ICYMI – March 13, 2013
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.
How to Build Youth Ministry Endurance – Chris Wesley
This past weekend thousands of youth ministers participated in the Simply Youth Ministry Conference. As a participant in the past few I know that feelings of empowerment and encouragement are flowing through this years attendees minds and souls. The reason these conferences can be such a powerful experience is because of the camaraderie and the opportunity to take a youth ministry “Time Out.”
The problem with a conference like Simply Youth Ministry is that it’s only a weekend. After a weekend of euphoria you are forced to go home and face:
- That hurting teen.
- A pastor you clash with.
- An angry parent.
- A semi committed ministry team.
Youth ministry is filled with hills and valleys. It’s like a long run with no end in site. The only way to get through it is ONE STEP AT A TIME. To endure in this emotional, exhausting and journey that you and I call youth ministry you need to make sure you:
5 tough questions you should always be ready to answer – Aaron Helman
Today I’m sharing five very difficult ministry questions…
…because somewhere, sometime, someone is going to ask them.
That’s the wrong moment to realize you don’t have an answer.
Taking some time now to think about how you would respond…
…will come in handy when you have to respond.
(And it’s going to happen.)
There’s no excuse for being caught totally off-guard by a totally predictable question.
Every now and again, you’ll get a question or problem that is impossible to anticipate. You’ll hesitate and stammer, and that’s okay.
But if you’ve been in youth ministry for more than five minutes, there are a few questions that you should expect and prepare for.
My goal for this post isn’t to instruct your theology or to give you answers.
Instead, I only hope you’ll take some time now to think so that you don’t trip over them when they happen spontaneously.
5 Types of Followers – Sam S. Rainer, III
Either people are on board with your leadership or not, right? Nope.
There are degrees of influence and different types of followers. The mantra of “get on board or get off” does not take into account the numerous types of followers and differing levels of leadership influence.
Most definitions of leadership allude to influence as the key driver. But I do not believe leadership and influence are synonymous — leader-and-follower exchanges are more complex than mere influence. However, leaders do influence followers. And the influencing process is made complex because followers are not a monolithic group.
Knowing how to influence begins with an understanding of who is following you. In her work, Followership, Barbara Kellerman identifies five types of followers based upon their level of engagement with the leader.
