Posted by Kurt Johnston

Without a doubt, doing a decent job of following up on first-time visitors is an important part of any junior high ministry’s growth strategy.  And my hunch is that you have a pretty good first-time visitor follow up strategy.

But did you know that it is actually the SECOND visit that is the most important?  Studies have shown that people (granted, the studies were speaking about adults…not necessarily junior highers, but I’m going to assume the same is true for young teens) actually make their mind up about whether or not to continue going to a particular church after the second visit, not after the first.

If that’s true, here are two simple ways to make the second visit a great one:

1) Remember that they visited the week before, and remember their name! When you say, “Hi, dude…is this your first time here” to Brian, who visited last week, you are sending a fairly strong signal that their first visit wasn’t that important.  Instead, work hard to remember names and faces during visit #1 so that when they return you can say, “Hi, Brian…it’s great to see you again!”

2) Make your second round of follow-up stuff better than the first! Consider making a completely a set of follow-up materials specifically for the 2nd time visitor. Make round two more personal than what you do for firsts-timers. 

Treat your first-time guests well…..and when they come back, treat them even better!

Posted By Kurt Johnston

Check out this massive sale over at Simply Youth Ministry.  If you have any budget money left, it might be perfect timing to stock up on tons of resources for the fall!

Posted by Kurt Johnston

- Not long ago, our junior high ministry taught a three-week series called “Flipped”. We looked at the way in which Jesus Christ continuously flipped the normal thinking of our culture and presented the exact opposite as the best way to live/think.  If interested, it’s available at Simply Junior High.

- Do you work with middle school students?  If so, you really do need to consider joining us at the first ever Middle School Ministry Campference! It is one of the more unique, creative conference(ish) ideas I have ever been a part of.  Check it out here.

- Heather Flies posted on this blog!  Hooray!  Heather is an amazingly gifted junior high pastor, and one of the sharpest leaders and thinkers I know.  Because of what she brings to the table, I’m hoping (no pressure, Heather) that she will add her thoughts to this blog on a somewhat regular basis.  AND…she is joining us at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference this year!

- The youth ministry world (which is really a very small little world, isn’t it.) was abuzz yesterday. I’m really excited for Doug Fields, YS and their new relationship. And equally (okay, maybe just a little more) excited to see how the future unfolds for the crew at Simply Youth Ministry.  Good stuff ahead for both organizations, I’m sure.

- Saw X-men….liked it.  Saw the Mavericks beat the Heat….LOVED it.

- Today, for the first time, I tried stand-up paddle boarding.  Three of us went to the Dana Point harbor and paddled about 1.5 miles around an island.  Not a thrilling, adrenaline enducing sport, but very fun. I will certainly do more of it.

Posted by Heather Flies:

This past Sunday, we moved our new seventh graders up into our 7th-9th grade ministry.  This Saturday, I leave with my ninth graders on a 15-day end-of your-time-in-our-ministry mission/adventure trip.  Even though I’ve been doing this for 15 years at the same church, I continue to be amazed at how tiny my new 7th graders are and how huge my ninth graders are at this moment in time!  I nearly have to get on my knees to be eye to eye with the rookies and a step-ladder would be helpful to connect with the veterans of our 3-year program.  I ask myself, “How can those kids grow to look like those kids in just three years?”

Yet, each time, it happens.  Within those full three years, I get to see these individual kids grow relationally, emotionally, socially and spiritually.  What a gift!  As JH youth workers, we understand that there is just as much changing on the inside as there is changing on the outside– astounding!  And I get to be a part it!  Yahoo!

I will forever be thankful for a three- year program.  Sure, it has its challenges– like keeping those 3rd year kids engaged and keeping things fresh each year… but I can’t imagine giving them up in 8th grade!

For those of you who are moving up your new students, be excited for all the potential for growth!

Heather

Posted By Kurt Johnston

Jason Pogue, who creates our junior high ministry’s weekend program, stumbled upon what I think is one of the funnier “bits” we have done in a long time.  A trademark in our ministry is to utilize several “characters” in videos, on stage, etc. throughout the school year. Typically, we will have two or three characters per year (some of the stronger ones last much longer…) that rotate into various aspects of our program throughout the year.

Below, you will see a new bit called “What’s Up? Wildside.” that we are using to introduce our students to our new staff members, summer interns etc.  Cheesy….classic JH ministry material!

Posted By Kurt Johnston

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Posted by Kurt Johnston

I am really excited about the new book, The Disconnect, by Doug Franklin for two primary reasons:

FIRST:  Because the subject matter is fresh and vital!  This book is dedicated to helping youth workers build a stronger relationship with their Senior Pastor. I could be wrong, but I don’t think there has ever been a book dedicated to this area; an area that has caused so much pain and confusion to so many youth workers over the years….and to an equal number of Senior Pastors, I’m sure.

In my previous post, I talked about the gap between the youth ministry and the rest of the church body…a gap that is massive and needs to be shortened.  Is it possible that a primary reason this gap exists is due to an equally large gap in the relationship between youth workers and the rest of the church staff, specifically the Senior Pastor?  While I had never thought about that, after seeing this book I think the answer is obvious.  This book is dedicated to shortening the bridge that youth workers and Senior Pastors have to cross in order to have a healthy relationship with one another.  GOOD STUFF!

SECOND:  I am excited about this book (and partly frustrated because I wish I had the idea!) because of the way it is laid out.  It is like the old classic “flip” books that are actually two books in one…half of the book is written to the youth pastor, then you flip the book over and the other half is written to the Senior Pastor.  Creativity at it’s best!

If you work with teenages under the leadership of a Senior Pastor…buy this book!  And tell others about it.

Posted by Kurt Johnston

Using analogies can be a dangerous proposition. A few years ago my Pastor used the analogy of a mulligan (a term used in golf for a “do-over”) to describe the gift of forgiveness and grace.  Because he is in the spotlight, numerous bloggers jumped all over his use of such a “simplistic definition of such a wonderfully deep concept” etc.

Since I’m not talking about a theological issue….and also since I’m really not in danger of too many bloggers (at least the highly critical type) even reading this post, I am going to use an analogy today.  That of a bridge.

I believe that in virtually every church in America there exists a bridge….a bridge between the youth group and the rest of the body of christ (call it big church, the adult congregation etc.).  It is a bridge our students will need to cross at some point very soon. For some churches, the bridge is long…really, really long. In others the church is fairly short. And in a few churches, the bridge barely exists.  But make no mistake…there is a bridge.

The reason for the bridge is obvious:  There is a gap between where most youth ministries exist and where the larger church body exists. For some, the gap is physical and obvious: The youth ministry meets in a seperate building or seperate area specifically set apart for students. For others, the gap is less pronounced due to shared space, tighter quarters etc.  But make no mistake…there is a gap; and this gap requires a bridge.

I want a shorter bridge!  I want the transition from youth ministry to involvement and commitment to church life in adulthood to be a shorter, more natural journey for the students who leave our ministry.  But to shorten the bridge, I MUST begin to address the gap that currently exists.  The junior high and high school and college ministries I have the joy of leading aren’t going away. I don’t buy into the idea that youth ministry is broken, that it is the primary reason kids leave the church etc.  But I do believe that modern youth ministry has played a role.

Here are a few super practical ways I am going to attempt to shorten the gap…and the bridge.

- We are going to look for ways to help students get “more skin in the game”.  In other words, we are going to make concerted efforts for our students to serve in ministry and use their gifts outside of the walls of our youth group.  We are going to talk with the leaders of church-wide ministries and figure out a way to get more of our teenagers serving the church body.

- We are going to eliminate much of the “competing activities”.  We currently do a whole lot of “youth versions” of things such as a youth version of our membership class, a youth version of missions trips, a youth version of deeper learning bible studies etc.  We are going to take a close look at these and determine which ones we can eliminate and jump on board with the ones offered for adults.

- We are going to creatively look for ways to get our students to actually attend an adult service on a somewhat regular basis!  The older the students, the more effort we will make.  So we will work extremely hard to get our college kids in the adult services, work sorta hard to get high schoolers there, and work a little bit to get our junior highers there.

- We are going to create a few easy events that intentionally get our students to rub shoulders with the adults (the above strategies also do this…). For instance, a friend of mine just shared that his group invited the senior citizens in their church to a movie and popcorn night to watch the movie “UP”.  He said it was one of the easiest, most effective things they have done in a long time.

A gap exists. And that gap requires a bridge.  I don’t think the gap will ever disappear completely because the transition from adolescence to adulthood is an interesting one in all segments of society, not only the church.  But I am committed to closing the gap, and shortening the bridge.

I know it isn’t a perfect analogy…in which case I will use a mulligan!

Posted by Kurt Johnston

The tragic tornado that hit Joplin, MO this past week, and the various tweets, emails etc I have received about people rushing out to aid in relief efforts got me thinking about a story that happened on a similar trip our church led shortly after Katrina.

Our church sent numerous teams of willing adults to New Orleans, and they fulfilled a wide variety of roles, mostly just doing whatever our local church partners needed done. One team was asked to spend most of the week several miles away from “the action” in a gymnasium sorting and folding donated items of clothing.

On the second day of clothe-folding a women declared to the team leader, “I cancelled a trip to Hawaii this week so I could do some important work here…I didn’t come to fold clothes.”

The team leader thanked her for her honesty….and put her on the next plane to Hawaii.

I hate the over-played “jumbo shrimp” contradiction analogy thingy…but it works here. Serving…but on our own terms…is a contradiction; like jumbo shrimp.

I like to pick on the Katrina lady, because it seems like such a classic example of people who say they want to serve, but really only want to do so if it is sexy. But the truth is, I often find myself in a similar boat.

…thankfully never sent home on a similar plane.

Posted By Kurt Johnston

Typically, I am a pretty motivated guy. I’m a self-starter who rarely needs much help to get moving on things. Because of that, I quickly notice when I seem to be lacking motivation, enthusiasm, desire etc. Over the years, I have created a fairly short checklist that I run through whenever I am lacking my normal motivation. Not sure it is complete, but thought I would share it:

- Am I too busy? . Often, my lack of motivation stems from a sense of overwhelmed paralysis. Since there is so much to do…I do nothing.

Am I bored?. Boredom, routine, same old same old almost always kills my motivation.

Do I have unresolved conflict?. I carry unresolved conflict like a stone around my neck. Because I tend to avoid conflict, it is often something that goes unresolved when it appears, and the dread of dealing with it is an energy zapper for me.

Do I love what I am doing, and am I walking close to The Father? The first pastor I served under was also the pastor of my church as a teenager and performed my wedding…he is a hero to me. He once said that he believed if you are doing what you love, and walking closely with The Father….you could never burn out. I am not sure that is completely true, but it certainly has merit, and it has stuck with me. When I find myself lacking motivation, I always ask myself if I still love and feel called to junior high ministry, and if I am walking closely with the Father.

What would you add to this check list?