the intersection of life and grace

Youth ministry conventions are an incredible experience, as most people who have attended one will share with you. In some senses, they are like summer camp for youth workers – a place to get out of the normal routines of life and ministry, meet with God, be ministered to, be challenged a bit by voices we may not have heard before (or from whom think we can’t learn anything), and even have some fun as we gather with our peers.

A concern I’ve repeatedly heard from youth workers is “It’s expensive, and I need to convince my [SP/Elders/Leadership] that it’s worth the time and money.” Here are a few points to consider when compiling your case:

We need to know we’re not alone. Youth workers do a lot of what we do in small groups or on our own. There may or may not be many youth workers in our community. We may be the only youth worker on staff, or a volunteer giving sacrificially of our time beyond the work week. There are very few places for us to connect both vocationally and socially. Yes, there are local youth worker networks and, occasionally, local, regional or national denominational support networks; these are important, but they aren’t the same. When a youth worker, volunteer or paid, attends a national youth ministry convention he or she gets to see the vast number of dedicated folks keyed into the same goal. It’s a great energy and momentum boost.

There is no place else to get the same kind of customizable training designed specifically for youth workers. Nowhere else can you choose seminars that fit where your specific needs lie. Need a personal retreat? There’s space for that. Need help with methods and ideas for reaching this generation of young people? There are choices for that. Want to explore or wrestle through issues and topics? There are always opportunities for that. Need to connect with someone with whom you can confidentially talk through your own situation, get some coaching or spiritual direction? There are people dedicated to you. Need to just r-e-s-t? You can do that, too. A youth ministry convention is there for you to make it exactly what you need it to be – it’s up to you to choose what that need is for you and choose among the myriad offerings to make your perfect meal. Yes, you can overdo it. Choose not to exhaust yourself, major in the major need, grab notes or recordings for one or two others.

When a ministry makes space in a youth worker’s schedule for a youth ministry convention they are giving tangible, practical recognition of the value of ministry to students in their community. Yes, it is a financial investment and financial times at churches are often challenging. However, it is one way to give a youth worker some encouraging and equipping in an environment designed expressly for that purpose. While a youth ministry convention is absolutely entertaining and fun, it is also practical, challenging and encouraging.

Attending a youth ministry convention may actually increase your effectiveness and longevity in ministry. I sorely wish I had research to back up this assertion! In my vocational life, connecting with other youth workers at convention events has been a literal God-send. It’s given many youth workers I know a forum to speak their heart, their concerns, their questions about pressing on through the stuff that drains us with people who have been there, and get it in a way most other pastors don’t. I’ve seen it be a burn out preventer, a call clarifier, a ministry life saver. I do know that, in my own personal experience, I went to my first convention after a number of years as a volunteer youth worker because the church at which I served gave me the opportunity. Before that convention I felt isolated and discouraged; I came away from it energized, encouraged and feeling as though I could continue. That was more than 15 years ago.

I haven’t always attended a youth workers convention annually. There have been times where that decision was determined by reasons like finances, family needs, or ministry requirements. Realistically, you may not be able to go every year either, but planning one of these conventions into your budget, making the case to your leadership, and planning it into your ministry time (no it’s NOT a vacation), is an investment guaranteed to bring a positive return.

*disclosure: I have done contract and volunteer work for both companies that present major youth ministry conventions annually. Neither Youth Specialties nor Simply Youth Ministry/Group have contributed to, nor have they remunerated me for, this post.

Following months of deliberation by the Federal Trade Commission and rumors throughout the social media marketing world, the FTC this week released it’s “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” to much buzz.  And, a little panic, I think, for bloggers, twitterers and facebookers who like to talk about their favorite goods and services, wondering what this all might mean for them.

It’s an 81-page document, in rather complex legal-governmental language.  You can read it by clicking here if you like [opens PDF document in a new window].

First, because I’ve fielded a few questions about this from the reviewers I work with on content for clients, I want to define what the new regulations say about bloggers – as I understand it. Disclaimer:  I’m not a lawyer, this isn’t legal advice, and if I learn something new about it, I’ll update this post.

Disclosure

If a company gives you product or money or any other kind of award or compensation in return for your posting about them or their product on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, or any other social networking site, you (the blogger) need to say so clearly.  The consequence for not doing so includes potentially hefty fines, but the report does not delineate what to expect for certain infractions, nor how specifically it will be enforced.

Now, if you review books, resources or music for another outlet, such as YMX, and repost your work on your blog with link attribution (as that site has permitted), you need only be clear that you were given the resource to review for that outlet.  It is pretty clear that product is given to media outlets to review, and you’re (in the case of YMX) reprinting with permission with link attribution.  If you link to your work on another commercial site from your  personal Twitter/Facebook, etc, it seems clear to me that you got something in return for the work (product or  some other consideration).

If you are an affiliate marketer – say for amazon, or referral link prizes, and the like – you need to say so under these new rules.  If you make money on it, you need to say so more clearly than ever.  Here is a good overview of the new guidelines from the corporate marketing point of view.

About this blog

Most reviews on this blog are reprints of my work for hire, primarily at YS/YMX. Those include links back to the original publication page.

A few times publishers or companies have given me books to review, or something to give away. While it was clear enough at the time, I will be more specific about that going forward.  I have never been paid cash for any post on this blog, or anything I’ve posted on my personal social networking accounts.  I intend to add a disclosure page to this blog to acknowledge affiliate relationships so there is no confusion.

All very formal, but I have no problem disclosing this if it prevents confusion on the part of others. Clarity is good, and assuring readers that my thoughts and opinions are my own even if I got a free book is something I’m happy to do.  It’s necessary to help people who research purchases on the internet tell the difference between advertising and customer opinion, because the line had become blurry. Ethics are important.

Now, if we could just get the same kind of clear public disclosure from politicians and lobbyists, I’d be thrilled.

Last weekend was the annual Youth For Christ high school student leadership conference, Excel. In keeping with the event’s theme “Compelled by His love” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) my daughter was among those invited to share about something each did in response to Christ’s compelling love. You can hear both of the students who spoke in the Sunday morning general session being interviewed by Excel Conference Director Dave Lenehan in the video below.

The event Cathie spoke of is The Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity, and further information can be found at www.silentday.org.

First, thanks to each of you for sharing a glimpse of your passion to share the Gospel with children!  The stories are great!

Now, let me get the process stuff out of the way.  To choose, I used a cyber version of putting your names in a hat.  In the order of the posts in the comments here, I made a list of containing each entrant’s name for each initial comment and each instance of a twitter update, facebook update or personal blog post.  That generated a list that looked like this:

Doug
Doug
Doug
Doug
Jeff
Michelle
Jill
Mary Beth
Leena
Leena
Leena
DJ
DJ
DJ

Using the list randomizer at random.org resulted in the list in the screen shot below:

Congratulations to DJ, who has won the 2 registrations to Group’s How 2 Conference.  I emailed him at the address you provided in his comment post form. DJ, respond to that and we’ll get those passes on their way to you!  Congratulations!  This was fun!

Group Publishing wants your Children’s Ministry to win 2 registrations to their How 2 Children’s Ministry Conference!  From the people who bring you Children’s Ministry Magazine, as well as a wide array of resources for ministry to youth, children and adults, comes this generous offer!  Thanks, Group!

To make this fun and interactive, here’s how we’ll give these registrations, valued at $199 each.

Step up to this cyber microphone, and tell us your BEST children’s ministry moment.  It could be about why you’re in ministry to children, it could be an interaction with one of the kids or volunteers, anything that makes ministry to children the BEST to you. You get one entry into the drawing for posting your story here in the comments OR on your own blog/Facebook note.  You can get  additional entries for telling about the contest and conference on Twitter or via your Facebook status.  Remember to put a link here in the comments for each time you do that (and use the links in the top right sidebar of the blog to connect with me on Facebook or on Twitter so I can verify).

What one of you will win:

• 2 registrations, valued at $199 each, to the How 2 Conference in 1 city of your choice. (click here to see dates/cities) Transortation, lodging, etc are not included.

What you have to do to win:

• Initial entry into the drawing for posting your story here, your own blog or Facebook note linking to this post by trackback or link posted in the comments.
• Additional entries for tweets and status lines on Facebook, connect with me so I can see them.
• Winner will have to provide a valid email with their comment (not publicly), and be prepared to choose a date/location and give the names of the 2 people attending the How 2 Conference to get their passes.

All of this needs to take place between now, 9 am ET, Friday, Jan 9, and midnight ET, on Wednesday, Jan 14.  The winner will be chosen at random and posted here on Thursday, Jan 15.

So, step up to the mic and lets get this party started!

Why do I love tomorrow?  In general, because I haven’t messed it up yet.  Specifically, regarding Friday, January 9, I love tomorrow because I have just been given 2 registrations for Group’s How 2 Conference for Children’s Ministry.  I spent a little while looking at the cities and the program & schedule for the day, and it looks like a fantastic time of training and networking!  And you can win them for your church!

So, now is the time to send a link to whomever does children’s ministry for your church.  I really want to bless a ministry with this nearly $400 worth of training.  You’ll get to choose the city (there are 17 options!), and everything beyond the registrations themselves would be up to the winner.

Come back tomorrow and enter!

Yes, it was fun to watch live.

As I mentioned earlier, the live blogging gig was intense.  It was a lot of fun, but I paid attention to the session speakers in a different way that I would otherwise have.  One thing I did notice, however, was something God was doing through the people who independently listened for what the Spirit was saying to the Church, more specifically to her youth workers, and brought what I believe to be a prophetic message of gospel authenticity as one might display the facets of a jewel.  Or, maybe, a 15-foot disco ball sending The Light into every corner, every relationship, every conversation.

None of the general session speakers brought “fluff” – each came with a passion for Jesus and for sharing insight into a more authentic relationship with Him.  However, several brought messages that ought to be game-changing for the Church.

Soong-Chan Rah rocked the room’s perception of cultural and institutional racism and what the church might “do” with that.  I know this was a challenge for many to hear, especially on the verge of an historic election wherein race and gender were part.  In fact, an Asian-Irish-American comedian who appeared on that stage the following morning was dumbfounded by the lack of laughter at his poking fun at his own heritage and family.  Clearly, people heard Dr. Rah’s message.

Andrew Marin stood before a room full of mainly white evangelicals and spoke heroically of elevating the conversation between the Church and the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered community.  He repeated again and again his firm belief that the Bible is “the inerrant Word of God” while articulating in language largely unknown how all have sinned, how judgment is God’s and loving our neighbor is ours, and how those who have been cast out need Jesus too.  I also attended Andrew’s seminar about answering the most common questions same-sex attracted people, who are justifiably jaded by their community’s treatment at the hands of Christians, will ask of a believer willing to have the conversation.  Keeping those out of the realm of yes/no answers is the absolute key to changing the tide, and Andrew ably demonstrated how to do so without a single bit of compromise.  He wants to turn the ship away from certain disaster to a life-giving conversation.  Truly inspiring.  I had some time to sit with Andrew, and am in process of putting together an article for YMX to appear before the end of the year.  So, more on that in the future.

Francis Chan tackled us with a big pile of saltless salt, challenging the perception that more is better or more effective.  A new, and more authentic, message that “numbers aren’t everything” – but one that could be heard and applied right now.  One quote that hit me, “If you can’t make disciples, go make a big pile of Christians.” Ouch.  His scriptural point blew me away, using the account of Elijah and the prophets of Baal, and concluding, “I want people to walk away saying the Lord is God” (like the prophets of Baal did) “not that was a great message.” Total gut (or heart) motivation check.

Phyllis Tickle simply blew me away with a tsunami of information.  Her noteless presentation of 2000 years of church history, documenting the significant events in cultures that brought shifts in the life of the Church… astounding.  I’m going to have to read her book to do the talk justice!  It was precise, concise, relevant, and an important reminder of two things: 1. history repeats, 2. we need to look at the big picture.  And, the lady is just really funny, totally unpretentious, and really, really smart.  Her book, The Great Emergence, is waiting for me.

And, chronologically last, an amazing confession from Marko (Mark Oestreicher) that the Lord so disturbed him that he scrapped the talk he had planned, reworked from the earlier venue of the NYWC, and addressed this thread of authenticity in life and ministry that had been drawn throughout the weekend.  It was an amazing and raw talk that articulated a new intersection for ministry, that isn’t really new at all.  Ministry happens at the intersection of communion and mission.  He went on to give the characteristics of that intersection, that the intersection of communion and mission is small, slow, simple, present, fluid and Jesusy.  The quote that stuck with me? “You absolutely have everything you need to be wildly successful in youth ministry and the stuff you though you needed is an absolute deterrent to ministry.”  There was lots in this reletively short talk, including the world premiere of the text of an as-yet unpublished children’s story that Marko and his 10-year-old son, Max, wrote together… like it was tailor made for this very talk.  I hope someday to possess a copy of that beautiful parable of relationship, a story about learning, about learning together, and learning to live into our given abilities to be our whole selves.

If you’re interested, any of the general session talks, and a huge number of seminars, are available for download, and can be purchased at http://www.ysmp3andcddvd.com/store.

I love the YS Conventions.  The first time I attended was in Philadelphia in 1997.  The theme, Only a Fool, hit me right in the heart as I was in full-on ache to be in youth ministry full time, and attempting some discernment about how, when, where that could even happen, or even if it was supposed to.

I was already a “seasoned” volunteer (who really knew nothing!) of close to 10 years, had never once had a ministry budget.  I spent hours wandering around in the store carefully choosing what I could afford to buy with my own money to stretch the most Kingdom impact out of for the kids at the church I was serving.  I don’t know if the person who noticed my painstaking browsing was a YS staffer or a volunteer, but after a while that person started talking to me and (because it’s so difficult to do this) pulled my story out of me.  She was very encouraging, helped me make some choices and check out my purchases, which came in just a few cents less than what I had to spend.

I went on with my conference day, full of speakers and music and places where God spoke and I listened, places where I spoke and God listened.  None of those places was clearer than the sight I beheld upon returning to my hotel room to find the door decorated with handmade signs and streamers thanking me, by name, for loving kids sacrificially.  I stood in that hallway and cried.  I sat in that hallway and cried some more.  Once I could see again, I noticed the bulging white plastic bag of goodies.  Much of the resource material I’d considered but left behind in my deliberations was in that bag, along with a signed copy of Following Christ by Joseph Stowell.  His talk that weekend was a marker for me, and I’ve re-read or referenced that book a dozen times over the years. An incredible, supernatural bit of affirmation and encouragement, made possible because someone was paying attention.

No surprise, then, that each of the YS Conventions I’ve attended since – I’ve lost count, maybe 5 or 6 – have been with the firm intention of connecting and listening for the purpose of encouraging.  While that has looked a little different every time, that’s my heart when I go.  That moment of encouragement was pivotal for me in continuing the journey, and I’m willing to bet that YS staffer/volunteer had no idea it would lead to a 20+ year commitment to sharing the Seriously Ridiculous love of Christ with kids and youth workers.

PS – Oh, and thanks, God via YS, for that nice full-circle thing you did on the themes for me, I love it when you do things like that!

There have been so many wonderful speakers in the general sessions thus far.  Because I’m live blogging, I’m so focused on the word the speakers are saying to share with the blog audience that I lag a little behind on the personal processing experience.  Sessions that I’m definitely going to listen to again (of the ones that have taken place so far):

• Andrew Marin, author of the forthcoming book Love is an Orientation, founder of The Marin Foundation.  He speaks powerfully to the church about the inconsistent treatment we give to homosexuals, calling us to build bridges and love authentically.
• Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love, whose message was so powerful and authentic in challenging us to be more and more like Jesus.

You can see the stream of posts we made during the general sessions here: nywc.com/live