eQuip Magazine Fall 09

Fall 2009 volume 7, issue 1

NEW L Che OO and ck ou K! Your Guide to 365 Days of Youth Ministry

imp t the Det roved new ails e insi Quip. de!

Don’t Forget to Feed Yourself

Devotional Ideas to Encourage Youth Workers

MEET YOUTH MINISTRY

Connecting Church Leadership with Youth Ministry

Hanging With Purpose

Building Relationships in Youth Group

www.youthunlimited.org

THE INFO FROM THE DIRECTOR Youth Unlimited eQuip volume 7, issue 1 Editor Kristin Keizer

New eQuip!

Publication Coordinator & Graphic Designer Kristen Van Stee Contributors Rick Roeda Gretchen Driesenga Kristi Kruithoff Cody Statema Mark Knetsch Edwin Arevalo Megan Wunderink Jeff Kruithof Youth Unlimited eQuip is printed in the United States and is a FREE resource to contributing churches. eQuip is available for purchase at $25 /yearly subscription.

Canada Canada Post International Sales Agreement #41124116. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Youth Unlimited eQuip Box 1100, Norwich, ON N0J 1P0 CANADA Youth Unlimited Board President Ben Fergus (London, UK) Vice President Brad Laninga (Holland, MI) Treasurer Cindi Riemersma (Tinley Park, IL) Rick Abma (LaCombe, AB) Roger Drost (New Maryland, NB) Mark Elgersma (Minneapolis, MN) Jake Hiemstra (Goderich, ON) Arlana Huyser (Inwood, IA) John Rop (Muskegon, MI) Paul VanHofwegen (Tolleson, AZ) Frankie Wunderink (Henderson, NV)

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Is it just me or do the summers seem to go by faster every year? Finding ourselves on the doorstep of fall and the beginning of the new church/school ministry year often means a transition from the more relaxed relationship building to a more structured program driven youth ministry.

For many of you making this transition has been done for years, while for some this means a first and very scary step into the world of youth ministry. Are you ready? I am, let’s go!

Youth Unlimited’s commitment to continually serve you better has made us re-evaluate the eQuip publication. After listening to those on the front lines of youth ministry like yourself, we have made some exciting improvements to eQuip that we believe will better support you in ministry over the coming year.

The first exciting change you will notice is eQuip’s clearer more focused purpose – to assist youth workers with a year long, purposeful youth ministry plan. To help Youth Unlimited accomplish this purpose you will find a second exciting change – a new team of contributors. Seven experienced church youth workers coming from across the U.S. and Canada with diverse youth group sizes, cultures, and experiences are committed to sharing their knowledge and insights in each issue.

As we researched what would be most helpful for this type of resource, many youth workers admitted to the pile of youth ministry magazines laying on their desk (many being 70-80 pages thick) and the lack of time to read through them. They shared about their feeling of being over-

whelmed, resulting in a lack of desire to search through the ads and articles to find valuable information. Therefore, a third change for eQuip will mean it will now be delivered quarterly, with a commitment to keep it short (12-20 pages) and ad free.

As the team of contributors discussed what to include ensuring we deliver on its purpose, five common themes became evident – youth group community, events, communication, teaching God’s Word and leadership development. Therefore, in each publication you will find helpful articles, resources and insights in each of these key areas which we believe are necessary to have a life impacting youth ministry.

As you begin the new ministry year, remember you are not alone. Youth Unlimited and the youth workers contributing to eQuip are beside you with a heart to serve. We are always only a phone call or email away. We welcome your youth ministry questions and eQuip feedback so we can serve you well as you fulfill God’s call to minister to the youth of your church and surrounding community.

Jeff Kruithof is the Youth Unlimited Executive Director. He serves on the Student Ministry Advisory Team at Providence Church in Holland, MI. To get in contact with Jeff, write to him at jeff@youthunlimited.org or call 616.241.5616 ext. 3043.

CONTENTS 4-8 Season at a Glance: Timeline

ON THE WEB All of the web sites you find in eQuip are easily accessible from the YU web site. Find them all at www.youthunlimited.org/equip.

You will be prompted for your username and password. username: yupartner password: partner2010

Communication 4-5 Connecting with Your Congregation 6 Church Leadership, Meet Youth Ministry 7 Fall Plans Unveiled

Youth Group Community 9 Small Youth Groups Deserve Fair Play 10 Divide. Conquer.

Leadership Development 11 Don’t Forget to Feed Yourself 12 New Recruits

Events 14 What to Know Before you Go - Event Prep Checklist 15 Hanging With a Purpose

Teaching God’s Word 16 Building a Lesson

Insight 19 The Body of Christ

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INTERGENERATIONAL: Being or occurring between generations.

It seems to be the latest “buzz word” in the world of youth ministry, but is it really a new concept? Not so much. Intergenerational is what the Church was called to be. His people — all of them — young and old, moms and dads, brothers and sisters, are all the body of Christ and in ministry together. As we have been called as a Church to minister together, eQuip intentionally includes aspects of all generations in ministering to our youth.

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The Body of Christ Uniting Congregations in Prayer

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COMMUNICATION “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

—George Bernard Shaw

Connecting with your Congregation Keeping the whole congregation current with what is going on in your youth ministry is perhaps one of the best ways to keep them connected and plugged in with your youth. It is also sometimes one of the toughest things to do. ministry is a not just a babysitting club or community fun program, there needs to be ways to communicate our intentions.

Update and print fall ministry information/brochures.

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Make copies of curriculum materials, training tools, and policies.

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long way in creating a Youth Ministry presence.

Bulletin Announcements: Make regular bulletin announcements even if only a few people read them.

People will know where to look when they need to.

Technology: Create an e-mail or Facebook group of parents, grandparents and/or congregational members to send the occasional message. This is

Schedule a training meeting(s) for youth group leaders and Teachers for mid/late August.

Each issue of eQuip will contain a ministry timeline. This will be your general outline to keep track of where you are at now and what you should be planning for in the months to come.

AUGUST

Your Guide to 365 Days of Youth Ministry!

Finish recruitment of volunteer leader(s).

Practical ways to keep the congregation informed on your youth ministry program: • Meetings: Set up a parents/congregation meeting to briefly discuss the youth ministry at key intervals in your program year, ie: in the fall when programs are starting up again.

• Calendars: Make a calendar of important dates, whether it be a month in advance or 6 months. Include key events and dates, leader contact information, and the roles that each person plays in the youth ministry.

Make it easy to display, like on a fridge or bulletin board.

• Worship Service Announcements: If you can make the weekly or occasional Youth Ministry announcement during the service it can go an extremely

Finalize/re-examine your curriculum and make sure it is approved.

Why keep the congregation up with what is going on with your youth ministry program?

• As many of us have seen, students have notoriously short attention spans and forget what is going on pretty quickly. Even after months of promoting an event, it is very easy for the students to forget.

• Connecting with parents promotes accountability between youth ministry and the parents.

• It helps create a bond of trust between the youth ministry and the parents. As parents understand the youth ministry program, they come to learn that their student will be taken care of. Therefore when an event happens the parent is more likely to encourage the student to attend because they understand what is going on.

• It helps demonstrate professionalism for the youth ministry program. As we teach the congregation that youth

MEETINGS WITH THE CONGREGATION

DO: Hold them right after the church service while people are still around, or at a congregational meeting Keep them simple Introduce the leaders Introduce the goal/vision of your youth ministry program Give a brief outline of the coming year

DON’T: Be afraid to take questions, even if you don’t have answers Drag it out Be discouraged if gathering is small

TECH TIP: Want to get started with mass email list to keep your parents and youth on youth happenings?

Visit Youth Specialties’ Free Parent/ Student Newsletter which you can subscribe to and customize for your own Youth Ministry. www.youthspecialties.com/ freeresources/newsletters.

easy and there are various resources to help get you started. Put a youth in charge of blogging about your events and meetings and invite the congregation to join the feed.

Distribute fall outreach Invitations. (before September 30).

Recruit some parents to organize a fall outreach or other type of event.

Host a parent’s meeting (Sunday after Labor Day.)

Rick Roeda is the Youth Pastor at Mountainview Christian Reformed Church in Grimsby, ON.

Host a ministry kick-off type of event (after Labor Day.)

SEPTEMBER

Finalize plans for and advertise/send out invites for a kick-off event.

Mail updated medical forms to the students on your mailing list.

Above all, the congregation wants to stay informed and by working together you can bridge the gap and bring not only students but also parent and congregational support to your youth ministry program.

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COMMUNICATION

Church Leadership, Meet Youth Ministry Ever get frustrated when church leadership knows little to nothing about all that you do to run the youth ministry at your church? Take the initiative to connect with them and encourage them to be more involved. The more informed they are, the more supportive they’re apt to be.

Invite Leaders to Events and Meetings Request that one of the church leaders come to a youth group meeting, small group gathering, or social event once or twice a year. This will give them the opportunity to see how a youth group event is run. It will also give them the chance to watch the youth ministry team connect with the students. Seeing a typical event or meeting will help give validity to the verbal/written reports that you give to them.

Recruit some parents to organize a Christmas activity/celebration.

Decide on summer trip locations and book your spots.

NOVEMBER

Kristi Kruithoff is the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at Hillcrest Christian Reformed Church in Hudsonville, MI.

Host the Fall Outreach event.

Book a location for your winter retreat.

Create Opportunities for Them to Connect with the Students This past year, we created two events and invited the church council to participate (see side panel).

Begin praying about and researching winter retreat options.

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OCTOBER

Give a Regular Verbal or Written Report These reports can seem time consuming and unnecessary. However, you can never communicate too much with the church leadership. It is important for them to know what is happening in the youth ministry program at church, especially if a crisis arises with a student and his family.

If you do not already, request to give a

Actively seek their advice, wisdom and prayers Contrary to popular belief, the church leadership does not only exist to catch you making mistakes and scold you when you fail. Even though that might happen occasionally, it is important to go to them to ask for input and advice about ministry. The leaders in your church will feel honored and valued if you include them in the process of getting through challenges and difficult situations. They were called to their position of leadership because of their strong faith, wisdom and willingness to serve. Reveal to them some of your struggles and request their opinions.

Share specific prayer requests with them and ask them to pray with you on a regular basis.

verbal or written report to the church leadership on a regular basis. The more you make yourself available to communicate, the more confidence they will have in you to fulfill your job description as the youth director in the church.

Begin praying about and researching summer trip opportunities.

Know Who the Leaders Are Every church has a leadership team, committee, or council that oversees various aspects of church life and ministry. In my church, we have elders and deacons that make up the church council. It is important for you recognize who these people are. You should be able to call them by name and spend time in casual conversation with them on a regular basis. This will allow them to get to know you, ask questions about your ministry and see that you are visible to the church community.

COMMUNICATION

It’s your job, you are the youth worker.

Lesson

Youth Events Unveiled

`` Council Can Play That!

This past Thanksgiving Day morning, we hosted a youth group vs. church council bowling competition. Everyone showed up eager to challenge their opponent. It offered a great opportunity for the students and the council to interact. Great memories were made (and of course the youth group won)! A few months later, the youth group invited the church council to play a few rounds of paintball against each other.

This was a totally new event for most of the adults (and even some students), but they were great sports and jumped right in the game! To this day, the students mention this event as their favorite one of the year.

It really created a great foundation to start some relationships among the students and church leaders.

Have you ever wanted to know how to communicate with your youth parents, at the start of the year, what’s going to happen in the coming year? If you answered “yes” then keep reading. I’ll highlight a few methods on how to communicate valuable information to both the students of your ministry and their parents. If you have answered no then let’s first talk about why communication is so important at the start of every ministry year.

Recently I spoke with a parent in New Jersey that had not allowed her child to attend the jr. high youth group of her church. Her daughter had just entered the 6th grade and was now of age to attend the church’s middle school ministry.

Interested, I asked this parent for her reasoning. After all, I thought to myself, “Why wouldn’t you want your child to be a part of your church’s youth group?” Her response was simple yet at the same time very thought provoking: “I didn’t know anything about the ministry; he [the youth pastor] never communicated with me anything about the ministry.” She

continued to share with me how the youth pastor would only inform students about upcoming events, then when the event was drawing near he would call the parent and give final detail. For example, he called her on a Wednesday night to inform them that her daughter still owed $180 for the upcoming weekend junior high retreat.

The youth pastor informed her that their daughter said she was planning to go, and he assumed that she had told them about it. Youth pastors, let’s get one thing straight…actually two: 1. Never assume that your students communicated youth events with their parents.

2. It’s not your students job to communicate events and other youth related news to their parents…it’s yours, YOU ARE THE YOUTH WORKER! With that said here are some ways to help you communicate to the students and parents youth related events, news and happenings: • Gather the email addresses of all the youth parents in your church

Distribute Christmas activity/ celebration Invitations (before the end of November).

Hunt for a way to bless your youth group leaders and teachers for Christmas.

Pray about and develop winter message schedule.

Distribute information concerning the summer trip opportunities.

continued on next page

Need More Help?

At www.youthunlimited.org/eQuip you’ll find an ongoing calendar as well as updates of what your groups should be doing now. Visit today or add something new!

Cody Statema is the Pastor of Youth and Outreach at Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Edina, MN.

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COMMUNICATION To communicate is to share or exchange information or ideas, meaning there are multiple parties involved in an active exchange and response to ensure understanding.

Communicate vs. Inform To inform is to give or provide information, meaning one party is involved in the act of giving the information and anticipates receipt and understanding, however this is not definite.

Continued: Plans Unveiled

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and send them weekly emails about upcoming events. These emails may be the same for a few weeks in a row but your parents will appreciate your thinking of them and keeping them informed.

Hold monthly meetings with parents to gather their input and to offer them the latest in youth culture.

Make it a goal to meet face to face with parents as they drop off or pick up their teen from youth group and communicate with them any important youth related news.

Send your teens text messages or facebook them with all upcoming events.

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Spend the first month or so talking about your mission statement, vision, and theme of the year with your students during youth group.

• Lastly, consider a youth leaders retreat before the start of the ministry year. This will help get you and your leaders on the same page for the upcoming year.

Remember that the more you communicate with your youth parents the less they will be able to say, “I was never told.”

Edwin Arevalo is the Youth Pastor at Oasis Community Church in Moreno Valley, CA .

CAN’T TEXT? Want to send a text message but don’t have a phone with that function? Visit www.txtdrop.com and send a text from the internet to any US/Canadian cell phone for FREE.

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YOUTH GROUP COMMUNITY “There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle” -Robert Alden

Workin’ the Small Youth Group “How many kids are in your youth group?” Have you heard that question before? Have you ever wondered what you would do if more than 15 teens showed up to your youth group meeting? Being the leader of a small youth group presents its own set of challenges and hurdles, but can also offer unique opportunities.

The numbers game.

As leaders of small groups, we play it. We compare our small groups with churches who have larger ones. It can be hard to build excitement and consistency for youth group when only one or two kids show up. And with this lack of consistency, it can be difficult to plan a retreat or camp not knowing if more than one teen will be on board, not to mention how to budget for activities. Even with all these hurdles, I am a strong believer that every teen matters—even one or two teens deserve the same amount of planning and effort as a large group.

Good things come in small packages.

There are some very special opportunities the come from being part of a small youth group. A small youth group can foster close relationships among teens who might not normally associate with each other. In a small group people notice when someone is missing. Small groups might feel more comfortable to a teen who is shy or doesn’t always fit in. Most of all, a small group lends itself well to deep sharing and growth, deep account-

ability and long-lasting friendships. And on a practical note, some activities are just easier to plan with less teens!

Owning it.

I have been blessed with a great group of teens at my church. But, yes, sometimes it’s frustrating to have only a couple of them show up on a Sunday night. I worry that they’ll begin to think youth group is boring, or doesn’t matter, or isn’t important with only a few of them making an effort to come. But then I see them work together on a fundraiser or Vacation Bible School; or we have such great discussion time in youth group that we don’t even finish the lesson, and I am grateful for my small group.

On a “full” Sunday there are over six teens at our youth group meeting. That’s junior high and senior high together. Having such a wide range of ages isn’t always my first choice, and might not work for every group, but I have been impressed with how our older students mentor and care for junior high students. And often our younger students will challenge our senior high teens, holding them accountable and pushing them to grow. Having a small group also gives me the opportunity to do more “spontaneous ministry”. I am able to make a few phone calls, fill my car with teens, go out for breakfast, go paintballing, or go to a teen’s school event without weeks of planning ahead. When plans change at the last minute (and they often do), small groups are much more

flexible. I feel blessed to have a group of teens who dare to ask each other hard questions, and who are learning to be friends with people outside of their usual social cliques. Our youth group may be small, but it is special and unique in its own way. Recently, as we were working together on VBS prep, one of the youth asked me, “Do you think all youth groups are like this? Crazy and weird and fun?”

My hope is that yes, no matter what your youth group looks like, it is a crazy, fun, safe place to belong and grow.

Bless and be blessed.

As the new school year approaches, think about how you can promote community and deep relationships within your youth group. Thank God for the group he has given you, and make the most of your time with them, no matter how many or few teens there are. Don’t get discouraged when only a few show up for a wellplanned event - they might be exactly the teens that need it most!

Megan Wunderink is the Youth Pastor at Grace Valley Church in Las Vegas, NV.

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YOUTH GROUP COMMUNITY

Planning Divide and Conquer: Components of Building Small Groups As a high school student, I was a part of a truly genuine small group experience. Our leader was open, caring and genuine and we were mutually a part of one another lives. I was challenged and encouraged in my faith, and twelve years later still consider that group as having played a pivotal role in my faith development.

As a youth pastor, it has been my objective to create and maintain small groups where students are positively encouraged, challenged, and deeply connected to caring adults and friends. My hope is that students will value their small groups twelve years from now.

There are three components of small groups that are essential in making that objective a reality: Determining the purpose for your groups, discovering the culture of your group and developing the leaders who will lead your groups.

1 Determining the Purpose First you need to consider the purpose of your small groups. Determining your purpose and communicating that vision with your leaders, students and parents is important to do every year.

Questions to reflect on: What is the purpose of your small groups? Will groups be focused on prayer and accountability?

Will leaders have a specific curriculum to follow? Is your goal to have students meet new people or deepen established friendships, or both? Are all students expected to be in a group?

2 Discovering the Culture Each year the culture of our ministries change; you say goodbye to your graduates and welcome in new students. You may have leaders retire as well as new leaders joining your team. All of these changes affect your ministry.

3 Developing your Leaders Your leaders can determine the greatness of your groups; therefore it is crucial that they are equipped to lead. It becomes easy to assume that your volunteers are feeling prepared and confident to lead, but even the best leaders are still learners.

Questions to reflect on: Do you have students inviting friends into your ministry? How will those friends fit into small groups? How many students are in each grade? What is the ratio of guys and girls?

What are the interests of your students?

How many volunteers do you have to lead your groups? Do you have siblings within your ministry? If so, would they want to be together or as far apart as possible?

Questions to reflect on: What are you leaders’ gifts and how can you utilize them?

Are there local training events you can attend with your team? What topics, skills or methods are important to learn about?

Do you have veteran leaders who could train and encourage your newer leaders?

In what ways will you encourage your leaders during the year?

After you’ve assessed the three components, you will do well to remain flexible as issues or changes occur. Finally, as is the case in all areas of ministry, saturate your small groups in prayer, bringing your students, leaders, and your own leadership before the Lordship of Christ.

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Gretchen Driesenga is the Youth Director at Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, MI.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

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Don’t Forget to Feed Yourself

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

Luke 5:16

I have asked many youth pastors this question, “When was the last time you had some time to getaway and be with the Lord?” Most often I get the same response, “The last time?

I’m still looking for my first time.” As youth pastors, we spend countless hours preparing messages, planning events, calling students, driving the church bus, etc. In short we get so caught up in doing youth work that we forget the One we are truly working for. So, how do you maintain your personal walk with Christ so that you are able to be most effective to the young people with whom you are serving?

I’m encouraged by our Lord Jesus who, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark… left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35) In fact there are many references to Jesus spending time in prayer. My favorite being Luke 5:16, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed,” the key word there being, “often”.

So in response to my question: How do you maintain your personal walk with Christ so that you are able to be most effective to the young people with whom you are serving?

Answer: Pray often!

Early last year I took some time to be alone with the Lord and it was refreshing and rejuvenating. Though, to be honest, I was scared. Scared of what the Lord would reveal to me.

Scared that my time with him would be like a reprimand, “why haven’t you spent more time with me,” or “why aren’t you working harder with those youth?” My wife reminded me that my time with the Lord was not going to be a visit to the principal’s office but more like a walk down the beach with him.

I encourage you to consider these points to help you deepen your walk with the Lord: • Take a 2-3 day spiritual retreat at least 4 times during the year.

• Read Scripture for at least an hour a day—not for sermon ideas, but to be spiritually fed.

• Find a quiet, secluded location where you can pray for at least an hour a day.

• Visit a different church every few months (if your job allows). This will help you worship in a place where you are not the youth worker, but just a person worshipping the Lord.

• Find a mentor or an accountability partner.

Never say, “I can’t” or “Who will lead the ministry in my absence?” If you do not take the time to maintain your walk with Christ you jeopardize the ministry and the spiritual lives of the those that have been entrusted to you! Pray and often!

Edwin Arevalo is the Youth Pastor at Oasis Community Church in Moreno Valley, CA .

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LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

New Recruits One of the things that I have realized during my first few years in youth ministry is the necessity of clear communication with your team of youth leaders. After a year or two of being frustrated with trying to effectively organize and equip a strong leadership team, I finally realized that my frustrations might be prevented—what if I was able to write out the purpose, qualifications, and responsibilities of a youth leader? Then those who were being recruited would better understand the importance and value that they as volunteers bring to youth ministry.

See what I came up with on the following page. Use it an example of a youth leader job description that might work for your ministry teams.

You might be thinking that this description will be an overwhelming sight to anyone that is interested in becoming a part of the leadership team. However, you might be surprised to find out the opposite is true.

I have found that volunteers appreciate knowing in advance the specifics of what a job involves. This way, they know what to expect and are able to make room for this in their schedules. In addition, this also will give you a great opportunity to share your vision for youth ministry with your leaders. Many people think that agreeing to be a leader means that you become a rule enforcer, chaperone, or someone who just shows up at meetings and events.

Creating a job description allows you to

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show the ministry team that becoming a youth leader is also about developing relationships, acting as a mentor, and equipping students in their journey to know God and become more like him.

retreat together as a team. Show them your appreciation by writing personal notes, giving small gifts, or taking them out to lunch. And above all, pray with and for each leader on a regular basis.

Once this is established it is important that the Youth Director is active in evaluating and supporting each of the leaders on a regular basis. Clearly, being involved in youth ministry is not easy. Leaders can easily become discouraged and feel ill equipped or like they are falling short in their roles. If you are the Youth Director, it is important that you continuously find ways to encourage and show your volunteer leaders appreciation for strengths that they bring to the team. Also, try to use the gifts that God has given the volunteers and point out specific ways in which they are valued. Help to create leadership training opportunities to equip leaders by handing them leadership articles, youth ministry books, or attending a seminar or

Developing a strong youth ministry team is never easy. It will take time, hard work and discipline. In the end, remember to rely on God to help you form a strong and passionate leadership team that will be able to transform the lives of students to follow Christ wholeheartedly.

Kristi Kruithoff is the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at Hillcrest Christian Reformed Church in Hudsonville, MI.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Volunteer Youth Worker Job Description

Purpose of a Youth Leader Youth ministry is not possible without dedicated leadership. As a team, we will have the task of guiding, equipping, and discipling young adults in their walk with God. Being a youth leader is a calling that takes time, energy and commitment. It involves developing relationships, being a source of encouragement, supporting students in their life choices and activities and praying with and for students on a regular basis. In the end, there is no greater reward than to touch the lives of students with the love of Jesus and to watch them grow in their commitment to Jesus.

TO DOWNLOAD a workable version of this job description, visit www.youthunlimited.org/ equip.

You will be prompted for your username and password.

Qualifications • Have a growing personal relationship with Jesus Christ • Be a member of this church • Have a desire to equip and disciple high school students in their faith journey • Is willing to grow, learn and work together as a leadership team to further God’s kingdom through youth ministry Responsibilities and Requirements • Be in conversation with the Youth Director on a regular basis to share prayer requests, information about students, and struggles or highlights of being a youth leader.

• Attend and participate in leadership meetings.

• Attend and participate in leadership training opportunities.

• Be visible at most worship services and other aspects of church life.

• Help organize and lead youth group meetings by setting and cleaning up, participating in activities and games, and leading a small group.

• Develop relationships with students through meaningful conversations, encouragement, support and prayer.

• Help organize, and run fund raisers to help pay for youth group events.

• Attend and participate in social events and activities.

Events (to attend if your schedule allows) • A Youth Unlimited Worship Event • Spring Break or Summer Mission Trip • Fall Retreat

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EVENTS

Planning

EVENTS IN YOUR AREA If you haven’t checked it out already, be sure to visit youthunlimited.org/leaders and click on”what’s happening in your area” for the latest youth worker events near you!

Event Prep Checklist: A List of Goals Month by Month If you have ever browsed through a wedding magazine, no doubt you’ve seen the helpful checklists that tell you what you should be working on from one year up to one day before the wedding.

I always thought it would be helpful to have a ‘youth ministry checklist’ to help me plan ahead and organize my event goals. With all the differences in churches and ministries out there, this list is certainly not ‘one size fits all’, but if you are interested in starting your own ‘checklist’, here is a sample of items you could include: October ; Identify your objectives for 2nd semester and begin brainstorming what events will help you meet those objectives; fundraisers, leadership training, service days, retreats or overnighters, spring break trips, etc. ; Make a list of potential events and costs. ; If you are going on a spring break trip, do you have any registration or deposit deadlines approaching you need to be aware of? ; If you are planning a winter or spring retreat, it is never too early to start scouting camps and retreat centers and booking your dates. ; Check your student’s school calendars to identify potential event date conflicts.

November ; Spend time with your volunteers and student leaders to discuss ideas and give them ownership of the events. ; Continue working on topics and speakers for next semester. ; Choose your event dates and lay out your calendar for next semester. ; Make calls to event locations to check availability and details such as cost, group rates, if they require a specific student to leader ratio or any other event specific questions. ; Make travel arrangements; reserve vehicles if needed.

Having a well thought through event calendar and communicating it in advance is one way of showing your leaders and parents that you value their time and schedules. Organizing your time by planning for the semester over several months also helps you value your own time and energy.

Gretchen Driesenga is the Youth Director at Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, MI.

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December ; Confirm reservations with all of your event locations and finalize your calendar. ; Decide on your topics and speakers for the semester and order any necessary curriculum. ; Create a brochure or calendar of all your activities and events for the following semester. Distribute this to all your leaders, parents and students.

Include dates, locations, times, cost, travel arrangements, what students should bring with them and registration deadlines. ; Add the second semester information to your church website, blog, facebook site, bulletin board or church calendar.

EVENTS

Get creative, try something new!

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Hanging With A Purpose

“We only had one student sign up for a Spring Break trip to Six Flags. We went anyways.

This student had a lot going on at home, and just needed to get away.”

For some great ideas on group building games, check out Building Community in Youth Groups and Trust Builders, both by Denny Rydberg. They’re older books, but are filled with intentional activities to help your group grow closer together. Both are available at www.amazon.com.

Megan Wunderink is the Youth Pastor at Grace Valley Church in Las Vegas, NV.

Sometimes people wonder how playing paintball, attending school band concerts, and having lunch at Burger King, counts as a job. I consider myself lucky! The goal that is always underlying all the lesson writing, curriculum studying, and activity planning is to “hang out with a purpose”.

Lessons and teaching are important, but so are the relationships you build with your youth group, your adult leaders, and among the youth. Get creative and try something new. Use any and every opportunity to build community within your group. Below are some event ideas to start off the year to help build strong relationships.

A Fall Retreat Plan a few retreats each year. These don’t have to be costly; go camping or “borrow” someone’s cottage for a weekend. Plan time for worship and teaching, but also take time to play together. I usually plan 3 or 4 teaching and worship times (one Friday night, two on Saturday, and one Sunday morning). The rest of the time is filled with group building activities, games, and free time. Group building activities can be rock climbing, hiking, canoeing, etc. Even if only a few students sign up, go ahead with your plans; it will give you lots of time to get to know these teens on a deeper level and show them they are just as important as a large group.

A Newcomer Welcome Dinner/Night Invite students who will be joining your youth group and plan a night of group building activities. Send out invitations to

all students, and encourage them to invite their friends and neighbors as well. As the event date nears, call those students who will be joining your group (entering junior or senior high, depending on how your youth group is organized). Prepare your returning students on how to be welcoming and inclusive. Plan group building games along with silly, fun activities, as well as time to hang out and get to know each other. This is a great time to pass out a calendar of the year’s events. Make the night as welcoming as possible and focus on giving students a place to get to know each other and gel as a group.

Encourage Student Mentoring If your junior and senior high students meet together, pair high school students with junior high students of the same gender to be prayer partners or mentors.

Encourage teens to call, text, or email each other throughout the week.

Attend School Events If a teen in your group has a concert, play, or game they are involved in, attend as a group. This is a great way to build community without a lot of cost or planning.

Play and Serve Together Don’t limit your group’s hangout time to your youth group meeting. Schedule service days at your church or in your community, catch a movie, or meet for coffee. Teens often build trust and relationships with each other when they working towards a common goal or spend time together.

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TEACHING GOD’S WORD

Planning Building a Lesson Growing roots in God’s Word keeps our youth grounded, and holds them close to him when they eventually leave the safe confines of your program. Making disciples is our calling, so creating effective and relevant Bible lessons helps youth experience how God’s Word does indeed say things about today’s challenges.

Just like preparing a good worship experience every Sunday morning, preparation is key for teaching God’s Word. The leadership of the youth program at my church has met a couple of times throughout this past summer to put together the schedule for the 2009-2010 ministry year. We plan for youth group evenings divided into two sections: 1.) Hour of Discipleship and Funstuff and 2.) Missions Night. Planning for Hour of Discipleship takes a number of twists and turns, for examples, what have we noticed about this past season that would be helpful for us this coming year; what topics struck a nerve that needs revisiting; and what monthly speakers would be effective?

Last year we focused on exploring particular ethical positions held by the Christian Reformed Church (see next page). It fulfilled several needs: connecting our youth with hot button topics (they were indeed hot, we rarely finished on time!),

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connecting to the church, and connecting Scripture with real life issues. So, how exactly did we go about planning this once we agreed to actually do it? It went something like this: 1.

2.

3.

Agree as leadership on a particular list of ethical positions for each night of the year.

Book monthly speakers. On the night we dealt with war (I know, impossible to discuss in one night. Live and learn.), we invited a former member of our church who served in Afghanistan in the Canadian Forces to speak.

The weekly grind (we meet on Tuesday nights)… a. Thursday: Research ethical position. The website refers to the appropriate documents to read and points to appropriate Bible passages. b. Friday: Email the lesson plan to leaders as they prepare for their 20-30 minute small group discussion. Lesson plan includes: i. Introduction and goal of the night. ii. Homework! This is simply a collection of articles for leadership. iii. Launching questions about the topic as they lead their small group. c. Monday: What is the best way to communicate this topic to our youth? Do I use PowerPoint this week? A movie? A skit? A prop? d. Tuesday: Meet with leadership 15 minutes before the meeting to go over plan.

This outline works for us, but the point is not to carbon copy ministries. What works here may not work where you are. What works everywhere is a solid plan that starts with leadership far before the actual teaching date. Teens smell the scent of unpreparedness. Teens also desire to know about God’s Word. Yes, the Spirit still works through the spontaneous developments throughout the year, but the Spirit also works through your work as you plan.

Mark Knetsch is the Pastor of Youth Outreach/Discipleship at Immanuel Christian Reformed Church in Hamilton, ON.

TEACHING GOD’S WORD

Discussion Are you looking The Christian Reformed for HOT BUTTON TOPICS to discuss with your youth such as alcohol and homosexuality? Visit Below is the Chriswww.crcna.org/pages/positions.cfm tian Reformed or www.rca.org/Page.aspx?pid=491 Church’s position to read about various positions on on War to start your multiple topics as stated by the discussion.

Christian Reformed Church of North America and the Reformed All wars are the result Church of America, of sin, and although respectively.

God may use war in his judgment on nations, it is his purpose to make all wars to cease.

Christians are called to do all in their power to promote peace and understanding between nations and the resolution of differences without recourse to war, but they must also at times perform the solemn duty of defending their nations against aggressors. A just war is one in which the object is not to destroy or annihilate but to deter the lawless and overpower the enemy state in order to assign it to its rightful place in the family of nations. Its goal is to establish a lasting peace on the foundation of justice and a stable and righteous political order, in which human society can flourish.

The church must warn against glorification of war for its own sake, but pacifism that causes people to refuse to bear arms under any conditions is also unacceptable. Conscientious objection is discouraged except among those who believe

Church on War that a given war is unjust and therefore cannot morally justify their participation in that war, being convinced of their duty to obey God rather than humans. The church must extend Christian love and concern to those who take up arms and to those who choose selective conscientious objection.

Such choices must be made in the context of the Christian community and must be subject to the due process of law and even to the penalty of the law which has been conscientiously broken.

Synod 2006 adopted a comprehensive report by the Synodical Committee to Study War and Peace (see Agenda for Synod 2006, pp. 381-452; Acts of Synod 2006, pp. 670-77; www.crcna.org/pages/ synodical.cfm) urging the “agencies and members of the CRC to promote and actively engage in international initiatives for building peace with justice” (p. 672).

Synod also urges the CRC to call for government procedures “wherein those who object to selective conflicts on the basis of just-war criteria are honorably discharged” (p. 674). 1

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ARE LOCATED ON PAGE 18.

1 “Christian Reformed Church Beliefs,” <http:// www.crcna.org/pages/positions_war.cfm>, accessed on August 31, 2009.

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TEACHING GOD’S WORD

Discussion Discussion Questions on War 1.

Discussion Starters: True and False! a. War is always wrong, sometimes necessary b. War is sometimes wrong, sometimes right c. God approved Israel going to war in the Old Testament d. God in the Old Testament was a violent God, but changed in the New Testament through Jesus e. These words are found in the Bible: “For the Lord has a day of vengeance.” f. These words are found in the Bible: “The Lord is angry with all the nations; his wrath is upon all their armies. He will totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter.” g. These words are found in the Bible: “The sword of the Lord is bathed in blood, it is covered with blood.” (answer: past three verses can be found in Isaiah 34)

2.

How are Christians supposed to explain these verses to an unbeliever?

3.

What does this phrase mean, “The battle belongs to the Lord”? Is it fair then for other people, like the citizens of Jericho, to die so suddenly because of God’s judgment?

How do we make sense of Israel being so violent in the Old Testament when God is supposed to be all good?

4.

Though war may be something we do not experience first hand in our hometowns, it’s happening all over the world in numerous countries. In what way can you as a Christian address these global issues being so far away from them?

5.

It says in Psalm 46 that God makes wars cease. If that is true, then why did the Israelites fight so many wars in the Old Testament?

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NOTES:

INSIGHT

Prayer Body of Christ The church is a special place. Nowhere else will you find such a large gathering of people from different families, ages, and races all gathered into one place consistently every week.

We are all so different, yet from week to week we gather together. You won’t find it in a school, a place of business, a soccer field, or anywhere. On a Sunday night this past spring, the Lord reminded me just how special and beautiful his church truly is.

That evening our youth group invited the congregation to come and worship with us in the typical format that the youth group uses in worship. Usually things flow fairly simply with a welcome, some worship songs, scripture reading, message, small groups, a game, and a meal. For our small group time that night we had about 100 folks from the greater congregation in attendance as well as the youth group. We decided to offer a prayer time where people would huddle where they were and pray for needs in the community and for the church.

As groups were forming to begin this prayer time, I was praying that the Holy Spirit would move and be present in a powerful way. After opening the prayer time, I opened my eyes (yes, yes… I know, you are supposed to keep your eyes closed when you pray) and experienced something I was not quite prepared for. In front of me were the same groups I had just seen forming but they seemed different. Heads were bowed in every circle, but what I wasn’t expecting was the bowed head of a seventy-year-old woman next to the bowed head of an eight-year-old boy. The scene continued to strike me as I scanned around and saw similar images throughout the room. Grandpas, sons, and grandsons praying…Grandmas, daughters, and granddaughters praying… young and old alike, praying together, heads bowed next to each other, ALL seeking the Lord in prayer.

I began to tear up a bit as the Holy Spirit overwhelmed me with this beautiful image. In that moment I could see a little bit clearer how spectacular the church of Christ is when the body is unified with the common goal of seeking its Savior. I could see in that moment why Christ loves the church so very much.

Cody Statema is the Pastor of Youth and Outreach at Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Edina, MN.

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