Live Blogging PDYM the Conference Final Session

Live Blogging Final Session

God has the leaders you just have to find them
Who do you think cares more about your ministry? You or God? Don’t you think he has the shepherds ready to equip your ministry?
There is a myth in the church that you have to be young and cool to be a good youth worker
God has the leaders, we just have to look in the unlikely places to find them
10% of Volunteers will come to you 90% will come because they are asked
2. Raise the Bar, raise healthy leaders
Exous 18:17-23 (Jethro’s Leadership Advice)
1 Peter 5:2-3 (NLT)
Seek out Humble leaders
You must have a screening process for leaders
3. Valued Leaders become Valuable Leaders
Be clear with expectations
Care for WHO the leader is more than WHAT the leader does
Be specific with Praise
Commit to develop leaders not just recruit and hire them
4. Volunteers need: Care, Conversation, Confrontation, and Challenge
People (Leaders) LEAVE Leaders not Ministries
You have to learn to confront to be an effective leader
Saddleback Learnings on Volunteers:
Training and Meetings are Overrated
Great Communication with Volunteers goes a long way
Leading Volunteers is a ministry within itself

1. Discipleship cannot be reduced to programs and people
Discipleship can be viewed as 50% Relational 50% Educational
If student’s faith is married to a program or a person, when they are gone, their faith is gone
2. An “On Your Own” Discipleship philosophy is a top down philosophy
A Discipleship Strategy is the HABITS
H = Hangout with God
A = Accountability with Another Believer
B = Bible Memorization
I = Involvement in the Church Body
T = Tithing Commitment
S = Study Scripture
3. Expectations without experimentation= Frustration
Its better to teach people to fish versus giving them a fish
4. Discipleship Never Ends
The PDYM model focuses on Discipleship as a Process versus a Program
Connecting students to an adult leader makes the difference

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