Youth Ministry Ideas » Youth Ministry Mentoring

A Different Kind of Intern

6drews — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:59:00 +0000

I’ve had this idea for a while about offering internships in our student ministry, with a bit of a twist. My twists sometimes freak people out, but ride this tornado with me for a minute… I’ve had a few college students work with me to fulfill internship requirements for graduation and those times have been mutually beneficial. I’ve seen some very successful youth ministries establish some great internships in that same vein for college students. But I’m wondering, what would it look like to hire one or two of my own students as interns for a year?

One of the frustrations we probably all have had in youth ministry is watching leadership kids get so busy with school and jobs and other activities that ministry slides out of their focus. Often the sequence of events goes something like this: First comes the driver’s license, then a car, then gas money, then increased insurance premiums as a result of “less than stellar” driving habits… Now, the student is working so many hours, he barely has time to finish his class work. Helping lead the youth ministry slowly loses ground in a growing list of important things.

But what if his part time job was learning to lead and serve in ministry? What if he could spend 15-20 hours a week working side by side with an experienced youth leader/pastor (that would be you)? The student gets a great job, you get the opportunity to invest in a few students even more deeply than you already do, the church gets to reinforce and train young kingdom workers with an almost endless stream of ideas and energy. I can see so many benefits…

But what about showing unfair favor? What would qualify one kid more than another? Jesus certainly figured out a way to manage the tension among the disciples that resulted from having a sort of “inner circle” with Peter, James, and John – but can we manage something similar between our overall student body and Matt, Mary, and Taylor?

I don’t think most students I know would be interested in this kind of internship, to be totally honest, but there are a few. So what are some kind of pre-requisites?

Visible commitment to Christ. This may be a little self explanatory, but if someone’s not committed to following Jesus, they just won’t fit very well into this kind of ministry.
Good standing academically. If a kid’s struggling to keep up her grades to stay eligible for soccer, she’s not even close. Tutor her, but don’t add to the growing pile of expectations she’s already struggling to hold up.
Desire to serve. If he’s not already serving in some way, neither of you will probably enjoy the internship.
Desire to explore vocational ministry. The intern doesn’t have to have already committed his life to being a youth pastor, but does need to be open to the idea and wanting to get some experience to help him decide.
No other job. We’ll make the pay reasonable, so the student won’t have to divide time with another employer.

What are the basic job duties?

Assist the youth pastor in planning and leading the youth ministry. (This can be better defined depending on the gifts of the student.)
Complete reading assignments regarding leadership & ministry.
Complete a gifts inventory & work with other students to find places of service within the body and our community.

Ok, Toto, we’re back in Kansas. What do you guys think? Do you know any youth leaders doing something like this? How’s it going for them?

*This post submitted by Mike Andrews. You can find Mike on twitter (@6drews) and on his blog.

Use the Power of Middle Schoolers For Your VBS

Steve — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:22:18 +0000

This week we are doing VBS at our church and I must say if you want a good idea – get some of your middle school students from the youth ministry to help you lead games or crafts or assist teachers.

Here’s Why:

Tons of energy – Middle schoolers will bring a natural energy to the group. This is really great for boosting enthusiasm and creativity.
Gives them some leadership – Since they are under an adult leader still, they are still able to lead but in a controlled way. Controlling probably isn’t the best word – more like harnessed. But what is great is they do have a wonderful ability to lead which may even surprise you!
They can see how God can use them – As they are serving and leading remind them that God is using them throughout the week and they will begin to see it as they help out. Also they can see that ministry isn’t just for older people but rather for all ages.

Recruiting them to help I found isn’t too hard. Middle schoolers can’t drive and typically aren’t working a job although some are. So my advice to you is to simply ask them to help you. In my last 10 years of youth ministry most middle schoolers seem to be willing to do something so don’t over look them.

Here’s how to keep them focused:

Be Upfront – Lay the ground rules and expectations of how you want them to act. Don’t be too critical or harsh because you want to still allow them to be them.
Remind Them – Yeah short attention spans need reminding. Once you see them going the wrong way them something immediately have a quick chat them them and it usually is fine. The longer you wait to correct soemthing that irritates you the harder it is to get it back to where you want it.
Encourage the Good Stuff – When you see something that impressed you on their leadership – give them praise and tell them that they did a great job! This also helps reinforce what they were doing and deep down inside somewhere they are smiling even if you can’t see it outwardly.

Youth Pastors Aren’t Replacement Parents

Nathaniel Dame — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:21:13 +0000

Why are youth pastors blamed for every bad thing any young person ever does in church?

And why do some parents put so much pressure on youth pastors to disciple their students, while taking little responsibility for their own kids’ spiritual lives?

These questions will probably continue to haunt us for a while, but it’s interesting to see study after study demonstrate just how influential parents can be (like this one and this one).

Here’s the kicker. In spite of the incredible influence parents have on teens, they don’t use it. Parents are spending less and less time with their kids. Some say they spend an average of 10 minutes in meaningful conversation with their teens every week.

Youth pastors are not and cannot be replacement parents. In fact, instead of traditional “youth ministry stuff,” we might find that some of our time is best spent helping parents be better spiritual leaders in their own homes.

That’s quite the challenge, especially for youth pastors that have never been parents themselves. But our experience with students gives us a lot of valuable insights that most parents of teens, who are scrambling to understand these strange creatures now living in their house, would appreciate.

Here are some tips for working with parents from some of my blog’s readers:

Don’t be a know-it-all, because you don’t, and parents won’t listen to you if you sound like you have all the answers.
Affirm that the family has much more impact on a young person’s development than the church and youth group, because it does. Emphasize your desire to partner with parents so you don’t sound like you’re trying to replace them (some parents may feel that way about you already, and resent you for it).
Demonstrate your credibility and talk about what you do know, like trends in youth culture and issues teens deal with. If you don’t know an answer to a question, then say so, and offer to find an answer together.
Always by sincere in your concern for parents and their struggles. Listen before you talk.

Nathaniel Dame is a youth ministry coach and youth culture expert. His passion is to equip youth pastors to be the leaders that God has called them to be and to have a deep, lasting impact on their students. He is the founder of Called to Youth Ministry and blogs regularly at Effective Youth Ministry.

Everybody you know should know these stats

Nathaniel Dame — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:48:40 +0000

If this doesn’t get you worked up and ready for action, I don’t know what will.

88% of children raised in Christian families leave church at the age of 18, never to return (SBC).
A majority of adults no longer consider Christianity America’s default faith (Barna).
64% of decisions for Christ are made before the age of 18, and 77% are made before the age of 21 (Barna).
An estimated 4% of the “bridger” generation, or Gen Y, will be Bible-believing Christians when they reach adulthood. Their grandparents’ generation: 65%. Their parents’ generation: 35%. (Bridger Generation by Thom S. Rainer).

Four percent. Four percent!!

We can’t sit back and watch this generation be stolen out of our own churches and homes. We must take action, and we must do it now, before they reach the pivotal age of 18 and make decisions about what they believe that will last for the rest of their life.

If you know anybody that needs to hear this, please pass it on. This is bigger than any of us alone, and by God’s grace, we all need to work together and rally around our young people–starting today.

These statistics are a wake up call that we can use to make people aware of the crisis that is already all around us. Let them inspire us to prayer, and to building deep, personal, and meaningful relationships with students.

Nathaniel Dame is a youth pastor coach and youth culture expert. His passion is to equip youth pastors to be the leaders that God has called them to be, and to have a deep, lasting impact on their students. He is the founder of Called to Youth Ministry and blogs at Effective Youth Ministry.

Five Practical Ways to Make God’s Word a Priority

Steve — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:30:40 +0000

This week’s Monday Ministry Helper is from Dr. James McDonald’s book: 10 Choices. The 5 title’s are Dr. James McDonald’s, but I have placed in my own thoughts about this. This week is about making God’s word a priority. Below are 5 practical things you can do to help you and your team make God’s word a priority:

Read it – We all know that the Bible is long and so it’s important that you take a steady dose each day to maintain a health spiritual heart, mind and soul. It’s best to have some sort of reading plan or otherwise you may falter. There are many great reading plans available and even if you are an online guy, you can get reading reminders by email or you can go online to a site like Bible Gateway and check out their reading plans.
Question it - Yeah it’s ok to question it. Not because you are against it but rather ask some of these types of questions: What is God trying to teach me about this passage? What am I to do with this knowledge? Are there any promises that I should claim? Does this remind me to pray for someone? What sins do I need to confess? Questions like these are great while reading the Bible because you can keep engaged and you will sense God’s hand and working in your life.
Plan and Pray It – Dr. McDonald suggests to journal your thoughts about what you are reading – or better yet “blog it baby” – that was from me;) He also suggests that you date and track spiritual growth. Also another great aspect is to pray God’s word. Praying God’s word helps you stay in alignment of His will and purpose for us as humans and the world we live in.
Memorize it – My son is in Sparks right now and he is really accelerating in his ability to memorize God’s word with the AWANA verses each week. I really don’t like bragging, but he wants to learn as many as he can each week and he is only 6 years old! It has convicted me that I need to be just as fervent about my memorization. A great way to do this is to take good ol note cards and place the reference on one side and the scripture on the back. I don’t want to stunt your memorization, but if you learned only 1 verse a week that mathmatically means 52 verses a year. How many do you know?
Share it – This is by far one of the most enjoyable times that I have in youth ministry because I get this opportunity to share the word with students. I encourage Bible study and struggling through scriptures. If it at all possible – move from using a book to doing your own Bible studies with the students you have. Isa. 55:11 “So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it”. So SHARE SHARE SHARE it!

Finally, how has making God’s word a priority helped YOU in youth ministry?