He Died For More Than "My Four"
Sometimes when a youth group is small and has been together for awhile they become very close and there's a chance that they like it that way. They're afraid if they invite others to the group it will "ruin" it for them. This can be discouraging to your efforts to grow your youth group. Here are some suggestions to help:
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Hear your kids out first. Listen to their deeper concerns.
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Tell your kids that you understand that they want to keep their good friends and the close-knit tenor of the group and assure them that's not going to change.
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Reassure them that if kids come into the youth group and begin to disrupt it, you will deal with that.
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Remind your kids Jesus Christ died on the cross for a lot of people and if the youth group is to have the blessing and favor of God on it, it needs to reach out to more than "my four and no more."
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Host a "Paul Revere Meeting" for your key influencers and enlist their help.
Sometimes when a youth group is small and has been together for awhile they become very close and there's a chance that they like it that way. They're afraid if they invite others to the group it will "ruin" it for them. This can be discouraging to your efforts to grow your youth group. Here are some suggestions to help:
-
Hear your kids out first. Listen to their deeper concerns.
-
Tell your kids that you understand that they want to keep their good friends and the close-knit tenor of the group and assure them that's not going to change.
-
Reassure them that if kids come into the youth group and begin to disrupt it, you will deal with that.
-
Remind your kids Jesus Christ died on the cross for a lot of people and if the youth group is to have the blessing and favor of God on it, it needs to reach out to more than "my four and no more."
-
Host a "Paul Revere Meeting" for your key influencers and enlist their help.
Related Items
I am so excited about this Youth Leader's Coach entitled "Explosive Growth Strategy And Pragmatics Of PROJECT 4:19." It launched of a new and exciting era for us in Oxygen. One of the most commonly asked questions I get about youth ministry is how to grow numerically. And though numbers should not be our focus for the sake of numbers, we also cannot minister to empty seats. I have found this program to be the most proven means of growth over the years in every one of my youth groups. Let me share with you the nuts and bolts of how to make this outreach take off for your own group!
Refusing to let even one slip through,
In this Source, join us as we launch our growth initiative program, "Project 4:19." Based on Matthew 4:19, "Follow Me, and I will teach you to fish for people," "Project 4:19" targets God's business...the people business. While we all know it's not just the size of your youth church that really matters, it also remains true that it is impossible to minister to empty seats. So listen in as we motivate, challenge and cast vision for the future of Oxygen.
Still making Hell nervous,
Note: Check out the companion Youth Leader's Coach for this Source. It's called, "Explosive Growth Strategy and Pragmatics of Project 4:19."
You'll love this Source! It's the first night with my new youth group and my strategic announcement of launching small groups. You'll hear me take a run at what our youth ministry can look like over the next year and how the students can be involved in creating the next 8,760 hours together.
You don't have to be starting with a new ministry like I am to use this Source. It's a great message to use if you just want to "refresh" your youth ministry at any point in the journey. With some thought provoking monologues from both students and leaders, a few key Scriptures and some quotes, we saw the atmosphere of the room change as we built a dream for the future.
You may also want to listen to the Youth Leader's Coach that goes with this message, "Thoughts From The Starting Line."
Still Dreaming,
Youth Ministry Basics is eight pragmatic teachings with informative "how-tos" that have consistently made significant differences in my youth ministries over the years.
One of the most commonly asked questions I get about youth ministry is how to grow numerically. And though numbers should not be our focus for the sake of numbers, we also cannot minister to empty seats. I have found this program to be the most proven means of growth over the years in every one of my youth groups. This Youth Ministry Basics Resource will walk you through each step of how to make this outreach take off to grow your own group!
Lovingly,
A few years back, a PBS special was aired about a war hero who was being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery on the battlefield. He was a "conscientious objector," so his role on the front lines was that of being an ambulance driver to get wounded soldiers back for medical treatment. He chose not to kill anyone in war, but risked being killed for the sake of others.
The Old Testament story of Samson, shows us another story of a man with great destiny on his life, who was willing to die for something, and a man who God used even after his past mistakes. In many ways, Samson was an "ambulance driver."
In this month's Source, "A Call For Ambulance Drivers," with the help of Samson, a hilarious skit, and some other must-see creative elements, I'm bringing to life the concept of GIVING YOUR LIFE AWAY for others. With the reminder that failure isn't fatal, to occasionally have holy anger, and to have the guts to pull down the pillars in our own lives, the challenge is sent out to our students. We too, can be ambulance drivers.
Lovingly,
Sport fanatics will know exactly what I’m talking about when I say this next quote, “Go cut down your nets.” We’re going to talk about cutting down our life nets. When we fight and work for something that seems so difficult to obtain. But, if we put in enough blood, sweat, and little tears...it becomes OBTAINABLE.
I did this service right before a retreat and centered it around one of the most challenging things for some of our students...evangelism. I shared an epic story about the Notre Dame basketball team and 10 easy and specific ideas that our gang could do to make a difference in their worlds. I end the service with an unforgettable image, as I handed out some simple basketball nets to those in our group that were already "cutting down their nets."
Do you want to make Hell regret the day you were born? Go CUT DOWN YOUR NETS!
Lovingly,
