Posted by Kurt Johnston

As I type this, I am sitting in Chicago Ohare airport about to miss a speaking engagement for the first time in my life. The day started by hitting the road at 4:00 am to catch a flight that was delayed twice resulting in a missed connection. Then the Chicago skies opened up and started dumping rain resulting in my flights being cancelled. Even though it is “an act of God” and there’s nothing I can do about it, I feel TERRIBLE.

But this negative “first time” experience has me thinking about all the incredible “first times” I have experienced over the years in JH ministry.

- The first time I took a group of students to the beach. By “group”, I mean two 8th grade guys, and on the way to the beach, my car suffered two flat tires. Years later, when I see Joe and Chad, we still share the fond memory.

- The first time I went to a weeklong summer camp as the person ultimately in charge. I felt like I was in SO over my head. And I was. But God showed up, like He has a way of doing.

- The first time I taught about sex and dating. I wasn’t even married, had never had sex, and felt like I needed the lesson more than they did!

The list of “first time” ministry memories could go on and on. I’m sad today that I am experiencing my first speaking foul up, but so very thankful for all the other “firsts” God has allowed me to enjoy!

Posted by Kurt Johnston

The title of this post is also the title of a new category. Whenever Scott, myself or another author wants to post something that has nothing (or very little) to do with junior high ministry, we will title it, “This has nothing to do with junior high ministry, but…”. This way you can quickly decide if you want to read any further!

This has nothing to do with junior high ministry, but today I heard a very interesting statement: “Academics talking about real ministry is like fish talking about
bicycles”.

Strong. Loaded. Biased. Yes.
Somewhat true. Profound. Painfully accurate. Maybe.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Posted by Kurt Johnston

This weekend, our junior high ministry did something we try to about once a month: We forced ourselves out of our typical weekend rut. I think the weekend church experience we provide for junior highers is a great one, but because it works and because we have it dialed in, it would be very easy to get into a “good rut”.

So church this weekend was way different. It was on one hand much more relational (we sat around tables, had lots of discussion questions, etc.) and on the other hand much more serious in tone (we worked through the last few days of Jesus’ life). The weekend was FANTASTIC, not because what we did was so much better than what we normally do, but because it was different….we didn’t do what we normally do.

Ruts are bad….even good ruts…so there really are no good ruts. When really good stuff becomes predictable, formulaic, etc. it begins to lose effectiveness, and thus a bunch of really good stuff can slowly become a rut.

Here are a few ways to become a RUT BUSTER:

- Always leave them wanting more, quit while you’re ahead, etc. It is super tempting to play the groups favorite game over and over and over again. But if you do, their favorite game will quickly become the one they are sick of. It’s easy to lock onto a certain type of humor that your students respond to….but don’t overdo it. When they get overly used to it, it is no longer as useful a tool.

- Invite new voices into your planning process: One of the reasons ministries find themselves in a rut is because they constantly have the same people planning the lessons, the activities, the leader training, etc. People are creatures of habit, so when we find something that works, we are slow to recognize the need for change. Inviting new, fresh voices into the process will make it much
tougher to fall into ruts.

- Network with other youth leaders, and visit their ministries. I recently met with a very sharp young leader who was contemplating making some changes in his junior high ministry. He admitted that his model was the ONLY model he had ever seen…that he was simply doing ministry the way it was done before his arrival on the scene. I applauded him for wanting to learn how we do things at Saddleback, but was quick to point out that if our ministry was the only one he looked at, he was missing out on dozens and dozens of other effective ministry
models.

Start with a blank slate. Next time you get ready to write a lesson, plan an activity, etc. start with a blank slate. Most of us have been taught the value of keeping good records and history files so that we can document our learnings. The common wisdom is this is that the next time around, we can grab our file and see what worked last time, what didn’t, etc. I think this is helpful, but it is also a sure-fire way to get into ruts. Instead, take a shot at starting from a blank slate….pretending their is no history at all. dream big, brainstorm, think outside the box….think outside the history file!

Posted by Kurt Johnston

1. Say Yes When They Ask For Your Help. We have all been taught that a key to time management is learning how to say NO. However, I think that when it comes to serving our volunteers we need to say YES whenever we can. Recently, one of our junior high small group leaders was taking his group of 7th grade guys on a little field trip to In N Out Burger and needed an extra driver. He probably could have called a parent to help, but he called me. I took the opportunity to say YES to his request. It was an easy thing to do, and I was actually fairly surprised at how meaningful it was to the leader.

2. Give Them Permission To Take A Break. Thank God for faithful volunteers! But sometimes your most faithful teammates are on the brink of burn out because they feel like the ministry can’t afford for them to take a week or two off, to skip an activity etc. Have a personal conversation with some of your most dedicated volunteers and ask them….no, TELL them….that you want them to take a week off every now and then.

3. Don’t Just Give Them A Break, Pay For It! In addition to giving them freedom to take a week off, give them a couple movie passes or a Starbucks card. Encourage them to actually use the gift during the time they would normally be serving. There is something really rewarding about sitting in a movie theater, or sipping a hot drink at the very same time you would normally be shushing students during bible study.

4. Ask Your Sr. Pastor To Brag On Them. Every now and then, give your Pastor the names of one or two of your leaders and ask him/her to pull them aside at some point and brag on them. Ask him\her to say something like, “Joe, I was talking to (insert your name here) the other day, and he couldn’t quit talking about how thankful he is for your role in our junior high ministry. I just wanted to thank you for serving our teenagers.”

5. Remember The Little Things. Send an anniversary card. Call to wish them a happy birthday. Send their child a get well card when sick. Shoot an email congratulating them on their promotion. Remembering the little things makes a big impact.

Posted by Kurt Johnston

- This past weekend, we wrapped up our annual “School Wars” series. For two weekends, we divide students into 8 teams based on school, turn our gymnasium into an arena of sorts, ask volunteers to come dressed as gladiators and have the mother of all competitions. I’m TOTALLY NOT into competitive, team based youth ministry stuff but once a year…for two weekends only…School Wars has proven to be a winner. Our attendance goes up, and it proves to be a momentum booster as we head into spring. Each year, I pre-record short, 10-12 minute lessons, with a very strong evangelistic/gospel presentation. Good stuff!

- Tonight I am heading to the Angels vs. Dodgers game (annual “freeway series” right before opening of the season) with two volunteers who have both served in our JH ministry for over 15 years. People often ask me how to build a strong volunteer team and how to keep volunteers around long term. My simplistic answer is: share life together. We all know relational youth ministry is the best kind….so it just makes sense to me that a relational approach to ministry to volunteers would be, too.

- I am currently reading a book that I don’t want to wait to recommend. I am only about halfway through it, but man….I really like it. It is Influencer; the power to change anything, by Kerry Patterson.

Speaking of books, I recently read the three-book Hunger Games series….read all three books in less than a week. It is a series that has slowly gained momentum and is being read by junior highers and senior citizens alike.

- I don’t love college basketball, but you gotta love seeing a tournament with NONE of the #1 seeds in the final four. To me, this year’s tournament makes a wonderful argument for a playoff system in college football.

Posted by Kurt Johnston

I am in a season of my life and ministry that seems to be reminding me of a ton of important leadership basics, as well as teaching me some valuable new lessons. A few things I’ve learned\been reminded of recently include:

- It’s Okay to wait to talk…and sometimes not to talk at all. This is ESPECIALLY true when in a room of other leaders who know much more about the topic on hand, and have more at stake in the direction the conversation turns. I am learning to say very little in discussions concerning stuff I don’t know much about. Too often, leaders feel like they need to have an opinion about everything. I’ve learned the hard way that having an opinion about everything usually only serves to water down your influence.

- Don’t be a “One Trick Pony”. In other words, care about stuff even if it isn’t YOUR stuff. Don’t confuse what I said in the above paragraph with being uninterested in other issues on the table. Be VERY interested, ask clarifying questions, ask for ways you can help out, etc. One of the best ways to gain trust and influence among a group of peers is to show a genuine concern about things other than only what you are responsible for.

- Make fewer definitive proclamations. Instead of saying “It’s obvious that the decision to make is…….”, say something like, “It seems that a good path to consider might be…..”. Instead of “without a doubt, our students need….”, say something like, “my hunch is, our students could use…” Those subtle differences allow for two things: 1) they allow you to sound a little less authoritative, and 2) they allow for the possibility that you could be wrong! Strong, over-confined proclamations often leave leaders scrambling to “spin” things when their proclamation doesn’t pan out.

Okay, your turn….anybody want to share a recentl leadership learning? Or a classic leadership tip you have seen work time and time again?

Posted by Kurt Johnston

I am really excited to announce the Middle School Ministry Campference coming this fall (October 14-16). The Middle School Ministry Campference is being hosted by The Youth Cartel (Mark Oestreicher’s ministry) and will be held at Spring Hill Camps in Evart Michigan.

For way too long, different people have talked about the idea of a conference designed specifically for junior high/middle school youth workers, and I think Marko has stumbled upon the PERFECT idea: The “campference” is exactly what the name implies: A conference…and camp!

The Campference will include General sessions, worskshops, great music, free time activities like zip lines, paintball, ropes course etc. Hope to see you there!

posted by Kurt Johnston

As Spring rapidly approaches (well, maybe not for Chicago), It is always a good time to do a little “spring cleaning” in your ministry. Here are a few things I like to evaluate around this time each year:

- Our small groups: Curriculum, leader\student ratios, how equipped and empowered the leaders feel, etc. I think spring is a perfect time for this evaluation because there is still some time left in the school year to salvage things that are hurting, and because it gives plenty of lead time to really correct (not just band-aid) the big issues before the next small group season begins in the Fall.

- Our volunteer team: What is the morale of the team? who feels fulfilled, who feels frustrated?

- Our 8th grade class: They will be moving up into high school in a few short months. Have we helped them prepare? Have we covered the topics we said we wanted to cover when they entered 7th grade?

- Our Budget: We operate on a fiscal year budget, so spring is always a great time to take a close look to make sure we land the plane safely. In my experience, the ministries I lead typically make our biggest ministry blunders toward the end of the year because we often have a false sense of security…we somehow think we have more budget left than we really do.

- Our workspace: It wouldn’t be Spring without some good old fashioned spring cleaning! I like to set a day aside each spring to clean our offices, our meeting space, etc.

Posted by Kurt Johnston

-On Twitter? Consider following @peaceplanman. Mark leads the PEACE (think missions) team here at Saddleback and is one of the best leaders I know. He and I have only run in the same circles for a few months, but he has quickly become an informal mentor. The vast majority of his tweets consist of leadership nuggets…and not just the usual fare.

- This week I made a fairly bold announcement/goal to try to record a year’s worth of junior high messages on video. It means going back into my archives, picking the best series and heading into some sort of studio. The hope is that our various regional campuses, most of which will be led by volunteer youth workers, would have a ton of junior high messages ready to go so they won’t have to spend their precious youth ministry time trying to create lessons. Instead, they can hang out with students and leaders doing what matters most.

- Last night I took my 8th grade son to the midnight showing of Battle LA. Our parenting philosophy has always been that, within reason,family time and creating memories should trump things like academics (and that philosophywas very evident on my son’s last report card!). Not sure it is the best philosophy, but it’s the one we’re sticking with. Anyway…if you liked Blackhawk Down and you like creatures from space then you will love this movie.

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Posted by Kurt Johnston

Like many (over 3,000) of my youth ministry cohorts, I spent last weekend at the SYMC conference in Chicago. Because I flew in late on Monday night, and spent Tuesday and Wednesday in back-to-back full day meetings at church, I am just now taking a few minutes to reflect on my time at SYMC. Here’s a partial, and random, list of things I love about getting away to conferences occassionaly.

I See Old Friends: The youth ministry world truly is a fraternity (a trendy word right now is “tribe”…which I totally don’t get), and anual conferences like SYMC serve as a sort of annual reunion. There are a whole lot of men and women whom I consider friends that I rarely get the joy of spending time with. Conferences ensure that I reconnect with my “Tribal Fraternity” at least once a year.

- I Meet Wonderful People: Every year at SYMC, I meet a whole bunch of new people…from all sorts of ministry demographics. An example from this year would be Scott, a middle-aged junior high youth pastor at a very small, rural(ish) church. Scott sat on a panel I moderated and had some AMAZING input to share from his ministry context. Scott pops out as just one of dozens upon dozens (maybe hundreds upon hundreds!)of new people I had the joy of interacting with this year.

- I Hear Stuff I Disagree With: If everything at a conference was stuff I already know, or easily agree with….why would I want to go? I love the diversity of thinking, theology, methodology etc. that is evident at conferences like SYMC. It stretches my thinking, challenges my assumptions and forces me to “new places”.

- I Get Time Alone: Okay…it didn’t happen this year because I literally taught all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well as moderated a couple of panel discussions. Add that to lunch, dinner and movie dates with youth workers and this year proved to be fairly chaotic. But NORMALLY I enjoy the habit of ditching a session or two to escape all by myself to walk around the city, take in a movie, journal, etc.

I worked hard all week last week, had an incredibly busy weekend at SYMC and then spent two grueling days in executive team meetings. Tomorrow I rest.