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?

 

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?

Extra Thought: Controlling the Tongue

"For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way." James 3:2b NLT

Yesterday, I had the privilege of sharing the Word with the Jr. High students at church again. I love this group because they are never shy to share their thoughts and feelings about any topic that is at hand. This week we talked about the power of our words to build up or destroy. We especially focused on gossip and foul language, which tend to be HUGE problems in Jr. High.

The discussion was so good yesterday that I had to cut out the last thought I was going to share with the group, so I thought I would post it here.

My thought is that our tongues steer our lives in many ways. James tells us at the beginning of chapter 3 that the tongue is like a bit that goes in a horses mouth (v. 3) or a rudder of a ship (v.4). In other words, James tells us that our tongue sets the course for where our lives go. The filter (or lack thereof) of things that come out of your mouth is a great determinant of the effect Jesus is having on your life.

As we mature in Jesus, what we say and talk about changes. Instead of gossip, slander, and foul language, our tongue begins to brim with encouragement, positive thoughts, and helpful language. The beautiful thing about this change is that we also become the kind of person others want to be around. Everyone enjoys a positive, encouraging person over a gossiping, discouraging one.

That's the beauty of God's economy. As we become more like him, our life become more attractive to others because it becomes obvious that we have a joy that the rest of the world doesn't.

In the end, if we can tame the tongue, with the help of Jesus, then there is nothing about ourselves we can't control.