7 Things To Do To Keep The BIG "MO" After Shabbach!!

Let's be real. The real reason we sell all those doughnuts, do all those carwashes, and boil all those hotdogs is for the MOMENTUM we get building up to, during, and after the conference weekend with your group! And to be honest, that's one big reason why I do what I do for the other groups that come. The tough part is, like a filled baloon,  MOMENTUM deflates slowly. I believe that the conference weekend changes people on a personal level, but I also believe it has the ability, through the works of the Spirit, to be a time where God shifts an entire group into a new level of commitment to their collective cause in their place of ministry.
Here are 7 things I recommend you do (as the leader) to keep the balloon as full for as long as possible. Who knows, by the time they finally come off their high of the conference, you'll be loading them into the vans and buses for summer camps!!
Hope this helps!!
1.  Record Video testimonies (or live testimonies) and use only 1-2 each week verses one BIG sunday night service or wednesday night. If you space them out, the students you will be using will be forced to hang on to their testimony much longer than a couple days. This will also remind those that went of what they witnessed.
2. Whatever "THE" worship song is that struck a chord with your youth group, take it home with you and begin to use for worship or pre-service time.
  a. 5 Seconds by Canton Jones - we played this song in our pre-service music and I had dozens of kids and leaders come up and ask who that was. Use it to start your services out as well. It will remind them of the conference atmosphere.
  b. Show Me the Way/I Call You Jesus - USE them in your worship time with your kids. Not every single week. But maybe for the 1st month after the conference and then rotate them in ocassionally.
3. Designate a once a month shabbach T-shirt DAY. Let them wear it to school that day and then to church that night. It will remind them of what God did the night they purchased that shirt for a while. email Cathy at productsales@shabbach.com and purchase extra shirts and gear to give out during each of those monthly services.
4. Display a HUGE group Pic and/or collages of the weekend at the entrance to your youth area. I would encourage you to let some of the pics be funny (for relationship building) and some to be of your kids worshipping and crying, etc (for a reminder of how they pursued their relationship with God.)
5. Have a few follow-up "Hotel room hangout" nights. Encourage your chaperones/staff to take a night once a month or so and have a sleepover or a couple hours to hang out and reestablish the fun they had in the hotel rooms. Who knows, this could be the birthing of your small group ministry!!
6. Encourage your group to target 5 kids in your group who did not go this year and force them to make plans now for next year. This will give them something to DO with the relationships they HAVE. It's the Great GO!Mission not the Great Suggestion.
7. Anytime a "Shabbach" speaker or minister is close enough to drive too, take your crew and SHOW up to what they are doing. This isn't about another church or "following" a preacher, it's about YOU making sure your kids don't LOSE what they got. Be selfish. If somone is bringing in one of the Shabbach people relatively close to your area, take full advantage of not having to pay for the opportunity. But hey, if you have the budget to play with and you KNOW your kids will value the experience, you pay the price (or join forces with a couple churches) and facilitate the opportunity for other groups close by to link up with. They'll thank you for it.

Do you have any other ideas your group uses taht could benefit other leaders with regards to keeping the BIG "MO"???
Comment them.

Trinity - 1 God, yet 3 distinct persons???

Last night, I did a message on wrapping your mind around the Trinity, as much as humanly possible. It is a very complex issue that can't be watered down to a single analogy. However, scriptures make it abundantly clear there is 1 God in 3 distinct persons. I broke this message down into what I call, "3 Trinity Truths." In order to "show" my students what I'm talking about, I used a simple, yet very effective illustration of the Trinity.

Illustration: The Father/The Son/The Holy Spirit
I brought 3 students, 1 stood in a "profile" stance, another in a "frontal face" stance and the last in a "bowed head" stance (to show the top of her head to the congregation.
1. The profile is representation of the Father.
the old testament only reveal "types" and "shadows" and profiles of who The Father really is. We can't seem completely. He does not make himself fully know to us. So we have know knowledge of His depth and see him for who He is.
2. The Frontal represents the Son
We see Jesus for who he is in the writings of the New testament. It is revealed in his deeds and sayings. So we can picture Him head on, but to view His depth is next to impossible. I used the illustration of Tom and Jerry and the road runner. After they've been smashed they come out looking normal in the front. It's only until they turn or bend, do you see how damaged they really are.
3. The top of the head represents the Holy Spirit.
This view reveals His depth. We see through the Holy Spirit just how this 1 God shows up in everyday living of His believers.

Another illustration I alluded too was the h2O analogy - Ice/Water/Steam - it's in different states, but it's all the same h2O

Another Illustration (came from Benny Hinn's Book) - The Light turns on/off
The Father gives the command to turn ON the light
You go.
Jesus is the switch that combines your effort, with His command, and the Holy Spirit's execution of that command.
The Holy Spirit is the POWER that brings the command into fulfillment

Below is scritpual references to validate each "Trinity Truth."
I have been asked repeatedly for my notes, so here you go!!
Hope I helped,
PG

Trinity Truth #1: There is only 1 God

Isaiah 44:6 Romans 1:30 Duet. 4:35 1 John 5:20
Jeremiah 10:10 Duet. 4:39; 32:39 John 5:44 2 Chronicles 15:3
2 Samuel 22:32 John 17:3 Isaiah 37:20; 43:10; 44:6-8; 45:5,14, 21-22; 46
Romans 16:27 Galatians 3:20 Ephesians 4:6 1 Thessalonians 1:9
1 Corinthians 8: 4-6 1 Timothy 1:17; 2:5 James 2:19

Trinity Truth #2: There is a Plurality to God
Iow’s – The Father is God. The Son is god. The Holy Spirit is God.
In Hebrew the word “Elohim” (God) Is plural -Leviticus 19:3
Genesis 1:26 – Let US make man in OUR image
Genesis 3:22 – God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us…”

a. The Father is God
2 Corinthians 1:3 Ephesians 1:3 Deut. 4:36,39 Psalm 100:3
Genesis 9:26; 24 Exodus 3:14-18; 4:5 2 Samuel 7:22, 25
John 17:3 1 Corinthians 8:6 1 Peter 1:3

b. The Son is God
John 1:1 John 20:28 2 Peter 1:1 Romans 10: 9, 13 Revelation 4:11 Acts 20:28 Zechariah 12:10
Philippians 2: 10-11 1 Peter 2:3 Isaiah 43:11 Revelation 1:7 Titus 2:13 Luke 2:11 John 4:42 Acts 13:23 Ephesians 2:23 Philemon 3:20 1 Timothy 1:1 2 Timothy 1:10 2 Peter 1: 1, 11; 2: 20; 3: 2, 18 Titus 1:4; 2:13; 3:6 1 John 4:14 Matthew 21: 1-11 Zechariah 9:9 John 1:3 1 Cor. 8:6 Colossians 1:16-17 Hebrews 1:2
John 16:30 Matt. 18:20; 28:20 Ephesians 1:23; 4:10 Colossians 3:11 Psalms 34:8

c. The Holy Spirit is God
     Psalm 139:7; 104:30 Genesis 1:2 Luke 1:35 Acts 5:3-4
    Matthew 1:18 Romans 8: 1-27 Hebrews 9:14 1 Cor. 2:10-11
    2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Trinity Truth #3: 3 Distinct Persons
     Matthew 28:19

Jesus is not the Father
     John 3:17, 35; 5:22-23, 31-32; 8:15-18
     Romans 1:7

Jesus is not the Holy Spirit
     John 15:26
     Matthew 28:29
     John 16:7 John 14:16

The Father is not the Holy Spirit
     Romans 8:26-27

Organizing a Weekend for Your Kids/Staff to Enjoy & Your Parents to Appreciate

The old saying is: "If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail." In other words, always have a plan. When it comes to weekend retreats, you cannot plan too much. The more you are organized, the more your staff, students, and parents will trust you to LEAD them out of town. You may be a "go with the flow" kind of leader. But when it comes to being out of town and away from the familiar, YOU MUST have an agenda!! My pastor reminds me often, that if you don't have a plan, someone else will. And the majority of the time, it will be a plan you won't like!!
Here is my agenda for my youth group last year when we went to Shabbach DC (6 hours from home):
Friday, March 27, 2009

   6:30am Load luggage on buses
   7:00am Group prayer in the Family Life Center
   7:30am Leave for Washington, DC
   11:30am Stop for lunch – fast food
   12:45pm On the road again
   3:00pm Check into Wytestone Suites, Woodbridge, VA and get ready for
service; chaperones come to Terri’s room to pick up snacks.
      Wear FORCE Youth group shirts tonight
   4:00pm Leave for Potomac Mills Mall
   4:15pm Free time at the mall; eat dinner
   6:45pm Load buses for Shabbach Youth Conference Worship Service
   8:00pm Service begins
   11:00pm Return to hotel
   11:30pm In-room talk time
   12:00am Lights out = STAY IN ROOMS!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
   8:30am Rise and shine; hot breakfast in hotel lobby
   9:15am Brief chaperone meeting while STUDENTS begin getting on buses
   9:30am Buses depart for Washington, DC (approx. 40 minute ride)
   10:15am Arrive in front of U.S. Capitol building; take group photo;
              If time, walk around visitor center.
   10:30am BE IN LINE OUTSIDE ORIENTATION THEATER for group check-in
   11:10am Group tour of Capitol begins.
   12:45pm Load buses; leave to get lunch. Eat at Potomac Mills Mall.
   3:30pm Return to hotel for free time, dinner and to freshen up for Shabbach Service;
             Wear Shabbach shirt if you have one.
   6:00pm Load buses for Shabbach Youth Conference Worship Service
   7:30pm Service begins
   10:00pm Return to hotel
   10:45pm In-room talk time
   11:15pm Lights out = STAY IN ROOMS!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
   7:00am Rise and shine; breakfast buffet opens in hotel lobby
   8:30am Load buses and check out of hotel
   8:45am Brief chaperone meeting while STUDENTS begin getting on buses
   9:00am Leave for Shabbach Youth Conference
   9:30am Service begins
   12:30pm Buses depart for HOME
   1:30pm Stop for lunch
   Approx. 9:30pm Arrive at FMCOG
Emergency Contact Numbers:
   Bus Company: xxx-xxx-xxxx
   Hotel's Number: xxx-xxx-xxxx

   Head Chaperone's Hotel Room Number: xxx-xxx-xxxx

   Head Chaperone's mobile: xxx-xxx-xxxx

   PG's Assistant Mobile:  xxx-xxx-xxxx
Give your plan to every youth worker, every student, and every parent before you leave your church parking lot. Or even better, have a parent meeting 1 week before you guys leave after your mid-week service and give it to them then. This way no one is wondering where you are or what you'll be doing next. It is amazing how much confusion is cut away, simply by having a plan and sticking to it. It is amazing the peace you give parents when they know where their kid is and what he/she is doing at every moment. I say this every year in our MANDATORY Parent Meeting, "I want you to know where your child is every moment or every day you have intrusted them into my care. The only thing you won't know is when they are going to the bathroom or brushing their teeth." Today, more than 100 teens go on a trip that I am not directly leading. Why? Because I pay the price to plan and train, and now my parents, staff, and kids TRUST the plan to go as planned!!
One of my favorite says, "Sweat during the preparation, so you won't bleed in the battle!!"
 
Hope I Helped,
pg

Asking the Right "Budget" Questions

It may be time to reevaluate the current budget and make some changes. That means you need to articulate the philosophy of financial management for both the youth ministry and the larger organization. Your budget should reflect the philosophies, not drive them.

Allocation of ministry money is directly linked to your values and goals. When you develop the budget, you and your team determine where to allocate money by answering questions like the following.
Hope I help!!
gw

1.  What does the church value?
     • Where does the church invest its resources? (Find out by browsing the last few annual reports.)
     • What is the church’s spending philosophy? Do they buy the best of a particular item knowing that it will last a long time, or do they get the cheapest possible item that will do the job because they don’t have a lot of cash on hand? Is youth ministry spending in line with the philosophy of the larger organization?
     • Is youth ministry a critical part of the church or is it a small part? (Find out by examining the percent of the total budget dedicated to youth ministry. If it’s less than the funeral flower fund, you’re likely to be in for a struggle if you wish to increase your budget.)
     • What has the financial committee approved in the past for youth ministry programs and equipment? You’ll get an idea of how flexible they are—how open to ideas new to the church.
2.  What does the youth ministry value?
     • Of all the good things on which we can spend ministry money, which things, programs, and people do we value most? How will our spending reflect those values?
     • How important is "atmosphere" to your ministry? Do you need to appropriate funds to make your ministry area more student-friendly and inviting?
     • How important is staff and staff development?
     • Do you have experienced staff, or do they need a lot of training and development?
     • Do your staff members need a lot of encouragement? A lot of resources?
3.  What is the financial history of the youth ministry?
     • What was the annual budget last year?
     • Where does that money come from?
     • Where has the majority of money gone (outreach events, small group materials, van rentals, retreats, fun times, fundraising)?
     •What brought in the most money (fundraisers, mission trips, service or work projects)?
     • Are there any annual events you need to finance—denominational gatherings, the annual junior high/senior citizen putt-putt golf tournament?
4.  What are the mechanics of the financial process?
     • Does your church tell you to get what you need when you need it, or does it require you to work the purchase into next year’s budget and to make do with what you have for this year?
     • Are there predetermined vendors for curriculum, sound equipment, retreat sites? Or do you determine from whom to purchase?
     • Do you get parental financial support, or are you solely dependent on money allocated from the church general budget? What role do your ministry fundraisers play?
     • When do you need to turn in your budget proposal to the administration?
5.  When is the budget decided, and are midyear changes allowed? If so, what’s the procedure?
     • Can you raise additional funds if needed? Do you need approval for that?
6.  What financial standards are in harmony with your community?
     • In what socioeconomic area is the church located and in what way is that population reflected in your group? (If your church is primarily populated by upper middle-class members, you can probably request a bigger budget. If your congregation is financially strapped, you will have less available financing resources. Study how your church’s socioeconomic makeup affects your ministry finances.)
     • Do you have transportation available to you for ministry outings, or do you have to rent vehicles?
7.  What needs upgrading over the course of the next year for student safety?
     • What do you need to make the ministry student-friendly?
     • What items need to be purchased in order for you to continue the development of your ministry? List in order of priority and find out the approximate cost of each item.

Symptoms of Disorganization

It’s easy to do, and it’s hard to get back in control of. The nature of demands you have on your life can so paralyze you that you literally do not know where to begin. Unfortunately, when you don’t know where to begin, it’s a challenge to start. I believe the key is not “getting” organized, but rather, STAYING organized. We all get off on the wrong tract from time to time, but that is no excuse for taking a different course or worse, hitting the “kill switch” on your leadership and coasting for a while. You have people counting on you knowing where THEY are supposed to be going. So, I believe your best bet is to cut away disorganization when you detect symptoms.
Here are 8 Symptoms; I see when I am getting disorganized
1- Cluttered desk
a. Say that you know where everything is if you want. But you know and I know when our work area is chaos, it usually means so are we.

2- Dirty Car – inside and out
a. If we don’t have time to clean, it usually means something of little importance is zapping our time. A car is your “mode of transportation.” When what’s taking you somewhere isn’t getting your attention then I wonder how important your destination is.

3- Insecurity – you worry about someone finding out who you truly are on the inside
a. The lack of confidence in who we are is a tremendous indicator we are are not comfortable with what we are doing.

4- Series of forgotten appointments or deadlines – we become liars to save face
a. You can’t remember every appointment detail. This is why you have to make sure to pre-plan for the meeting, have the meeting, and then debrief yourself of the meeting. Once those are done, you will know how to proceed. BTW, if a meeting is not worth planning for or debriefing after, I recommend not having that meeting ever again. It’s a waste of time and there is no value for your organization. In other words, it’s called fellowship!!

5- Invest a lot more time and energy into unimportant tasks
a. If Facebook is your vice, if you are a master solitaire player, or an incredible golfer, you may not be the BEST leader you can be. Do an inventory of how you spend your day. We all have “down moments” to catch our breath. But your day should be filled with exciting visioneering where you know you are creating your student ministry’s future!!

6- Feel poor about the tasks you are completing
a. If you don’t have Godly Pride in what you’re about to do, you haven’t completely prepared.

7- Rarely enjoy intimacy with God
a. Don’t be so busy doing the “work of the Lord” that you neglect the Lord working in you!!

8- Quality of my personal relationships reveal weaknesses
a. Frustration spills over to close relationships. I have a “fussing bush” in my yard. I go there and get out everything; I refuse to take in my home. If you come in and “Veg” more than you contribute to the family relationships you have, you are all out of wack.

If you find yourself trending towards one or more of these often, I recommend you stop, drop, and roll!!
1. STOP – take an inventory of what it is that’s throwing you off track
2. DROP – eliminate time wasters and remove the “busy work” that’s killing your drive.
3. ROLL – get back on track and create a future that generations will love you for!!
Hope I helped!!
pg

Leaders MUST BE "Led"

How many times have you wondered how effective you are as a leader? There may be no "I" in TEAM, but there are 2 "I"s in WINNING!!  Below are my notes from a recent leadership workshop i did. Enjoy.

Hope this helps!! gw
------------------------------
Leaders must be “Led”

The Principle: To continually experience the ecstasy of effective leadership you must experience consistently the stabilizing of selfless servant hood.

Keys to Effective Leadership
Key #1: Growth Is Demanded
     Personal Motto: “If you do not “grow”, you will not “go.”
     Illustration: Baby stages of development
     Application: Develop a Personal Growth Discipline that challenges who you are and where you are verses who and where you want to be.

Key #2: Be a “Timothy” and a “Paul”
Timothy
     Poor Leaders are people who are not “poured” into.
     “Always sit at the feet of great men.” DLK
Applications:
     1. Find someone who is where you want to be.
     2. To be an effective leader, you must be a constant reader
Paul
     Adequate leaders are people who do not add to others what they’ve learned, themselves.
     Let others learn from the price you paid for your education.
Key #3: The Two I’s
     “There may not be an I in TEAM, but there are 2 I’s in WINNING.” gw
A. I = Initiative
     The secret to success: to tend unflinchingly towards a goal.
     Notice I did not say unfailingly!
     “To fail is not to lose, but rather, its research for your next win” Chris Hill
     “Before I found the 1 way to create the light bulb, I first found one million ways not too.” Thomas Edison
     Trust me: You will always pay for your education, but you will never learn from that teaching moment without a passion/drive to do so.
Crucial Point:
     You can be taught how to “take” initiative.
     You can not be taught how to “have” initiative.
     As a leader with initiative, you must initiate.
     Defined: To begin or originate.
     To introduce a new field, skill, activity, or interest.
     Iows: “if it is to be, it’s up to me.”

Applications for the “Leader”:
#1: You have to decide what it is God wants you to want.
#2: You have to live moving towards it.
#3: You have to see it and define what it looks like.
#4: You have to a cast vision so compelling that others want it with you and for you.

A Favorite quote of mine:
     “Greatness is not where we stand, but in what direction we’re moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it- But sail we must, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

B. I = Instinct - Initiative cannot be utilized without instinct to do so.
     Defined: An inner pattern of behavior that is not leaned.
     A powerful motivation or impulse.
     A natural capability or aptitude
     You are always searching for what can work better, even in the moment.
     “You gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away……” the gambler

A Great Leader’s plan is always negotiable in the moment.
     “You have to make room to adlib, because some ideas sound good but are just stupid.”

10 Desires for A Volunteer Staff Member on My TEAM

There are some things that I desire from all staff members in my student ministry. Here are ten principles I desire (not necessarily in any order) for every staff member (volunteer or paid) to live by as they serve in our student ministry.
My desire is for you to:

1. Love God. I want a person who authentically loves God every day. There is not a need for an extremely gifted person who seems to only live a life of religious routine. This may sound harsh, but I want you to truly know and love God and love working with the teens, God has entrusted us with.
2. Live a life of faith. I want you, as you are working with our students, to model walking with the Lord in true faith, by stepping out in ways that don’t always make sense to our human minds.
3. Be a true spiritual leader. In the church, we call ourselves “spiritual leaders,” so I want you to actually lead in spiritual things. Teens don’t need police officers to watch them and making sure they behave correctly. They and I need you to be spiritually focused and spirit led in interacting with them.
4. Know and love Scripture. I want you to be in Scripture regularly, interacting with it, and seeking to know it better. Our entire Christian faith stems from the truths of Scripture, and youth staff should seek to know it for themselves and for the teens you are leading spiritually.
5. Avoid behavior management. I desire you to be more concerned about the spiritual condition of our kids than them having proper or improper behavior. I want you to witness, regularly, when their heart’s right, the behavioral aspects come naturally.
6. Hang with kids. Relationships are started at youth group, but built outside of that time. I desire you to spend as much time with kids outside of weekly gatherings as possible, without compromising your family or personal time often.
7. Know the big picture. I want you, regardless of the age-stage you are working with, to realize that your branch in this ministry, as vital as it may be, is just a part of a life-long discipleship process of the individuals you are leading. Our ministry isn’t the end, but simply a means to a much greater end (Philippians 1:6) for every student we lead.
8. Integrate into families. Having relationships with kids is great, but getting to know and love their families is far better. We are assistant coaches. I want you to find ways we can positively reinforce what mom and dad is trying to instill at home.
9. Force thought. I desire you to force our kids to think, not just give them the answers. Far too many high school grads have been spoon-fed their entire lives, never being forced to think through their faith on their own. This is detrimental, and a major cause of grads detaching from church. Encourage them to challenge the process and base their answer off the truth that is the Word of God.
10. Be teachable. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to teach someone who is unteachable. I define a teacher as a constant student who has learned a lesson worth passing on. I need you to understand that this is the means by which the Lord brings us all to maturity (1 Peter 5:1-2; Ephesians 4:11-16).

Hope I helped!!
pg