APOSTOLIC INFORMATION SERVICE VOL. 28 NO.
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Youth Ministry Copyright Apostolic Information Service, a ministry of Indiana Bible College, PO Box 47917 Indianapolis, IN 1-800-800-0247 T. W. Massengale, Editor
Ways to Build a Lasting Youth Ministry Don't Push the "Easy Button." There are no easy answers or quick fixes that will lead to a strong youth ministry. Be willing to put in a lot of effort over a sustained period of time to invest in your church’s youth ministry for the long haul. Think Clearly about Your Ministry Needs. Too often, youth ministry job postings are either too vague or filled with unrealistic expectations. Ask God to help you understand and communicate the ministry’s real needs well. Help Make a Leader Instead of Looking for One to Come to You. Rather than spending time trying to recruit a youth pastor with “superstar” qualities (like charisma, compassion, and creativity), build the kind of ministry infrastructure that will help any moderately gifted youth pastor thrive in his or her role. Look at Your System Before You’re Content. While the content of your youth ministry is important, it can’t be delivered properly if your ministry’s system is flawed. Focus on the system first: whether staff members trust each other, whether staff and volunteers are working with clear expectations, whether the ways people typically get things done in the ministry are productive, etc. Keep in mind that systemic changes must be built deliberately over a course of years for even the best content to reach youth. Change the Culture. If the culture of your youth ministry isn’t healthy, change it before it changes the people working within it. First, work to give stakeholders visible evidence that something good is actually happening in the ministry. Make one small change after another and trust that, slowly but surely, bigger changes will result. Ask God to help you avoid anxiety and be joyful despite the problems around you. Your attitudes will help other people remain positive.
Youth Ministry Calendar: - December: Let the young people be involved in ministry while celebrating the birth of Jesus by going Christmas caroling to shutins and saints in nursing homes. Let this be a time of learning and growing by ministering in song and spirit to those who are needy. Then, have pizza and games at an adult’s house afterward.
Bible Jeopardy. Bible Jeopardy is a great way to get youth involved in lessons and Bible studies. The youth lessons and/or Bible studies are grouped into their own categories, with each lesson being a main topic with its own questions. The questions range from 100 points to 1000 points for each category, with the questions increasingly getting more difficult. Each category has its own bonus question where the student that answers it correctly gets to draw from a can the value of the question, (to make it fun you can put values that range from 1 point to 2000 points). Outlines of the lessons should be given out each week so that the students can prepare for the game during the week.
Resource Files for You YMEV08.txt God In The Public School What are your students facing at school? YMYS09.txt Treasure Hunts Having a great time hunting treasures.
IBC Perspectives Magazine If you are in ministry leadership, be sure not to miss out on an excellent publication written just for church leaders. The IBC Perspectives magazine is a 20-page color publication published monthly by Indiana Bible College. It features interviews with growing revival churches and explores the methods and programs that make them successful. It also features articles devoted to: Feature Ministry Opinions, Plainly Speaking, Ministry Columnists, World News, Apostolic News, News You Can Use, Guest Pulpit and more. To receive a free copy and subscription form, call 1800- 800-0247 or write Perspectives, P.O. Box 47917, Indianapolis, IN 46247, or e-mail:
[email protected] or visit our web page at www.apostolic.edu. Subscription cost is just $20 per year for 12 issues.
