by Chase | Discipleship, Ministry, Student Min
Nothing is more rewarding than seeing a student make a decision to follow Jesus Christ.
But how many ministries are ready to disciple students after a decision?
As you celebrate with the student, his family, and your church, you have to answer this important question:
“How will this student be discipled?”
Is it through a small group for new believers? Do you hand them a book to read? Do you connect a student to an adult mentor?
Sure, the process looks different for each church, but the important part is that you have a process.
Salvation happens instantly. Discipleship is a lifetime process of maturing.
Below are a few resources I have used for our students. I wanted to pass them along to you. I donât have any affiliate links in this post â I simply believe in the effectiveness of these resources to encourage new Christians to grow in their relationship with Jesus.
These books will work well for your student ministry â no matter what your discipleship process looks like.
4 Books That Are Perfect For New Christians In Your Student Ministry
New: First Steps For New Christ-Followers (By YouthMinistry360)
This journal works as a stand-alone devotional or a four-week small group curriculum that you can walk through with your students. I like it because of the easy-to-understand devotional layout that covers what it means to be a Christian, knowing God, and how we are to live a new life.
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Refuel: An Uncomplicated Guide To Connecting With God (By Doug Fields)
Doug Fields has created a concise and clear book about what it means to connect with God. As youth workers, we donât want to be guilty of saying, âJust start reading the book of John and you will get the hang of a devotional time.â This book offers practical tips and encouragement to discover what it means to connect with Jesus. It also includes small group questions in the back for youth workers who want to meet up and discuss chapters with their students.
Student Survival Kit: An Essential Guide For New Christians (By Ralph W. Neighbour, Jr. And Lifeway)
Are you looking for a book that is packed with Scriptures and covers the essentials of what it means to be a Christian? Then Student Survival Kit is your book! This book by Lifeway is an eleven-week devotional that walks through the fundamentals of theology (Indwelling of Christ, Body of Christ, The Old and New Nature, Salvation, Authority, Prayer, Witnessing) by laying out passages of Scripture and allowing the reader to chew on each topic in daily bite-sized chunks.
Wired: A 4-Week Devotional Experience For Students (By Rodney & Sarah Anderson)
Produced by Orange, Wired is an awesome resource that covers how to connect with God and others. This book is a four-week devotional guide packed with small group materials. You can purchase teaching videos to view along with the book. Wired is an incredible resource for your student ministry if you do a new Christian class or small group.
Now What?
What other resources have you found that help new believers grow in their relationship Jesus?
by Chase | Ministry
Gooooood Mythical Morning!
Have you heard about the creative genius that is Good Mythical Morning? Rhett and Link have taken the internet by storm over the past five years, posting a morning talk show each weekday. Their show, which airs on a YouTube channel (Watch: GMM Channel) has more than 11 million subscribers and over 100 million views per month as of this post. This has led to appearances on The Tonight Show, their own show on YouTube Red, and a book contract.
Oh, and the best part is that Rhett and Link are known for wholesome content. They are the kings of âWill it?â (Watch: GMMâWill it?â Playlist) Â and Taste Tests (Watch: GMMÂ âTaste Tests!â Playlist). Â
Why would I tell you all of this? Simple. Student ministries can learn creativity, content, and consistency by studying what works for Good Mythical Morning. Their content is reaching and impacting people (even your students) across the globe in a way that our ministries hope to impact others.
Ministry leaders, check out these six things your ministry can learn from the Good Mythical Morning Crew.
6 Things Your Student Ministry Can Learn From Rhett, Link, And Good Mythical Morning
- They Love Their Jobs
Millions of people tune in to see Rhett and Link. Why? Much of their content is silly (although most of it is pretty interesting). What keeps people coming back is to see the personalities of Rhett and Link. These guys love what they are doing. They are never negative. They are not arrogant. They are enthusiastic and energetic.
Student ministries: Both the paid and volunteer leaders of your student ministry need to be on fire for Jesus and students! This joy only comes from the Holy Spirit. If you donât love being at student worship or the many youth events you plan, why would your students?
- They Are Creative Geniuses
Rhett and Link are exceptional at what they do. And they donât have to reinvent the wheel each week to do it! They have created a consistently awesome (and simple) structure that resonates with their audience ⊠and they execute it well. Keeping things fairly consistent and straightforward still allows them to be really creative each week.
Student ministries: What resonates with your students? You donât have to do 50 things well. How can you communicate the Gospel with your students regularly and get them to love God and love others without constantly changing up your format and schedule?
- They Built An Online Community
Rhett and Link have created an online community of people who are loyal to them as entertainers and loyal to their brand of comedy. Even though the vast majority of viewers will never meet either of the hosts, Rhett and Link have had deep impact in their lives. If you need proof, just check out the 1000th episode of the show (Watch: GMM 1,000th Episode). These two guys started out using free tools (YouTube and various social media platforms) and minimal equipment! Sure, itâs grown from there as they have grown in the number of views their show receives, but the reason they are big isnât because they started out with fancy equipment or tons of money. Itâs because they have built a real community of people who love the show.
Student ministries: Social media cannot replace interaction in small groups and worship, but it can supplement it. How can you leverage social medias and texting systems to encourage and connect with students? (Notice that I didnât say âpost announcements.â) You need to build a community, because discipleship only happens in community.
- They Have A Simple Stage Design That Rarely Changes
The Good Mythical Morning crew spends more time creating awesome content than awesome staging. Their backdrop stays the same, except for a few minimal additions every now and then. I can imagine that their creative planning meetings probably donât include a lot of talk about how they can reach more people by changing the lighting. Instead, itâs obvious that they have all stacked hands on one common goal: quality entertainment.
Student ministries: What keeps students coming back is not how beautiful your student room is. Sure, it should be clean and safe. Cool backdrops are nice, and changing things up every now and then is fine. But your main focus has to be about sharing the Gospel and helping students either begin a relationship with God or grow in the relationship theyâve already started with God. If you are genuinely and primarily focused on that, thatâs what will keep students coming back to your student room!
- They Have An Incredible Staff
Rhett and Link arenât the only two guys coming up with content for their show. They have developed an incredible team of producers and writers to help shape their content and ensure they are connecting with their audience. Creativity truly happens within a team context.
Student ministries: Are you the only voice shaping the events, teaching content, and worship services? If so, your creativity will wane. Who are the three to five adults, students, and college age leaders that have valuable perspectives that can help your ensure that you are connecting with the teenagers in your community?
- They Are Awesome At Sharing Peopleâs Stories
At the end of every episode Rhett and Link show a quick video clip from someone across the globe saying, âIt is time to spin the wheel of mythicality.â They also incorporate peopleâs stories through opening mail that has been sent to them, allowing viewersâ comments to shape content, and showing video clips sent in by viewers.
Student ministries: How can you share the God-sized stories happening in the lives of your students and volunteers? You need to know that God is working in other peopleâs lives, and so do your students and leaders! We will never how God is working unless we are willing to share our stories with one another.
Your Move
Do you watch Good Mythical Morning (or another similar show)? What is it about it that keeps you coming back for more, and how can you incorporate those practices into your ministry?
by Chase | Leadership, Ministry
For student ministries, volunteer engagement is essential.
The days of a student ministry being led by a charismatic leader with adult chaperones is as far behind us as bellbottom jeans.
Every church ministry must be aligned around relational discipleship for the flourishing of the Gospel. Student ministries will fail to develop disciples when the student pastor is the only person investing into the lives of the students. When we fail to develop disciples, we fail to fulfill the Great Commission.
Leaders are the key to student ministry discipleship. You can say goodbye to discipleship if multiple adult leaders are not connected to students.
Thatâs a big deal! The discipleship process must involve every adult volunteer. If we want to ensure every adult is on mission we need to identify what is getting in the way of our discipleship efforts.
[Read: 8 Deadly Sins Of Student Pastors]
Are you committing any of these deadly sins? Be honest with yourself, then take the necessary steps to get back on track with Godâs mission.
7 Deadly Sins of Student Volunteers
- Showing Up Late And/Or Leaving Early
Nothing communicates a lack of investment more than showing up late or leaving early. A large portion of discipleship is proximity. Those who are inconsistent at Bible studies and worship gatherings are not developing disciples. The Great Commission doesnât say âSit in a youth room to fulfill a student-to-leader ratio.â Jesus commissions every disciple to create disciples.
- Only Talking With The Adults
Why are you volunteering with the student ministry? Is it to invest in students? Great. Investment doesnât end once you step into the room; that is when investment begins! Donât fall into the temptation of sitting in the back of the student room and chatting with the other adult leaders. You are serving to make a Gospel difference in a teenagerâs life. So pull up a chair and get to know some students.
- Failing To Follow Up With Students
One hour of communication per week does not sustain a friendship. Discipling students involves following up with students throughout the week. This may look different each week (attending ball games, texting students Bible verses, inviting students to events), but the key is to show up in the life of a student. When you show up outside of âchurch timeâ students will begin to see that God cares for them outside of âchurch time.â
- Never Talking About Jesus Or The Bible
Student ministry isnât all fun and games. Who am I kidding? Student ministry is awesome! The presence of games shouldnât lead to an absence of Biblical instruction. Each student ministry volunteer has a responsibility to share about the grace, love, and goodness of Jesus. Donât let the student pastor be the only voice the students hear.
- Pretending That You Have Figured Life Out
You know that being an adult doesnât bring clarity to life and an uncanny ability to live perfectly! Be careful not to project a âholier than thouâ persona in front of your students. Jesus has saved you, and the students, by grace alone. Sure you have some wisdom to share, but be sure that you are communicating that you still need Jesus.
- Failing To Grow Spiritually
The number one role of a student ministry volunteer is to be a spiritual leader. It doesnât matter what area you serve in, you must be growing spiritually. The churchâs mission is to create disciples. Only disciples can create disciples. An excellent book to gauge your spiritual health is Ten Questions To Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Donald S. Whitney.
- Investing In The Program While Neglecting People
How many hours have you spent working on the worship set list this week? Or how much time have you spent looking at your small group lesson for Sunday? How about this one: How many hours have you spent encouraging and communicating with students this week? Preparation and study are essentials to be a great leader, but when we drift away from the people and only invest in the program, lesson, or worship gathering, our students will leave the church.
Now What?
After taking an honest look at this list, how many of these sins are you struggling with? Being able to diagnose our current level of engagement will allow us to dive deeper into our discipleship efforts!
What other areas would you add to the list?
by Chase | Discipleship, Ministry
It doesnât matter if you are a 7-year-old heading to your first summer camp or a senior adult â camps, retreats, conferences, and events can leave a lasting spiritual impact in your life.
Retreats come in all shapes and sizes. There are week-long camps, weekend retreats, one-day events, and conferences. While they vary in nature they all have one thing in common â they allow the attendees to step away from their normal day-to-day routines and focus on Jesus.
God has used my time at camps to wake me up spiritually and provided a place to grow spiritually. I became a Christian, committed my life to ministry, and even met my wife while I was at various retreats.
While you may not meet your future wife at a retreat, here are some other reasons that you should consider joining the next retreat that your church offers (or sending your student).
5 Ways Retreats Can Draw You Closer To Jesus
Retreats remove you from your day-to-day habits.
Have you been in a rut? We all get to points where we need a break from the demands of life. High school relationships may have you stressed to the max. Your kids schedules can wear on your stamina. Retreats, camps, conferences, and events are just that â a retreat! Taking a retreat will allow you to catch your breath, both physically and spiritually.
Retreats allow you to refocus on Jesus.
Our minds can be cluttered with deadlines, activities, relationships, and commitments. Retreats are the perfect place to give your brain a chance to reset and refocus on Jesus. The priorities of your day can interfere with your worship of Jesus. Retreats are designed to remove the distractions and sins that bog you down so that you can worship Jesus.
Retreats remove you from negative influences.
Most of the people who surround you in school or at work are negative influences. A spiritual retreat gives you an avenue to remove yourself, even for a weekend, from the negative relationships, horrible advice, and complainers that push your spirit down.
Retreats cause us to anticipate the power of God.
Going on a retreat with your church means that you have cleared your calendars, turned in your forms, paid the registration fees, and packed up your bags for the event. A retreat allows your mind to anticipate a move of God in your own life. It is something that you can look forward to with a longing to meet with Jesus.
Retreats lead you to a fresh movement of Godâs Spirit.
A retreat will not only remove you from negative influences — it will draw you into Godâs Word. Whether it is the guest speaker, worship set, or small group time, you will start to experience God like never before. His Spirit moves in incredible ways when we humble ourselves and turn our gaze onto Him. Â
by Chase | Leadership, Ministry
Small group leaders are the unsung heroes of student ministry. Without their hours of service and investment, student ministries would fail at reaching their community.
- They are the ones who ask students tough questions about Jesus.Â
- They are the ones who serve on the front lines of student ministry.Â
- They are the old-timers who are still game to stay up for a lock-in!Â
Their spiritual investment into the lives of the students at your church should not go unnoticed.
Before they lead a small group this week here are three simple ways that you can appreciate all of the work they do.
3 Simple (And Free) Ways To Appreciate Your Small Group Leaders This WeekÂ
Respect Your Small Group Leaders’ Time
Clear and consistent communication is the easiest way to respect your leaders’Â busy schedules. Get their lessons, announcements, and reminders to them via email, print, or text in a timely manner. There is nothing worse than waiting on someone to send you the lesson that you want to prepare.
Brag On Your Small Group Leaders To Students’ Parents
As the senior leader of the student ministry, it is your responsibility to create an environment of encouragement. An easy way to be an encourager is to brag about a studentâs small group leader the next time you walk by a parent in the hallway. Small group leaders are the connection point between parents and the student ministry. Build this connection and it will build your student ministry.Â
Send Your Small Group Leaders A Prayer Message
Spiritual leaders cannot neglect the importance of prayer. Take a few minutes this week to pray for one small group leader. Donât pray a quick one-liner (âLord, bless Timmyâ). Instead, intentionally pray for your leaderâs family, group, work, spiritual journey, and health. I like to send the leader a quick text and let them know that Iâm praying for them and ask if they have anything they would like for me to pray about.
Now What?Â
What other easy and free ideas do you have to encourage your small group leaders?Â
by Chase | Ministry
If you are wondering how you can continue investing in the lives of students during winter break when worship services are canceled and students are MIA, you aren’t alone. A lot of small group leaders feel that way!
The holidays can be an incredible time of rest. But resting doesn’t mean that you have to cut ties with your small group for three weeks.
While adults are busy during the holidays, many students are bored out of their minds.
Here are six simple ways you can connect with your students during winter break.
6 Ways To Connect With Your Small Group During Winter Break
Call To Wish Their Family A Merry Christmas
Something as simple as picking up the phone and wishing a family “Merry Christmas” can significantly impact the family. The holiday season can be a difficult season for many people. Knowing that godly people are praying for them can have a lasting impact. You may also find out that some of them are staying in town, making it easier to connect in person as well.
Invite Students To Help You Take Down Your Christmas Decorations
You could use a couple extra hands to help take down the Christmas lights, tree, and decorations. Inviting a few students over to your house to help your family take down your decorations gives you several hours to connect with your students. Provide some hot chocolate or cider and let students bring toppings if they want.
Start A Bible Reading Plan
Send your small group a link to a five-day reading plan from the Bible App to connect them to God’s Word during their break. The Bible App is an incredible tool to keep discipling your students when you are unable to meet during the holiday break. Commit to following along with any students who show interest, and make sure to check in with them to see how God is working in their lives through the Scripture.
Promote The January Kick-Off Event
Is the student ministry having a kick-off event in January? Text your students and email their parents during Christmas break. Personal invitations are always better than generic announcements.
Hang Out At A Fast Food Joint
This is a great idea if student worship is canceled during the holidays. Simply pick an area fast food restaurant, text students to let them know you will be hanging out there during a certain time range, and tell them they can stop by and eat with their small group leaders.
Text Them About Christmas And New Years … And Keep The Conversation Going
You might already plan to send a “Merry Christmas” or “Happy New Years” text out to the members of your small group. That’s great! A really easy way to make those texts more meaningful is to ask any student that responds how their day has been. It is a simple text response that you can use to have a mini-conversation with students that go deeper than a non-personal text.
Now What?Â
How else do you plan to connect with students over winter break?
