ICYMI – November 14, 2012
If you are like me you try to read as many articles, blogs and books as possible but just cannot catch all of them. “In Case You Missed It” is my way of pointing out a few “reads” that I think are too good to miss.
Church Politics vs. Genuine Strategy – Ryan Stigile
Organizations find direction from either strategy or politics. Each is the enemy of the other.
A church with strategy ensures all programs and events work seamlessly together to move it toward a clear vision.
A church that lacks strategic direction leaves team members no choice but to set their own individual objectives. This mix of uncoordinated objectives exists within an organization with limited resources, creating a competitive market where political behavior is the only means of success.
So is your church staff operating by politics or strategy? These five differences will help you decide:
1. Politics produce inconsistent answers. Strategy answers questions before they are asked.
A church run by politics will regularly vary its course. Each decision is made in isolation, giving no consideration to those in the past or future. Recognizing this inconsistency, team members see each of these decisions as an opportunity for persuasion and personal gain. Strategic teams, however, already know the answers to many questions before they arise. Each decision is seen as another opportunity to take a step along the path toward vision.
Are team members regularly left wondering what you will decide in a given situation?
Why Children’s Ministry Matters to Youth Ministers – Ryan Timpte
Attention youth ministers: children’s ministry needs to matter to you.
Do you know what’s going on in the children’s ministry in your church? How well do you know the point person for your children’s ministry? In the last six months, how many conversations have you had specifically about children? If any of these questions cause you to shrug your shoulders and say, “Meh,” then you have a problem.
The partnership between children’s ministry and youth ministry is one of the most vital relationships in the church. After all, the kids who are in my children’s programs will one day be in your youth programs. It isn’t as if teenagers, like the Greek gods of old, sprang fully formed from their parents’ foreheads. Every adolescent you minister to was once a child.
Yes, I know, not all of your youth grew up in the church as kids. And that’s awesome–I’m glad that you are intentionally reaching beyond the church community to unchurched adolescents and their families. But the partnership between children’s ministry and youth ministry is about more than just passing people from one age-defined program to the next (though it is worth asking how well you’re doing that, by the way).
The partnership between our two ministries, more than anything else, is about a grand conversation. When you start talking to your children’s minister, something amazing will happen: your youth ministry will change. For the better.
What Do You Do if a Fight Breaks Out in Youth Group? – Heather Lea Campbell
I hope that most people never have to deal with this, but for people who work in urban, rural, or really any setting, this is a reality. Handling a physical altercation requires that you can think quickly enough to deescalate the situation and keep everyone safe. Here’s what you do:
- Make sure everyone is safe. This is the most important thing. As soon as the punches start flying, whether at you or another, make sure everyone else exits the situation by going to another room or outside. You want an adult leader to stay in the room with you while you try to verbally deescalate the person(s) involved so that you have a witness to the situation. If the person is angry with you, remove yourself from the situation and have another adult try to calm the person down.
- If it is you who is assaulted, don’t hit back. No really. Make sure that when your adrenaline is flying, you do not act out of anger. One, you could lose your job. Two, you could get in trouble with the law. Three, Jesus said a few things about turning the other cheek; if you teach your students to walk away from a fight, you had better do it too.
- In fact, it’s best you keep your hands off completely. There can be a lawsuit, or worse, something could go the wrong way. I have been trained to restrain (I’ve worked in mental health facilities) and I know from my training that even the most calculated and seemingly safe touches can go wrong in these kinds of situations. So just stick with a hands-off approach. Usually when two teenagers fight, they fight the anger out for a few punches and stop on their own. If they do not stop, call the police immediately. I still recommend not putting yourself into the situation, but if you feel it is necessary, use your best discretion.
- When do you call the police? This is a conversation you may want to have with your church staff. What becomes a problem for the insurance company? If two teens exchange a few punches, it may not seem like a big deal; however your church may have a policy on filing a police report regardless, so that the situation is on official and legal record. And if a student assaults you, it might be hard to imagine filing an assault charge on them. But it might be the most loving thing for you to finally show a student that their actions are going to really hurt them in the long run by pressing charges.
- Make sure that your leaders know how to handle a situation should a fight break out. Provide training for your leaders in crisis intervention so that they can effectively deescalate a verbally or physically aggressive teenager. There are many classes you can take to get certified in crisis intervention (plus it looks fantastic on your resume!)
Have you ever had to break out a fight? What suggestions do you have to add to the conversation?
