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5 Ways to Make Your Student Ministry MORE THAN "Just a Program" · Ministry Coach: Youth Ministry Tips & Resources

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: One of my greatest fears in youth ministry was always if we get big, I'm just going to be some program director, and I never wanted to be that.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: The program is not the end.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: It's a means to an end.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: But what is that program actually accomplishing?
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: What is the why behind it?
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: What is the payout of all this work and all these Tuesday or Wednesday nights?
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Today we're talking about five ways that you can make your youth group more than just a program.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: Welcome to the Ministry Coach Podcast, where we give you weekly tips and tactics to help you fast-track the growth and health of your youth ministry.
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: If this is the first time we are meeting, my name is Jeff Laskola and this is.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Kristen Laskola, and today we're going to talk about how to make your youth ministry more than just a program, because program is not the goal.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: Not the goal.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: And sometimes we can get so wrapped up in making sure the program is going well and all the elements are there and everything's great, but what we fail to remember sometimes myself included is that the program is not the end.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: It's a means to an end, and so the end is much more the community we're trying to create and actually the community isn't even the end, but rather that's a vehicle for true gospel-centered change in a person's life over the long term.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: And that is the true end of why we do youth groups so that we can build communities where students are plugged in and getting ongoing discipleship and belonging to help them in each step of their relationship with Jesus, so that they remain connected to the church as they grow in their understanding of who he is and how to walk with Jesus.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: And youth group is a great vehicle for it.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: But the program itself is not the goal, and sometimes youth pastors get very proud of the program they've designed, and I understand that because we want every and we talk a lot about that on this podcast how to make your youth group a great place to be.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: But today we're going to talk about how that in and of itself is not the goal.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: Just to have a cool program, the end it's like.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: But what is that program actually accomplishing?
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: What is the why behind it?
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: What is the payout of all this work and all these Tuesday or Wednesday nights?
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: I did the math the other day and, based on how long I've been in youth ministry, I've done over a thousand midweek programs, and that's not even counting weekend services.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: That would be well into the probably two or three thousands.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: I think back for a second in your 18 year old self of someone was like okay, only 999 more days to go.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: But you couldn't even say that because I'm still going.
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: So I mean, like, do I do another thousand?
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: Yes, I guess I will.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: So that's a lot of programs.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: So do we just do program for program?
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: No, but we're.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: What is?
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: What is this paying out?
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: What is the point here?
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: And so I want to refocus our brains a little bit to remember that the program is not the goal.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: The program leads the community, which is still not the goal.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: The community should lead to Christ-centered life change over the long term, keeping kids connected to Jesus.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: So that is like the behind the curtain model of what youth ministry, the direction it should be going, and knowing like where you're going might help you create these elements in your program.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: Knowing what should we put in, what should we not, what should we focus on, what's worth spending time on?
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: If that is the ultimate goal, not just to have a killer program that just entertains people, uh, and then they leave or, you know, grow up and then that's that and they remember.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I used to have a cool youth pastor, like some um girl DM to me on Instagram.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: It wasn't about youth ministry.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: She goes, whoa.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: I used to have a really cool youth pastor when I was in junior high too, you know, and I don't know if she's still a Christian or not, but everyone remembers like, oh yeah, I loved my youth pastor, that was so cool.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: Anyways, now back to my adult life.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: You know, like did we keep them in community?
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: for the long haul.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: So how do we ensure that our program, while it may be awesome, is not the ultimate thing we're focused on accomplishing?
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: What is the bigger picture?
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: So how do we create this community?
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: Well, number one, the friendship and the relationships of your leaders, I think, is the foundation for this community that we're talking about.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: It is so contagious when the leaders have a chemistry within themselves.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: So, so often youth pastors are trying to create community with the students and you know camaraderie and friendships and connections and relationships.
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: But the foundation and the example and the basis for that usually is the leadership team, and that energy then trickles down to the students.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: One of my greatest fears in youth ministry was always if we get big, I'm just going to be some program director, and I never wanted to be that.
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: And then when we grew from our little tiny, tight-knit youth group to every milestone we hit, I felt my role changing.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: I'm like am I just a program director?
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: I'm just a program director, I'm program director.
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: But then I had to realize there are opportunities for ministry everywhere.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: So while my job became more program heavy because you know I'm in charge of steering this big boat, you know I have opportunities for ministry and I remember thinking, oh my gosh, my leaders.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: Like that is where all this chemistry and this fuel for relationships is going to come from.
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: So the and parents, you know, and obviously students.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: But like, when you look at your leadership team, a, do you have one, you shouldn't be doing ministry alone but two, what is?
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: the A and then two and D.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: Is that what you're here for for?
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: Is that your job?
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: to just point out stuff yes, and my job is done hopefully stay tuned, because there could be more faux pas jeffrey number two, number b but you know what is the chemistry between your leaders.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: I was so excited when I realized my leaders enjoy the company of each other outside of youth group and we've talked about this a lot.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: But students unfortunately grow up and leave your youth ministry and I remember the day that hit me.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: I was on the couch after church crying because my eighth graders were gone.
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: I'm like I'm never going to love a class, ever again, never, and this is it for me.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: Well, one of the people in that class is now a youth pastor of a ministry at our church.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: You know, like the fruit kept going.
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: And so just today, um, they sent out a Discord message.
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: Some of my leaders hey, let's go to lunch after church.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: Where are we going to go?
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: Who wants to join?
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: Blah, blah, blah.
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: Hey, we're playing Frisbee golf.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: You know they send out stuff like this all the time, like at four o'clock on Sunday.
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: If anyone could join, be there.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: Hey, we just did a volleyball night.
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: We're doing volleyball.
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: Meet us here.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: You know, we're doing volleyball, meet us here, you know, and they love being together and there's this friendship.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: And so when the students see us friending, then they are like wow, this is a place that is friendly, not sterile, and if you're lacking that type of chemistry and it's, and it's interesting because it's not like, well, yeah, maybe you guys are all the same age and gender and station in life, not even close.
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: You know, I just saw one of them at the beach today.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: He's out surfing.
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: And then we have a mom of four and we have a you know like for the longest time we had like a retired guy, and so it's just like, yeah, we have our 18 year olds and we have everything in between.
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: So it's not like, oh, we just naturally would fit together.
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: No, the ministry does pull us together.
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: We just really have fostered this time and this attention on hey, if we're going to do ministry, that's authentic and push students or not push students into relationships?
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: That sounds aggressive force.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: You get in a friendship and you're going to like it.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: But if we're trying to help students create community and we're not even in community ourselves, you know there is a disjointed vibe there, you know.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: So we I, I love that.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: My leaders love to hang out with each other and another benefit of that is longevity.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: You know they will stay after their students leave because they realize well, yeah, students grow up and have to leave.
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: It's a bummer, but we still have each other and that's like huge.
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: So would they hang out with each other outside of group or not?
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: And can we change that again?
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: What's the goal?
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: Community.
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: So it starts with the leaders.
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: Are they in community number two or number C?
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: whatever we're on, jeff, um no, this is really number two of the big headings.
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: So are there opportunities for students to work together and serve together?
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: There is no greater catalyst for authentic community than students that are working alongside or serving alongside each other, having a purpose at church.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: So can students be on a serving team together, whether that's worship, whether that's setup, whether that's tech, whether that's a video photo team, whatever that might be but students need to be working together to create the community that we're longing for, and there's a beautiful like secondary purpose in there is that they are finding their purpose, you know, and they're finding it alongside their peers.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: So be very careful to not be the kind of ministry that all the adults are the ones who do the ministries and we turn students into consumers by accident.
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: It's not very life-giving or very dynamic at all.
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: So we've talked a lot about student leadership teams and how we put them in these jobs, but tonight we're talking about kind of a step further of are they working together?
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: So that is where this part of the community is coming from.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: Is I'm partnering with another peer to accomplish a goal?
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: So, like our girls did an air band together?
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: for this.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: Um.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: So like our girls did an air band together for this starving to serve event, we did and just watching them have to coordinate and choreograph and dance and practice and then perform it on stage and find their costumes and do this thing.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: It was this bonding experience and such a confidence and community builder for them.
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: They got second place Very good.
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: We filmed a video with our student leadership team on Friday.
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: It was wild, totally unhinged, but we got it done.
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: I don't know how it's going to turn out, but it was them working together for these different scenes and acting.
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: It was like a rules video we were showing like all right, here's the rules of our youth group.
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: And I'll be like, okay, you can't arrive before this time.
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: So they'd all be at the door like banging on the door, like let us in.
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: And it was so fun for them to get to partner with each other and that again creates community.
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: So not only have we handed ministry off to them, we've allowed.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: It's not just like the mentor, mentee relationship, it's a peer relationship that we're building into that and it was so exciting and it bred so much insane energy.
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: But it was very again this community builder that we really needed.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: And remember they need purpose and, like we said before, we're pushing them to see you're a contributor here, not a consumer.
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: Ministry is not an adult job, it's a Christian job, Like so we start them young on serving, so that they understand like you're the church.
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: Now Right, and I'm not just going to say that, I'm going to show you that, give you opportunities for that, mentor you through that, build in some safeguards and boundaries so that you don't you're not just on your own, but putting real, tangible projects in their hands and letting them work with their peers on that them to the church, that stickiness, knowing that their contributions matter, not just like you're saying, not just being a consumer, but serving within the church walls.
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: And then, as they grow up and go older, all of a sudden youth ministry is no longer where they're at.
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: They continue to serve, hopefully, but I feel like that's the ultimate goal is it builds that stickiness in them so they stay with the church after youth ministry.
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: That's not where church ends for them.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: It's just the next step.
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and so let's build in those things early on of this is what it means to be a member of the church, not a member of the youth group.
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: Right, and I'm a big proponent of youth group.
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: Like, I don't think students should be like every weekend in the adult sermon and know like and I know there's people who feel it way obviously I'm a youth pastor, so I have bias toward that viewpoint for a lot of reasons.
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: At the same time, I think we do need to.
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: I see the value and what the other side is talking about is teaching them to be a part of the church, not a part of youth group, and I think those two things, like you're saying, can exist together.
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: I think they need to be simultaneously happening.
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: So it's like you're doing age appropriate things that are your skill level with peers and you're a part of the church or you're serving in another ministry.
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: A lot of our junior high students serve in the children's ministry like two weeks on two weeks off.
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: We have three weekend services, so it gives them the opportunity to still go to church.
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: Our daughter serves in the three-year-olds on Saturday night.
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: She comes to church.
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: Second service Sunday morning.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: She didn't miss a thing, you know.
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: So it can exist simultaneously and really important.
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: And then probably the number three, the biggest vehicle toward building a community that we're trying to build not just a program, but a community that gets people in a place where they can be discipled in their relationship with Jesus would be small groups.
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: Like, I don't think we can talk about this without talking about small groups.
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: If you don't have a small group ministry, push, pause, go do it and come back when you have you come back when you have launched a small group ministry and not a second before.
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: Or else I'm coming for you, just kidding.
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: But it is that important.
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: I think it's so hard to build community without a small group ministry.
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: So small group like.
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: We just had our small group night out last Tuesday.
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: I don't like.
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: If you've listened to us for a long time, you know I'm a big fan of consistency in your youth group, don't?
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: We're meeting at this house, that house, this beach, that park, meet at the same place, the same time every single week.
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: However, once a year, and only once, I don't think I could take any more.
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: It's a lot logistically because we have so many small groups.
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: But small group night out, where every small group plans their own fun community night just for their group.
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: So some groups went down to the beach and got ice cream and did a bonfire.
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: We had every single sixth grade girl over at our house.
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: It was a hoot.
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: One group went to a trampoline park, one group went to another boy's house and did a pool party and I try to visit as many of them as I can because I am not a small group leader so I can pop around and see everybody and the community that was built and the people that come out of the woodwork.
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: On that, because part of me is like, oh shoot, what if we get a visitor?
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: They show up at the church and they're like what's going on?
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: That did happen.
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: We had a lot of kids actually.
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: That did not get the memo, despite our best efforts to communicate.
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: I communicated like ad nauseum about this thing.
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: Still, people slipped through the cracks.
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: Luckily I had a security guard there and he was telling people where to go.
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: And there was a small group there telling people where to go.
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: So anyways, it was.
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: That did cost me and I did feel like shoot.
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: But some of the groups I visited I'm like whoa, I have not seen you in months.
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: But they heard about small group night out and they wanted to go and they want to be a part of it and it sounded like something cool that they didn't want to miss out on.
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: It was different than regular youth groups, so in that sense I feel a little bit of a catalyst to get them going again.
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it was a positive.
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: And then what it bred within those small groups again, because they are the goal is community and discipleship.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: Like it created a different like.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: Sometimes when you get out of your normal rhythm and environment and do something just you, you know, it's like this whole new dimension of relationship opens up or you get to talk to people or interact with them in a different way that you never had before.
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: So small group night out was such a win, like I said, it's a lot to pull off for us, but I wouldn't, I wouldn't get rid of it.
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: It's, it's huge.
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: And my friend has a daughter in a small group at a different campus and every time I ask her, oh, where's your daughter?
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: Like cause she does my hair and stuff, and she's like oh, she's us, her small group pool party.
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: Oh, she's with her small group pool party.
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: Oh, she's with her small group girls tonight.
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: Oh, they're doing a small group thing and there's so much community just in this small group.
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: It was like this little hub and group of friends that like.
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: So I'm a.
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: I love the book the blue zone solution.
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: I read the whole thing by Dan Buechner and one of my favorite parts of it is.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: He talks about these.
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: So the whole premise of the book is that he studies societies around the world that have the highest percentage of people to living, living to 100 years old, but like a healthy 100.
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: And so in I think it was in Okinawa, maybe I'm not sure, but somewhere in Japan is a blue zone, and he says that part of the secret to longevity is these groups called Moai groups, and parents get their kids in almost like a small group, like for life, when they're very young, and they stay in these communities throughout their entire lives, from when they're like toddlers to where they're seniors.
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: And they said they go through all the stages of life together and help each other out, like when one of them is sick, that's who rallies around them.
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: When one of them is in financial trouble, they come around that person and help.
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: So you always have this built in other than your family, this built-in community and safety net, and they attribute some of the longevity in that community to these Moai groups.
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: The social connection, the peace of mind that comes from community and knowing somebody has your back, now that's in a social construct, but I think that same idea in a social slash, spiritual construct, that's what we're trying to accomplish with small groups is knowing, hey, this is this group that I get to go through and maybe they won't be together for the rest of their lives.
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: Right, Not like a Moai group.
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: But it's kind of this concept of these people love me, love the Lord, have my back.
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: They're supposed to be the ones that hey, like I didn't make the team, I'm upset and they're going to help me pick up the pieces.
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: You know, we had a girl upset the other week because her boyfriend broke up with her and none of the girls played the game.
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: They just were all like nursing her wounds with her and I'm like come on, guys.
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: No, no, no, we can't play.
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: her boyfriend broke up with her and we're gonna be here for her.
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: Why aren't we celebrating?
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: I mean, uh, never mind, yeah, congrats, oh, not congrats.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: And it was just so cute like they were just there for each other.
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: I was scrolling on Instagram today and I saw one of my old small group girls.
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: They were like doing some beach party together, like they're still friends and it's just we're trying to put people in these groups to say this is your community.
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: These are like-minded people that are going to be going through life with you, or at least junior high with you, or at least high school with you.
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: But there is something in the human spirit that needs a community of people to know I'm not alone and they've got my back.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: And for some kids like, like, that might be their friend group.
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: You know what I mean Because it's like well, no, I have my friends.
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: Ok, well, lucky you, you have a whole friend group and a small group.
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: Good for you.
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: Maybe those two overlap somewhere as well.
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: But there's some kids that that's exactly what they're looking for, like they just desperately and I meet those kids all the time.
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: They have no community, they have no friends.
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: Maybe they just moved here, maybe it's a military family that moves around a lot, or maybe they just switched schools, or maybe they just switched schools, or maybe they lost their friend group for a particular reason, who knows?
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: But there's a lot of lonely kids out there and I know if you're listening to this podcast and you work with students, you know that that is not a surprise to you.
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: We've got some lonely kids.
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: Loneliness is such an epidemic and so if you're not doing small groups, then basically you're rolling the dice and saying go make friends, kid, you know they might.
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: Adults need more help than that Like that's why we have adult small groups, adult life groups, whatever your church calls them is because that's a lot to just say, well, go find Christian community of people who are like-minded and want to serve the Lord and love you and see you through life.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: Good luck, yeah, Okay, you know, maybe for some lucky people, but that's not the reality for everyone.
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: So we design it that way to to give them community, to give them the best chance of a, like you said, I love that word, sticky faith, by the way, if you haven't read the book Sticky Church by Larry Osborne pick it up, it's a good one.
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: To add one more thing to that I'm thinking back at.
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: You know, I've been at our church for I don't know how many years over well, over a decade.
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: But I bet you I could probably connect almost every single person I know at our church, either through a life group or serving with them, one of the two.
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: And it just it goes to show like, especially if you're, especially if you're at a larger church, but all like, all you said was true for a small church or a large church.
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: But if you're a large church to wait.
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: The best way to make a big church feel smaller is to serve or to be involved in a life group small group, and if you're not doing either of those two things, how in the world do you make connections?
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: Because there's the greet your neighbor, which is great.
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: I really try my best to remember names and I feel like so often I'm like, oh, I already forgot it, but it's when you're serving with those people, or in a small group with them, a life group.
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: That's the connectivity, yeah you're right, as you're talking, I'm thinking about like the very first life group I ever joined, you know, as an adult, totally, and I think the reason I'm in ministry is because I was in a life group and I got more involved.
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: Like you know, there's just so many things that doors it opens for students, you know, in their faith journey.
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: So all right, oh, and small groups too.
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: Another thing I was going to mention is I love it when the leaders become a part of like real life.
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: You know, like they get invited to the graduation parties, they get invited to the birthday parties, they go to the performances, they're like there with the kids.
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: And I love that when I get an invitation to like a senior's graduation I had you four years ago and you invite me to your graduation party, Like that's amazing, Like I love that.
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: Or you know, a birthday party or a wedding a wedding.
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: Yes, I mean that kind of stuff, that is, those are like should be green lights of like ding, ding, ding.
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: We're doing community.
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: Well, like, if you're getting invited to those kinds of things, um, okay, number four camps and events hands down one of the greatest ways to build community, because now we're doing real life with them.
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: We're outside of youth group, we're eating, sleeping, breathing, playing, frolicking, worshiping all the things with them around the clock, 24 hours a day, and there is just something about it.
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: I always say one week of camp is worth six months of youth ministry.
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: In terms of connectedness.
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: We started promoting our summer camp today at church.
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: Sign-ups go live in two weeks, so we're showing all these teaser videos and the kids are like beyond excited.
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: They're like taking pictures of the slides and the announcements, sending it to their parents, like I don't want my mom to forget, she's got to sign me up.
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: And it's like still like two weeks away, because it's like this time of just togetherness and bonding and closeness and community and you could get a fringe kid who, like doesn't know anyone, is kind of just like looking around, maybe knows like a couple people, and then you put them on a camp and a retreat and by the end of the week you're your best friends, you know, and they're totally bought in and they're ready to go and ready to be a part of this community.
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: Their camp like.
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: I don't believe in magic okay, weirdos, but it's magical yeah, you weirdos I just can't see so immediately, like magic is not real.
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: I know that, okay, but there's something about camp and maybe it's like just this.
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: I don't know what it is, but it is.
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: Is this magical experience?
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: It's like this holy spirit experience like there is.
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: I cannot think of supernatural, supernatural yeah.
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: I was going to sing a song and then I aborted that bitch thank you there was a song by DC Todd on behalf of all the weirdos.
• 27:23
  Speaker 2: Thank you.
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: Now who's the weirdo?
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: okay, I see what I did there humbled hashtag that works you know what I?
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: meant, yeah, it's like the supernatural experience and I can't think of any other circumstance where I feel that way.
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: You know, like I have very deep times at youth group or church or whatever, but it's a specific brand that can't brings that.
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: I'm like can't replace that.
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: Like walls are coming down all over the place, like people are having breakthroughs, people are like opening up and becoming their authentic selves.
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: I almost feel like even for me, it's like you're unplugged from the daily rhythm and the screens and the emails and you're just like in a beautiful place worshiping, playing, like just being probably who we were meant to be is like let's just worship god and enjoy his creation.
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: I think that's what adam and eve's role was, you know, and yeah, like taking care of the land and stuff like that.
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: But I mean you're living your best life for this week and it just is transformative for on so many levels.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: But tonight we're talking specifically about community and like what that does for a group.
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: So if you don't do camps or retreats, we do just two a year.
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: We do a eight day summer camp in July and then we do a weekend winter camp in like February and those are our catalysts for relationships for the year.
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: You know that eight days I mean.
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: If you miss out, you miss a lot.
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: You know one of the girls today, when we were announcing it, she's like, oh my gosh, it's, it's coming up again.
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: I feel like we just went Like it just really like sticks with you.
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: And then, lastly, to build community be a part of the community.
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: Be present so kind of what we were talking about with the small group leader thing, you know.
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: Be present in the community, Go to the graduation ceremonies.
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: One little hack you can have this one for free.
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: I don't know if I've ever talked about this before.
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: We're charging you for those, so this one for free.
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: I don't know if I've ever talked about this before charging you for, though, so make sure you send that venmo payment.
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: All of this is free.
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: Y'all welcome.
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: So, either on the first day of school or the last day of school for one of your major high schools or junior highs like this we got these signs and we just hand painted them and it said happy first day of school, love, chaos.
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: and we stood out on the corner as all the kids were coming to school, like the sign twirlers, and we had the signs and parents were honking and people were waving and taking pictures like they felt so loved and it was like so easy.
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: I just had to get up a little early Right Now that we have kids that go to school.
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: It's a little harder because we're taking them to school.
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: But, and then, since the last day of school is coming up first, because this recording is in April you could do something like you did it, happy last day, love the name of your youth group and have a couple of leaders out there just to congratulate them on their last day of school.
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: So that's an easy way to be a part of the community.
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: You didn't have to buy a ticket to a ballet performance, you're just we're standing on the corner saying you did it or happy first day of school, or you know something cute like that.
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: But yes, going to the graduation ceremonies we try to go to the eighth grade graduation.
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: Since we are a middle school, we love to take a lot of pictures with the kids you know sporting events in your community.
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: Just showing up, showing your face being a member of the community, is a really big deal.
• 31:17
  Speaker 2: It means a lot to them.
• 31:18
  Speaker 2: It does, and their families.
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: Yes, and we've talked about that before, but again, that's another catalyst, for the community we're trying to build is to show people we're doing life together.
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: This is the whole point of this thing is to walk together, not that the church is a separate entity and that, like you know, but that we blend with their everyday lives.
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: You know, we were a figure in their, in their lives, and we're showing, we're showing up, we're showing that this is community like not just within the walls of the church, but this is community like that you can count on for, like this is your, your life.
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: We exist outside of the walls of the church in the one day or two days a week too yeah, I mean, because then you're really showing that you meant it's not just like, yes, we're in community as long as you come to my church from seven to nine every tuesday night, it's like and that's the only place it exists.
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: Maybe that's the catalyst, but that can't be where it ends like.
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: Are we actually doing life together?
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: Are we actually in community?
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: Is this going to be a long-term transformative place for your relationship with Jesus?
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: Well then, I've got to show that I exist and community exists outside of that.
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: 45 minutes of your small group on a Tuesday night, so yeah, think of that, with that goal, as you plan your program of?
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: am I pointing my students not to a program but to a community, and is that community leading them to authentic life change and longevity for discipleship and to strengthen their relationship with Jesus?
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: That is why we do what we do.
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: So maybe start with the end in mind and work backwards from there.
• 33:05
  Speaker 2: Yes, exactly, we did an episode.
• 33:07
  Speaker 2: We've done several episodes on small groups and the importance of them, Just to go deeper on what we talked about today.
• 33:13
  Speaker 2: You can check those out and also we have.
• 33:15
  Speaker 2: If you have new students, how to get them connected to your youth group.
• 33:19
  Speaker 2: Make sure you check out that episode.
• 33:20
  Speaker 2: We'll link it in the description below.
• 33:22
  Speaker 2: All right, this is a community comment of the day.
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: I love this one.
• 33:25
  Speaker 2: This comes from Lydia Long, who says as a student pastor with two dachshunds, she said I've never felt so seen.
• 33:42
  Speaker 2: You are seen and known before you are known and we are best friends.
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: She is, we're gonna be.
• 33:48
  Speaker 2: She is referencing we had mentioned, I think, dachshunds in an episode, so that was her comment.
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: I don't know if our listeners have picked up on this yet.
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: Okay, of course, I course.
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: I love God the most, then my family, all the yes, stuff you're supposed to love.
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: I the thing I love most in life is dachshunds.
• 34:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, every now and then we get a from back here.
• 34:10
  Speaker 2: If you're watching on YouTube, there'll be a little face pokes through the window, a little angel face.
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: But nowadays.
• 34:16
  Speaker 2: To get her to stay where she needs to be while we're recording, we give her a bone that's probably about the same length as she is.
• 34:25
  Speaker 2: I can hear her in the other room still chewing away.
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: I hear her chomping away Lydia Long.
• 34:29
  Speaker 2: Yes, email us a picture of your dachshund so we can see Get a long little doggy.
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: Yes, we want a picture.
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: Yes.
• 34:36
  Speaker 2: And you can be in it too.
• 34:37
  Speaker 2: Come on, and a video and a lock of his hair.
• 34:45
  Speaker 2: Both of them and um kristin in particular, wants to know what um the ears smell like.
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: It's a weird thing she has yeah, just wipe it on a paper towel, put it in a bag.
• 34:52
  Speaker 2: You have lost every single person listening, except for like the three or four that may have toxins thank, thank you, lydia.
• 34:59
  Speaker 2: We appreciate it.
• 34:59
  Speaker 2: We appreciate you guys watching and listening and we'll see you next time.
• 35:03
  Speaker 1: Today, we're talking about five ways that you can make your youth group Youth group.
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: Today, we're talking about five ways that you can make your youth group more of a.
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: What is it?
• 35:15
  Speaker 2: And I'm going, and I'm going, and I'm stopped Psych.