Doug Fields
- Doug is doing a talk on what he's learned (and been healed from) since he left a paid church staff position.
- I've journaled my learnings over the last few years. I want to share 3 things that I've been healed from.
- One thing I realized is how much I (we) put the spotlight on numbers in the church.
- We had a little slogan in our church that "we count people because people count."
- A leader is to attendance what a crack addict is to a crack pipe.
- I realize now that from week-to-week all I was doing was feeding the beast (of my ego).
- I've read a great book recently called "Renovation of the Church" where it talks about "feeding the beast."
- Another thing I'm being healed from is the pace of life.
- For me, ministry wasn't pacing like you do in a marathon. It was more like a sprint.
- I use to drive past a McDonalds and fantasize about what it would be like to work there.
- I also put a spotlight on comparison in ministry. We do this constantly!
- John 11 - Remember when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead? He said "unwrap him and let him live!"
- Since my vision has been healed, I've learned a few things.
- Bigger isn't better. The only two people that think bigger is better are event promoters and preachers.
- Better is better!
- Hurry is the enemy of depth!
- You can't rush relationships.
- My healed vision has helped me replace "comparison" with "effectiveness."
- I must realize that I wasn't created to be Rick Warren. I wasn't created to speak like Beth Moore. I wasn't created to write like Andy Stanley. I was created to be "me."
- We need to stop complaining and start abiding (in Jesus).
- We are blinded in ministry (by things like numbers, pace of life, comparison).
- What would it look like to go on a numbers-detox?
- Busyness is a sign of brokenness.
- Every leader, every church, everything looks better from a distance.
- If nothing changes in your leadership are you happy with the leader that you are?
This post contains my notes from the general session at the Orange Conference.
Kara Powell
- Kara is doing a talk on "Sticky Faith"
- We do segregation well in the church. You might be thinking of "race" right now... but I'm talking about "age."
- Luke 2:41
- I'm not satisfied with the stat that 40-50% of students are drifting away from God and the church. Are you?
- The way that I parent is different because of research.
- The way that I lead is different because of research.
- We are asking "How do we win students back?" when really we could be asking "What if we never lost them?"
- Building deep faith in students has the potential to change this country!
- Kara gave a fantastic illustration about a church where she saw adults handing off the roles on the platform (mid-way the worship service on Sunday morning) to teenagers.
- This is what it's about... not multi-generational ministry but inter-generational ministry!
- We need to reverse the 5 to 1 ratio (that we have in Youth Ministry when it comes to retreats and events). We should have 5 adults per 1 student mentoring and shepherding them.
- The real well behind my passion for this comes from being a parent.
This post contains my notes from the general session at the Orange Conference.
ANDY STANLEY
- Andy is doing a talk on "Healthy Staff Culture"
- I think the church should be the greatest place to work on the planet!
- Northpoint Community Church came in 3rd for the BEST place to work in the Atlanta area.
- I want to talk about something (one thing actually) that I've learned that drives healthy staff culture at churches more than anything else!
- I believe this is the most contagious thing!
- Mark 10:32-45
- Whoever wants to be out front must serve.
- Mark 10:45 -- this is why Jesus came!
- Healthy and productive staff cultures are characterized by "mutual submission."
- This is a game changer!
- The question mutual submission asks: "How can I help?"
- There is no one in this room that is above this.
- There is also no one in this room that has a special anointing.
- There are 2 people you can ask to see if you have an anointing: your doctor and your wife.
- Catch this: even the Son of Man did not come to serve but to be served!
- Even IF you are anointed, you should be the BEST servant on the planet!
- Here are some best practices:
- Do for 1 what you wish you could do for everyone.
- Systematically develop (from the top down) service in your church or organization.
- Create and maintain a sustainable pace so you can serve others!
- Ask yourself "Does your availability squeeze out your serve-ability?"
- Reward mutual submission when you see it!
- Remember: what is rewarded is what gets repeated.
- Confront your ego!
- Your staff is not your cast of characters.
- Drop the term "loyalty" from your vocabulary. Loyalty didn't even make the list in the fruits of the spirit.
- Follow the example of Christ: serve!
This post contains my notes from the general session at the Orange Conference.
CRAIG GROESCHEL
- Craig is doing a talk on "Raising the Next Generation"
- What do you think success looks like for the next generation?
- Culture says success is raising well-rounded, well educated kids.
- When I'm hiring I want someone who is great at "one thing"... not someone who is average at many things.
- Jesus asks "What good would it be for a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"
- David in Psalm 71:18 "Do not forsake me... till I declare your power to the next generation."
- We are called to unleash single-minded, Christ-centered, Biblically-anchored world changers!
- There are 3 things we MUST do:
- We must enlist supporting voices to impart truth to your kids.
- You may be the main voice in your kids life... but you are not the only voice!
- We must build up leaders to mentor young ones!
- We must raise the expectations and standards of the next generation!
- Before children were 12 in Jesus' day they had to memorize the first 5 books of the Bible. We give them a candy bar if they can name the first 5 books of the Bible!
- Jesus raised the standard! "Lose your life! Lay it down! Pick up your cross!"
- We have raised a generation of students who feel entitled.
- 1 Corinthians 13:11
- Keep it real!
- If ministry to students is not real to you, don't even show up!
- Students can smell a fake a mile away!
- If you won't them to be students of the Word then let them see you in the Word!
- If you want students to be people of prayer, you better be on your face eating carpet before God!
- Set the example. They will follow.
- Christianity is not something we do. It's who we are!
This post contains my notes from the general session at the Orange Conference.
I'm currently at the Orange Conference in Atlanta. If you cannot join us here, you can definitely catch all of the action online! Here's a number of ways to follow along:
- Watch Backstage LIVE to catch interviews and exclusives from Orange. The pic above is a live shot from an interview my friend, Matt McKee, did with Tripp Crosby earlier. You can go directly there by logging on to www.makingoforange.com
- I'll be blogging from the general sessions over the next two days. Keep checking back here for fresh content...or, just click "subscribe to RSS" in the sidebar to subscribe in a reader.
- You can also follow the official Orange bloggers [here]
- Follow my tweets (@terracecrawford) and also search #oc12 on twitter!
I'm excited to announce to you some big news in my world! On September 01, 2012 my new book will be released! "Going Social: A Practical Guide on Social Media for Church Leaders," published by Beacon Hill Press, will release nationwide in just a few short months but you can [preorder yours here now through Amazon.com!] Here's a blurb from the description:
"After reading Going Social only two words came to mind: Simply Strategic. Actually, this book is simply genius! This is an amazing tool for church leaders trying to find their way through the convoluted maze of the online world. Every church leader needs this book in his/her tool box!"
-- Tim Stevens (@timastevens), Executive Pastor, Granger Community Church and Author of Pop Goes the Church.
"In this day of social media interconnectedness, followers of Christ need to be familiar with the multitude of ways we have to engage culture. We will continue to be behind the curve if we ignore the most dynamic tool for creating gospel relationships in the last 50 years: social media. Terrace's book, Going Social: A Practical Guide on Social Media for Church Leaders provides a wealth of information about all forms of social media, giving pastors and others who want to influence culture the insights they need to do so. Digest this book, then engage your digital world!"
-- Ed Stetzer (@edstetzer), President, LifeWay Research
"Terrace Crawford's book, Going Social, is a great resource to help you develop a social media strategy for yourself or your church. The only thing missing was a chapter on how Foursquare® should be banned forever. Good stuff!"
--Josh Griffin (@joshuagriffin), High School Pastor, Saddleback Church
The book releases on September 01 but you can [preorder yours here now through Amazon.com!] Going Social will be available in digital formats. Thanks for sharing the word about the book on the interwebs too! Make sure to use #GoingSocial on twitter!
What is Your Scorecard for Measuring Success?
8 Comments Published by Terrace Crawford on 4/13/12 at 9:45 AM.
We need a new scorecard for measuring success in Youth Ministry. Quite frankly, in the CHURCH period! I get sick of hearing from youth workers all over the nation who get treated so poorly by their leadership (and even fired) because they aren't producing enough numbers. Numbers aren't always an accurate picture of health, and therefore, should not be the scorecard for measuring success. This is an entirely different blog post waiting to happen, so I digress...
What got me thinking about this topic at all was a quick read from an expert of a job description posted on Tim Steven's blog from Granger Community Church. Check out this line...
So what is your scorecard for measuring success? What do you think about this job description?
By the way, if you are looking for a position or know someone who might be a great fit for this role, as Student Ministries Director, tell them to apply soon.
What got me thinking about this topic at all was a quick read from an expert of a job description posted on Tim Steven's blog from Granger Community Church. Check out this line...
"Many youth pastors measure their success on what they can do. The person in this role will measure success by what they equip others to do."What a wonderful way to measure success. Spot on, Granger. Spot on.
So what is your scorecard for measuring success? What do you think about this job description?
By the way, if you are looking for a position or know someone who might be a great fit for this role, as Student Ministries Director, tell them to apply soon.
Labels: church leaders, Hot Topics, Issues, Leadership, Resources, Youth Pastors, Youth workers
My friend, Ben Arment, is the creator of STORY Chicago, a world-class conference for creatives, and announced the launch of his all-new website for STORY today. I actually got to peruse the site before the launch... as I logged on yesterday, a day shy of the premiere and enjoyed checking things out before the rest of the world. :) Now you can check out the site too [here] -- it's LIVE!
Labels: Church, Conferences, Creative, Leadership, Marketing, Resources, Site Shout
The 7 Best Practices for Teaching Teens the Bible
12 Comments Published by Terrace Crawford on 4/4/12 at 12:49 PM.
It's arguably THE most important responsibility we have as youth workers... do you know what it is? Teaching teenagers the Bible. If this is a true statement, we must then ask ourselves are we effective teachers? My friend, Andy Blanks, co-founder of YM360 has recently released a book to help you be more effective in your teaching. It's called "The 7 Best Practices for Teaching Teenagers the Bible!" I just recently got my hands on it and read through. I can honestly say, Andy has a wonderful grasp of what discipleship is all about. In fact, I met with him recently and told him how much I would love to learn more from him!
I want to urge you to pick up a copy of this book for a few reasons:
1. It explains what the 7 Best Practices are for Teaching Teenagers the Bible
2. It explains why each practice is important
3. It provides ample strategies and examples so that you can immediately apply what you learn to your teaching.
So what are the 7 Best Practices? Here they are:
Best Practice #1: Engaging with God
Best Practice #2: Prepare well, Teach well
Best Practice #3: Context is Key
Best Practice #4: Embrace Unpredictability
Best Practice #5: Plan for Interaction
Best Practice #6: Teach for Application
Best Practice #7: Know your Role
Andy has done a masterful job of putting together a resource here that makes it easier for you, the youth worker, to become an even more dynamic and effective Bible teacher. Seriously, this is a very inexpensive resource that you MUST read. I'll even treat the first 2 people to comment on this post to a FREE book (just leave me your name & email or twitter name). That's right... I'll pick up the tab for you because I believe in this resource.
Labels: Books, contests, Leadership, Resources, Youth Pastors, Youth workers
I got to meet Jefferson Bethke at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference in early March. You may know him as the "I hate religion but love Jesus" guy. This spoken word video has had over 20 million views on YouTube. 12 million of those views were within the first 4 days after the video was posted on the internet!
Recently Jefferson was interviewed by Trevin Wax from The Gospel Project on his thoughts on Student Ministry. I really enjoyed listening to his insights on what is most relevant in youth ministry today, what needs to change, and the Gospel. This is definitely worth your time.
Labels: Church, Issues, Leadership, Resources, Videos, Youth Pastors, Youth workers
