Does Your Youth Ministry C.L.I.C.K?

Hey All,

I found this little nugget in an e-book called Testify from Creating Customer Evangelists. They include a chapter on how the NBA Seattle Supersonics overcame their negative customer service. They installed a system called C.L.I.C.K. with all employees:

Cummunicate Courteously with our guests
Listen to Learn rather than listen to respond
Initiate Immediately so guest's concerns are met quickly and effectively
Create Connections so guests know they are among hospitable friends.
Know your stuff so guests know they are interacting with professionals

This is a good acronym. How are you doing with your youth group? Are you clicking with them?
Are you clicking with your parents? How about with your pastor? Trying coming up with your own acronym for click so you can ensure that every time you engage students in your youth ministry meetings and your church you will be leaving them with a great impression.

For the past year I have committed myself to empower youth workers locally and nationally. I made a deal with God. I wanted to live by faith outside the administrative office of youth pastor. I must say the jury is still out on what direction I will take after my one year deal is up. I covet your prayers. If I can serve you in anyway please let me know.

Paul Turner

Release the Hounds!!

If you are a fox hunter or prison guard after an escaped convict you would know the saying, "Release the hounds!!". Or, if you ever saw the Jerry Seinfeld commercial for Chevron. I can't help but think that students are hungry to do more, say more and find more meaning. They are hunting it down like bloodhounds. When we do for students what they should do for themselves we throw them off the trail. the scent is gone. Students will pick up the trail that leads to expression and individuality. We lose students not because we expect too much but too little or nothing at all.

We are in week two of training for The Disciple Project at Graysville and I can see hunger begin to return. For the past two weeks I sat back and allowed our worship leader to start the service. She is a great worship leader. She want to good so she'll glance at me or ask me when do we want to start. I will answer with a questions, "When do you want to start?". She is getting used to the fact that someone trusts her judgement. Someone believes in her and the other students of this ministry. We have the unique opportunity to see a student led ministry emerge discover who they should be in Christ and to allow their passions to drive ministry. I love them to much to allow anything else.

Do you have students chomping at the bit to lead or do have students who look to you to get the service started? How can you have a a more student led ministry? How can students try and fail like real disciples? Here's a few tips:

1. Get out of the way. Are you consumed with having the perfect service? Hand off as much as you can and keep what you are good at.

2. Is there a class you require for leaders? Can you shorten it or eliminate anything that throws your kids off the scent?

3. Create space for change. Let something(programs, trips, etc) die that do not lead to kids leading and let kids fill in the gaps.

4. Get over yourself. Don't let pride or excuses keep you back from seeing God do tremendous things through students. let them steal the show and God will get the glory.


If the leash you are holding is burning your hand from holding students back; then I say, "Release the hounds!!"

Need Some Resolution Ideas?

Today in church our Pastor talked about Ben Franklins need to write his core values. He espoused how much he got done (electricity, inventions, etc) and all he was apart of (helping write the constitution of the U.S). We certainly can learn from this list and do a better job in 2008.

Ben Franklin's thirteen moral virtues

The thirteen moral virtues listed by Benjamin Franklin in his Autobiography:

1. Temperance. Eat not to Dulness. Drink not to Elevation.

2. Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling Conversation.

3. Order. Let all your Things have their Places. Let each Part of your Business have its Time.

4. Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.

5. Frugality. Make no Expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.

6. Industry. Lose no Time. Be always employ'd in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary Actions.

7. Sincerity. Use no hurtful Deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. Justice. Wrong none, by doing Injuries or omitting the Benefits that are your Duty.

9. Moderation. Avoid Extreams. Forbear resenting Injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no Uncleanness in Body, Cloaths or Habitation.

11. Tranquillity. Be not disturbed at Trifles, or at Accidents common or unavoidable.

12. Chastity. Rarely use Venery but for Health or Offspring; Never to Dulness, Weakness, or the Injury of your own or another's Peace or Reputation.

13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Also...

The Morning Question, What Good shall I do this Day?

The Evening Question, What Good have I done to day?

Where did I put my optimism?

One of my favorite authors, Seth Godin reposted a blog from four years ago. It resonates with me on a youth ministry level. I have not been very optimistic about traditional youth ministry but I am about students. Risks, chances and faith are the order for 2008. The principles I've been living and teach for the past several years are about to make a jump. I believe more than ever that there must be change in how we do youth ministry inside and outside of the church. I hope this little piece from Seth inspires you and feel free to put the word church or youth ministry in any of the appropriate places.

"The thing is, we still live in a world that's filled with opportunity. In fact, we have more than an opportunity -- we have an obligation. An obligation to spend our time doing great things. To find ideas that matter and to share them. To push ourselves and the people around us to demonstrate gratitude, insight, and inspiration. To take risks and to make the world better by being amazing.

Are these crazy times? You bet they are. But so were the days when we were doing duck-and-cover air-raid drills in school, or going through the scares of Three Mile Island and Love Canal. There will always be crazy times.

So stop thinking about how crazy the times are, and start thinking about what the crazy times demand. There has never been a worse time for business as usual. Business as usual is sure to fail, sure to disappoint, sure to numb our dreams. That's why there has never been a better time for the new. Your competitors are too afraid to spend money on new productivity tools. Your bankers have no idea where they can safely invest. Your potential employees are desperately looking for something exciting, something they feel passionate about, something they can genuinely engage in and engage with.

You get to make a choice. You can remake that choice every day, in fact. It's never too late to choose optimism, to choose action, to choose excellence. The best thing is that it only takes a moment -- just one second -- to decide.

Before you finish this paragraph, you have the power to change everything that's to come. And you can do that by asking yourself (and your colleagues) the one question that every organization and every individual needs to ask today: Why not be great??


PT

Atheist Sunday School?

Sunday School for Atheists

Ok, I admit it, I stole a Time magazine from the Dentist office. I was fascinated by an article called Atheist Sunday School. Curious about what they do?

Well, according to the article they attend the Humanist Community Center in Palo Alto Cal. to :

1. Sing songs like Unique and Unrepeatable?

Ok, the fact that they sing a song like this blows my mind. I agree ever kid should feel this way. Self esteem is important. But what do you say when they ask "Why are we like that mommy?" do they answer "Well honey, it's not really true. We all evolved from the same sludge and we are complete accidents. Oh, and after we die there is absolutely nothing. Have a great life." Ok, I agree that is a simplistic answer and I'm sure they have some secular way of dealing with that but still. The song just caught me off guard and it was begging for a rant.

2. Read stories like Stone Soup.

This is a good story. I remember it from my elementary days. It's about community and everyone joining in to make soup, everyone doing their part. To believers, this a picture of the church. Parents have a hard enough time answering the question of where do zebras get their stripes. How parents share stories of relativism and split hairs to make their point of view make sense I don't know. I am glad for Scripture we can stand on. I'll take the parable of the Good Samaritan over Stone Soup any day.


3. Share stories of Free Thinkers.

This is how Time magazine describes it: {an umbrella term for atheists, agnostics,and other rationalists) like black abolitionist Frederick Douglas. Well, as for free thinking I think they are not letting their kids think freely are they? In fact one parent who is an atheist started to come to this class because their son was told some stories from the Bible. She said her son began to believe these remarkable stories and wondered why his mother had not told them to him before. Well, shouldn't the mother have said, "What do you think son?" So much for free thinking. I'm glad I don't have to convince anyone of anything. I am willing to love the atheist but it seems they are intolerable of us and must train their children to guard against believing in God.

The final quote from the article is from an 11 year old girl who is in the class. She says, " I'm a person that doesn't believe in myths. I'd rather stick to the evidence."

Well sweetie, the only evidence here is that your parents have decided for you that disbelief is the only belief.

Let the speaks fly.

PT

Sub-Merged:Adventures In Substitute Teaching Episode 2

Hey all,

Been a while since I have blogged. I don't know if it is because I have nothing to say or I am just too tired to say whatever may be lingering in my mind. Anyway, I continue to substitute teach and for the most part have found it enjoyable. I can tell that my relational style takes most student my surprise. They expect me to be harsh and irrelevant. They don't know my 20 year secret of hanging out with them. I recently did two days at a middle school. Two days in a row at a middle school wore me out. I met one of those girls who just rolls her eyes, slumps and basically communicates in her mind that she'd like your head to explode. That was pleasant.

I tried my best to communicate with her that I did not want to write her up. She found my little talk quaint and quite bothersome. I had to just wrap it up with a, "shut your mouth and you won't get in trouble" That went over like telling Lindsey Lohan she shouldn't have another drink. My heart went out to her. I felt sorry for her. I flashed forward in my mind and saw her future a screwed up mess. I saw a girl who hated life, bitter and unteachable. I saw her railing about how unfair life was to her and blaming the government, society, her parents and even me for her downfall. Everyone but herself. So, next time she hassle me, I'm writing her up. Maybe even have a part in a brighter future.

Sparks anyone?

Sub-Merged:Adventures In Substitute Teaching Episode 1

Hey,

Welcome to my new series on my adventures in Substitute teaching. I have been subbing for the past 2 months and actually get a lot of joy out of it. In a way it's like being a grandparent. You can hang and talk with the kids and then you get to send them home and you don't have to see them for weeks! I also look at it as my own youth group. This irreligious (although spiritual) bunch of rabble rousers are mine for the day. They test me and my patience but somehow I endure it and love it. It's a new environment for me. God Bless all my youth groups. I would come in and I am greeted by hugs and high fives. For the first time I subbed I was barely acknowledged.

Junior Highers treat me like the shiny thing the water. What is that? Let's investigate.

Sr. Highers see me as a predator of the deep seeking to eat their fun. They grunt and sit down.

Anyway, here is a brief story of my first day.

My first day was Middle School Girls P.E. Can you imagine? Wow, I thought, if I can survive this I can survive anything. I was teamed with a great teacher who played for Pat Summit at the U of T. She was in charge and I rode her coat tails.

One young lady came up to me (remember I am such a man) and I thought she asked me for a pen.
I said "sure."
She said "no, I need a pad."
I said, "A pad? Sure I got one in my brief case."
she said , "No, a girl pad."

Ah, the lights went on. I said "Dear, you can have as many as you want."

That was my first day. I'll have other stories to share in the near future.

The More Things Change ....

You know the rest. The more they remain the same. For the first time in 20 years I attended Catholic Mass. Now, you have to understand, I have never opposed the Catholic church in my 20 years as a Protestant youth pastor. I always sought to help others understand. So, what did I learn from my field trip today?

What I enjoyed...

-I enjoyed the stripped down version of church. The focus of mass was Christ. Not the priest, preacher, worship team, etc. it was Jesus.
-I did not go to confession, which I plan on doing, so I did not receive communion. It kind of felt anti-climatic. So, next time I go I'll have my stuff up to date.
- I did enjoy watching others take communion and watching the rhythm of community.
-I enjoyed the creeds once more. I was rusty but I hung in there.
-I enjoyed getting out of church in one hour.
-I enjoyed the straight forward homily.

What I missed....

-talking with people I knew.
-oddly, not filling out a visitor card.
-also oddly not being approached by some kind of welcome team.
-Someone asking me to open my Bible
-Three -5 points message.
- A passionate appeal for prayer and salvation

Well, I think that it is it for now. I shall inform you of further adventures as they unfold.

PT

Why Don't Football Players Go Wee Wee After the Game?

This was the question asked and sparked the research of Dr. Robert Cade at the University of Florida. Robert Cade began to experiment with the sports drink to help the foot ball team replace valuable electrolytes and nutrients during the game. Gatorade was invented as a result of asking questions. You may be trying to figure out a problem by looking to answers. It sounds like the best ideas are found by thinking of the questions.

why don't students want to come to church?
Why don't they want to stay in church?
why don't students want to have a devotional life?
why do they smell like that?

You get the point. Start with questions and then brainstorm the answers. Who knows maybe you'll invent or reinvent a much needed resource for the youth ministry world.

PT

There's A Storm Coming

Ok, here's the clip i was looking for. I get chills when I watch it. Classic.

Apocalyptic Thanksgiving

Do you know who this woman is? I'll explain in a minute why she is important and why she just flashed in my head.

Ok, this is like a nightmare I had while I was awake. I was driving along it is a cool, fall, Alabama day. I was thinking about my life and my conspiracy as well as biblical theories about where all this is going. The leaves were blowing and suddenly I was transported to the finale scene of Terminator 1.

The picture you see is of Sarah Conner. She defeated the terminator who had come back from the future to kill her so she would not give birth to a son who would grow up to end the robot revolution. Ok, think I'm weird yet. Not over yet.

So I found the scene in You Tube but the embed was taken off otherwise I would have shown you the clip in full. Sarah Conner talks into a microphone to one day share with her son all that had taken place. She stops for gas and you see a small latino boy and he says, " hay el venir de la tormenta." in english, "there is a storm coming" to which Sarah Conner says, "I know".
I know, what you are thinking, "Only from Paul Turner's head". Hang with me.

Now, there are a few analogies I'd like to make:

First, Jesus, Savior of the world, was almost murdered before he grew up and was also almost tossed off a cliff. He was plotted against because the religious figures saw him as a threat. He was tearing the system apart.

Second I like the word tormeta as the word for storm. It seems appropriate. A storm is uncontrollable and people often say, "we'll just have to ride this out."

Maybe it's just my personal life but I often feel a "tormenta"coming on. A spiritual twister of emotions out of control threatening to tear my life apart. They are brief but they are terrible. Prayer helps but until Jesus says, "be still" I just have to ride it out. Storms will always come to us personally but also to our nation and only Jesus can stop it.

Some wild thoughts when we ought to be eating or for some drinking, wild turkey.I just thought this was bizarre enough to post so all may comment.
Enjoy.

PT

Cool Animation

Animator vs. Animation by *alanbecker on deviantART


Ever feel like the one who created you is out to get you? We've all felt like that but God seeks our best and has wonderful things in store for those who diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:1-6

Stories From St. Louis

Here is mary Huebner and I working the Unkommonmedia.com booth in St. Louis. We had a great time talking to youth workers about sharing all the creative, original ideas they've used over the years with the rest of the youth worker community. Unkommon Media is an online publishing house for the common man/woman.

I had the best conversations that week. I met a Catholic Evangelist (lay person who basically witnessed to me about the church) who wanted me to return to the church. She told me I could always come back. I grew up Catholic and never met a catholic who told me I could come back. Who was genuinely interested in my participation with the Catholic body. Kudos to her. I was so excited to meet a passionate Catholic I was ready to convert. Alas, the theological jump was too far.

The second conversation I had was with a young man (18-25) wearing a Notre Dame sweat shirt. Instead of laying my Unkommon Media jargon on him I wanted to talk about football. After 15 minutes he stared at me and said thanks. I asked him why. He said, "All i have been talking about for two days was youth ministry, thanks for talking with me about football. I need that." What a great encounter. I was glad to be able to minister to him.

My last meeting happened with an author who was sitting art our booth Sarah Cunningham. I had read her book Dear Church and it really got me converted from defending the establishment to questioning it in a loving way. She was kind but I could tell she was weary of discussing her thoughts from 3 years ago.

I am looking forward to more encounters and more stories to tell when I am at the Atlanta YS. If you are there come by the Unkommon Media booth.

PT

Taking A Potty Break

Ok, so I didn't mean to be this graphic......ok i did. For those who may not know I have been working at Lipscomb Elementary School for the past 3 months as a part time janitor. My jobs was, but not limited to, cleaning toilets, sinks, and sweeping and just recently carving pumpkins. Lipscomb is a great school with great, committed teachers, who I will miss. I will be going back for visits.

This is my last day and to be honest I will not miss the task but I will miss the learning experience. Just like their is a war to fight and you cannot stay in boot camp even though it was your hight point of learning. I am off to fight a few wars and probably will wind up back in a spiritual boot camp to prepare me for even a greater war. There were days that I simply stared at these toilets wiling them to explode with no results, they had to be cleaned. Perseverance is a wonderful quality until it is beginning to be worked into your own life.

I am off to St. Louis to stump for my new digital publishers Unkommonmedia.com. We'll be working a booth there so please say a prayer that all that God intends will be prepared for and received by us knuckle heads. When I will return I will start sub teaching and possibly pursue a degree, we'll see.

Thanks all,


PT

Here it is!! After a few years of trial and error I have published my first e-book.

Are you prepared to dig deep for the answers? Crime Scenes from the Old Testament gives you interactive lessons and puts your students at the scene of the crime. These are great to spice up your sunday school, small group, retreat or midweek meeting.
Each part has four lessons on such Bible characters as Gideon, Sampson, Joseph and more. Each part comes with four lessons and downloadable crime scene photos (over 100 in all)

Your students will discover the clues, the cause and their character in Crime Scenes from the Bible.

Visit my friends at
unkommonmedia.com to get yours today.

Paul

Joining Forces

I have joined forces with the oldest youth ministry model on the planet, Christian Endeavor. Christian Endeavor has been around since the 1800's and is all about student led ministry. No really, student led. No more taking away what God has given them. I have taken the role of Program Director (part time at the moment). Our goal is to re-establish the movement and give students and youth leaders what they've longed for: More!. More of God, more of leadership, more direction, more resources and more coaching. To check out the origins, purpose etc. Please visit www.christianendeavor.com

Please continue to pray for me and Disciple Project Ministries. The D-Project will hopefully be a part of the CE Movement for a long time. I will continue to speak and train as needed and will hopefully develop my own CE group led by students of course.

Anyway, got more to say about some of our culture in the news but I'll save that for another time.

Peace

PT

Back To The Journey

This is the youth group at Graysville Church of God. They don't have a youth pastor right now but you would never know that by their smiles and passion for God. I have had the privilege of filling in and speaking every week for the past 6 weeks. These students are outstanding. They have a tremendous worship team and their friendliness is second to none.They love God and want to serve him and I wanted to give them props for keeping there hopes high and praying while waiting for what God will do next. I hope to keep speaking there as long as they will have me and who knows I'd like to see them do The D-Project and watch their gifts and talents shine even brighter bringing glory to God. Way to go Graysville, hang in there.

PT

Does Fighting Over God Push Others Away?

Here is an exerpt from an AP report on the school shootings in Cleveland, Oh.

"Coon's troubles seemed to come to a breaking point this week. Students said Monday's fight was over God — Coon told his classmates he didn't believe in God and instead worshipped rocker Marilyn Manson.
Coon had mental health problems, spent time in two juvenile facilities and threatened to commit suicide while in a mental health facility, according to juvenile court records obtained by The Plain Dealer newspaper."

Ok, now which of the following really contributed to this shooting?

a) mental health issues
b) Marilyn Manson
c) fight with student over God
d) messed up family life
d) all of the above

Many Christians would unfortunately choose B) soley. Marilyn is a symptom not the disease. He's the equivelance of a runny nose. We can blow our noses until Jesus comes but there will always be a Marilyn Manson; a scapegoat for Christians who'd rather point fingers, circle the wagons and find more reasons to homeschool their kids. This is coming from a believer in Jesus. I am not defending Asa or his actions, I am asking a larger question. Does arguing about God contribute to the isolation of others and rejection of the gospel. This is not that young man's fault who argued with Asa, we cannot expect 14 year olds to be C.S Lewis. I am asking as a believer whether we are more about arguing God or living out Christ's teachings.

I would agree that D) is the best answer but C) is just eating at my gut. What led to this fight? What was the argument really about? Was the other boy a Christian or just a a moral zealot who did not like Marilyn Manson? Was he truely sincere in his witness and Asa just went off on him? I'm betting my money on several factors such as teasing and name calling, a screwed up family and a hurt and broken heart with no hope that has contributed to this unfortunate incident. Christians (or anyone else) are not responsible for the final decisions people make. I am asking as to whether we are doing all we can to rescue students like Asa and protect the innocent from those who refuse our help and intervention. Have we given the Asa's in our community every chance to turn it around? This incident only leads to more questions that we must continually ask ourselves as believers engaging an unbelieving, broken and hurt generation. What can we do about it? Your comments are welcome.

Let the sparks fly,


Paul

Do We Need Youth Ministry? Not If.......Part Two

Do We Need Youth Ministry?

Not if the youth leader and the group is in constant comparison to the one down the street.

Not if it's sole purpose is to be a marketing tool and not a viable ministy.

Not if it is sipmy to placate to the parents of the teenagers in our church.

Keeping Up With The (insert your rival church here)

We suffer from the disease of comparison. We hear about a new idea, a new program that is gaining results for such and such and quickly adopt said program with the hopes that it will pay the same dividends. We usurp the creativity of our youth leaders, our students and trade our prayer time for social and spiritual cloning. God has specific plans for our youth ministries in our communities and one size does not fit all. There is no guarantee that the program you adopt will work. We fail to take into consideration things like the personality of the leaders who run them, their demographics, their church make up, and in some cases their doctrine that drives it. The time we spend in prayer and The Word will lead to God given ideas to us that will work where we are. God will gladly implant in us the strategies and programs that will work where we are. Our youth group may be small but compared to the church, which has no youth group we’re huge. It’s not about how we compare to the church down the street but are we are fulfilling out God given purpose and destiny in our town.

Paul Turner
www.thediscipleproject.net

Do We Need Youth Ministry? Not If.......Part One

This is certainly a loaded question. The answer is Not If.

Not If youth ministry is tacked on act as independent franchises like Subways in Wal-Mart.

Not If youth ministry simply swings around us like a cross on Madonna's neck that draws the attention of the "big money" to our churches.to

Not if ministry to youth is not holistic to the Body of Christ.

We need minstry to youth but not in the traditional way. In my new ebook The Disciple Project (soon to be on Unkommon Media.com) I offer some reasons why a church should not have a youth group as such. So, here is the first in a series of three. Your comments are welcome. Play nice.

Let the sparks fly,

Paul Turner


Chapter 1: The Discipling Dilemma


Why is it so hard to make disciples in the context of the church today? This is the question on everyone’s mind. With students heading out of the church, across denominational lines we are left scratching our heads. I believe there is another question at work. Why do we want to have a youth ministry or you group anyway? Here are a few of the wrong reasons:

Not if the reason is because, everyone has one ..


I am not opposed to youth ministry, only ineffective youth ministry. It’s standard for most churches that desire to grow numerically to have a youth ministry. Youth ministry in general has become somewhat homogenous. These youth ministries are bland and they litter most towns like run down check cashing and car loan businesses. I think every church should do youth ministry but not necessarily have a youth group unless it’s has purpose and is intricately connected to the Body of Christ.


Youth ministry has become Starbucks or McDonalds in the sense of churches hiring youth pastors like a manger/owners franchise a business. They are like putting Subway restaraunt into a Walmart. It's simply there if you just happen to be hungry. A church fails in two ways when they hire a youth pastor. We give them too much freedom or we micro manage them into the ground. We must not only have a philosophy for youth ministry but a theology for youth ministry as well and how this powerful, passionate group of people fit in and flow with the entire Body of Christ.


Part II Keeping Up With (insert your favorite rival church here)