Avoiding the Machine of Ministry

If you are in ministry, you might at times feel tired.  I like to think of it as the machine of ministry. The machine of ministry looks like this: - You are exhausted mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually most of the time. - You go through the motions of ministry work. - Your only concern is the attendance, and you’re not that excited about stories of life-change. - Worship is hard to get into because you “already know these songs.” - You compare yourself with other churches and leaders. - Your appearance gets more attention than your spiritual heart.

I’ve experienced these feeling at times in my own life.  How do we avoid falling into a robot of ministry where we lose sight of the sensitivity of God’s Spirit?

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Teaching Process that Helps Students Learn

I love teaching.  I believe communicating God's Word is central to my calling in life.  I want people to passionately love God and learn how to live out their faith, and I'm sure you do as well! How do we do this practically?

I want to unpack this statement on how to teach:

Verbal clarity + Visual aids + Interaction = Maximum learning (from Rick Blackwood's book, The Power of Multisensory Preaching and Teaching: Increase Attention, Comprehension, and Retention)

Verbal clarity - Use clear wording to help students understand what is being communicated.  Work on transition statements in between important teaching points during the message.  Use language that you clearly define to avoid "christian-ese" statements.  Think through the mind of a middle or high school student.  Will they be able to understand the way you communicate?  Am I defining the bigger words I use to help students who do not have a church/Bible background?

Visual aids - Help students see the message as they listen to it.  I like using pictures, videos, props and more to help communicate.  We live in a visual culture, so always make sure to run your message through this filter.  Will the students be able to process visually what you are saying verbally?  Visual props help land the main thought of a message.  In every message, ask the question, "How can I communicate this visually?"

Interaction - Ask questions throughout the message to help engage the audience.  Remember, we are not talking AT people but talking TO people.  Help them see that the message isn't coming from the "expert" but coming from someone that is learning it along with them instead.  I try to think through breaks in each message where I ask a question and pause.  Allow the audience to repeat it back to you.  It helps the listeners to breathe and opens them up to stay on track with the message.

= Maximum learning

The goal of teaching God's Word is transformation.  It doesn't happen by accident.  It takes preparation and the power of the Holy Spirit to impact the audience.  I am continually trying to improve how I communicate God's Word.

What ways do you communicate God's Word to students that help them grow?  Share in the comments below!

YM+ Chat - "Helping Students Take Next Steps towards Christ"

Today, Blake Appleby and I had a conversation about the importance of next steps in student ministry. How do we help students understand salvation? How do we explain baptism? What happens after baptism to grow?

I use a few resources to help make next steps as clear as possible:

1. Once a student makes a commitment to Jesus, we ask them to meet us at the connect table in the back of the room. - We have students fill out connect cards with their info and what decision they make. - We give them a free Bible (We use the "5" minute Bible or the Simple Truth Bible) as a help for them to start reading the Bible.  - We include a baptism brochure in the Bible. It includes questions and scripture explaining the purpose of baptism. It is simple to explain the basics of baptism on the spot.

2. The week after the decision, we contact them and encourage them to be baptized. We always seek to talk to the parents to help the family in the process. Remember, parents are the primary spiritual influence in a student's life.

3. We connect them to their small group leader to be mentored and build relationships with other students. Growth happens the best with caring adults who mentor them.

This is definitely not a definitive explanation of next steps, but it is a start. This is just the beginning of the process of helping students follow Christ.

What steps do you have to help students follow Christ?