Last night I had a unique experience. A lot youth pastors will laugh when I say this, but there are several out there who are going to nod knowingly, and a few who will be jealous. I say unique because it's something I've rarely had happen to me. So enough stalling, here it is: Our small groups happened and succeeded without Tiffanney or I there. Our leaders are really stepping up, and they've taken small groups to a level that Tiffanney and I could not have gotten them to on our own. It feels like our group is multiplying! I'm loving it!
-Jeff-
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Monday, March 16, 2009
Saturday, March 7, 2009
How to Confront in Love
I hope this works, I'm blogging from the berry today! These are notes I took from one of our interactive sessions by Dan Hunter:
How to correct someone:
1) Get God's wisdom
- Hebrew 12:10-11
- If we get God's wisdom, it will always lead back to His grace.
2) Select the right moment.
- Praise in public and correct in private. - The right moment is not when you're angry. If you're angry, walk away. Get someone else to talk with them first if you need to.
- The wrong moment can make the right correction wrong.
- The goal isn't to be right, it's growth.
3) Be genuinely concerned.
A) listen to them, let them talk
B) watch their reactions
C) help them grow
4) Let them teach themselves
A) ask general questions
B) ask specific questions
C) ask forseeing questions
D) ask loving questions
5) Address the issue directly
- If we beat around the bush, they may leave the meeting without a clear picture of what they did wrong and how to fix the problem.
- don't talk in code, and don't avoid the main question because you're afraid to say the words
6) Go to the root of the problem
7) Challenge them throughout the meeting
- Let them know the mistake they made will not haunt them the rest of their lives.
-Jeff-
How to correct someone:
1) Get God's wisdom
- Hebrew 12:10-11
- If we get God's wisdom, it will always lead back to His grace.
2) Select the right moment.
- Praise in public and correct in private. - The right moment is not when you're angry. If you're angry, walk away. Get someone else to talk with them first if you need to.
- The wrong moment can make the right correction wrong.
- The goal isn't to be right, it's growth.
3) Be genuinely concerned.
A) listen to them, let them talk
B) watch their reactions
C) help them grow
4) Let them teach themselves
A) ask general questions
B) ask specific questions
C) ask forseeing questions
D) ask loving questions
5) Address the issue directly
- If we beat around the bush, they may leave the meeting without a clear picture of what they did wrong and how to fix the problem.
- don't talk in code, and don't avoid the main question because you're afraid to say the words
6) Go to the root of the problem
7) Challenge them throughout the meeting
- Let them know the mistake they made will not haunt them the rest of their lives.
-Jeff-
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Brainstorming: What to do with our Adult Leaders
How many leaders are too many? God has been blessing us with leaders, in fact I think I could have 5 more if I asked specific people in our church to do things, yet I'm not sure how to keep the leaders I have busy. This Sunday we're having a leadership meeting, and I've been brainstorming tasks to keep them all involved. I LOVE OUR LEADERS, AND I COVET HAVING THEM AROUND. I hope none of them ever feel like they're unimportant to the ministry, because I know that it's crucial to have them around.
I don't want to give them busy work, because I know that they're far too talented and busy with their lives to be doing menial tasks that I could easily accomplish during the week (or give to our equally amazing student leaders). These tasks are above and beyond their main job of loving students and pouring into their lives. So I'm looking for tasks that are essential to keeping the youth ministry running smoothly, and here's what I've come up with so far:
1) Security. Every few weeks we need one of them to be in charge of walking the building and getting stragglers back into service. Also we need them to be watching the students who leave the sanctuary, and we need them to watch the sound booth to ensure there are only two students at a time up there.
2) Prayer time. It would be nice to have one of them in position at 6:30 to get the prayer time started and running smoothly. Tiffanney and I usually get caught talking, so it would be nice to not have that worry.
3) Visitation Ministry. I need someone whose organized and would want to either come in for an hour on Thursdays or work from home but who would put together the youth database for me.
4) Online Presence. I need someone who will start and facilitate discussions online, make the youth group myspace look cool, and other things like that.
5) Setup/Teardown. This is already happening, but I want to mention it because I value it so much. Every week we put up these moving walls in the sanctuary to make the space feel more intimate, and these things are a pain. It involves taking them out of the closet they're stored in, handing them to someone on the main floor by passing them over the edge of the balcony, and then getting them in their correct spots. And then we reverse the process at the end.
6) JR High event planning. As we grow bigger, I'd like to see us do some events that are targeted more at different age groups. It would be really cool to have someone step up and start doing Jr High only events, as well as HS only.
7) Small Group Leaders. Is there a dumber name to call small groups than small groups? Yet that's what we're doing right now 'cause I'm too lazy to switch them over to Cadres or something cool like that. Anyway, we will need leaders as the groups get bigger. John is doing a great job with the Sunday School class, and I'd include that under small groups (not saying we need a leader, I'm brainstorming all of the jobs that are needed in the youth ministry).
Those are just a few ideas. If you're one of my leaders and you're reading this, leave a comment telling me what you'd like to do, or suggesting something else I haven't already thought of. Also, come ready on Sunday to talk about where you'd like to get involved.
Am I missing anything? Leave me a comment and let me know.
-Jeff-
I don't want to give them busy work, because I know that they're far too talented and busy with their lives to be doing menial tasks that I could easily accomplish during the week (or give to our equally amazing student leaders). These tasks are above and beyond their main job of loving students and pouring into their lives. So I'm looking for tasks that are essential to keeping the youth ministry running smoothly, and here's what I've come up with so far:
1) Security. Every few weeks we need one of them to be in charge of walking the building and getting stragglers back into service. Also we need them to be watching the students who leave the sanctuary, and we need them to watch the sound booth to ensure there are only two students at a time up there.
2) Prayer time. It would be nice to have one of them in position at 6:30 to get the prayer time started and running smoothly. Tiffanney and I usually get caught talking, so it would be nice to not have that worry.
3) Visitation Ministry. I need someone whose organized and would want to either come in for an hour on Thursdays or work from home but who would put together the youth database for me.
4) Online Presence. I need someone who will start and facilitate discussions online, make the youth group myspace look cool, and other things like that.
5) Setup/Teardown. This is already happening, but I want to mention it because I value it so much. Every week we put up these moving walls in the sanctuary to make the space feel more intimate, and these things are a pain. It involves taking them out of the closet they're stored in, handing them to someone on the main floor by passing them over the edge of the balcony, and then getting them in their correct spots. And then we reverse the process at the end.
6) JR High event planning. As we grow bigger, I'd like to see us do some events that are targeted more at different age groups. It would be really cool to have someone step up and start doing Jr High only events, as well as HS only.
7) Small Group Leaders. Is there a dumber name to call small groups than small groups? Yet that's what we're doing right now 'cause I'm too lazy to switch them over to Cadres or something cool like that. Anyway, we will need leaders as the groups get bigger. John is doing a great job with the Sunday School class, and I'd include that under small groups (not saying we need a leader, I'm brainstorming all of the jobs that are needed in the youth ministry).
Those are just a few ideas. If you're one of my leaders and you're reading this, leave a comment telling me what you'd like to do, or suggesting something else I haven't already thought of. Also, come ready on Sunday to talk about where you'd like to get involved.
Am I missing anything? Leave me a comment and let me know.
-Jeff-
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