#GoingSocial: A Book Review

My friend and former youth ministry coach, Terrace Crawford, has written a great book about the need for social networking within the church. The book is called #GoingSocial. In the book, Crawford seeks to unlock the door to social media for pastors and church leaders, especially those that have been overwhelmed or underwhelmed by the rise and popularity of social media. Before diving into any specific avenue of social media, Crawford makes the case for why pastors and church leaders need to engage in social media. In the end, Crawford shows the reader that it is absolutely necessary to have a presence in some form of social media. 

As he moves along, the author gives an accurate, balanced description of the major players in social networking, including Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and YouTube. While the explanation of how to create accounts and basic features appeals to an audience with very little or no social networking background, I, an experienced user of social networking, was still able to find nuggets of information that will prove helpful in my own social networks. 

Overall, the intended audience for #GoingSocial is the pastor or church leader that has not spent much, if any, time on social networking. As an experienced social networker myself, the book at times was below my working knowledge; however, I still believe it is a very important book. Many churches and pastors have little to no presence on social networks, and they are the gathering places of our time. Terrace Crawford takes the large step of getting involved in social networking and breaks it down for all to understand and follow. Finally, Terrace Crawford helps to remind all pastors and church leaders that lives can be changed through the power of social networking.

I encourage you to find a copy of #GoingSocial and glean it for all the knowledge that is inside. In addition, you can connect with the author of the book, Terrace Crawford, on twitter (@TerraceCrawford) or on his blog at www.terracecrawford.com.

How Do You Identify Yourself?

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— (Romans 1:1 NIV)

It is so easy to overlook these beginning statements that Paul places at the beginning of his letters. From New Testament courses it is obvious that this is an introduction and a place where Paul was sharing the author of the letter. My questions is whether there is more to it than that. There has to be since God wouldn't put it in the book otherwise.

First, of all Paul is a servant. Some translations say bond servant. He is a willing servant of Christ. No one is forcing him into service, but he is compelled by Christ to do such. As a fellow pastor of people, the question to ask is: Am I a willing servant of Christ?

Next, he was called by God, meaning he has been called out above and beyond that of the average believer in Christ. His duty to God runs deeper because God called him. He has been called to be an apostle, someone engaged in full time ministry, specifically a missionary or evangelist in his case. In either sense, God directed Paul into his vocation/ministry. All Paul has to do was be obedient.

Finally, Paul has been set apart. I believe this has some holiness overtones that Paul was filled with the Spirit and thus different that other people. He has been set apart for Gods purposes, and he has been obedient to that call.

In all, this is a picture of what a pastor should certainly be. A pastor should feel these things as a deep part of their identity. Paul certainly did since this was how he chose to introduce himself and identify himself.

• Are you a servant above all else?
• Are you 100% certain in your calling?
• Is you life set apart unto God?

How might you introduce yourself to others?

Stuff is NOT Enough

As I continue in my learning experience as a youth pastor, I have come across many of the usual stereotypes for youth pastors and youth ministries. The funny part about most of the youth pastor stereotypes is that they are usually true to some extent. Most youth pastors I know are a little crazy, extremely creative, and tend to struggle with organization and administration.

On the other hand, I usually hate most of the stereotypes of what youth ministries are, or at least what they are perceived to be. I want to rant a little about one of those stereotypes that irks me quite a bit. That stereotype is that as long as the youth ministry is doing "stuff" then students must be growing in their faith.

It truly pains me that the measure of a youth ministry to many is the amount of stuff that is put on the calendar. Don't get me wrong, we need to be having events, developing programs, and attempting to get students together; however, there needs to be more purpose behind everything than just to "hang out." For sixth graders, there are 7 years before they graduate and are off on their own. That's 364 weeks to disciple students to be lifelong followers of Jesus. We have a very limited amount of time to accomplish a monumental task.

Since there isn't any time to waste, we need to be strategic with what we do and how we use our time that we get together as a youth ministry. In the end, time spent hanging out can help to move students closer to Christ, but we need to be strategic in having our students invite friends. In the end, everything we do must have a purpose and a reason behind it that is Kingdom-driven.

So as you continue to work on programs and events for the Fall and beyond, ask yourself a few questions:

• Does everything on the calendar have a purpose behind it?
• How can I communicate the purpose to parents, church leaders, and my lead pastor for every event?
• Is there anything that needs to be changed in order for students to learn to follow Jesus better?

Seeing God in All Things

How often do you see God at work in your life? How often do you see God at work at your work? School? Free time? Family time? Ministry?

I fear that many of us see God all too seldom in our day-to-day comings and goings. Personally, I know that it is a temptation to go about living my life without really acknowledging God's involvment in hte many things that God is probably involved in throughout each day.

Yesterday, during Sunday School, I talked with the youth about what we believe that God can do in our lives. We often only seek after God when things get really bad or as a last resort once we have exhausted all of our other options. Seems interesting that we would go to the internet for answers when we have the Creator of the Universe on speed dial through prayer.

Let me ask you the same question I asked the youth: What do you really believe about God?What do you believe that God can do?

The answers to these questions will mold and shape our viewpoint of how we see God work in our lives. If we don't view God as personal and someone who cares about our lives, then we won't see God in the everyday parts of our lives. On the flip side, if we realize that God is with us always, then we will begin to see the many ways that God is at work in our lives each and every day.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:20, "For I am with you, even to the end of the age."

Don't forget those words as the work week begins again. God is with us all in our comings and our goings. Look for him, and you will find all the ways he is at work each and every day.

Funny Friday

Normally, I am not a huge fan of cat videos. There are just too many of them, and I'm not that big of a fan of cat people. This one is quite special though.

Enjoy your Friday!

Youth Ministry Communication

One of the most difficult things about being a leader in any form or fashion is trying to make sure everyone has all necessary information. On the surface this seems like it should be an easy thing to do; however, anyone who has been in leadership for any period of time understands that communication is always a constant difficulty. In the end, I have found that some people will never be happy about the way you communicate and will always be out of the loop because they refuse to try to stay in the loop. With that being said, there are some very effective ways to get in touch with both youth and parents and communicate well with everyone. Here are my thoughts on a few common communication avenues:

1. Email

Email is a great tool for contacting parents and keeping them in the know. While students seldom have an email that they check on a regular basis, most parents are in the habit of checking email at least every couple days. 

2. Phone

Phone calls are great when time is short or inflection in voice is necessary. The downside to the phone is that it always seems to take up a large chunk of time. Maybe its just me, but I have trouble having short phone conversations. With that in mind, I only use the phone when I think its important that someone hear my voice. 

3. Text

This is my preferred communication avenue for contacting students. Most students have a smart phone with unlimited texting. This is their favorite avenue for communication, which makes it the best way to get in touch with many of them.

4. Social Media

Regular updates to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. are always helping in keeping everyone in the know. I tend to use Facebook the most since it is where most of my students are. In addition, many of their parents are also on Facebook so it helps keep them in the know as well.  Using pictures, video, or other media with posts significantly increases the chances someone will read it.

There are a ton of other forms of communication out there to use. What are some forms of communication you have had success with?

 

Free Youth Resources

Once again, it has been awhile since my last blogging foray. A lot has happened over the past couple months since letting go of the blog a little. I have become a father, which has been an absolutely amazing blessing over the past 2 months (Little Andrew's picture is on the right). In addition, I have been able to see God do some absolutely amazing things at New Beginning Church, especially with the youth ministry. I have always wanted to be a pastor of a youth ministry that was driving growth in the congregation, and God has been gracious enough to bring that rather quick at NBNC. 

In addition to all this, I also have been developing many of my own youth ministry resources to use at NBNC. I have been writing my own curriculum and developing original resources to help students grow in spiritual disciples and gifts. 

So as I begin to commit back to blogging again, there are a few additions and changes to things you will find on the blog. 

First of all, my goal is share more stories of victories and defeats in youth ministry in order to help impart lessons to others and myself. I have been fortunate to learn from many others, which has helped keep my from many mistakes. My hope is others might learn from a few of mine as well.

Secondly, you will find a page devoted to free resources at the top of the page. Please download any and all resources available. Everything is in a Word document format so that you can easily change the church name or any content to fit your particular situation. All I ask in return for the curriculum and resources is a little bit a feedback on your experiences using them.

My hope and prayer is that you will be blessed by the blog, resources, thoughts, and comments on this page. 

Counting The Cost

While driving in to work today, I was listening to the radio. Normally, you will find me listening to some country or christian rock station in the car, but every once in awhile I like to turn on the top 40 station in Washington, D.C. to better understand the music and culture that is surrounding students.

While listening to the radio in the past, I am usually quickly upset by the topics of conversation on the morning show, which usually have something to do with drinking, sex, and other prevalent topics that make for better ratings. As I turned out of my driveway this morning, however, I was surprised to hear the conversation turn to the prevalence of divorce in the U.S. and circumstances that increase the chances for divorce.

In short, a study came out recently that stated that weddings that cost more than $30,000 have a higher chance for divorce to occur. As the radio personalities took calls and discussed the findings of the study, they concluded that the study was most likely true. In addition, caller after caller stated that the reason for the divorce was too large of an emphasis on the wedding day and a lack of emphasis on the marriage that would follow.

As pastor, I see this happen all too often, and it happens in circumstances outside of marriages. We get so excited about a one-time event that we forget the journey that is about to commence. We get so excited about our conversion to Christianity that we forget to look toward the upcoming, life-long relationship with God.

In the end, we need days, such as a wedding day, because they serve as markers in our life, but we have to make sure that we are ready for the road that lies ahead of each of these markers. It seems easy for us to see these markers as the end of an era of our lives, but I wonder if we might be better off thinking of them as beginnings to the next chapter of life.

Jesus tells us in Luke 14:28-30 to "count the cost." Make sure you "count the cost" of what lies ahead and enjoy the journey that God is leading you to embark on next.

Funny Friday

As many of you may know, Maria and I live on a dairy goat farm in Maryland. We absolutely love anything with goats in it. Here are a couple quick videos that had me laughing this week>

Have a great Friday!

Timothy's Leadership Musts (Pt. 2)

Today, we are continuing our look at the leadership musts that Paul imparts to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3.  We started our look into this last week, which can be found here. Today, we are going to dive into 1 Timothy 3:3.

"He must not be a heavy drinker, or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, not not love money." 1 Timothy 3:3 (NLT)

1. Not a heavy drinker. I will not get into the discussion of whether leaders should drink alcohol or not; however, heavy drinking, getting drunk, and similar difficulties are a definitive "no-no" for leaders. Leaders need to have clear minds at all time. A large part of this goes back to verse 2, which states that leaders need to be above reproach. Individuals who drink heavily will naturally have impaired decision-making, which leads to unwise leadership decisions.

2. Not be violent. This seems basic, but it is surprising how many leaders can quickly turn rather violent. I am not a counselor, but I believe part of this comes from the desire of many leaders to control things. When things get out of control, rage and violent tendencies surface. Wise leaders understand that not everything can be controlled. Wise leaders manage the perpetual chaos that naturally occurs in life without getting angry about it.

3. Be gentle. Gentle people are naturally easier to talk to. As a leaders, especially a church leader, people will come to you with burdens, problems, and difficulties. A gentle spirit shows that you are willing and available to listen, help, and work with them through whatever may be going on in life.

4. Not quarrelsome. This can be so difficult for leaders. Many leaders have very strong personalities. They have opinions, and they are usually not afraid to share them. This is not necessarily a bad thing; however, it can be easy for those in leadership positions to start disagreements and quarrels. When people are working with other people, disagreements naturally occur, but the problem comes in when a person seeks out quarrels. Some people just enjoy being in a "fight," and Paul is telling us that we need to be watchful putting these people in leadership positions.

5. Not love money. Things always get hard when money gets thrown into the picture. Having money is not necessarily bad, and in many professions, being in leadership will offer an increase in income; however, this increase should NEVER be the impetus for a individual to head into leadership. True leaders realize that their leadership abilities are God-given, and they get a joy out of being able to utilize them. The pay is secondary to the joy they receive from doing what it is that they were wired to do.

Again, Paul continues to raise the bar for leaders everywhere, especially those within the church. Which of these five do you struggle with the most?

A New Beginning

As promised a few weeks ago, there is more information on where God has led us to continue to serve him. Through a crazy string of events, God has formed and fashioned an amazing opportunity at a local church in Mount Airy to continue to serve God. Maria and I had been praying for months that God would open up an opportunity somewhere in Mount Airy for us to minister to the town that we live in and love. Surprisingly, there were many opportunities that were thrown our way and the difficulty was in discerning which avenue was the one that God was leading us into. 

Through some of Maria's family, I started to meet with and talk with the pastor at New Beginning Nazarene Church in Mount Airy. From the very beginning, there was something different about this opportunity. To make a long story short, God worked on all sides and has led me to NBNC to come on as an Associate Pastor. 

With Sunday being our last Sunday at Connection Church in Middletown, there are a lot of mixed emotions that have occurred. I will miss the many faces at Connection, but I am very excited to see what God is going to do at NBNC. God's way is always the best, and there is no doubt that God is in every aspect of this. 

Maria and I are very excited about starting to worship at NBNC this Sunday! Thank you to everyone who prayed for us over the past 6 months or so. Please continue to pray as we make this transition, and we are on the verge of welcoming our first child into the world soon.