lee nicholson blog: 3 Ways to Get Chips in Your Pocket

Years ago I heard that when you start out at a church you will recieve 5 chips. You get to use them or invest them. By using it you demand something for your job or make a stand on an issue that you think is relavant. Or you can invest it in the church at the beginning of the ministry and in the people and you might actually get chips put back in your bucket to use at other times or when you make mistakes or want to ask a favor.

3 Ways to Get Chips in Your Pocket

via MoreThanDodgeball.com by Josh on 9/17/08

Just starting out in youth ministry? In some ways, we’re always going back to basics and the fundamentals of youth ministry. Here’s 3 ways to get some chips in your youth ministry credibility bank right from the start - if you ever have to push “all in” these will have come in handy:

Communicate … no, over-communicate
I’m confident that no parent in church history has ever said to a youth worker, “I just wish our youth ministry would communicate less with our family.” Instead, I’m always wondering if we communicate enough and effectively. Are we really expecting that a promo flyer handed to a student will make it home? When was your website last updated? Have we clearly articulated the vision for the change, or are we expecting word to just somehow get out? List all of the ways you’re communicating - then ask, is my message really getting out?

Show up during a crisis
Youth ministry shines when pastors and volunteers step in during a crisis. The opposite is almost always true - youth ministry takes a huge hit when someone’s urgency doesn’t elicit a matching urgent response. It only takes a few days of “not getting to it” before irreparable trust damage is done. A huge win for your youth ministry future is knowing when to drop everything to help a family in need. Reflect for just a second on who you should call or visit before you leave the office today.

Make meetings worth it
If you’re going to ask anyone to meet with you - make it worth their time. In just a few minutes your volunteers know if you’ve really planned the time together or if you’re making it up as you go. Parents are eager to see a glimpse inside what the youth ministry is doing, but the enthusiasm can quickly be doused if you’re unprepared. If you’re calling the meeting, start on time, end early and make whatever was in-between remarkable. Look over the agenda for your next meeting - if it can be emailed with minimal instruction, do that and save the meeting time for significance.