contact work

What I Want Every Kid to Know Before I Say One Word

What I Want Every Kid to Know Before I Say One Word

My mentor used to say, "Proclaim the Gospel by any means necessary short of anything illegal or immoral." 

I agree. In fact, I agree so much that I decided to dedicate my vocational career to the proclamation of the Gospel, and I seek to do it as often as possible! I want to use words, illustrations, actions, smoke signals, anything! I would do just about anything for a person to know the truth of grace and salvation! 

But what about the flipside to that coin? As much as I may want someone to follow Jesus, what do I want that person to know about how much I value her or him? What would I want that person to know about the love of Christ before I utter one word? I would want that person to know this:

Navigating Each Level of Contact Work

Navigating Each Level of Contact Work

Regular and consistent contact work with teenagers (or any of the people within your sphere of influence for that matter) is the most effective way to disciple, lead, and influence others. I believe in the 'program' and what it means for the community, but nothing replaces church - that face-to-face time in the name of Jesus - outside the walls.

I stated my reason for the question of "Why" for Contact Work in my previous post titled, "Doing Healthy, Faithful Contact Work." I want to encourage you to read that post before continuing with this one, especially if you wonder why contact work is necessary. In that post, I share my own story of how one event at a high school football game forever changed how I lead in student ministry. 

Doing Healthy, Faithful Contact Work!

Doing Healthy, Faithful Contact Work!

My very first experiences of 'doing' youth ministry did not occur in a church or youth room. It happened at a high school football game. 

After joining a student ministry outreach organization during my freshman year in college, my supervisor approached me and said, "Clear your calendar for this Friday night. You and I are headed to a high school football game!" While apart of me felt excited for the adventure, another part of me felt a bit confused as to why I would start my tenure in youth ministry at a high school football game. Could my time be better utilized preparing a talk, recruiting volunteers, or starting a small group with a few guys?

3 Clues into My Secret Sauce for Youth Ministry

I own more than 200 books written on the topic of Youth Ministry. They sit on my shelf — covers torn, spines cracked — now available to my leaders and others who may be interested in learning from other great youth pastors past and present. Sometimes I think, Who would have imagined that there would even be 200 books on this topic?!