Archive for Youth Ministry
Post Gauntlet Thoughts August 2, 2010
Our youth summer camp here at NewSpring Church is called “The Gauntlet,” it took place last week in Daytona Beach, Florida and here are several thoughts I had…
#1 – I’ve heard that student ministry is a thing of the past, that it may have been effective in days gone by but it just isn’t going to work in today’s church…uh, if that is true then someone forgot to inform our student ministry staff because our youth ministry is ON FIRE at every campus right now…and this past week all of those “fires” from every campus were able to get together…and it was AMAZING!
#2 – Getting to spend the week with the students every year is one of the things I really do enjoy and look forward to…it was so awesome to get to talk with so many of our students from all of our campuses.
#3 – I will NEVER forget getting to lead a young lady from the Greenville campus to Christ outside the hotel on Wednesday night. God has amazing plans for her life!
#4 – Being a part of baptizing 245 students was absolutely amazing…seriously, I don’t have words to describe it.
#5 – Usually at a youth camp the goal is to work up to the last night and let it be amazing…uh…it didn’t quite go that way because EVERY SINGLE DAY/NIGHT was unbelievable! It was literally one of the most powerful things I’ve ever been a part of!
#6 – Thanks to everyone who gives regularly here at NewSpring Church…because our church is so generous we were able to invest heavily in this event…and we will see the return on this investment for eternity as over 100 students surrendered their lives to Christ!!!
#7 – I am SO PROUD of our student ministry team…they have built a ministry on God’s Word and not games. God is raising up LEADERS in our student ministry…it is amazing to see the hunger and depth of our students!
#8 – I am OLD! :-) Trying to keep up with these students literally wore me out!!
If you want to see some videos our team did then check them out on Brad’s blog here!
For those who went as volunteers…THANK YOU…God used you to make a HUGE difference!
And for the students who went…pray for God to continue fan the flame that He began in you down there, continue to meet together (Hebrews 10:23-25) remembering that DEVOTION is not based on EMOTION…and get ready for HIM to use you to absolutely change your entire school this year. BE THAT CATALYST that Brad spoke about…God is going to do GREAT THINGS through you guys!
Hey Pastor, Want A Successful Youth Ministry? April 1, 2010
Brad Cooper is our student pastor here at NewSpring Church…and is one of the most gifted/anointed leaders on the planet. Since he has been with us our student ministry has grown from about 125 to over 1,000 kids every weekend…and the number of committed, sold out volunteers has multiplied dramatically.
Anytime people hear about what is going on in our student ministry they always ask me, “So, what did you do?” It’s pretty simple…
#1 – I hired a leader, someone I could trust, someone I would not have to stand beside and make decisions for. (Some pastors won’t do this because they need to be needed!) AND…I made sure he was able to assemble the team he wanted around him…I did not hire for him!
#2 – I made sure he was resourced. We don’t do car washes or bake sales…and we never have. I’ve read that over 85% of the decisions to follow Christ happen before the age of 18…if THAT ISN’T a ripe mission field then I don’t know what is. Churches don’t make the senior adults do a bake sale if they want to go somewhere…why in the heck do they make the students do it? (By the way…it’s ALWAYS been this way, so please don’t email me with, “What did you guys do when you were small?” We took care of our students…period!)
#3 – I make sure he understands the vision of our church. I spend time with him…we go to lunch, he sends me texts that encourage the heck out of me. If he ever has a question about vision…he asks me.
#4 – I spend time with the students. Every year I am our “camp speaker” for The Gauntlet…and it is SO refreshing for me to get to spend that time with the students…it is literally one of my favorite weeks EVERY YEAR!
#5 – I don’t try to do youth ministry! When I did youth ministry it was SO cool to play DC Talk, Carman and Degarmo & Key…for those that may not have figured this out yet…those days are GONE! I am NOT the expert in youth ministry…and I don’t try to be!!!
#6 – I ask our student ministry staff lots of questions! BECAUSE, like it or not…what they are doing right now is going to be what the church is doing in the next 10 to 15 years!
#7 – I give him permission to fail…as long as he fails by trying great things then I don’t have a problem with it!
Those are just a few things that “I’ve” done…which hopefully you see isn’t much!!! Hope that helps!
The Gauntlet February 23, 2010
One of THE MOST EXCITING events of the year EVERY YEAR is what our student ministry has called, “The Gauntlet,” our summer camp experience for our 6th through 12th graders.
If you are a parent reading this…I cannot begin to emphasize all that God does in and through our students during this particular week of incredible fun, great games, awesome worship and intense study of God’s Word!
We opened sign ups a few weeks ago and spots are filling up FAST! We’ve NEVER had this many people sign up for our summer trip THIS EARLY!
Here are the details…it will be held the week of July 26th through July 30th in Daytona Beach, FL and cost $250 per student. (That cost includes transportation, room and all but two meals!) I could go on and on about this event…but you can just go here to read more about it.
I get pumped up every year because I get to spend a lot of time with the students who attend this event…and our beach baptism that we do every year is one of my favorite things that our church does–period!
So..parents, just wanted to get the word out so you can get your kid signed up ASAP. Seating for this trip is NOT unlimited…and once we’ve reached capacity we will have to put students on a waiting list. SO…my advice would be to get on this early…trust me, you do NOT want your kids to miss out!
I can’t wait!
Three Things I Hope I Will Do…And A Slight Rant! August 12, 2009
Lucretia and I are meeting with a group of 11th and 12th graders over the course of this next school year…and we are so pumped about being able to share our lives with this group. As I’ve met with them a few times I have began to process how I am going to react when their generation begins to take over the ministry world…I hope I will…
#1 – Do My Best To Fund Their Movement & Not Fight It.
They WILL do ministry in ways that haven’t been thought of yet. They will do things that make me uncomfortable. They will take the things we are doing now and calling innovative and refer to them as traditional…and I can either face the truth or get buried by it. My job as a leader is to fund them and set them up for success…not fight them. (Phrase borrowed from Andy Stanley)
#2 – Do My Best To Learn From Them.
I SOOOO hope I am not “Yoda-like” and pretend that I have all of the answers and need no input from them. I want to pour into the generation that is coming behind me…but there is a LOT I am going to be able to learn and apply from them. Only arrogance and pride will make me think that I need to have all of the answers and can’t ask any of the questions!
#3 – Do My Best To Encourage Them.
I don’t want to be the old guy who tells them they can’t do what God has clearly told them they can AND SHOULD do! I want to be the guy who tells them to pursue what Jesus has placed in their hearts!
I am SO positive that God has amazing things in store for this next generation…I am seeing things in them that I’ve never seen…the way they respond to Jesus pursuing them is amazing…and I really do believe that God is going to use them to bring about a Reformation in America and across the world that is going to be the greatest in the history of the world. God is preparing them…and is going to use them to make a difference!
BTW–that is why I BELIEVE SOOOOO much in youth and children’s ministry! It is NOT a glorified baby sitting service…these children and youth matter NOW! One of the reasons 18 year olds move off to college and leave the church is because the church treats them like second class citizens for years…and then expects them to jump in to the political free for all that dominates most churches…you know, pick a side and just shut up! This generation will not stand for that–they are desperate for Jesus and not church politics!
There is no greater mission field than the youth and children who attend our churches every week…and yet I know for a fact that there are churches all across America that have more money in their graveyard fund than in their youth budget! THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE if we want to see a difference made!
God has called us to empower and release this next generation…not hold them back! I pray that I will one day get to see just a glimpse of all I believe He is going to do through them!!! Like I said…a Reformation…and the world will NEVER be the same!
Baptism Video From Gauntlet/Big Stuff July 24, 2009
THIS is why we do what we do!
Warning…get some Kleenex!!!
Can’t WAIT for Sunday!
I Don’t Have Words! July 24, 2009
This has been an amazing week!
God has moved in an incredible way in the lives of our teenagers here at NewSpring Church…their worship of Jesus was both powerful and authentic…and I have a feeling their passion is going to be evident in our services this Sunday!
We baptized 115 people in the ocean yesterday morning…seeing and hearing that many people say, “Jesus Christ is Lord” NEVER gets old!
It was AWESOME to get to see and talk to teens from the Florence and Greenville campus as well…those guys are FIRED UP!
Please keep all of us in your prayers today as we head back home…
Can’t wait for Sunday!!!
Panama City Update, Week Two, Day Four July 24, 2008
I have seen the future of NewSpring Church over the past two weeks…and it is amazing!
Tonight I saw teenagers encourage one another, pray for one another and challenge one another. I told them that in order for them to make the fire go higher that they were going to have to refuse to try to walk with Jesus alone…that they needed the help of one another!
AND they took this seriously! WOW!
I am sick and tired of hearing people my age (and older) talk about how “pitiful and pathetic” the teenagers of today are.
NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!
Honestly, I have seen more passion and excitement in the past two weeks than I’ve EVER seen in teenagers–ever.
I know someone is out there saying right now, “Well, we had awesome youth camps when I was in the youth group and…”
Let me be very clear…what has happened down here over the past two weeks…honestly, I’ve NEVER seen this type of stuff take place in over 18 years of ministry! These kids are on FIRE! And it’s different than when I used to have kids stand around and tell others what they were going to do when they got home…these students got together tonight to pray for each other and encourage one another…and it was one of the most amazing sights I’ve ever witnessed!
I believe that the next great revival and/or reformation is going to be led by these students…the ones in middle school and high school right now! AND…I think churches who refuse to invest in teens are making a very stupid decision! If over 85% of all decisions for Christ come before the age of 18…tell me, where in the world is there more potential to see a harvest?
After a service tonight I had an adult worker tell me, “Dude, you brought it harder to these kids than you bring it on Sunday’s at NewSpring!” And you know what…they handled it so much better than many adults would have!
I know some of you can’t wait to talk to people who were down here to hear what they are going to say about this trip…but what took place can’t really be explained. My advice…if you are not serving anywhere, GET INVOLVED in youth ministry! I’m telling you–THIS generation is going to be leading the country in the next 20-30 years! AND…they WILL lead the next great move of God…I am sure of it!
OK…I’m going to bed!