The Necessity Of Feedback
Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, claimed that one of the keys to his success was consistent reviews and evaluations. He took time out on an annual and semi-annual basis to review what was happening within his corporation. And it didn't stop there. He still does it with his housekeeper, his lawn people, and anyone who provides a regular service for him. He believes in letting people know where they stand and reviewing to ensure consistent improvement.
Why is this important in the world of youth ministry? Every time we do an event, an outreach, a retreat, etc., we always have at least one thing we wished we'd have done differently. Maybe we would have had the food brought in sooner, or the music louder, or ended the night at 10:30 instead of midnight. These may seem like small things but without constructively jotting those notes down in a place where you can find them the next time around, the same small mistakes will be made.
This principle applies to not only the events we do, but also to the people we work with. It may just be one intern or a group of volunteers that are helping you out. You may be fortunate to have a team of people working with you. Whomever you have assisting you, make sure you take time out on a regular basis to do a simple performance review. It may sound very businesslike and even a little daunting. However, when you sit down and actually do it, you will most likely find it to be extremely beneficial to you and the other person. Why? Moments like this, believe it or not, are often the only chance that other person gets to hear that they are doing something right. And compliments will forever be something we all crave. Feedback is not only a good thing to do; it is a necessary one.
Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, claimed that one of the keys to his success was consistent reviews and evaluations. He took time out on an annual and semi-annual basis to review what was happening within his corporation. And it didn't stop there. He still does it with his housekeeper, his lawn people, and anyone who provides a regular service for him. He believes in letting people know where they stand and reviewing to ensure consistent improvement.
Why is this important in the world of youth ministry? Every time we do an event, an outreach, a retreat, etc., we always have at least one thing we wished we'd have done differently. Maybe we would have had the food brought in sooner, or the music louder, or ended the night at 10:30 instead of midnight. These may seem like small things but without constructively jotting those notes down in a place where you can find them the next time around, the same small mistakes will be made.
This principle applies to not only the events we do, but also to the people we work with. It may just be one intern or a group of volunteers that are helping you out. You may be fortunate to have a team of people working with you. Whomever you have assisting you, make sure you take time out on a regular basis to do a simple performance review. It may sound very businesslike and even a little daunting. However, when you sit down and actually do it, you will most likely find it to be extremely beneficial to you and the other person. Why? Moments like this, believe it or not, are often the only chance that other person gets to hear that they are doing something right. And compliments will forever be something we all crave. Feedback is not only a good thing to do; it is a necessary one.
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While we all know numbers are not the only factor, or even the strongest factor, in determining the health of your ministry, it is also true that we can't make an eternal difference in an empty chair. In this Youth Leader's Coach we are talking about one of youth ministries' most puzzling topics, "How To Hold On To Numerical Growth."
So grab your coffee and join me as we talk about a few key pragmatic ways to get kids in the door and keep them.
Still Growing 1% at a Time,
Back in 1985, Coca Cola launched an advertising campaign which ended up being one of the biggest marketing debacles of all time. Coke introduced a "new and improved" formula of their popular soft drink...and in the all-important red box on the front of the can, they put "NEW COKE." Sales sunk to record lows! As Christians, if we truly want to make a difference for God's Kingdom, we need to ask ourselves, "What's in my personal BOX?" In other words, what's my over-arching DNA, focus, mission, and purpose in life?
In this Youth Leader's Coach, instead of just me in the studio, you hear me speaking to the young college and career group at our church. But I am so passionate about this, I wanted to share it with you too! I challenged them with some simple questions to help them discover what God has put in their "box" to live a life of meaning and purpose.
Committed to living a 100X life,
In this Youth Leader's Coach, I come at the whole idea of reaching out to those students currently outside the "pen" of our youth ministry. We must, as youth pastors, make sure this vital component is not missing from our ministry! I'm calling it "Outreach 101: The Fool's Bench." Yeah, I know it can be a daunting concept, but let me break it down for you into the key elements in the equation for "maximum impact" in our world. You're gonna love it!
Determined to wait at the Fool's Bench,
The majority of us have seen or channel surfed past "Flip That House" or a show like it. And, whether you're a HGTV/TLC fan or not, most of us in youth ministry have felt a similar need to "Flip That Youth Group." This need for a new and improved look may be in the area of outreach, worship, community, spiritual tenor or something entirely different. Regardless, whether now or later, we know the need for change is inevitable. Navigating that change can either be glorious if done well or catastrophic if not.
In this Youth Leader's Coach, we look at how to create specific change in our youth ministries without demolishing them. So, grab a cup of coffee and join me as we look at four things that will help us accomplish the task at hand one kid at a time.
Lovingly,
I got off the phone not long ago with an "unhappy" (code language for "ticked") mom who comes to our church. She went on a long, emotional banter about how our youth ministry "shouldn't be letting "THOSE KIDS" in...after all, her daughter was a pretty model teenager until she met a certain young man at the youth group!" Long sigh in my heart.
It's the repeating dilemma that youth leaders face often. How do you create a youth service that both disciples and motivates your "already Jesus followers" at the same time you are also reaching teenagers who are far from being anything close to being a Christ-follower? That's the challenge I tried to unpack for the mom who was calling me to "verbalize her strong disappointment in my approach."
Lovingly,
