A Caffeine Conversation

on August 26th, 2010

posted by Scott Rubin

I went to Caribou Coffee yesterday, drank no coffee, and still left with a bunch of energy!

I met up with a great middle school pastor named Dugan, just to “talk shop” about jr. high ministry. He serves at a church just less than an hour away, and I’ve known him for a few years.  We just talked about some of the Big Challenges that we’re trying to tackle as the school year launches. There was no white-board, no big strategy flow chart, nothing fancy. But we ran ideas past each other – and it was super-helpful! We laughed about how middle-schoolers are one of the toughest audiences to teach… and how we love to give it our best shot. We talked about retreats, and small groups, and web sites.

And – as is usually the case in a conversation like this – there was one really helpful take-away for me. Dugan’s realized that jr. high girls have different types of conversations in small groups than jr. high boys do. (Did I mention that he’s a genius?) But more than just “realizing”, he’s trying to do something about it. So he shared with me his idea of structuring the boys’ small groups a little differently than the girls’ groups. Great thoughts, great ideas! Will it work? Definitely…Maybe! But for me, the important part was that I left the coffee shop challenged to think about that dimension of my ministry in a fresh way. And it gave me an idea or 2 of my own that I’m going to experiment with… ideas that I didn’t have yesterday morning.

Just wondering — would it help you to set up a caffeinated conversation with someone in middle school ministry near you? Maybe!

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  5. Chewing, Chewing, Chewing…

Share Discuss (2)

Sean at 2:10am August 26

I’ve been thinking through this too (with girls needing to T-A-L-K and boys needing to not)! What are some of the ideas?

Steve Berti at 12:41am September 2

Hey, the article left me out there I wanted to here what was said at the coffee shop. I have some J. High boys I am meeting with in a accountability format . I needed some ideas . I do not want to keep doing the same thing I have always done . I want these guys to continue to be hungry for God. Be out there for Him by firing them up in the times we meet …
Ideas Steve