The Measure of Success

We can come up with creative ways of measuring growth, and even more creative ways of reporting it to those who oversee our growth.  None of this is evil or wrong, but I am convinced that it often skews our perception of the ministry that is our calling.

Am I now seeking the favor of God or of men? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10

At the end of the day I want to measure my success as a youth pastor, and the growth of the ministry that I have been called to, like the Apostle Paul.  Its not easy and certainly not always convenient, but I pray that this would be what drives student ministry.

Sermon Prep

Give me an outline and I’ll own it, but make me create one and it often owns me.  I have read Stanly’s Communicating for a Change, and Fields & Robins Speaking to Teenagers, and even some of MLJ  Preaching and Preachers, but alas for all my reading I still have a very hard time with sermon prep. I know the obvious things, in fact its things like lots of prayer that keep me from falling off the platform every week.

I am curious, how do you form your sermons? Do you use a certain creative process? Where do you start once you have a text in mind? Do you even start with the text?   Let me know what how you go about your sermon prep, I would love to hear about it.

Thanks

Shawn

A new blog for a new reason

Hello All,

I hope to create a place where I might post conversations about student ministry and ministry in general, and that  you in turn, would join me in conversation about these things.  Please feel free to comment, debate, refute, or whatever about any subject.  I will not always be polished, complete, or deep in my thoughts, but therein is the reason I invite conversation.  I love God, I love that he has called me to be his guy, and I hope you will join me in my journey.

-Shawn

What’s in a Name?

I am sure that you have experienced the agony of naming your new pet, or worse you new child.  It’s a hard task, and one that we should not take lightly. The family pet is one thing, and your child another, but I think the hardest might be our ministries.  No one cares if you name your dog Jabba the Mutt. Only your kid will hate you if you name them something stupid. But name your youth group or young adults group something stupid and you’re guaranteed a sudden and painful death of said group.  I have observed several different kinds of names.  Please note that I mean no offense by any of my observations, and hope that you will look at them truthfully, and maybe even laugh with me.

• The Acronym- These are sometimes the silliest of all, and often provide some real laughter.  For the sake of those who use them I will not post any but if you don’t believe me simply give “Youth Group names” a google and see for your self.
• The Verb- Usually catchy but can be cliche.
• The Event-  It was great, it was good, we really felt it… when did it happen?
• Fire- We love to ignite, flame, and explode, basically student ministers are pyros.
• Numbers- These can be based on verses, or ideas, but after a while they just start to all run together. Perhaps this is for those who left accounting to join the ministry.

I am sure I am missing something but you get the point. I am in the middle of discussions about a name for each of the ministries that I have responsibility over. This is a daunting task, one that I take very seriously. I know that a name can create a valuable identity for a group, and can make or break a group. So I have several questions for everyone.

• Whats the name of your group?
• Why was that name chosen?
• Does this name fit the identity of your group?
• Does this name convey vision or an idea?
• If asked, would your group know what that vision or idea is?
• What should I name this blog?

Answer one of them or all of them I am not picky, just curious.

God Bless,

Shawn