Stretching Hours in Youth Ministry
It's that time of year! ALC will officially be 100% here and in full swing by next Saturday. Second years, third years and support staff are already settled in, with first years arriving over the weekend. That means the quiet halls of the summer will now be full of the life and energy of nearly 100 ALC gang. I would have it no other way, but it is not without challenges.
My first of 4 conference calls with around 120 first year Cadre people (my mentoring program for youth pastors) is today. The second year call is not too far behind. The three two-day fall advances in my home will be here soon as well.
My meeting with my amazing Youth Leader's Coach Board of Directors is right around the corner in early October. I absolutely cannot wait to have them back in my home, but know there is some work to do before they get here.
All of this will be done while directing the youth and young adult ministries at Victory World Church, a thriving body of believers with over 15,000 people in attendance each weekend located in Norcross, Georgia, located on two campuses, and speaking at a few places across the nation.I'm often asked "how in the world do you do it?" Allow me to let you in on a couple of my secrets...
- Practice "on the way" youth ministry.
Have you ever noticed in the New Testament how many times Jesus did ministry as He walked from one place to another? The Gospels are full of accounts where it says something like, "While Jesus was on the way, He talked with His disciples and taught them." Jesus gives us great insight. Make your in-between times count. I rarely run an errand without someone from our youth ministry in the car with me. Smilingly, I also rarely make a trip to the church restroom without someone walking with me. Just consider making use of all those "on the way" moments.
- Practice with savage consistency "The Pareto Principle."
Pareto was an economist who simply said "20% of your efforts in any given endeavor will create 80% of your results." It's an interesting concept when applied to time management in youth ministry: "20% of your time will produce 80% of your results." How does that translate to getting more ministry done in a minimal time block? I think it shows us the importance of defining our priority tasks and our priority people. Then as much as possible, attempt to prioritize those "multiplying priorities" first. Often, the most important tasks or people get pushed to the bottom of our list because they don't scream "NOW." So take the time to identify your 20% and then work to truly put those projects or people first. That will make your limited time much more eternally fruitful.
All that to say, I'm not bionic, but through the years I've been working hard to master the art of maximizing both my time and energy. Oh by the way, vitamins help too!
It's that time of year! ALC will officially be 100% here and in full swing by next Saturday. Second years, third years and support staff are already settled in, with first years arriving over the weekend. That means the quiet halls of the summer will now be full of the life and energy of nearly 100 ALC gang. I would have it no other way, but it is not without challenges.
My first of 4 conference calls with around 120 first year Cadre people (my mentoring program for youth pastors) is today. The second year call is not too far behind. The three two-day fall advances in my home will be here soon as well.
My meeting with my amazing Youth Leader's Coach Board of Directors is right around the corner in early October. I absolutely cannot wait to have them back in my home, but know there is some work to do before they get here.
All of this will be done while directing the youth and young adult ministries at Victory World Church, a thriving body of believers with over 15,000 people in attendance each weekend located in Norcross, Georgia, located on two campuses, and speaking at a few places across the nation.I'm often asked "how in the world do you do it?" Allow me to let you in on a couple of my secrets...
- Practice "on the way" youth ministry.
Have you ever noticed in the New Testament how many times Jesus did ministry as He walked from one place to another? The Gospels are full of accounts where it says something like, "While Jesus was on the way, He talked with His disciples and taught them." Jesus gives us great insight. Make your in-between times count. I rarely run an errand without someone from our youth ministry in the car with me. Smilingly, I also rarely make a trip to the church restroom without someone walking with me. Just consider making use of all those "on the way" moments.
- Practice with savage consistency "The Pareto Principle."
Pareto was an economist who simply said "20% of your efforts in any given endeavor will create 80% of your results." It's an interesting concept when applied to time management in youth ministry: "20% of your time will produce 80% of your results." How does that translate to getting more ministry done in a minimal time block? I think it shows us the importance of defining our priority tasks and our priority people. Then as much as possible, attempt to prioritize those "multiplying priorities" first. Often, the most important tasks or people get pushed to the bottom of our list because they don't scream "NOW." So take the time to identify your 20% and then work to truly put those projects or people first. That will make your limited time much more eternally fruitful.
All that to say, I'm not bionic, but through the years I've been working hard to master the art of maximizing both my time and energy. Oh by the way, vitamins help too!
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Lovingly,
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At that moment, moving to South America looks pretty appealing. But you care about teenagers and really want to make a difference in their lives. Just exactly how do you effectively bridge your youth ministry into the demanding calendars of your already over scheduled kids? Allow me to share a few principles that I repeatedly try to focus on in the middle of attempting ministry in this fast-paced youth culture!
Your "long-distance" cheerleader,
I have way too much to do and I know you relate to this. But, I can't think of anything that is more vital in the life of a leader as saying, "Jesus, I want each day to count to the maximum!"
What I'm talking about in this Youth Leader's Coach, "A Leader's Most Important Time Management Strategy," is by far the most important principle that I adhere to, as I am called to multi-task in many different directions. So listen in, as we take a look at how the Apostle Paul maximized his time, and I share with you some of the strategies I use for making the most of my time as I find myself in one of the busiest seasons of life I've had to face yet!
Lovingly,
LeBron James is one of the most respected men in the history of basketball. He once stated his life goal as this, "I want to be the greatest basketball player of all time. And that's my motivation. It's not simple, but for me it is. That's my mind frame." And believe it or not, my friends, we all have our own LeBron James to coach to be the best.
Who are the " LeBron James'" in our ministry world? They are people who have an immense level of leadership, influence or giftedness that we are tasked with leading for a season. Our goal in leading them should be to make them the VERY BEST THEY CAN BE within the time we are trusted to lead them.
So in this month's Youth Leader's Coach, "Coaching Your Own LeBron James," I'm sharing some pragmatics on how to effectively lead those who are highly gifted, influential leaders. This is a "do not miss" resource. So grab a coffee and listen in.
Lovingly,
Creating the next level of results requires the next level of thinking. For years I had myself convinced that I was SOOOO BUSY. But I became aware that the truly successful people I knew in life never seemed to reference their "busyness." What was even more thought-provoking was that they seemed to radiate a PEACE about them that I did not have. So I've done some studying to try to learn some of their simple keys.
In this Youth Leader's Coach, I share some big repeating themes I found on MULTIPLYING time effectively. Often we feel like our time is limited, but in reality, we have to find ways to control our time instead of letting our time control us. This is a great resource for leaders in ANY field!
Lovingly,
