus who is journeying with their Savior.
Someone Who Will Honor Our Retreat/Event Theme
When a speaker goes rogue on the teaching points our students are often unable to make the connection with the theme. We have been preparing every detail of this event for months. The speaker must realize his/her place in achieving the greater vision of developing disciples.
Read: 7 Things You Should Know Before Your Next Retreat
Someone Who Aligns With Our Theology
One of the primary roles of a pastor is to ensure that your congregation is protected from false doctrines and incorrect teachings. I have conversations with our guest speakers and find out what their views on baptism, Jesus, salvation, and sin are before we bring them in. Since we leverage our speakers to share the Gospel of Jesus, we want to ensure that the Gospel presentation lines up with our beliefs.
Someone Who Will Interact With Our People
Relating with students from the stage is one thing, but interacting with them between sessions is a necessity for us. I don’t expect a speaker to participate in every aspect of our programming, but I do expect them to build relationships with our people.
Someone Who Is Professional
Working with unprofessional people drives me crazy! There is nothing worse than a speaker who is slow to respond to emails, ignores phone calls, disregards our time limits, and isn’t prepared for the event. There is not a dichotomy between being relational and being organized.
Now What?
What characteristics do you look for when you bring in a guest speaker?
by Chase | Ministry
October is Pastor Appreciation month and student pastors deserve our encouragement and appreciation. The majority of student pastors around the country are bi-vocational and are juggling two jobs, their family responsibilities, AND are serving your family.
Read: 4 Encouragements For Bi-Vocational Youth Pastors
While they deserve our unending appreciation for their service to our churches and families, student pastors and youth workers hear criticisms from time-to-time. I know that it is hard to believe that people in our culture would be openly critical of others!
Below are 7 things you should never say to a student pastor.
And by the off chance that you forget that these statements are inappropriate I have included some comeback responses for student pastors to respond with.
7 Things You Should Never Say To A Youth Pastor
It is your responsibility to keep my kids inline.
Sounds good to me! The average babysitter charges $25 an hour. I’ll send you an invoice for last month.
When are you going to become a real pastor?
Wait, I’m not a real pastor? Does that mean that my student debt is fake too?
I bet you just woke up! (Said before the second service.)
I bet you never learned funny jokes!
You are young; can you help me with my iPhone?
Why yes I can! Here is the number for the local Apple Store! The mall opens at 9:00am sharp!
You are great at spending other people’s money.
Your husband said the same thing about your spending habits last week.
How did you enjoy your vacation? (Said after a summer camp.)
It was great! I only caught your grandson sneaking off with two different girls this year instead of the three from last year!
Don’t get too good at your calling, someone else will steal you from us!
Glad you mentioned this. I have a celebrity death-match scheduled in January between our congregation and the churches that are trying to steal me. You have an opportunity to fight for me with your weapon of choice.
Now What?
Working with students and families is an extremely rewarding calling. Student pastors think about your family’s needs, they pray for your children, and give their own time and money to ensure that students hear the Gospel of Jesus.
Make sure to thank the student pastor at your church!
by Chase | Leadership, Ministry
Ministry is tough. There, I said it.
If you are about to jump into ministry, and no one has told you that…well, I’m sorry. Ministry is a tough calling, but it’s also incredibly rewarding.
At this point of the year, many new pastors are getting settled into their new positions. Especially for us student pastors, the fall (typically) marks the onset of your regular programming.
As a young pastor, you will be overcome with tons of thoughts, emotions, and you may even cry out of frustration (I know I did) because you have no idea what to do other than write sermons and develop small group curriculum.
Let me start by saying this: You will get the hang of things and figure out the flow of your week. So don’t fret, things won’t always seem too hectic. Here’s the other thing: As the new guy, you’re going to run into some issues and problems as you try to develop as a pastor, leader, communicator, and employee. There will be many ups and downs – and the downs seem to pile together at times – but, if you grind it out, the other side is worthwhile.
So, what’s the goal? Don’t screw things up too badly along the way!
Here’s my advice to those of you starting fresh (or again) in a ministry role.
5 Tips For Those Starting (Or Re-Starting) In Ministry
1. Stay Mentally Sharp
If you’re fresh out of college, you probably just finished four (or more!) years of the most reading you’ve done in your life. Don’t stop now. Keep your mind fresh and sharp by reading as much as you can. Read blogs (Hey, you’re doing that now!), articles, and books – and never stop.
2. Keep Your Mouth Shut
This is one piece of advice I wish I learned sooner. When you’re in meetings of all sorts, you may feel the passion within you to do more, reach more, go deeper, and so forth. However, I wish I had kept my mouth shut more when I first started in ministry (actually, still learning this trait!). Most of the conflicts I’ve been involved in were because I spoke too quickly without considering tone and context. Instead of blurting out and challenging everything being discussed, sit back and just listen. Learn who has the sway in the room, find out how people think, understand the culture of your people and church and always wait five minutes before speaking. If after five minutes you still want to say whatever you were thinking, you’ve had time to word it in an appropriate manner.
3. Get Out of Debt
It’s pretty difficult to leave college without any debt. Maybe you did your homework before going off to school and made the fiscally responsible choice. Or, you may be like me and didn’t get the call to ministry until after you had started college. Regardless of your circumstances, get out of debt as soon as you can. We never want to make decisions based on monetary reasons, and being financially free is the best way to avoid that. So, make a frugal budget and stick to it until your debt is gone. Besides, you’re probably not going to be making much money anyways (you’re in ministry), so develop the habit from the get-go.
4. Stay Physically Fit
Ministry, especially student ministry, is full of reasons and excuses to let yourself go. I currently serve with a senior minister who is 69 years old! The dude has been in ministry almost as long as I’ve been alive. Aside from his high devotion to God’s word and incredible character, what’s enabled him to have the tenure he’s reached traces to remaining physically fit. I know this because I see him at the gym almost every day. At the age and in the profession where most people give up trying, he’s remained active, which has kept his body, mind, and soul in shape.
5. Get Organized
Student pastors are notorious for being sloppy, lazy, and unorganized. So, break the trend and stereotype! Learn to organize your workweek and your ministry. I use the BASICS Notebook (which is fully customizable) because it breaks down not just monthly and weekly, but also hourly. Further, develop and organize your ministry to run smoothly and effectively. Plan out your process of discipleship, your systems for students (check-in, joining a group, etc.), and your strategies for attaining your ministry goals.
These are just a handful of things I wish I knew sooner as I started ministry.
What do you wish someone shared with you when you started?
by Chase | Ministry
The first time a new guest visits your church happens online before they show up in person.
What does your student ministry website (or webpage on the church’s website) say about your student ministry?
Most likely your students will not head to your student ministry page. Your site should be geared for parents to gather information and for guest to catch a glimpse of who you are.
Our student ministry has decided to have a separate student ministry website that is linked on our church’s website. This makes it easier for us to promote individual events that are coming up. I’m not advocating that your team must create your own student site, but there are key bits of information that need to be communicated on your church’s page.
Here are three quick thoughts about what you should add and refresh on your student ministry website.
3 Crucial Concepts That Must Be On Your Student Ministry Website
Student Will Have Fun
Your site must communicate that middle and high school students enjoy their time with you. Guest families want to know that students enjoy being in your church and your church enjoys hanging out with students. The last thing they want to do is to head back to school atmosphere for a couple more hours on a Wednesday evening. Sharing pictures, videos, and social media feeds is a great first step to communicating the fun parts of your student ministry.
Your Events Are Current
Do you still have the permission form posted from last year’s beach camp? You need to monitor your website more frequently! Upcoming events must be clearly listed on your student ministry page with clear information and a call to action button. Parents need assurance that you are administrative and will communicate what is coming up. An out-of-date website communicates that you are out-of-touch with parents.
Communicate A Place To Belong
Most sites are so focused on communicating information that they fail to communicate the transformation that God is doing. Add a video, about us tab, or social account feeds to give a glimpse that students are building gospel-centered community. If a guest parent or student thinks that your ministry isn’t relational they will not visit.
Now What?
What additions need to go live on your website this afternoon?
by Chase | Ministry
If you search the web long enough there are thousands of ideas for you to grow your student ministry.
- Big events
- Retreats
- New Programming
- Switching Worship Times
Chances are you have tried a variety of the “boost your attendance” methods only to find that the growth didn’t last and the numbers started to slip.
As ministry leaders we must remember that Jesus is the head of the church. Every revival and spiritual awakening in human history began with a God’s Spirit.
Obviously I am not against change in the church or altering your student ministry, but I do know that we can become obsessed with the processes and fail to rely on Jesus for vision casting, transformation, and spiritual growth.
If you are in a funk and are trying to stop the slow decline in your student ministry here are two steps for you.
2 Steps To Stop The Decline In Student Ministry
Cultivate a Culture of Prayer
Is your student ministry a ministry of prayer? I’m not talking about an initiative or a sermon series that highlighted prayer. Is your leadership actually praying for and with people? You need to develop a culture of prayer by sending texts, call them, emails, and scheduling prayer meetings with key leaders over coffee. People need to know that you are praying for them. Prayer transforms our hearts, minds, and student ministries.
Cultivate a Culture of Finding
Being “seeker friendly” is alright to a certain extent, but as I read the scriptures I see that the seeker is Jesus not humanity. He didn’t wait for people to return to Him, He went after individual’s hearts. Our student ministries must be intentionally seeking after students. We can’t sit around and wonder why someone isn’t showing up. Your team must be intentional to make sure students are known by you and by Jesus. Who are you finding this week? Which students are on the verge of falling away and need to be found?
Now What?
Leading a ministry is difficult but we must continue to love God and others in everything that we do.
How can you begin to create a culture of prayer and finding in your student ministry this week?
