Slaying the Goliaths: Youth Ministry in the Small Church

Learning from Apple Failure isnt fatal (so keep swinging). Think different - not always bigger or better Embrace uncertainty. Never forget your purpose or values. Never let the critics-even within-dictate your mood, method, or mission to grow your youth ministry. Find one thing and do it with excellence, rather than repeating mediocre results. It only takes one small thing to turn everything around.

Small Church Goliaths Volunteers Money Attendance Facilities and Space Envy and Comparison

Prayer

Volunteers WHAT NOT TO DO: 1. Never stand in front of your congregation and make a plea for help. 2. Never beg people to join your ministry. 3. Never invite someone to join your ministry team unless youre confident in their abilities to fulfill the roles you assign. WHAT TO DO: 1. Ask your church staff and other trusted leaders for referrals of people they think would be a great fit for your ministry. 2. Talk with other people who know your potential recruit. 3. If everything checks out, approach the recruit and cast the vision for your ministry. 4. Invite the recruit to become a part of the ministry as a fly on the wall no responsibilities, just to observe. Debrief together after every experience. 5. If they agree to join the ministry, clearly set the expectations and responsibilities for that individual. 6. Set your standards high and keep em there!

Money Budget! Tip #1: Carefully think through curriculum Tip #2: Invest into leaders Tip #3: Plan out expenses for each month Tip #4: Keep it flexible Tip #5: Plan for an income Tip #6: Prioritize the funds Tip #7: Run it by a couple adult youth leaders Tip #8: Be careful about mixing your own finances

Attendance 1. Build personal relationships with the kids youre in touch with. 2. Facilitate an environment where those kids can build relationships with each other. Some practical ways to do this: 1. Rather than expecting kids to come to you, go to them instead. 2. Every relationship revolves around trust. 3. With the kids that do come to youth group, even if its just two kids, take both of them out for ice cream and just talk.

Outreach The church was meant to be missional.

Experiential Learning Dr. Donald Wetmore of the Productivity Institute conducted a study on retention. His study found, we retain 10 percent of what we read. We retain 20 percent of what we hear. We retain 30 percent of what we see. We retain 50 percent of what we hear and see. We retain 70 percent of what we say. We retain 90 percent of what we do.

Be Different The smaller congregation is amazingly unique, with natural strengths and supernatural gifts that larger churches also envy!

Creating Vision A smaller-church youth ministry must envision what it can accomplish through a fervent reliance upon God's power.

Slaying the Goliaths: Youth Ministry in the Small Church