Posted By Kurt Johnston

I’m not sure about you, but for many youth workers a common temptation of the lazy days of summer is the temptation to be lazy doing some of the things that need to get done in order to have a strong fall. Here are three areas to pay extra attention to this summer that will pay off in the fall.

1. Recruit, Recruit, Recruit. . The fall usually brings new small groups, new programs, and new activities. The summer usually brings a drop-off of volunteers who are done with their youth ministry run, and won’t be returning. The math is pretty simple: to continue to grow and expand a healthy youth ministry, you need to replace the volunteers you lose PLUS add a few. Failure to recruit during the summer sets you up for failure in the fall.

Plan Your Fall Calendar I know, it takes so much work to get ready for summer and to pull off all the summer “stuff” that the last thing you want to do is plan another quarter’s worth of activity. But you need to. you need to because the fall is arguably the most strategic season of the year, and failure to properly plan and strategize for it is a mistake.

Rest. It is summer, and summer is a great time to rest, reflect and relax. For the two reasons listed above, and many others, it is also a very busy time….so be well rested! Youth ministry and [...]

Continue Reading “Summer Strategies For A Strong Fall”

Remembering stuff . . . again -hanging with kids this summer

Concrete & Abstract- I’m trying to live in the middle here resisting the temptation to go with either extreme.  Jr highers are not incapable of abstract thoughts, they are newbies.  If they are beginning to  dabble in abstract thought I hope that they do so first in a healthy faith based environment (Church stuff yo!) .

Yes, it’s old to you.  It’s not old to them.  Don’t do Other stuff that keeps you interested and loses them. 

Kids are afraid of being made fun of in large groups, one mistake can destroy many bridges .  . . Do other stuff

If it takes longer to explain the meaning of a song than to sing it . . . do Other stuff

Aside from the bible, stories from your personal experience connect better than .  .  . Other stuff 

Teach kids to pray, it’s more important than . . . Other stuff

Being willing to & even looking for opportunities to laugh at myself,  helps create the attitude I want my fellow workers to share better than any . . . Other stuff

Churchy words can be redeemed.  Do the work to define them.
& don’t assume they know simpler words!  Mine last week:  rebellious. Yep, if I hadn’t defined it clearly from the beginning #wastedtime #thanksgirlincaf 

Kids are not important only when they show up, sometimes they have . . . Other stuff

Remembering names is more important than . . . Other stuff 

Don’t belittle their problems, culture or [...]

Continue Reading “Remembering stuff . . . Again”

Posted by Kurt Johnston

…Actually maybe it’s truth is why it is funny. (sent to me by Jason Pogue)

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!

For years I’ve looked forward to the day that my sons would be involved in my ministry with great anticipation.  What I didn’t expect to happen was the onset of puberty to make MY kid crazy.  I’ve told many parents over the last 12 years that the swings in mood, growth and friction are perfectly normal.  The words rolled off my tounge so easy.  I’m afraid I even walked away from some of those conversations actually thinking I helped- #sigh #gasp 

Now I’m looking a milestone dead in the eyes this summer.  My son will be at the camp I’m speaking at-as a CAMPER.  As the dates have drawn closer I can honestly say I’m sweating it a bit.  My youngest brother and sister will also be jr high attending campers.  My parents were divorced when I was young.  Mom remarried and had two great kids.  She told us they were pregnant with their first on our wedding day.  When My wife and I were blessed with our first my mother and wife were both pregnant at the same time with boys.  Many of the stories that surface as I speak with kids deal with my difficult Jr high years and my parents divorce.  Both my mother and wife have been questioning me about my talks this summer at camp.  The uniqueness of this situation has pushed me to think differently on some things.

As I’ve been kicking around thoughts as a  parent of kids going to camp I’m challenging myself on [...]

Continue Reading “My “OWN” kid is at Jr high camp #fear”

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, [...]

Continue Reading “Random Randomness (but mostly a few plugs)”

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 Scott Rubin

This is the last week of school around Chicagoland. And with it brings all kind of emotions for kids. Lots of excitement for summer, sadness about not seeing friends every day… but that’s not all.

There’s a 6th grader in our church who came home from school and decided to write out some of what he was feeling – and when I read it, I thought it was pretty profound. I wondered if it was for a school assignment, but turns out it was just something he was feeling and it sounds like he just wanted to see if he could express it in words. Reading it reminded me once again of all the thoughts that are floating around in the brains of 6th graders, 7th graders, 8th graders…

I Just Don’t Feel Like A Kid Anymore
Today, It hit me like a water balloon to the face. I am 11 years old and I just had my last full day of elementary school. Weeks earlier I was just telling my mom “ I am just ready to be done with school and move on.” Now, I feel that I don’t want to go from elementary school into being a junior high kid. I feel as though this will be a significant change in my life and that people will not take it as easy on me as a junior higher. When you look at the names of the grades 6th grade and 7th grade [...]