Live Blogging PDYM the Conference Session 5

Live Blogging Session 5

1. Smaller is better when focusing on Fellowship (building relationships)
Christ had a group of 12 but invested in 3
Figure out how to make “Large” Feel “Small”
2. Volunteer leaders are better than paid leaders.
Paid leaders’ main focus should be to develop other volunteer youth workers, the volunteers job is to love on kids.
3. Shepherds are Better than Chaperons
4. Better is Better – Tweak, Twist, Don’t Settle
Messy people need a small group
“If you build a place where Students can share their hurts and pain, they will come” – Megan Hutchinson
“Hurt and abandonment in teenagers in pandemic in our world today and in our youth groups–every single teen hurts.” Megan Hutchinson
“Pain is always top down” – Hutchinson
If the church doesn’t do anything to help the hurting, who will?
There is more than one way to do small groups
Small Group leaders need to be set up for success
Empower small group leaders to be their kids’ youth pastor
Small Groups rise and fall based on their leader
Small Groups are the Bridge to the next steps (Discipleship – Ministry)
The bottom line is to cultivate relational capital – Ben Taylor

There is a direct connection between Evangelism and Worship
We need to expand our focus of worship to celebrating God
Genuine Celebration is attractive and makes a heartfelt connection with unbelievers
We have to be careful not to create a “Club” mentality in our environments
Be aware of your audience.
Work hard for an understandable message.
Value Fun…What is our element of “Fun?”
A Front door program should be about relationships, relationships, relationships
The Entry Level Program can be broken down to 3 key focal areas: 1. The people 2. The place (environment) 3. The program
Worship is a part of everything students do. – Latasha Morrison
“Dont think like a youth pastor, think like a church planter” – Jason Gerdes

Purpose Driven Ministry has Godly leaders.
If your Ministry is bottle necked take a look at your ministry, it may be because of you.
Discovering God’s Purposes Begin with God’s Word. (The Great Commission & The Great Commandment)
You have to own the Purposes of your ministry, no one will bleed it like you!
If we push people to be evangelistic, we have to be that way ourselves
Biblical Purposes will clarify a ministries existence
There are several ways to say the same thing
Biblical Purposes will minimize conflict in your ministry
Biblical Purposes will help create excitement
A ministry guided by Biblical purposes is not easy to build…but its healthy
People unite under a vision that is bigger than their own
Will your ministry pursue Biblical Purposes?
Evaluate: Do the people in your ministry get the Biblical Purposes for your Ministry? (Leaders, Students, Parents, Staff, Etc.)
You cannot fit all of the Biblical Purposes into one Program. Make sure each Program/Process has 1 Primary & 1 Secondary purpose
A lot of churches are using a discipleship method on students who are being forced to be at church, so it doesn’t work.

Food is a value in student ministry at Saddleback
Their Student Ministry was not built around theater seats and a Refinery Student Building
Student Ministry should be simply built on a dependence of God’s Power
There are a lot of Small Values for Student Ministry:
#1 Be Faithful in the Small Things
#2 Have Small Faith
Saddleback could give their new building back and still do student ministry
Value a God who is Sovereign
Value providing Students Opportunities to serve where they are gifted and passionate
Value Volunteers
Value Longevity, people not giving up.
Value Relationships:
Value an Intimate Relationship with Christ
Value Relationships with Parents
Value Relationships with other Leaders
Value Relationships with Students
Saddleback does not want you to be like them, they want you to be who God wants you to be.
What is important to you right now in ministry?
Do people know what’s important to you?