Archive for August 2010

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GSM Fall Launch

Here's a little video snapshot  of GSM from this past weekend!

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Revealing Video about this generation

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GCC "GET READY"!!!

Mark (Beeson) is on stage preaching and he is ON FIRE!!!  (This post was written during our 7 pm service this past weekend in my office)  He's encouraging us as a church family to "GET READY" and that is exactly what he hopes we do!  I love the call of a leader to his people to prepare themselves (heart, soul, mind) for the work/days ahead.  I hope our people take him serious because we ARE going there! I will be doing everything in my power to prepare every part of me for the place that God intends to take us.  Have you ever sat in a service and felt like the preacher was talking just to you...yeah that's me right now!!!  The words Mark are preaching are touching me to my core and I'm thankful for moments like these.  It reminds me I still have a long ways to go and God is not done with me.  He still has lots in store for my life and still has lots of work he wants to do in me and through me.  Thank you God for using Mark! Here's some quotes that make a DEEP impact on me tonight!

• "Get Ready" - reminds me of my football days and coach giving me the urge to STRAP IT UP and get ready take the field to DOMINATE our opponent through our common vision!
• "Don't reject Christ because someone you know doesn't live for Christ." YOU set the example, don't give up!
• "ACTIVATE YOUR FAITH...DEMONSTRATE YOUR FAITH!"
• "OUR GOD IS ABLE!!!!!"

Context of this post: 1. Mark is speaking with us in light of his approaching Sabbatical and his hopes that this time will be a time of preparation for him.  In turn he hopes that we participate in this part of the sabbatical by also preparing ourselves for the days ahead.  So that when he joins us again we will be of one mind as we chase Christ's vision! 2. Currently at GCC we're in the process of dreaming about the impact we want to have in our community and across the world. It's already been so much fun, eye opening, & stretching!!!! 3. We're doing a conference this fall that will point directly to some of the how and why we're dreaming the dreams we're dreaming.  It's called "AND" Conference!  The topics we'll be diving into will be transformational for our church but also the western church!  At the AND Conference "we're inviting you to join the conversation as we focus on the Genius of AND – the power of the combination of the missional AND attractional strategies." Go HERE TO FIND OUT  MORE. This conference is for everyone!  We're hoping we can have tons of people who don't go to our church and tons of people who do go to our church!  It's an all-skate!

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GCC Baptism 2010

Here's a few of the shots from this years Baptism at GCC. 452 people took this step this weekend.

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How do we draw Millennials to church?

I wish I knew the whole answer to this question but here are a few things I've been thinking about: First read my Personal Disclaimer: I wrote this post for people who merely want to have as a part of their core mission to attract this younger generation to their church.  What I'm personally thinking is that I believe this will be a BOTH/"AND" effort as the church in the west moves forward.  Here is where we as a church will be engaging this discussion on a LARGE scale! TO FIND OUT MORE INFO ABOUT THIS "AND" DISCUSSION CLICK HERE. Here are my thoughts on how to get this gen into your church:

1.  WE HAVE TO BE MULTI-CULTURAL: If I can make a generality, most of our students like multi-cultural things whether they know it's multi-cultural or not.  (Examples - Music, clothing, language.)  Also every time I talk to my parents or think about my grandparents life-story I have to remind myself that younger generations are growing up POST-Civil Rights Movement.  Without US History classes in school most would have NO concept of pre-civil rights way of living.  This gen isn't afraid of other cultures and as a whole, they embrace it.

2.  The approach HAS to be rooted in your mission, vision, & values: You can talk all-day about what you care about but you live on a mission, striving towards the vision you find most compelling, & do that through the lens of the things you value MOST highly. 3.  We have to be authentic: This Gen can sniff a fake a MILE away!  They want you to "be real" about your relationship with God and not some "idea" of what following Christ should be like.  If it's hard, just say that.

What else needs to be done?

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Helpful thoughts on Fall Ministry Launch

Summers over, now it's time to ramp up and launch our school year program.  Here are some ways we try to kick off the school year.  (Some of these are spoken amongst staff but most of these are just built into the DNA of how to do ministry)

• Start with a bang! Whatever a "bang" is for you may look different than what we do but find what will be a big hit with your students and give it a shot.  The "bang" may be a new spiritual concept, literally fireworks/explosions, something funny, tons of bounce houses & a party feel, really anything out of the ordinary will do.  This will add excitement to the night. We've done all of the above before.

• Push Momentum generators. This is a great time to push what your focus for the fall/school year will be or whatever builds momentum in your group.  Our students love each other so we push Small Groups HARD the first three weeks.

• Have all your ducks in a row. I think this is more important in high school than in middle school (we all know middle schoolers love things more when the ducks are NOT in a row, haha).  In my experience some high schoolers are looking for a reason to discount the church as "not relevant to their life" or "just a knock-off of pop culture" and if there is a lack of excellence this opens that door for them...NOT TO MENTION GOD DESERVES OUR BEST!  (Also note: You have to define excellence for your context, don't judge it off of another church, it must be contextualized.)

• Meet the minimum expectations THEN EXCEED THEM. This one sounds odd at first but most students come to our ministries with a bare minimum expectation of what could/should happen.  Some minimum expectations are things like:  We will read/open/hear about the Bible, Jesus' name will probably be used, someone will pray, there might be music, someone will likely talk to us, I'll have opportunities to spend with my friends. So we try to meet those bare minimums every week (because they're good ones) AND THEN completely exceed them by trying to constant "redefine church/youth group".  This is especially important considering during the launch phase there are usually lots of new students. (Comment if you want me to write more on this topic).

• Don't forget the graduating classes. You'll likely have students in middle school who weren't previously in middle school (5th graders) and the same thing with high school (9th graders).  For us this informs what type of language, inside jokes, illustrations we use.  It's helpful to get new students caught up to speed on how you do things.  Inside jokes are great...unless you're on the outside so spending some time thinking through these things helps everyone feel included.  (Side tangent:  I also want to mention, there are times when inside jokes are VERY effective at building momentum even if people don't know them.  It provides an opportunity to say, "you'll know what we mean after [insert event name].  I love doing this around camps, retreats, mission trips...it builds awareness and curiosity that will draw people in.)

• Have fun. I was talking with a youth pastor from Texas on the phone a few weeks ago (he said I could share this) and he was so nervous about "making a good first impression" on the new students.  He wanted everything to be just right because "we only have one shot at some of these students and I don't want to miss out on reaching them".  These concerns are LEGIT and are definitely to be taken into consideration but I told him "don't forget to have fun".  Sure there is a GIGANTIC burden for those in Student Ministry to reach EVERY STUDENT POSSIBLE for Christ, but lets not forget where our strength comes from.  "Greater is he who is in us, than he who is in the world" ...HAVE FUN DURING THIS LAUNCH PHASE.  The enemy wants us to be uptight and afraid but WE WIN, so the devil can eat it!

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Church Music Videos are awesome

Love the creativity! KidStuf Live Promo - "Be$t Family" Music Video from North Point Media on Vimeo.

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6 tips for fighting poor spiritual growth

Tired of lack-luster spiritual growth?  Here are some tips that might help.

• DISCIPLINE: Are you sick of poor spiritual growth?  Then know that you're the only one who can change it.  Develop of plan/method and follow through with it.  Budget time for it and get it done!

• BE FLEXIBLE: Rigid plans/methods are ESSENTIAL, but don't lock yourself into lofty goals, like reading the entire Bible in a month.  Instead, aim for realistic goals like reading AND DIGESTING one book in the Bible in a month.  Finishing earlier is just icing on the cake!

• BE FREE: You have the freedom to develop a "custom" plan for your growth. Be free to do what will work for you...this implies you know yourself.  You don't have to take what someone else did and replicate it. (Although sometimes that's a good place to start if you're in the same place spiritually)

• OVERLOAD: Read everything you can!!!  Sometimes information overload can rev up your spiritual appetite so you desire more and more.

• BE GOAL-ORIENTED: Giving yourself a reason to get in shape spiritually is a great way to stay on track!  Sign up for a Bible Study, Topic Study, etc. These usually provide great accountiblity

• GO PUBLIC: Tell some people about your plans so they can encourage you and bring some accountability.  We don't like to let people down so sometimes this is a great motivator.

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What kind of Student Ministry Leader are you?

(Photo from Mark Beeson at Camp this past summer! Picture doesn't say anything about these leaders it's just a great photo!)

I've found that there are generally several types of Student Ministry Leaders when it comes to interacting with students.  Which one/ones are you?

• Pleaser: Tells students what they want to hear so they "like you".
• Truth-Teller: Tell students what they need to hear, with tact, regardless of how they'll respond.
• Passive: Refuse to say anything to a student that might rub them the wrong way.
• Harsh: Brutally honest/upfront with no tact.
• Overzealous: TMI too fast. Usually push too hard.
• Catcher: Always looking for ways to catch a student doing something wrong.
• Avoider: Prefer to stay away from direct contact with students.
• Open...but not too much: Hopes no students ask them any "deep" or "personal" questions about Faith
• Diver: Dive right in to whatever conversation is present.

Are there any that I'm missing?

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Failure to act = missing God?

"Often we miss the opportunity to act with God in the now. We fail to find, quickly enough, new wineskin for the new wine." - Dallas Willard How true is that?!! What used to work in church doesn't prove to be working as effectively anymore. (not saying it doesn't work, but the western decline in church attendance would prove that it's not AS effective as it could be) What used to be innovative is now 'old news'. What used to be cutting edge isn't even an edge anymore. As GSM kicks off this coming weekend I'm going to be looking for what new wineskins we need for the new wine God wants to give us!  I can't wait for this season of GSM to start!!!