WATCH OUT WORLD IT'S KINGDOM ADVANCEMENT TIME LED BY OUR TEENAGERS - Axis Kick Off Recap '14

I believe our youth ministry is poised for great things this year. (No, I am not saying that because it's my job. I really believe that God is up to something BIG this year!)

When it comes to measuring spiritual growth in a person or in the corporate life of a group of believers it's hard to measure growth week to week. It's much easier to measure the growth of a group when you look back a year ago. Spiritual growth was evident within our youth ministry this past year!

Here are some areas in which I have seen spiritual growth and in which God has made it known that BIG things are in store for Axis Youth Ministry this Fall!

1. Numerical Growth - We had close to 200 teenagers and adults at our Axis Kick-Off this past Wednesday!

2. Boldness through Prayer - One of my goals this past year was to have our students develop a boldness in their prayer lives. My desire is to have our teenagers develop the ability to pray out loud with confidence to their Father. This past Wednesday we had a prayer time for our persecuted 'family' in the Middle East and at least 75% of our teenagers got in groups and prayed OUT LOUD with BOLDNESS to their Father!

3. Boldness in Sharing their Faith - We sent over 100 teenagers on some type of missional experience this summer. We sent groups to Hyden, KY; Philadelphia, PA, and Chicago, Ill. We had all of our mission trip teams share in front of our group and our students did a great job of verbalizing their passion and what they learned about the joys of sharing their faith with the group.

4. Initiators in being Friendly - While our Slip N Slide Kickball event was happening I witnessed many adult staff and teenagers going out of their way to greet visiting teenagers or students on the fringe! We did not just have a fun event to have a fun event...we had a purpose of reaching teenagers through that fun event. Big difference.

5. People Want to Jump on Board - I believe that winning breeds further winning. This year we have 11 new youth staff who want to join our team in building up and reaching teenagers. It's all about getting the right people on your team and we are well on our way!

We are off to a great start to our Fall programming in reaching lost teenagers, teaching them Godly principles, and equipping them for work of the ministry!

Watch out world because it's time to storm the gates of hell with an army of teenagers! (Let's be honest that's a scary picture, especially to Satan!)

We shared testimonies of what God did during the summer!

 We prayed with boldness!

 



We heard testimonies of what God did on our summer mission trips!

We prayed and commissioned our summer intern Chad!

How many teenagers can you fit into a 'kiddie' pool?

Answer: Just One More

Surf's up! Coming IN!

SAFE!

Did That Just Happen in ONE Year!?! (Thoughts on One Year in Goshen)

I constantly find myself trying to slow down a day, or life in general, but time flies by so quickly!

I have been working at Grace Community Church for a year starting tomorrow. Wow.

Today, I took some time to just think about what God has done in my life within the past year as I look to kick off some Fall ministry programming. Spending a few minutes reflecting each day is important. (If you do not reflect and examine your life let me encourage you to do so).

Socrates - "The unexamined life is not worth living"

Here are some examinations/reflections on this past year

 

1. It will take longer than you anticipate to get where you want to go so keep your goal in mind and keeping taking steps in the right direction! (You can only do so much in a year, but you can do a lot in five years)

2. Marriage truly gets better every day! I can honestly say that I love and am enamored with my wife today more than before!

3. I'm a two time Fight Club graduate!

4. I have completed two years of Ph.D. studies! I will be done with all of my precedent literature reading, prerequisite requirements, and two years of classes this week!

5. Loneliness is when God speaks the loudest! Don't try to fill up silenced time with noise. Learn to embrace quiet times.

6. I still believe youth ministry is where it's at in the ministry field! I stay relevant and young working with teenagers!

7. Building a team is crucial for effectiveness in ministry! Teams must buy into the vision and truly enjoy working together.

8. Don't allow work to impact your quality time with your wife/(family)!

9. Reaching lost people must be at the forefront of any ministry!

10. Our youth program is about to explode! Now is the time to structure and plan for future growth.

11. I enjoy preaching, but I need to keep working at honing my craft to get better!

12. For whatever reasons God keeps locating me to live in rural areas! As a rule of thumb I like suburban areas more. 

13. My Achilles heel is good junk food! I need to become more disciplined in this area.

14. Never be afraid to lead in an area where God has given you a passion! Ever!

15. Allow room for the Holy Spirit to work in your programming and structuring of events!

16. Have a hobby or activity in which you can just relax or let loose!

17. Past relationships are precious to me! Make sure when transitioning from ministries that the right things are said.

18. Make sure you stay malleable and flexible as a person! The day you are unopen to change in your life or the ministry in which you oversee is the day it starts to become stagnant and dies.

19. Do not take yourself too seriously! Seriously!

20. Reliance upon God becomes more and more focal to my daily existence! I realize this more than I did a year ago!

 

What is God teaching you this past year?!?

How to Develop a Servant's Heart in Teenagers

Leadership is a 'buzzword' in today's world.

Everybody wants to develop leadership traits and there are countless books written on the subject of leadership.

While I believe leadership is vital, (I'm working toward earning a doctorate in Leadership studies), I believe that we can push leadership too fast and too hard onto people. What we need to be doing is developing workers first and out of the workers to equip people for leadership roles.

Listen to what Jesus said:

Luke 10:1-2

"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Here are two important observations:
1. Jesus believed in developing workers and servant leaders and he did this by sending people out on short term mission trips! (He sent seventy two people out two by two)
2. Jesus prayed that the people sent out would be workers in his harvest field, not leaders. We need to focus on developing a hard working spirit within teenagers and a servant's heart first before we put teenagers into positions of leadership!

Here are some ways in which you can develop a hard working kingdom attitude in the lives of teenagers

 

 

1. Send them out on mission trip experiences! Get them to be doer's of their faith. (This summer we sent over 100 teenagers on some type of mission trip experience).
2. Look out for teenagers that stay late to clean up after an event without being asked or who go the extra mile in setting up. Those are the teenagers worth investing extra time and effort into!
3. When giving teenagers upfront roles give those roles to the hardest working teenagers, even if they are not as good or as comfortable in front of people. Their servant's heart will be reflected back onto the group and at the minimum your teenagers will get the hint that if they desire an upfront leadership role they must work and serve first before getting an opportunity to lead.

"One of the worst things a pastor can do is give someone a leadership role before they are ready for it."

4. Give small groups of teenagers different roles to carry out during youth group. For example, greeters, clean-up crew, etc. (At my previous church I had a small group simply go around and make sure every student had a Bible during small group time. This gave the group something to work hard at doing and was also beneficial to the spiritual climate of our group).
5. You and your youth workers MODEL what a servant's heart looks like! Things are caught way more than taught. If you want your teenagers to be hard working and servant leaders than YOU must lead the way! Are you?!?

Students working hard during a mission trip in KY!

 

Students working hard edging a flower bed at Wicker Park during a Saturday mission experience/outreach in Chicago during Momentum!

If You Could Receive an Hourly Text From God Would You Want It? How to Know and Discern God's Will

I was asked to speak on the topic of Knowing and Discerning God's will for one's life to students at the Momentum Youth Conference this past week!

This is a hot-button topic as teenagers are inquisitive about the future. The amphitheater style room that I was given quickly filled up and there were approximately 100 teenagers that had to sit up and down the stairs along the side of the room because they wanted to hear how to discern God's will for their future! We easily had around 400 teenagers who desperately wanted wisdom in knowing what God wanted them to do in their future's.

Here's How I Presented Information on How to Know God's Will to 400 teenagers

1. Opened up with some fun activities. I told them that they could not use going to this class as a pick-up line for the week: "Hey, I went to this knowing and discerning God's will for my life Powertrax and now that I am an expert I know that God set you aside to date me!"

2. I had the students write out a 140 character tweet that if they were God they would send to themselves. I then had them debate whether or not they would want to receive an hourly text message from God telling them what they should do!

 

After much laughter and debate we dug into God's Word to find answers as to how to know and discern His will!

 

 

Here is the process that God has set-up

 

Step 1: God's Word will NEVER Contradict His Will! We must always follow God's Word. (Psalm 119:9-16)

 

Step 2: Pray about it! (Matthew 7:7; James 1:5)

 

Step 3: Share your situation with trusted individuals who will give you wise counsel! (Proverbs 15:22)

 

Step 4: Pray about it some more!

 

Step 5: Give God Time to Work!

(It took Noah 55-75 years to build the Ark and it took 100 years for Abraham to have a son)

 

Step 6: Trust that God will give you the correct path! (Proverbs 16:9)

 

 

Tidbits to Help You on your Decision Making Journey

 

1. Be prepared for God to lead you where He CHOOSES! (Proverbs 3:5-6)

 

2. Do not blame yourself and get anxious throughout the process! (Philippians 4:6-7)

 

3. We always struggle choosing between what is BEST instead of what is simply good. Use discretion to choose what is BEST!

 

4. God will put you through trials to perfect your faith! Do not try and escape the discernment process as God is refining your faith!

 





Fighting the Spiritual High - Taking Momentum Home in your Youth Group!

I have gone to the Momentum Youth Conference 13 times in my life!

It has always been a refreshing, revitalizing, and challenging week for me. I was asked to present a youth worker lab to youth pastors, youth workers, and staff who wanted to learn how they could use the Momentum Youth Conference to be a catalyst or provide momentum within their youth groups at home. It was a pleasure to speak with, pray with, and rub shoulders with the 30-40 youth workers that showed up.

Think about it: a church spends approximately $500 to get a teenager to Momentum. This is a significant investment. If you spent $500 on an item wouldn't you want to get something back for it?

Here's how to get the most out your investment after the Momentum Youth Conference is over!

 

 

1. Develop ways for students to connect and share about what God is doing/prayer requests toward the end of Momentum and immediately afterwards!

- Develop a Youth Group Facebook page/Twitter page
- Debrief about your Momentum experience (Make sure your students leave prepared for what they will face after the Conference!)

2. Have a big celebration/student ran service soon after Momentum! Get others to buy into your vision for the future.

- Use what you learned at Momentum to kick-off your Fall programming! Have baptisms, testimonies, and all of your students involved.

People only know what they SEE! If you want to get other students, prospective adult youth worker help, and financial help from members in your congregation they must see how your youth ministry and the Momentum Youth Conference is making a difference in student's lives!

3. Recruit adult help for the Fall!

- Your youth ministry is only as good as the adults that are helping with it.
- Adults are the glue to any youth ministry. You can NEVER have enough good adults!

Drop Out Rate of Students Raised in the Church after High-School

Number of Adults making a significant investment in a teen's life between the ages of 15-18 

Zero - 89%, One - 76%, Two - 68%, Three or Four - 59%, Five or Six - 57%, Seven or More - 50%

4. Come up with goals and a GAMEPLAN for the future!

- Use a phrase or a motto for the school year to convey your gameplan.
- Come up with 3 goals (get student input/buy in) about what you want to do in the Fall. Make sure one of them is a numerical goal.

Goals must be S.M.A.R.T

(S-Specific, M-Measurable, A-Achievable, R-Relevant, T-Time bound)

We as people have a gameplan for our career, retirement, and for where we want to go. Set-up a gameplan and structure for your youth group/small group/students that helps them get to where they need to go.

 

Every youth group needs a balance of DEPTH (growth) and BREADTH (outreach).

5. Dream BIG and DO equipping and serving tasks with your entire group!

- People UNDERESTIMATE what teenagers can UNDERSTAND and DO.
- Do not do youth ministry for teenagers do youth ministry with and by teenagers.
- We learn most about God and ministry outside the church walls.

6. Develop student leadership and give them tasks to DO!

- Some ideas in which you can help talented young people develop their ministry skills:
Develop an 'internship' program, student leadership team, delegate most of your responsibilities to your teens: sound, greeting, worship, creative arts (dance, parody vidoes), and teaching.

Does your youth group do well in these given areas?

The Five W's of an Effective Small Group/Youth Group

Welcome - Friendly/Greeting people (#1 reason people stay at a church)
Worship - Giving testimonies/Sharing what God has done
Witness - Needs to be sharing Christ with the lost
Word - Discussion always needs to focus on God's Word
Walk - Accountability with other believers

 

Momentum Recap 2014 - How our Teenagers Stuck it to Satan

Have you ever felt like Satan was attacking you or a group of people with everything he had?

 

This past week Satan did not want our teenagers to have a great week at Momentum at Wheaton University! He attacked us in many different ways:

 

1. We had transportation problems. Our trailer with all of our luggage did not make it a full mile before having to go back to the church. One of our buses broke down outside of Chicago. Our 15 passenger van's battery died on a food run on Friday afternoon. Our transportation problems did not stop us though!

 

2. We had illness issues. We had at least 3 students who got the flu and many others who did not feel well throughout the week. Our illness problems did not stop us though!

 

3. We had scheduling issues and logistical nightmares to wade through as transportation, illness, and other factors mounted. We did not allow any of those issues to stop us though!

 

When Satan attacks God's people only have two options. We can pout, become paralyzed, and eventually retreat or we can boldly move forward in the name of Jesus! Our group boldly moved forward!

 

Satan did not want us at Momentum and it was obvious why:

 

1. Half of our teenagers make commitments to be more of a follower of Christ than simply a fan!

 

2. We saw 25 students give up an afternoon of free time to hang out, love on, and share the gospel with elementary aged children that lived in poverty stricken governmental housing areas.

 

3. We saw our group of 81 travel into downtown Chicago to do manual labor at Wicker Park. Afterwards, we spent two hours canvassing the Wicker Park Festival which was loaded with thousands of people packed into nine blocks. We met lesbian rights activists, homeless people, and atheists. We talked to and prayed with a large number of people during our Saturday outreach and did our best to make God look good! Satan had a hold on that area but we did our best to shine the light of the gospel.

 

4. This summer we have sent over 100 teenagers on some type of mission trip experience! Satan did not want us to experience the joy in serving and reaching others because he knows that when the school year begins our teenagers will be motivated to reach their friends at school. I am expecting big things this next year from our teenagers and Satan did whatever he could to thwart our efforts!

 

Even though going through some difficult situations our teenagers responded well and pushed on. We prayed when it was obvious that we were under attack and moved forward. God was glorified, Satan relinquished, and our group's faith become bolder! Way to go Axis teenagers and youth workers!



 

 

Our entire group gave up their Saturday to clean up Wicker Park and encounter and pray with people during the Wicker Festival in downtown Chicago!

These students gave up their afternoon to love on these elementary kids!

Axis teenagers challenged the Winona Lake GBC youth group to a game of dodgeball! We won, of course! #IBelieveThatWeWillWin

Students working hard on Saturday Morning at Wicker Park!

One of the most MEANINGFUL and MEMORABLE Mission Trip Moments

This past week our church sent a group of 12 teens/adults to do mission work in Leslie County, KY. The county has the highest drug abuse rate per populace in the state of Kentucky! 

 

This trip was unique more than any ever mission trip experience that I have ever taken for the following reasons:

 

1. Our teenagers gelled and bonded faster and deeper than any other group I have led. As soon as we got back from our trip a Facebook conversation started that had prayer requests and ideas for how we could continue relationships built with the people we encountered! The best and the deepest relationships are forged in the fires of missional living!

2. Our group did a prayer walk in the nearby town of Hyden which had never happened before. We encountered people, prayed for them, and helped people move groceries into their home.

3. Our group prayed for the entire church and laid hands on them after our Sunday Morning service which no other group had done before. Members of the congregation were in tears as they knew that young people 'had their back.'

 

Our group also accomplished A LOT:

 

- We planted an entire garden, cleaned gutters, hauled dirt, washed walls, and destroyed kudzu with machetes.

- We did a children and teen outreach where we would pick up children in 15 passenger vans every night. We saw 30 different kids walks through our doors and 3 of them made decisions for Jesus!

- We led the congregation during their Sunday Morning worship service experience. Our teens led through worship, testimonies, and watching elementary kids during Jr. Worship. Our summer intern, Chad Wilson, preached and knocked it out of the park.

 



The MOST MEANINGFUL and MEMORABLE part of this mission trip though was none of what I just mentioned.

 

Late on Saturday Night, the pastor and his wife Sam and Betty Baer, invited us into their home which is attached to the church. There we shared stories and sung hymns as a group. The night was a beautiful picture of older and younger generations coming together to sing worship songs, pray, and call upon the Lord for revival. The pastor and his wife did not want us to leave and we stayed almost to midnight. I was touched by the missional and sensitive heart of the pastor and his wife who had labored for 35 years in Kentucky. They were hungry for a revival in their community. I told my wife that when we get that old (which will come sooner than later) I hope I maintain that same spirit. It was a refreshing and memorable night for me!

 

Our group can not wait to go back next year and to continue the work that was started!