Monk Does Youth Ministry

Alicia and I get hooked on television shows (Duck Dynasty, Hoarders, Clean House) and thanks to Netflix we have the ability to watch shows that we missed the boat on.  Even thought we missed out on the whole series of Lost, we were still able to watch it online.  One show that I often watch on my days off is Monk.  The show is about a former detective with debilitating OCD tendencies.  Most of us like order, to some extent, but this guy is bad.  Monk brings his own sheets to a hotel, a suitcase full of sierra springs bottled water, and the list goes on and on.

The show follows Monk as he’s contracted out on cases to help the police solve problems that they never would be able to on their own.  The thing about Monk, is he notices things that no normal person would notice and that is exactly what makes him the best.  Monk has an attention to detail that is unparalleled.  Monk will notice one thing out of place, that in turn helps to solve the crime and put the bad man behind bars.

I would love to sit and chat television with you all day, but there is a point that I want to make.  The reason that Monk is able to solve the crime is because he makes sure that every detail is attended to and I think we could use a little more of that in youth ministry.  If you are anything like me, I get completely frustrated with unprofessional youth pastors who do a half-effort job.  The thing is, these youth pastors give every professional youth pastor out there a bad name.  Even if I work hard to be as professional as possible, people will always have their preconceived notions of what a youth pastor is.

I would ask that all of you who are involved in youth ministry would strive to a level of professionalism that would change the view of youth pastors in ministry.  We all wonder why people ask when we are going to grow up and be a “real” pastor and the reason is, because people don’t view youth pastors as professionals.  By taking a cue from Monk, I would ask you to pay attention to detail.  Take the first step toward changing the church world’s perspective of the professional, detail oriented, youth pastor.

-Jason

Pinterest and Ministry

I am generally a late adopter.  I was not the first on the I-pod bandwagon and I am still not a Mac user (cue gasp)!  I am not the person who needs the newest I-pad and I can remember mocking the I-pad and it’s sustainability (you won that one Apple).  I also couldn’t understand the need for a camera on the I-pad but I guess everything in life needs to be Instagramed these days.

With all of that said, I have a Pinterest account, but I generally only use it to post OneBeat’s posts.  I see the benefit of Pinterest if you’re a girl who likes clothes and recipes, but I could not find a need for me to use it.  I love reaping the benefits of my wife’s searching, because that means we get such amazing creations as this cookie inception:

That’s an Oreo inside a chocolate chip cookie!

I have looked for a reason to use Pinterest, but until this morning I had yet to find one.  However, as I wasted time looking through some random person’s “Halloween” board I started to see the light.  Maybe this Pinterest thing is a much more valuable tool than I have ever given it credit as.  Maybe I could incorporate Pinterest into our event planning!

If you or your church is anything like me, then you like to start planning events well ahead of time.  Also, I like to have a lot of creative input as to what we incorporate into our events.  I do not see myself as a creative person (even though people tell me I don’t give myself enough credit), so I like to have the crafty people thinking about how we could decorate.  So my question is, where do crafty people save their crafty ideas? Answer, Pinterest!

So here are my Pinterest ideas for you ministry:

1. Start A Group Board for Your Student Ministry:  Invite your students, your leaders, and your parents to join this board.  This could be for anything.  You could pin verses, announcements, anything really.  Pinterest gives people a very easy way to scan through whatever you’ve got going on.  This also gives other people the ability to pin things to the board as well.
2. Start Group Event Boards:  If you are doing an event, create an event board to start collecting all of your ideas in one place.  You can link to potential curriculum, decoration ideas, etc.  Pinterest can be a virtual whiteboard for collecting all of your leaders ideas into one place.
3. A Youth Ministry Rules Board:  Students tend to forget the rules in your student ministry so start a rules board.  You can utilize memes and funny pictures to keep it light while still having something to refer back to.
4. The Possibilities Are Endless:  There are endless possibilities to how you could utilize Pinterest for your ministry.

My question for you, how do you use social media in your student ministry?  Please comment below.  Also, follow the OneBeatBlog board on Pinterest!

-Jason

Fall Is In The Air

There’s something about August and September that is invigorating for me.  People are acquiring school supplies.  Stores are dishing out sales like it’s candy.  Sports camps are starting practice.  College students are moving in and out of the area.  Businesses are getting busier.  Football is getting back in swing.  Fall is about to arrive.

I don’t know about you, but I love this time of year almost as much as I love the fall (aka football season).  Similar to the New Year, everyone gets a new start.  This is especially true for students, whether they’re on their way to a new school or not.  What happened last year was erased by the summer, and everyone has done a whole 3 months of growing up, at least a little bit.  New topics are introduced.  New sports are attempted.  New friendships are formed.  And new memories are made.

So how does this all relate to student ministry?

Well, since this is the environment in which all students function, our ministries should be a reflection of this energy.  We need to know where our students are at, and respond in fashion.  Capitalize on the energy a new school year brings and harness it in such a way that encourages your students to strive for an ever-growing and ever-improving relationship with God.

Your, my, and our teens’ relationships with God will always have ups and downs.  Make sure to teach this to your students!  Don’t let them buy into the myth that healthy relationships with God are full of mountain-tops, though there are many.  If they believe this then they will quickly get discouraged and throw in the towel on God, and that is the last thing that we want for them.  Fall may very well be a “high” for them because of the energy of the season, but valleys quickly follow.  Following God is often a difficult, strenuous journey, and Christ made that very clear when He told us we’d have to take up His cross to follow Him.

Fall is no doubt one of the busiest times of the year.  Not only are sports super active and exciting, but before you know it you’ll be hit with the holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years back-to-back-to-back.  I say that to give you caution.  Our teens are incredibly busy.  I was too when I was their age, but it only gets busier as new generations come.  Please keep this in mind when you are strategically scheduling events.  Maybe that means you should schedule time in your families and ministries to have some “down time”.  Spend time building personal, deep relationships, not merely filling their calendars.

I hope you are all excited for the Fall season as I am!  I also hope these reminders about some of the exciting and dangerous things about the season will help keep you focused.  Now get out there, get pumped, and love on some teens!

-Alicia