Reviving a Youth Ministry - Part 1 - greatplainsumc.org I've been there. Yes, there are cycles, ups and downs and seasons, but there are some youth ministries that are just plain dying. Dont just make converts but make disciples who make disciples. Move beyond being an inwardly focused church. check out my Ministry Minded coaching program. Hold regular meetings. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can refresh, renew and revive His church. Trying to beat the world at its own game is a losing battle. one of three phrases I suggest youth pastors eliminate. God and I had a struggle going on. Learn how to revive it by learning how to revive yourself.0:00 Introduction10:32 Revival Starts With The M. A declining youth ministry is hard on the soul but revival is possible. Are they all in? Take the issue head-on, pray, sing, set a mood where the teenagers will be prodded toward falling in love with God. The courage to gain must be greater than the fear of losing. Be willing to put in lots of effort over a sustained period of time to invest in your churchs youth ministry for the long haul. If you want your young people to come to church, youve got to reach out to them where they already are (Hint: Thats on their phones). Is prayer a big part of your youth ministry program or do you use it as fairy dust to sprinkle on your meetings but then depend on the latest, greatest curriculum to produce the real change? The good news is that when you decide to become laser-focused on your target, you get better at reaching them. Others will get choked out by worldliness. Samuel Johnson, the great eighteenth-century thinker and writer, documented in his diary his efforts over the years to fight sloth by getting up early in the morning to pray. How to REVIVE Your Ministry - YouTube Clearly communicate the direction in which the ministry is heading so your next youth pastor will help take it there instead of in another direction. Sometimes, as a youth pastor, you will inherit a hot mess or a dumpster fire. If your church is struggling to form lasting relationships with its younger members, then its time to consider better ways to engage the next generation of churchgoers. Remember that the youth pastor and all other staff and volunteers are really just interim workers. Young people today have a very strong desire for "real" leadership and can see quickly through all of the fluff that pastors are trying to feed them. Like Jesus speaking to Lazarus inside that grace, we must speak life over those kids. With rolling eyes and heavy sighs, many of them endure the lessons and enjoy the games. I read accounts of some of the great men of God in earlier awakenings who longed to see revival so much that their well-intentioned pursuit turned into a guilt-filled drudgery. Build a master recruiting list by deciding how many volunteers the ministry needs for the coming year and who the most likely prospects are to call. Its possible that the kids in your youth ministry do not know Christ. Youre doing a good job and youre only going to get better. One of the clear signs of a dying church is an unhealthy prayer culture. Who are the biggest fans of what what you have going on? But he stands with matches ready to set teens hearts ablaze. But if you come to the time where you feel you a restart is needed, trust your gut and seek God's wisdom on next steps. Ministry Minded is three months of being equipped, trained and inspired, in community, to build a sustainable youth ministry that makes disciples. Students need to know youre not just a good person, but someone who can do what they say they can do. These cookies do not store any personal information. In the last 10 years, weve baptized nearly 400 people. Change the culture. Help volunteers build friendships with each other, and encourage them to remain committed to volunteering with the youth ministry for at least several years so they can see growth occur in students lives. Ask God to help you avoid anxiety and be joyful despite the problems around you. Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! A declining youth ministry is hard on the soul but revival is possible. In 2006, I accepted the role of senior pastor at Foothill Christian Center, a nominal Pentecostal church running about 140 people. The most effective youth leaders I know are the most committed to preparing each lesson with the time and work it needs to be excellent. Avoid anxiety and remain focused on working on strategic plans. By Gods grace, Foothill Church is now solidly reformed, joyfully complementarian, and essentially continuationist. They are looking to God to light that fire not a strategy or a program or a method. Many are the plans in a persons heart, but it is the LORDs purpose that prevails (Prov. The Revive Movement is a Christ-centered ministry in the historic Wesleyan theological tradition with the purpose of resourcing local church children, youth and adults by making disciples of Jesus Christ. I love Foothill Church and I tell the people all the time, Im not going anywhere. Do all you can to help them feel wanted, accepted, and connected in your youth group. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Great leaders. So, I am putting my notes, along with some extra commentary, for anyone who would like to use it with Apr 18, 2023 | New Resource, programming, small groups, Youth Worker Training. This article has been viewed 261,061 times. Polling expert George Barna gives us his six latest reasons. Great churches. The story of how a fatherless street kid overcame violence, chaos, and confusion to become a radical Christ follower. Yes, there are cycles, ups and downs and seasons, but there are some youth ministries that are just plain dying. Build a constellation of people. In fact, Invite your friends! is one of three phrases I suggest youth pastors eliminate from their vocabulary. ", Philip Ryken: Defining and Proclaiming Our Shared Gospel Message, 10 Things Pastors Often Keep to Themselves, Sharing the Gospel Even With a Stranger, Bible App for Kids Celebrates 100 Million Installs Worldwide, How You Can Support Easter Services With Prayer, 20th Annual Outreach Resources of the Year: Theology and Biblical Studies, Nine changes dying churches must make immediately. To create this article, 28 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Clearly communicate the direction in which the ministry is heading so your next youth pastor will help take it there instead of in another direction. Once you have the volunteers, regularly communicate with them. Reason #4 - Young Christians' church experiences related to sexuality are often . He said, "Who said that?" I said, "I did," with a smile. 9 Interpretations, How to Use Angel Numbers for Manifestation, to maintain that young mind and always have that love for children, to understand how they feel by being able to go down to their level. Intercessory is not just the domain of little old ladies and those " crazy " intercessors we sometimes meet. Yes, there are cycles, ups and downs and seasons, but there are some youth ministries that are just plain dying. Left Eye Twitching for Females: What Astrology Says About Eye Twitching. The kids you involve in leadership and servanthood, will be the greatest benefactors of the changes they make. If a youth ministry is not interesting in growing, by default, it is interested in dying. Everywhere I go, I meet brothers and sisters in Christ who are trusting that Jesus love is better than any human love, leaving same-sex sexual relationships to follow Jesus. Get acquainted with the music kids spend their time listening to. I considered quitting. DeVries is the author of Family-Based Youth Ministry and coauthor of The Most Important Year in a Womans Life/The Most Important Year in a Mans Life, and he has been a contributing writer for Josh McDowells Youth Ministry Handbook, Starting Right and Reaching a Generation for Christ. 1 Find a good meeting location. Inspire and equip your teenagers to clearly share the gospel. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Encourage them to start meeting. Paul Turner - Helping Youth Workers Build Successful Youth Ministries Have fun, but remember why you're there. What do I need to do when the youths lack passion for the regular services? While this makes for an attention-grabbing headline, the underlying research shows that people arent bored in eight seconds they simply want to be shown something they care about within eight seconds. Go with the goers and pray for the others. Hope and action are stronger than negativity. There are no short cuts to discipling students and thats why I want to come alongside you with the best ideas, resources and strategies to give you the best chance of developing life-long followers of Jesus. Chris has been the Lead Pastor of Foothill Church in Glendora, California since 2006, an 80-year-old church that has seen great change and growth by Gods grace in this time. This being a difficult time in most teenagers' lives, it is more important than ever to get a good youth ministry program started. A Powerful Prayer for Revival - Crosswalk.com The Gospel. I started as a bivocational pastor, which they really liked since they couldnt actually afford a full-time pastor. Giving youth pastors the tools they need to make and shape disciples. Develop a pool of potential recruits including a name of a potential volunteer beside each open position and diligently make phone calls until you find the people you need. See 2 Corinthians 3:18. Dont worry about trying to design your youth group like a successful group at another church, buying more technology, adding more events to your calendar, etc. Dont change anything until your core leaders are thoroughly committed to the biblical purposes of the church. Go all in on those. Are you interceding on behalf of teenagers? Strategy is a missing . The revival is happening where youth leaders are committed to intercessory prayer. Find their gifts and strengths and create opportunities for them to use them. Give them job descriptions, behavioral covenants, and an accountability structure. I was always taught Summer Jump not Summer Slump. The only problem was, we didnt know how to do this. How to Revive a Dying Youth Ministry: 5 Biblical Pointers Every forum to gather people is an opportunity to showcase the goodness and love of God. When youre criticized, dont react defensively. How to Lead a Successful Youth Ministry: 8 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow Before I accepted the position, I thought the church just needed new leadership. In a revi, the book has been written, approved, codified, and embedded in every structure and system (or lack thereof) for years. I remember that Saturday morning as we talked about reaching new people, with tears in my eyes, saying, Guys, I have no idea how we will reach them, but if we will focus on the what, God will show us the how.. Set expectations for problems to be solved gradually over the course of years instead of pursuing futile quick fixes. Raising A Dead Youth Ministry One By One - The Disciple Project PASSION WILL TURN YOUR YOUTH MINISTRY AROUND, Youth Group Message On Serving Others: 3 Kinds Of People To Serve, Helping Your Students Develop Spiritual Habits, The Exciting Summer Outreach Program That Will Grow Your Youth Ministry, Your teaching style might have to change in order to help kids level up, Focus on growing students not growing the group, Find your kick starter. Yes we want to get them growing but the best way to do that is to get them going. This will not only take the pressure off of you to read their minds, but it will also help them feel like theyre an active part of the youth ministry and its future. How to start, run and grow a vibrant youth ministry My purpose is from this time to avoid idleness and to rise early.. Does GenerationS apply to my youth ministry if I am from a small church? It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Help make a superstar instead of looking for one to come to you. Take responsibility for your own problems rather than blaming other people. But down deep inside we want to taze their cold hearts into beating hard and hot after God. We tried for months to reach the families in the homes surrounding our church. Dont make your decisions on the basis of your feelings, which depend on changing circumstances and are unreliable. Ask Pastor John. Six in 10 (61%) senior pastors say youth ministry is "one of the top priorities" of their church's ministry, and 7 percent say it is the single highest priority. We get the new believers equipped in evangelism right away (along with the other spiritual disciplines!) But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Bill Gepford is currently serving as a TiM associate pastor at Colby United Methodist Church, Colby, Kansas (2013-2015). We assume you're ok with this, but you can. Student discipleship doesn't need to be fancy. I have not always been Pentecostal. Once your 10%ers get 100% on board with this vision theyll inevitably impact the rest of the group. Copyright 2023 SimpleTexting, LLC. Look for the teenagers, adult leaders and fellow youth leaders who are excited about revival to join you. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Set aside time regularly for strategic thinking. Part of coming alive is using what God has given us. Top 5 Ways to Engage the Youth in Your Church | SimpleTexting Ask the young people themselves, that is. 9 Dynamic Ways To Revive A Dying Youth Ministry Updated 11/23/2022 Many youth ministries are in decline and dying. Were confident youll love how easy it is to text your youth members with SimpleTexting. But its also systems, structures, programming, and facilities. Angry at the board. A positive attitude alone will not change your group, but it will change your perspective and thats a big step towards changing things around you. Thats why you need to know how to revive a dying youth ministry. Work to overcome challenges when you encounter them. If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. Give new volunteers a thorough orientation, regularly check in with all your volunteers, and celebrate the good work that your volunteers are doing. Six Stages of a Dying Church ThomRainer.com Look at your student leadership team and adult staff. The simplest way to deepen your impact in youth ministry is to deepen your commitment to prayer, both personally and programmatically. Be sure to build in enough time to reflect on what youre doing regularly and keep thinking and praying about how to best meet your goals. Meet this need by keeping services and classes short, engaging, and broken up with plenty of opportunities for interaction and activities (think games and problem-solving). It was still a car but it was turned over, in a ditch, covered by weeds and beer cans, with a rusted out engine, and a couple of bodies in the trunk. Prepare yourself. However, despite a clear majority, one-third of pastors (32%) say it is either somewhat, not too much, or not at all a priority. Think clearly about what your ministry needs. Now their events bring in thousands of return and first-time guests. The church has grown. rather than the entertainment value of your meeting. 19:21). Four Strategies for Reviving a Dying Church | Breeze ChMS Angry at the congregation. If your youth ministry doesnt give students the chance to be with the kind of friends they want, the students wont stick around to participate in the ministrys programs no matter how fun or creative they are. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. 2 Timothy 2:19-21. 'The Chaos, the Anger, the Hatred, the Divisiveness'Kevin Sorbo Says 'The Time Is Right' for His New 'Left Behind' Movie Many churches already have a great hall for their youth group, but if not find some location where everyone will feel comfortable. Obviously, revitalization is more than room size and name changes. Revival starts with stopping a mindset that sabotages you and follows up with a new perspective that invites change to both you and your youth ministry. Jesse Bradley of Grace Community Church offers this advice: Theres no formula, just genuine love and connecting. How to REVIVE Your MinistryIs your ministry dying? Over 7,000 contacts have subscribed to Milestones texts in the past two years ago. The lesson? Attendance didnt explode. Hang in there. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Before making any significant change, listen to peoples concerns and adjust your plans as necessary. In our newfound reason to unite, the instinct to separate falls away, social media is transformed from platforms that are destructive into opportunities for gospel witness, and we begin to love people well enough to tell them the good news of Jesus, even as our own fears are cast out (1 John 4:18). The result was that 11 out of 12 changed the world. 3. Tell stories about students who are making progress and growing in their faith. It should be the standard operating practice of every believer. 9 Dynamic Ways To Revive A Dying Youth Ministry Updated 11/23/2022 Many youth ministries are in decline and dying. Wasnt this Jesus strategy? Here are five reliable ways to build relationships and connections with the youth in your ministry. For all press inquiries, emailpress@acts29.com. Make intercessory prayer the engine, not the caboose, of the train driving your efforts. If you're behind, you can start HERE. Connecting with the young ones in your church might seem intimidating, but its simpler than you think. It is important to raise youth that are absolutely sold out to God. What Jesus was teaching wasnt too hard, it was too hard for THEM. All rights reserved | Created by SolidGiant.com. Pastoring a dying church can be a difficult and challenging task. When Ive taken over a ministry like this, which has been multiple times, I have developed some comeback steps that I think might work for you. Put the right system in place before looking for the right person to hire. This comes with the added perk of being confidential and building trust. 2. Ministry Minded is three months of you being equipped, trained and inspired to build a sustainable youth ministry that makes disciples. We need each other and a real community. Is the gospel youre presenting good news or has it been muddied up by terms that are unclear or inaccurate? If your group is not coming to you, go where they are. For what its worth, here are a few of my suggestions for resurrecting a plateaued or dying church. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. Craft a mission statement for the ministry. Change the vision. And say to Archippus, "See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord." Colossians 4:7 It's easy to equate ministry as volunteerism, or an activity you sign up for at church. Work to stay emotionally healthy yourself and help others who work with you in the youth ministry to do the same. We are called to a happy holiness not a sour sanctification. There is nothing wrong with fun at youth group. Its easy to tell when the dead are back to life. The answer is a resounding YES!! Sign up for a free 14-day trial today to see SimpleTexting in action. Youth who are incredibly unstoppable in every aspect of life. During student leadership meetings, pray for all youth group members and for revival at schools. I have found that it was a culmination of several factors over time. Creative Ideas for Youth Ministry - The CRG - Congregational Resource Guide Operate in light of your primary missionmaking disciples. But those precious few seeds that land on good soil will produce 30, 60 or even 100xs what was sown. If you need help revitalizing your youth ministry, check out my Ministry Minded coaching program. Or maybe the youth ministry you have just went south for a variety of reasons,none of which . Pay your new youth pastor as well as you can, because he or she is most likely to stay if fairly compensated. Can organizing sports competitions help improve youth interest in God? wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Don't wait until you have youth ministry figured out. [Nine changes dying churches must make immediately]. 1. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again. I Corinthians 5:14. I hope I die here but not because you kill me, but because I dont ever want to leave. Ten years ago, I couldnt imagine a church in worse condition than Foothill Church. To view it please enter your password below: Apr 18, 2023 | Inspire Me, Youth Worker Training. Pare down the buzzwords Teenagers have a Spider-Sense when it comes to authenticity; they can spot lingo being deployed as a method of "reaching out" a mile away. God only serves revival on clean plates. 4. Start taking prayer walks or shutting your door for 30 minutes daily. Keep your supervisor fully informed about whats going on in the ministry. 7 simple ways to vastly improve your youth ministry program Start a text marketing campaign or have a 1-on-1 conversation today. Reviving a Dying Church: 5 Ways to Revive Your Church Reviving a Dying Church - Acts 29 Acts 4:31 gives a micro recipe for revival. 4. Don't be afraid to talk about God and religion, even if that's not what a lot of the teenagers really want to talk about. Bill Gepford, TiM associate pastor at Colby (Kansas) UMC, shares how and why he started a youth program at Colby UMC. Start taking prayer walks or shutting your door for 30 minutes a day or whatever you have to do to start making intercessory prayer a personal priority. The church is declining numerically, but no one seems concerned. Instead of running from pain, find God at work in the middle of the pain and see what you can learn from it. The worst thing you can do is nothing at all. 16 Ways to Build a Youth Ministry That Will Last - Crosswalk.com Social time is excellent, and necessary, but don't overdo it to the point where the meetings may as well have taken place at the mall down the street. 2021 All Rights Reserved. I call it "the six stages of a dying church." Denial. It was a real fixer-upper if you know what I mean. What God gave me was the grace to persevere. Chris presented this material at Engage 2017,Acts 29US Wests annual conference. Global Vision's 'Reverse Offering' Gives Away $320K to Those in Need Similar to Global Vision Bible Church's generosity to single moms on Mother's Day, Locke shared that the church recently did a "reverse offering" for people who needed money to pay bills and for Christmas. Put aside your ego and point to Jesus. Last Updated: October 11, 2022 Kids will see the activity of God in themselves when they start doing what they are gifted to do. Ministry to young people must include ministry to their parents and the family unit as a whole in whatever form it comes (eg. The result was that 11 out of 12 of them changed the world. Why the Fire Leaves Your Youth Group and How to Get it Back - Crosswalk.com With that in mind, here are five best practices taken from real church leaders (and me, a former youth group member and leader) to help you build strong relationships with the youth in your ministry and keep them eager to come to church. Encourage emotional health. Affirm and encourage them regularly by showing your appreciation in creative ways (giving them gift cards, inviting them to the pastors home for dinner, etc.). Or do you sprinkle it as fairy dust but then depend on the latest, greatest curriculum to produce real change? Yes, I understand, you want the youth ministry to be be bigger, but berating your kids to do it will not get it done. Develop an organizational chart for the ministry. Start putting these principles into practice now. If someone leaves a gay relationship to enter the church, they should find more love and not less. If youre not willing to lose some kids, youre not giving yourself a chance to gain any. The joy of our salvation should drive the excitement of our sanctification! Good things happen when we get a grasp of the gospel, that the crucified Christ is also the risen Lord. Oh, and before you think this is an over night fix, this process is labor intensive and may take years. Fewer people are reached with the gospel, but no alarm sounds. Emphasize two basic goals: growing the. Our congregation was comprised of medium-income families. The Christian life is all about change, i.e., growth. But down deep we want to zap their cold hearts into beating hard after God. At some point, most youth leaders wonder how to revive a dying youth ministry. List measurable goals to aim to achieve over three years. So, my answer is this: Spare the dying as much pain as you can. Pray with passion. Sharing stories of outreach, helping Christian leadership discover the ideas, innovations and resources that will equip them to advance the kingdom of God through the outreach efforts of the local church. Reason #1 - Churches seem overprotective. This is part four in my series 9 Dynamic Ways To Revive A Dying Youth Ministry. Just follow these tips and strategies. Still others die due to lack of spiritual maturity. What was left was a building with about 100 seats, four Sunday school rooms and an average attendance of about 35. Be sure to update these directories annually. We felt like we were drinking from a fire hydrant, but at least the water was refreshing! Its tedious. Reason #2 - Teens' and twenty-somethings' experience of Christianity is shallow. Get them involve in the planning and execution. When that failed to produce anything, I did the next most spiritual thing I could think of: I decided to go on an extended fast. 5 Verses to Revive Your Heart for Ministry - Free Indeed If this post gets you excited and you want more. Drew has more than a decade of experience managing successful integrated marketing programs to build brands, raise awareness, and generate demand. March 7, 2023 by. There hadnt been a baptism in the church for at least 10 years and no recorded salvations for longer. Take a poll or post a survey for your youth group to ask for suggestions on future events or activities and gather their reactions to things youve done in the past. % of people told us that this article helped them. Then the city shook with the power of the gospel message. Make sure that the adults are connected to each other as well as to the students, with everyone working together to shine as brightly as possible. The only things I lacked were skill and knowledge! For a dying church to move to a thriving church, they must: 1. Intercession isnt just the domain of old ladies and crazy intercessors we sometimes meet. 2. The Five Best Ways to Engage Your Youth Group Be Sincere Ask Them What They Want Bring in Slightly Older Mentors Communicate the Way Young Members Want You to Communicate Update Your Programming to Reflect Teens Attention Span The 5 Best Ways to Engage Your Youth Group First thing, take a breath. and speak to their responsibilities as believers. Can we do anything about it? But those precious few seeds that land on good soil will produce 30, 60 or even 100 times what was sown. Will GenerationS help me start a youth ministry? Milestone Church uses text messages to engage its youth ministry. They say that the average attention span is around eight seconds. He led me to do some very practical things that yielded some very real results. Begging kids to bring their friends lowers the standard of your youth ministry. As I reflect back and try to understand how our church was transformed, I never land on any specific programs, strategies or methods that were the secret.

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