4 Questions to Ask when Debriefing a Student Outreach Event
I learned a valuable lesson in the year following the launch of our campus…an event isn’t over until you debrief it. It was a season where everything was new and we weren’t sure what outreach events would reach our new community.
We organize our Outreach Events to provide an opportunity for our students to invite their friends, classmates or neighbors. More specifically, to invite someone that doesn’t go to church. Here is a look at our debrief process that has helped us measure the success of our event and if we should do it again….
WHEN TO DEBRIEF?
We have our debrief meeting scheduled the next working day after our event. It important to debrief an event while it is still fresh on everyone’s mind. The event debrief is put on the calendar the moment we schedule the event.
WHO IS AT THE DEBRIEF?
The team that planned the event is also part of the debrief. We often invite a few students and volunteers to be a part of the process too.
WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING THE DEBRIEF?
- What went well? What didn’t?
- Did our students invite their friends?
- What did we learn about our people and our community?
- Should we do this event again? If so, what should we do differently?
Do you debrief your outreach events? If so, what questions do you ask?
Best of 2015 (Top 5’s)
Since 2008, I’ve made a “Top 5” list at the end of each year. Why stop now? (click on each line for a pic, tweet or post)…
- St. Louis Cardinals Game on my 28th Birthday (July 2)
- Andrew WK Concert and Cincinnati Reds Game (April 28)
- Baptism Day at #BibleandBeach (June 25)
- 10 Year Class Reunion (August 15)
- Jimmy Fallon Reading My Tweet on Fallon Tonight (October 29)
Discoveries
- New Albany, Indiana Skatepark
- Breakout Louisville (Escape Games)
- Climb Nulu (Bouldering Gym)
- Mailchimp (Email Service Provider)
- Nike Factory Store
Trips
- Bermuda Cruise (July 12-19)
- Riviera Maya, Mexico (June 12-17)
- San Diego, CA (January 31-February 5)
- Gatlinburg, TN (April 13-15)
- Bible and Beach in Panama City Beach, FL (June 20-26)
Albums
Read more…
Quotes from National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC) – Louisville 2015
The National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC) has been equipping and encouraging Youth Ministry Workers for the past 45 years. I’ve traveled to events like this before but I’ve always found it difficult to take home what I learned and get my volunteer team excited about it. After the last conference I attended, I told myself I’d never go to another one without my team. When I found out that the NYWC was coming to our city (Louisville, KY), I immediately registered my team. We ended up bringing 21 adult volunteers and we had an incredible experience.
Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the conference…
“We’ll never be like Jesus if we keep trying to be like each other.” @bobgoff
“We talk to our kids about God, but are we talking to God about our kids?” @DougFields
“If you don’t make disciples, you have missed the assignment.” @UYWILarry
“When we make space for teenagers, they rise to the occasion.” @MarkMatlock
“Many sermons are not about grace, but about ‘try harder’. This is not the message of Jesus.” @KPowellFYI
“Your doing does not make your being.” @harveycarey
“Teenagers don’t need cool, they need caring.” @DougFields
“If you don’t know their name, shut up.” @bobgoff
“Unbelievers don’t read the Bible, they read Christians.” @aHopeDealer
“Intentionality is a necessity for diversity.” @TreyGrant
“Schools are 6x more integrated than our churches.” @profrah
“Who I am off the stage is more important than anything I do on the stage.” @harveycarey
“Don’t let your opinions block someone’s view of Jesus.” @bobgoff
“Doubt isn’t toxic to young people’s faith; silence is.” @KPowellFYI
We’ve had a lot of fun debriefing what we’ve learned as a team. Which quote stands out to you?
Every Wednesday, @jimmyfallon plays the #Hashtag Game with his viewers. He tweets out a topic using a hashtag and asks his viewers to respond by using the same hashtag. Within 30 minutes, the hashtag becomes a trending topic nationwide. On the Tonight Show every Thursday, he reads his favorite tweets on the show.
This week’s hashtag was #HalloweenFail. Like I’ve done a hundred times, I used the hashtag and tweeted my story…this time it blew up. Over 200 people “favorited” it.
I fell asleep early so I didn’t get to watch the show live. But I woke up to a couple texts and tweets saying it was on the show and he completely butchered my name! You can watch it here…
Listening to people try to say my last name is always fun, but I think Jimmy Fallon takes home the blue ribbon for butchering it the worse (Mr. X LaBean?). As an added bonus, @FallonTonight then tweeted out a screenshot of my tweet.
6 Keys to Hosting a Student Ministry Program
Being on stage is a big responsibility. All eyes are on you and everything you say and do impacts the students and the ministry. Here are six keys to being the best stage host for a student ministry program…
1. BE PREPARED
Walking on stage unprepared is the first step to disaster. It’s the host’s job to guide students through the program, if they don’t know what’s next in the program or the details of what needs to be communicated, it’s a train wreck for everyone. Do everyone a favor by looking over the cue sheet and coming prepared.
2. NEVER ACKNOWLEDGE CROWD SIZE
Commenting on the amount of people present never benefits the program. Especially when negative attention is brought to low numbers. The amount of students shouldn’t hinder our attitude towards the night.
3. APPROPRIATELY ACKNOWLEDGE FIRST TIME VISITORS
Church growth 101 says never highlight a specific new student. New students are often uncomfortable and making them stand up and/or drawing specific attention to them only makes it worse. A generic “if it’s your first time here, thanks for coming” is plenty to make new students feel welcome.
4. GET PERMISSION BEFORE CALLING OUT A STUDENT
Using a specific person is okay if first approved by the student pastor and the student you want to highlight. This prevents any embarrassment or uncomfortable moments.
5. STAY IN THE ALLOTTED TIME
Each element in the program is allotted a specific amount of time. Going under isn’t too bad…going over is really bad. If you go over your time limit, it cuts time from another element.
6. STAY POSITIVE
Smile, have fun and stay positive. When negative things need to be addressed, let the student pastor be the “bad guy”. And as much as I like it, sarcasm rarely works from the stage.
Is there anything you’d add to the list? Feel free to share in the comments?
Read other posts from the “Key” series…7 Keys to Leading a Game & 5 Keys to Facilitating a Small Group.
6×6 Goals (July – December 2015)
Twice a year (January & July), our team answers the question “What is the greatest contribution I can make to our ministry in the next 6 months?” Our goal is to each highlight 6 things we can focus on during that time period. In the book Axiom, Bill Hybels calls it a “6×6”. It has been a very helpful tool for our team. You can learn more about why and how we use 6×6 Goals here.
Here are my current 6×6 goals for July-December 2015…
What goals are you working towards right now?
7 Keys to Leading a Student Ministry Game
Engaging games require creative planning and execution. It doesn’t take much for a student ministry game to turn into a disaster. Here are 7 keys to leading a successful game…
1. TEST THE GAME AHEAD OF TIME
The biggest mistake that can be made when leading a game is not testing it out ahead of time. I know the idea seems flawless in your mind but you will learn a thing or two testing it out.
2. COME PREPARED
Time is crucial because attention span is short. If time is wasted, students will “check out”. If you stand up to lead a game that requires 4 hula-hoops and 6 jars of baby food (sounds like a good game), the supplies need to be in place before the game starts.
3. JUMP INTO THE GAME
When it’s time for a game, everyone knows it. No need to waste time by telling students they are going to play a game. Just jump in and start doing it!
4. EXPLAIN THE GAME IN LESS THAN 30 SECONDS
Have I mentioned time is important? If it takes longer than 30 seconds to explain a game, it’s too complicated. Cover the basics, if needed give a quick demonstration, and say “go!” Your volunteers can help the students that are still confused when the game starts.
5. HAVE FUN
The person who has the most fun during the game should be the person leading it. Anything less than total commitment will lead to less excitement and participation from students. Believe in the game and give it everything you’ve got.
6. STAY POSITIVE WHEN ADDRESSING STUDENTS
I get it, it’s tempting to capitalize on a moment when a student fails, but laughter at the expense of a teenager may push them away from your ministry (and maybe even God). Never draw negative attention to a student. The game should leave students in a good mood, not wishing they never played.
7. STAY IN THE ALLOTTED TIME.
Know your time limit and stay within it. When games are going good, it’s easy to play it as long as you can. But the best time to end a game is actually while the students are still enjoying it. It’s better to leave them wanting more than to wish the game would end. And besides, if you go over your time limit, it cuts time from another element in the program.
What would you add to the list?
Check out “5 Keys to Facilitating a Small Group“
5 Keys to Facilitating a Group Discussion in Student Ministry
Small groups are crucial to any student ministry. A group that is facilitated well can help students connect to other Christians their age, caring adults and Jesus. Here are 5 key elements to a facilitating a successful group.
1. CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT MADE FOR DISCUSSION
Sitting in a circle and on the same level helps create the best environment for a small group. When students are in a circle, everyone can easily see one another. When everyone sits on the same level, everyone feels like they have an equal voice to share and be heard.
2. TURN STATEMENTS INTO QUESTIONS
Don’t become a “formal” teacher in your group, be a “facilitator” of discussion. Less is more when it comes to the facilitator’s voice. Use more question marks than periods.
3. INVOLVE EVERY STUDENT
When someone answers, don’t immediately fill-in with your thoughts. Instead, find opportunities to involve the rest of the group. Ask questions like, “What do you think?” and “What are your reactions?” to the rest of the group.
4. DON’T READ OFF THE LEADER’S GUIDE
Understand the questions before your group meets and be prepared to ask them in your own words. Feel free to generate your own questions during your preparation and even on the spot. The less you look at the Leader’s Guide, the more it feels like a conversation and less like a lesson.
5. FOLLOW UP WITH STUDENTS
Students don’t need another person to talk at them, they need someone to talk and walk with them through life. In order for small groups to have life long impact, the facilitator must follow up with their students throughout the week. One hour a week during programming will do a lot of good for a student, but a relationship that is carried out through an entire week (every week) can change a student’s life.
What would you add to the list?
Bible and Beach 2015 – Prayer Guide
On Saturday, our High School Ministry (HSM) is loading on buses and heading to our first conference as a newly opened campus. Every summer, Southeast Christian takes their HSM to Florida for Bible & Beach. It’s a week full of (you guessed it) the Bible and hanging out on the beach. For the past year, we have prayed continually that God would do great things in our newly formed ministry through this event.
Now that we are heading to Bible & Beach, the 92 students we are taking from our Campus need your prayers. That’s why we created an online prayer event through SignUpGenius.com.
It’s easy. Click here to view our prayer event. Select a 30-minute time slot, enter your name/email and pray during your selected time slot. To help guide your prayer time, we listed what we will be doing during your specific time slot.
Let me know in the comments if you’re praying!
Gary Vaynerchuk Answers My Question
Finally. Gary Vay-ner-chuk answered my question on the #AskGaryVee show. Gary is the king of social media and CEO of Vayner Media, a company that provides social media and strategy services to Fortune 500 companies. I recently posted that Gary is at the top of my “People I’d Love to Meet” list. Outside of pastors, he’s had the greatest influence on my leadership.
Lately I’ve partnered with local schools to help equip parents in our community “how to navigate the challenges of parenting in a social media world”. So I asked the king of social media what he would say to a room full of parents…
Watch Episode 83 of the #AskGaryVee show to hear his response. You can jump to 5:49 and get straight to my question.
Warning: he says a dirty word while answering my question.
What do you think of his answer?
Social Media Workshops: A Church’s Partnership with Local Schools to Equip Parents and Teach Students
When churches partner with local schools to equip parents and teach students, it’s a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, it’s also a rare thing. Even though we both care about the future of our students, we can’t seem to find a way to work together.
Last year I met with a local middle school and we both agreed our biggest problems with students were connected to social media. Since it was common ground, we decided to pursue a solution together. Months later, it’s resulted in an incredible partnership and unbelievable opportunities for our church to serve our area schools.
That middle school reached out to 5 other schools and together we are hosting a “Family Night” this week at our church to discuss Social Media. We will give families a few resources to help navigate the challenges of parenting in a social media world. We will also teach middle and high school students the importance of using social media in a responsible way. Each schools has invited every one of their families to our church. Crazy! We have even gotten some love on social media from several of the schools.
You can check out the resources and information we give our parents when talking about social media at www.parenttechguide.com. I hope it can be a resource to you.
Has your church had a collaboration project with a local school? I’d love to hear about it.
Best of 2014 (Top 5’s)
- SW Serve Day (August 2)
- Rail Jam for Freedom (February 9)
- Family Thanksgiving (November 27)
- Opening Day of Our Church (October 26)
- Watching My Sister at Nationals (June 17)
Hard Days
- Learned the Hard Way about Turkey Ticks (Sept 5)
- Discovered I’m Lactose Intolerant (May 11)
- Drove Through My Garage Door (March 5)
- Last day of Season at Paoli Peaks (March 9)
- Bought a Broken NES (August 21)
Discoveries Read more…
5 People I’d Love to Meet (but probably never will)
Every time our student ministry team hangs out for lunch, we throw around a couple crazy questions to discuss. One recently was “Who are the top 5 living people you’d love to meet?” After giving it too much thought, here is my list…
1. Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary is the king of hustle, social media and the host of his own podcast called the #AskGaryVee Show. I’ve been following him on Twitter, listening to his keynotes and reading his books since 2010. Outside of pastors, he’s probably had the greatest influence on my leadership. One day I hope to shake his hand and say thanks.
2. Devin Graham
DevinSuperTramp is a videographer that films people having insane fun. I thought my friends knew how to have fun until I watched his videos. Every other week he releases a new video on his YouTube channel. You can check out my favorite videos of his here, here and here. It would be a dream to hang out with him during one of his shoots.
3. Andrew WK
Andrew WK is the king of party, motivational speaker and inspirational Tweeter. He has hosted a couple TV Shows, toured the world with his band and has been interviewed almost everywhere (see my favorite here). If Mike Myers and Dana Carvey decided to film Wayne’s World 3, there is no doubt in my mind that Andrew WK would be a guest on their show. One day, I will take a #selfie with Andrew WK and it will be awesome!
4. Jimmy Fallon
Let’s be real, who doesn’t want to meet Jimmy Fallon? Aside from his show starting at 11:30pm and the Red Sox beating the Cardinals in Fever Pitch, he’s the man. One of these days, I’ll sit in his audience and sneak in a high five.
5. Conor Oberst
Conor Oberst has been my favorite songwriter for a long time. I listen to him as much now as I did 8 years ago. He is most known as a frontman in Bright Eyes, Monsters of Folk and Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band. I’ve seen him in concert but I’ve never had the opportunity to meet him.
Who would you like to meet?
4 Reasons Why Students Aren’t Talking in Small Groups (and what we can do about it)
I have facilitated student ministry small groups nearly every week over the past 8 years. You’d think that after all those years I’d be an amazing group leader. Yeah, not the case. I’m pretty sure I facilitated the worst small group discussion on the planet just 2 weeks ago. I couldn’t get my group of boys to respond to anything. *insert cricket noise*
I’ve spent a lot of time over the past 2 weeks trying to figure out what happened. What was keeping my students from responding in our small group? So far, I’ve come up with 4 things that can keep students from responding…
1. They are thinking about the question and their response.
What can we do about it? Don’t let silence cause you to move to the next question too quickly. Just because you hear crickets, it doesn’t necessarily mean students are disengaged. It could mean they are thinking about their response. I’m certain I allowed the silence to freak me out and caused me to move on too quickly.
2. They don’t know the answer.
What we can do about it? First off, be okay when students don’t know the answer. Second, ask better questions. Many times, students don’t know the answer because they don’t understand the question. Also, anytime we can ask a question that has no wrong answer is a win. Students love talking, if they can talk and know they won’t answer the question wrong, you won’t be able to shut them up!
3. They don’t trust the leader.
What can we do about it? Give students reasons to trust us. There was one kid in my group that didn’t say a single word. Not. A. Word. It bothered me until I realized that kid had been in my group for 3 weeks and I didn’t even know his name. If I was a middle school student, I wouldn’t want to talk about my relationship with God with a guy that doesn’t even know me, let alone my name.
4. They don’t trust the other students in the group.
What can we do about it? Create a culture of family within our groups. The things we are discussing as a group are not the normal things students talk about with their friends, so why would they want to talk about it with people they don’t know or trust. I recognized with my group, I need to allow time for students to build trust with each other every week. It will take time but will help our discussion tremendously.
What would you add to the list?
Maximizing Your Commute to Work and Between Campuses
Working for a multi-site church, I spend a lot of time traveling between campuses. This week alone, I have driven to 3 different campuses. Since I’m in the car 6-10 hours a week commuting to/from work or other campuses, I might as well make the most of that time. Here are a couple of ways I maximize my commute time…
- Podcasts. I listen to a podcast at least once a week.
- Dream. My phone is full with voice memos of dreams and ideas that I’ve recorded while driving.
- Phone Calls. Throughout the day, I make a list of all the phone calls I need to make and save them for my commute.
- Pray. It’s one of the few times I am alone throughout the day.
- Observe. It’s amazing the things we don’t see even though we pass them everyday. I’ve discovered new restaurants, memorized road names, watched people pick their nose and got a better sense of my community just by looking.
- Windows Down. Since most of my time is spent inside, it’s nice to get a breath of fresh air when I can.
- Explore New Music. When I need mental break, I turn on Spotify and explore new bands.
- Carpool. Whenever possible, I bring someone along for the ride. You learn a lot about someone by riding in a car with them.
How do you make the most of the time you spend commuting?
6×6 Goals
3 years ago I heard Gene Appel speak on setting goals in ministry. He has his team create what he calls a “6×6”. The idea is to identify the 6 greatest contributions you can make to your ministry over the next 6 months. His team creates a new list twice a year, January – June and July – December.
My first thought was, “only six”? Someone even asked that question. He admitted there are probably more things that could use our attention but we need to narrow our focus. Many leaders get a lot done, they just aren’t completing the things that would would provide the great contribution to their church.
I went home and created my first “6×6”. 6 cycles later, I can tell you this method of goal setting has been very helpful in my ministry. Here are a couple things I’ve learned from creating these lists over the past 3 years…
- Share your “6×6” with your team. Allow them to give feedback. You can come up with 6 goals by yourself, they just might not be the right ones. Give your team permission to shape your goals into what they need to be.
- Prioritize your list. After you narrow down your “6×6”, put them in order of importance. Now the first thing you see when looking at your list is what you and your team have determined is most important.
- Allow your goals to chase you. Post your “6×6” in places that you will see often. I give my team copies of my list and have one in a frame that sits next to my computer. I have even set it as the wallpaper on my computer. By putting your goals in strategic places, it will seem like your “6×6” is chasing you and reminding you where to focus your time and energy.
- Give updates during staff meetings. If there is no accountability, the tasks will not likely be accomplished. The team should constantly be giving updates on their “6×6”.
- Base staff reviews from the list. If everyone on your team agrees that your “6×6” is your priority during the current 6 months, then it makes sense for your list to come up during staff reviews.
In case you are curious, here is my current “6×6″…
I later learned that this idea originally came from Bill Hybels. He writes about it in his book titled Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs.
How do you set goals? Do you share them with your team?
King of the Hill, Skateboarding and Student Ministry
Sorry for the poor video quality and the sorta inappropriate picture in the embedded video.
This episode of King of the Hill is a must see for student pastors. “Reborn to be Wild” is about a student pastor who attracts students through a skateboard outreach ministry. At first this episode just made me laugh. But then I began to pick up on the issues this episode addresses and realized I could relate to many of them…The downfalls of being a “cool” student pastor? The dangers of turning Jesus into a fad? How should we respond when parents disagree with what we are asking their student to do? Is a shirt that says “Satan Sucks” inappropriate? (My mom and Hank Hill think so!)
Watch it. Share it with other student pastors. Laugh. Discuss.
You can buy a better quality of the episode on Youtube, iTunes and Amazon.
4 Apps Every Small Group Leader Should Download
As a student pastor, I’m always looking for cheap tools that will help my small group leaders connect with students. I believe when people have fun together, they grow closer together. I encourage our leaders to play a game at the beginning of their group to help jump start conversations. When I find a game our students like, I buy several copies to rotate through our groups…but that gets expensive!
While looking through the App Store, I found an app for $.99 that was identical to a game that I bought at Target for $20. Multiply that by 4 groups and that’s a lot of money for one game. I kept searching the App Store and found several other group games that our students love, all under $3. After trying several out, I put together a list of my 4 favorite apps for small group games and shared it with my leaders. Now I want to share this resource with you!
1. Heads Up!
Cost: $.99
Every student loves “Hedbanz”, or at least knows how to play it. Now you can have the game on your phone but with more words than the traditional “Hedbanz” that comes in a box. I don’t like to pay for apps but this was worth the 99 cents.
Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/heads-up!/id623592465?mt=8
2. Phrase Party!
Cost: Free w/ ads. $.99 w/out ads
Think “Catch Phrase” but on your phone. This is perfect for small groups because everyone can play, it has simple rules and has no setup time.
Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/phrase-party!-lite/id306629966?mt=8
3. Would You Rather
Cost: Free w/ ads. $.99 w/out ads
One of the most popular icebreaker for students is “Would you rather…”. This app is very simple to use and after you select your answer, it tells you the percentage of people that responded the same way. The questions are very fun and student friendly.
Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/you-rather-free/id494408835?mt=8
4. Word Party
Cost: $2.99
One of my all time favorite group games is “Taboo”. It has always been my “go-to” for game night with friends. Now I have it on my phone and can start a round any time/place. This app even keeps score!
Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/word-party/id287062786?mt=8
Have you found an app that your student’s like to play? If so, list it in the comments.
Service Projects at 7 Local Schools – Event Recap
Since our team has formed, our heart has been to have a presence in our community long before we open the doors to our new church building. So in this time leading to launch, we have engaged in the community, built relationships with people outside our church and uncovered the needs in Southwest Louisville. The more time we spent with people in the community, the clearer it became that our focus needs to be in neighborhoods and schools…and that’s where we have spent our energy.
Earlier this month, we gathered the people that have committed to our campus for a day of neighborhood parties and service projects at 7 local schools.
Our people did awesome executing the school service projects. But my highlight was working with the administration in the planning process and watching them dream how the church could partner with them. The result…we built a new baseball field, helped schools with freshman orientation, built raised garden beds, cleaned, gave away school supplies and hosted back to school parties for 2 high schools.
A great summary of our day was written in the Southeast Outlook and you can read it here.
My Prayer Leading to the Launch of Our New Campus
A year ago, I made the transition from rural Indiana to the city of Louisville, KY to help launch a new campus of Southeast Christian Church. We are now just a couple months away from launch and I have found myself praying the same thing every day. I’m praying that…
1. Our new campus would reflect our community
2. Our staff would have clear reminders that God is and has been working ahead of us
3. God would soften the heart of the students in our community
It would mean the world if you joined me in praying these things for our campus as we prepare to launch.
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