Shore Youth Ministry

Making Presentations

Marketing genius Seth Godin recently wrote Nine Steps to Powerpoint Magic. Although some tips are geared more towards business professionals, these tips are very helpful for those in youth ministry. Here’s a peak at the list:

Pay by the word. Here’s the deal: You should have to put $5 into the coffee fund for every single word on the wordiest slide in your deck. 400 words costs $2000. If that were true, would you use fewer words? A lot fewer? I’ve said this before, but I need to try again: words belong in memos. Powerpoint is for ideas. If you have bullets, please, please, please only use one word in each bullet. Two if you have to. Three never.

Check to make sure you brought your big idea with you. It’s not worth doing a presentation for a small idea, or for a budget, or to give a quarterly update. That’s what memos are for. Presentations involve putting on a show, standing up and performing. So, what’s your big idea? Is it big enough? Really?

Check out the rest of Seth’s article here: Nine Steps to Powerpoint Magic.

Magazines

Youth worker magazines are a relatively new item in my toolbox, as I just subscribed to a few this year. These are very helpful resources, providing advice and tips for all types of youth-related ministries. Some are more academic and theoretical than others, but all have a role and fulfill it well.

Here are my subscriptions:

• Group Magazine. By the folks who run the National Youth Ministry Conference, YouthMinistry.com, and Simply Youth Ministry, this magazine is great! It includes helpful advice from an all-star list of ministry vets and leaders (including Duffy Robbins, Doug Fields, Greg Stier, and dozens more). This magazine is geared towards the majority of youth workers (paid and volunteer). I would recommend reading it, then passing it along to a volunteer to read.
• YouthWorker Journal. Edited by Chap Clark (Fuller Seminary), this magazine provides a mixture of theoretical and practical advice. This magazine also brings people from several denominations and theological backgrounds (including Catholic), meaning you will be exposed to youth ministry ideas from all walks of life. A great read for lead youth workers.
• The Journal of Student Ministries. Edited by Will Penner, this magazine focuses much more on theoretical issues facing youth ministries. Each edition focuses on a theme, with articles geared toward that theme. A great read for lead workers and those who provide direction and vision for youth ministries.

A great part of all three magazines is that they provide regularly updated websites and e-magazines with much of the same content and resources. These websites provide great content for staff or volunteer training sessions.

Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast

I recently subscribed to a slew of new podcasts because of my weekly 3 hour round trip to seminary. One podcast I listened to last week was Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast. The first episode is about assumptions in ministry. Andy Stanley gives personal examples from North Point of assumptions held in their ministry that held back growth and development. He said that ministries typically do not evaulate programs until something stops working (i.e. the money runs out). Two takeaways from the first episode:

• Acknowledge what’s not working
• Own up to why you’re not willing to do anything about it.

This podcast is a worthwile download for anyone involved in ministry leadership. Can’t wait for the next episode! Here is the podcast: Website & iTunes

Book Review: (Re)Thinking Worldview

Just finished a book by J. Mark Bertrand called (Re)Thinking Worldview for my Ministry in a Cultural Context seminary class. In the book, author J. Mark Bertrand poses a new perspective on a Christian worldview.  He takes the reader back to the beginning, defining (and sometimes redefining) the basis of a worldview, including culture, knowledge, wisdom, and interpretation. Once the key ideas are stated and defined, Bertrand rebuilds the concept of a Biblical Christian worldview, with an emphasis on how it looks in the real world.

I appreciate that Bertrand divides the book up into three logical sections: Worldview, Wisdom, and Witness. The section on Worldview introduces the concept of a worldview, telling us exactly what a worldview is to do (and what it is not to do). I had never thought about if one can change a worldview, but after reading this section I believe people can. Since a worldview is based on experiences and beliefs of each individual person, a worldview naturally would change as a person goes through life.

The second section on Wisdom helps root the reader’s worldview into a Biblical basis. The key to any Christian worldview is a Biblical foundation, and that is only gained through wisdom (as defined by the Bible). By using many of the common Biblical passages on wisdom (Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Job 28), Bertrand shows the reader that true wisdom is from God, but is something to be desired and sought by all people.

In the third section, Bertrand helps the reader understand how to use a Christian worldview. The idea of a Christian worldview is not to hide behind it, but rather to use it to engage the culture and to be a Christian witness to the world. We need to use our worldview to become a useful contributor to culture. This section especially helped me take these theoretical concepts and put them into concrete, practical ministry applications.

Overall, I felt that the book served as a helpful guide to a Christian worldview. For the novice, the author not only provides a guide, but also explains why a Christian worldview is important. And for someone familiar with studying worldviews, Bertrand challenges your thinking and causes you to reevaluate your own worldview.  While reading this book, I was constantly looking at my own life and evaluating how I see the world. I have now been noticing more how I view the world, and how that affects myself, my relationship with others, and in my role in my ministry. I felt this book was fitting as an introductory text into the art of developing a Biblically based Christian worldview. Rating: 4/5

Funny Friday: 3

Once again, here are my favorite links from the past week:

• A man in Modesto, CA attempted to amputate his own arm in a Denny’s restaurant.
• The Soup shows a poorly edited clip from a show “The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet“: Fat Cat (p.s. you must watch The Soup… Joel McHale’s humor is amazing!)
• As proof that the economy and housing market is taking a turn for the worse, a woman in Chicago bought a house on eBay for $1.75. And I said I always wanted to own property.

Teenage Politics

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Yesterday I was sitting with some Jr. Highers and they started discussing politics. For real! It seems as though the local Intermediate School is having a mock Presidential election for all 7th and 8th graders. Most students are embracing this concept, and some are already debating one another. I was very impressed at their knowledge about (some) topics, and how they were holding to their convictions.

Perhaps my students will turn into the next batch of great lawyers and politicians!

Book Review: Wild Goose Chase

I finished this book some time ago, but did not get around to reviewing it until now. The second book by Mark Batterson (Pastor at National Community Church), Wild Goose Chase is about following the Holy Spirit (An Geadh-Glas - “The Wild Goose” - in Celtic). Batterson describes life following the Wild Goose as unpredictable, adventurous, daring, and worth every second of it. In order to fully follow the Wild Goose, however, we need to break free from six cages that are holding us back: Responsibility, Routine, Assumptions, Guilt, Failure, and Fear. By releasing ourselves from these cages, we can be free to live “the spiritual adventure God destined us to” (p. 11). A great read for anyone who wants (or needs) to shake things up in order to follow the Wild Goose.

Funny Friday: 2

Here are my favorite links from this week:

• Pat Summitt, coach of the Tennessee women’s basketball team, underwent surgery this week on her injured shoulder. The reason: she was injured during a racoon fight.
• Have trouble making the whole story of the Bible concise and fun, yet educational? Check out Barats and Bereta’s video Bible in a Minute.
• I am a big fan of the quiz show Jeopardy! Some day, when I am a contestant on the show, I will win thanks to this website: Unnecessary Knowledge.
• I am also a big fan of The Office (see last post). Loved the season premiere, especially when Holly finds out that Kevin is not “special.” Here is a link to Angela and Andy’s wedding website: AngelaAndy.com

The Office Season 5

Image via Wikipedia

I must confess that I am a diehard Office fan. So it comes as no surprise that I have had today marked on my calendar for almost 6 months. Tonight is the Season 5 premiere of The Office. The promos have been very good so far, claiming all our questions will be answered: what happens with Pam and Jim? Are Angela and Andy still engaged? Does Michael hook up with the new HR rep? And what the heck is going on with Dwight and Angela?

Unfortunately, I am in my seminary class on OT Prophets until 9:15, followed by a 1 1/2 hour drive back to Ocean City. This means I do not get to watch any of the shows this semester until the following day. A small sacrifice I make to God every week, I guess.

Funny Links

Got a busy weekend: 900 pastors from the American Baptist Church of New Jersey are having a conference here at the Tabernacle. Busy times. In honor of this busy weekend, I wanted to share some of my favorite links from this week. Here they are:

• Sarah Palin baby name generator. If you didn’t know, the Republican VP candidate has some creative names for her children (Track, Trig, Bristol, etc). Plug your first and last name into the generator and see what your name would be if Palin was your mother. (mine is Jeep Pike Palin, love it!) (ht to Marko)
• With all apologies to Third Day and all the other amazing Christian bands, Sonseed wins for “Best Music Video” for their song “Jesus is my Friend.” They also win another prize for “Best Explanation for Praise and Worship Music.” (ht YouTube)
• In honor of The Office (which returns next week!),here is a deleted scene from last year’s season finale. It is called The Return of Troy.

When I find time this weekend, I will post some stuff on culture. I got some really great ideas from my Ministry in a Cultural Context class, and from the book I just finished (Christ and Culture). Until then, you stay classy, world.