Youth Ministry: Small Church

This has been a shocking few weeks for the global community. The spread of COVID-19, and our attempts to slow it down, have created huge change in our own lives, and the lives of our youth.However, we’re convinced this challenge presents huge opportunities. That’s what we’re talking about now on YM:SC, how to leverage this new reality.And this episode is all about the basic tools of youth ministry online, and a bunch of tips about how to make the most of videoconferencing for youth group.We mention a few videoconferencing platforms:www.zoom.uswww.skype.comand of course…www.downloadyouthministry.com

Many of us are arriving at NYWC today. It’s a good time for a check-in!Contact me if you’re going to be around, I’d love to say hello! stephen@youthministrysmallchurch.comAnd if you don’t know what NYWC is, check out www.nywc.com It’s the biggest gathering of youth workers in the USA, and it’s almost always encouraging and energizing.And next season? Yeah, we’re talking about growth. It’s nerve-wracking, and it’s often talked about poorly. But we’re going to talk about it well, and give you lots of helpful tools. Keep an eye out!

We youth leaders understand frugality, especially in small churches. But how do you know when you're being frugal, and when you're just underfunding your youth program?Further, how do we get our church to help pay for the youth program? Today's guest, Glen Guyton, has GREAT advice on these topics and more. As someone who spent years in youth ministry, he's got lots of experience. As an added bonus, he's currently the Executive Director for the Mennonite Church USA. So he's got lots of perspective to share!We mentioned a bunch of books:Sustainable Youth Ministry, by Mark DeVriesSmaller(er) Church Youth Ministry, by Brad Fiscus and Stephanie CaroSticky Faith, from the Fuller Youth InstituteGrowing Young, also from the Fuller Youth Institute

Recruiting volunteers, and supporting volunteers, are some of the most difficult things we do in youth ministry. This is particularly true in small churches. The dynamics of many small churches can make it hard to recruit. At the same time, volunteer care is one of the most important things we do. Volunteer recruitment is absolutely necessary.This episode is a quick survey of concrete systems to recruit and support your volunteers.Also: on the Youth Ministry: Small Church website for this post, you'll find a download to a sample volunteer packet Stephen used a year ago.

Do you ever feel like you have to communicate in 16 different ways to be heard by everyone? Or do you feel like people often complain they don't know what's going on in the youth program? Communication takes a lot of time for youth workers, but it's very important. Figuring out what communication your youth group needs is an important part of being an effective youth worker.This episode gives some concrete advice on how to do that well. Our interview with Seth Muse helps us think through that strategy in a broader way. And finally, we check in with Patricia Cogles at the end of the episode, who we last heard from in Episode 2. She talks about her need for self-care, and the impact Parkland has had in her youth group. Show Notes:Tons were mentioned this week!Seth mentioned MailChimp. Mailchimp is a way to automate great looking emails, and that translates to saving you time (eventually). It also lets you track how many readers are opening emails, what links are clicked, and other great stuff.He mentioned two programs you can use to send text messages to large groups, like your entire youth group. They're Remind and GroupMe. Look for them in your app store.Seth mentioned an email checklist on his blog. You can find it here!The Buffer Podcast (Buffer is the program that lets you schedule social media posts): the podcast website is here.Building a StoryBrand, by Donald Miller.Pro Church Tools, by Brady Shearer gives tons of communication tools and tips.Youth Ministry: Small Church Group: Youth Ministry: Small Church Communications TipsStephen’s personal Instagram account (which he uses for his youth program) is @Elsteve9

SHOW NOTESI mentioned Orange's PHASE Project. You can learn more on YOUTH MINISTRY: SMALL CHURCH's page on human development. Jen mentioned a few of her favorite resources: Can I Ask That series by Kara PowellDiscipline Without Stress Punishments or Rewards: How Teachers and Parents Promote Responsibility & Learning, by Marvin Marshall.Other People’s Children by Lisa Delpit and Herbert Kohl.Educating All God’s Children Nicole Baker Fulgham.

Jen wrote three great (I mean GREAT) blog posts on using curriculum well. Why You Shouldn't Write Curriculum, then 9 Keys to Choosing Curriculum, and finally Seven Ways to Tweak Curriculum. They ain't fancy, but they're super helpful.Looking for fancy? Check out Jen's books, including The Jesus Gap, which we mentioned a few times in this episode. Also, Jen's blog is pretty great.Jen mentioned all kinds of great stuff. Most of these are good places to find curriculum!The Youth CartelDownload Youth Ministry (often called DYM) has lots of awesome games, but also curriculum, training, etc. They've got a subscription service, and it's quite popular.The Source 4 Youth Ministry (run by Jonathan McKee)Jen mentioned YM Sidekick, which I had not previously heard of. Looks awesome (and Jen said it was awesome, so....)She also mentioned two writers she likes quite a bit. Heather Lee Campbell blogs here, and Stephanie Caro has written so much stuff it's hard to know what to point you toward. So instead, I'll remind you that, if you tag us on Facebook or Instagram, we'll send you a copy of a Stephanie Caro & Brad Fiscus book, Small(er) Church Youth Ministry: No Staff, No Money, No Problem!

Show Notes:Terry mentioned a few of his own books, including Teaching the Next Generations: A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching Christian Formation. This is the book Terry mentioned earlier in the inteview. Each chapter is about a totally different topic, so that this one book becomes a constantly helpful resource.He also mentioned a book he wrote called The Self-Aware Leader toward the end of the interview. Hurt, by Chap Clark should be required reading for all youth leaders in the USA. Chap did a massive research project, and discovered things about how teenagers have changed since most of us were young. This book was a landmark in youth ministry when it was released.No Supplies Required, old Group book. There are a few used copies on Amazon here.Doug Franklin Leader Treks anything Doug & Angie Franklin are putting down, I’m picking up. https://www.leadertreks.org/DYM has been helpful. They can be found at www.downloadyouthministry.com. Jen Bradbury blogs regularly at www.ymjen.com and wrote The Jesus Gap. Also? We're interviewing her next week!The Self-Aware Leader is good for volunteer teams

Show Notes:I THINK the only book mentioned was...Sustainable Youth Ministry by Mark DeVries. Again. Here's the link!And Carl leads Small Church Matters www.smallchurchmatters.com . It's still in development, but keep an eye on him! He's working to provide resources to small churches that are normally only accessible to churches with a lot of money, including consultants.

This episode, we interview Brad Fiscus, who oversees young people's ministries for the Tennessee Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Or to put it another way: it's his job to help small church youth workers lead effective youth ministries. He talks about basic systems we need, and basic principles of healthy youth programs. He's also the author of Small(er) Church Youth Ministry: No Staff, No Money, No Problem, along with Stephanie Caro of Ministry Architects. If you found his interview helpful, the book is packed full of similar insights.Now, you could click the Amazon link and buy this book (which should be one of the first books any of us read on Youth Ministry), but why not get it for free instead? Tag us on Instagram or Facebook, and we'll send you a free copy of the book. At least, we'll do that for the first three people to tag us!Show Notes:We didn't talk about a ton of resources this episode, except for Brad & Stephanie's book.Brad listed off a few resources he assigns to his cohorts. He assigns:His own book, and Sustainable Youth Ministry by Mark DeVries, like we do in almost every episode. Mark runs Ministry Architects, where Stephanie Caro also works. Stephanie Caro, of course, helped Brad write Small(er) Church Youth Ministry. He also uses the Sticky Faith resources, which we've mentioned before. Sticky Faith is an entire research project with lots of resources, but the basic book can be found here. However, look for the Fuller Youth Institute's blog and other books. Brad can be reached at brad.fiscus@tnumc.org

This episode is all about the things that make small churches great at youth ministry. There are lots of strengths in small churches, and we figure out how to leverage those strengths in this episode.  We interview Kellen Roggenbuck, who also blogs at Handy Dandy Youth Ministry.

Youth Ministry, at its core, is about discipleship. Discipleship happens mostly through relationships. This episode, Tyler Jarvis helps us wrap our minds around that.Check out our show notes at www.youthministrysmallchurch.com!

YOUTH MINISTRY: SMALL CHURCH exists to focus on youth ministry In Small Churches. We’re here to help you figure out how to leverage your strengths, learn about what the basics of youth ministry are, and figure out how to do great work while you’re only paid for 10 hours a week. So here’s how it works. This show works in seasons. You’ll hear out of us every week through February and into spring. Eventually, we’ll trail off, before next Spring rolls around. That lets us organize our shows by themes, and by topics. Our first season is all about “The Basics of Youth Ministry.” It all about figuring out what really matters, and how to get your ABCs in a row.