COUNTDOWN: Top 14 Team-Builders for 2014 (#13)

If you are looking for a great, face-paced team-builder geared towards students learning each others names, look no further than Team-Builder #13 of the Top 14 Team-Builders for 2014. Here you go:

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WARP SPEED

Supplies Needed:

2 or more Tennis Balls

Time Needed:

Approximately 15 minutes

How to Play:

1. Ask your group to form a circle. You will also form part of the circle with the tennis balls within easy reach.
2. Explain: "I'm going to start by tossing this ball to someone else in the circle and saying their name. If you receive it, say your name, then the name of someone else in the circle not immediately on either side of you and toss it to them. That person will say their name and then the name of another person who has not yet received it and again not immediately on either side of him or her and toss it to them. Throwing continues until the last person tosses the ball back to me. Remember who you tossed to because we will try to recreate the pattern in the next phase. Any questions?"
3. Toss the ball to someone across from you. The cycle continues until the ball comes back to you. Repeat one more time so that everyone is clear who they toss the ball to and from whom they receive it. The ball must follow the same pattern both times.
4. Explain: "We are now going to see how quickly we can send this one ball from start to finish through the system.
5. Time their first attempt. Applaud their attempt, whatever it is (one second per participant or longer is quite normal). And prompt them with "you can do better." Allow for planning, additional attempts and more planning.
6. At some point the group will ask you how fast this can be done or how fast you've seen it done or what the ultimate goal is. Answer for most groups of 20 people or less = less than one second.
7. Continue until the group attains the elusive "warp speed" or ceases to be actively engaged in trying to reach it. Process the activity.
8. You can also try throwing multiple balls simultaneously or try it in reverse order.

Here is a video of a group playing Warp Speed:

Looking for a great dance opening for youth group on Wednesday? Try this... [VIDEO]

Before there was The Harlem Shake, there was this gem...



The Interlude is a great way to get students up and moving in a fun and quick manner. If your students have never participated in the Interlude dance, they don't know what their missing! After you teach them the basic moves, throw the following video up on the screen and dance:

The #1 Reason Students Stop Listening to You When You Speak

Not this again.

Week after week, you get up in front of your students to deliver a message from God's Word, and they tune you out.

You feel your frustration reaching a boiling point. Your head is about to explode.

"Don't they care about Jesus anymore?", you ask yourself.

Before you begin throwing accusations their way, take a few minutes to stop and evaluate your message content and delivery by asking this question:

Am I boring?

Chances are, the answer is YES!

Boredom is the #1 reason students stop listening to you when you are preaching. It may be that you have crafted your content in a boring manner or that your delivery is a snoozefest... or both. Either way, you need to take action immediately and remedy your propensity to be boring.

Here are 5 things you can implement immediately to combat boredom in your messages:

1. Simplify your content.

Too often, youth pastors put way too much content into their messages. There is nothing wrong with being thorough in your Bible study and preparation; however, you will have a major problem holding their attention if you do not cut your content down to 20-25 minutes.

2. Improve your storytelling.

You MUST include stories when you communicate with students. These can be personal stories, Bible stories, current event stories, or even stories about your cat. Be sure that when you TELL the story you are incorporating as many of the five senses as possible. Engage your students by helping them feel like they are smack-dab in the middle of an amazing story.

3. Analyze how you handle Scripture.

Try reading the scripture passages in bite-sized chunks. If you happen to have an unusually long passage to read, break it up. Have the students act it out. Try telling the Bible story from a character's perspective. For example, I recently heard a youth speaker tell the story of Jesus turning water to wine as if he was one of the disciples witnessing the event. The students were on the edge of their seats! One final thought, you don't have to include every verse you studied in preparing for the message, just the main ones that are pertinent to make the point.

4. Use your voice.

Be sure to use vocal inflection when you speak to students. Don't just vary the volume of your voice with loud and soft, try using a fast and slow rate of speech. Put in a few character voices during your stories. Insert a few well-timed pauses. Whatever you do, don't be monotone!

5. Move your body.

The two most damaging things you can do with your body when you speak are:

a) Be a statue (lack of movement is boring).

b) Constantly pace back and forth (most youth pastors who use only an outline do this and it's very distracting and leads to boredom).

When you move as you deliver your message, MOVE WITH PURPOSE!

FREE SAMPLE of How to Become a Youth Speaking Ninja

If you are looking to sharpen your communication skills with students, here is a FREE SAMPLE of the first chapter of How to Become a Youth Speaking Ninja.

Whether you are a newbie youth pastor or a seasoned-veteran communicator, this practical book of tips and tricks has plenty to offer.

Here's what others had to say:

"This book is spot on for anyone God has given a message to deliver... Not just those called to youth ministry." 

                     - Thomas Mitchell, President - Walk With God Ministries

"This book should be required reading for every youth pastor!" 

                     - Dewayne Moree, Founder - Youth Ministry Coaching Network

CLICK HERE to download the FREE SAMPLE.

Or, you can purchase the Kindle book from Amazon here.

10 Essentials: #6 - Ask Before You Apply

The 6th essential in getting hired as a youth pastor is to: Ask before you apply.

It is crucial that you take the time necessary to do your due diligence in discovering as much about the prospective church as possible. Don't be afraid to be selective.

For example, if you are a dyed-in-the-wool charismatic/pentecostal, don't apply for youth pastor jobs at churches that do not share your doctrine of the Holy Spirit. It does a huge dis-service (and is a big waste of time) for you to send a resume for an organization where you would not be a good fit (philosophically, doctrinally, or otherwise).

It's easy to fall in to the habit of applying for every student ministry job that appears on churchstaffing.com; however, it is worth it to be patient and wait for the right kind of opportunities to come around.

Here are a few different areas that might make you a bad "fit" for a specific youth ministry job:

Geographic Location
If you don't want to live in (or don't feel called to) Alaska, don't apply for youth pastor jobs in Alaska.

Job Description
If a particular church is looking for a youth pastor who is high in administrative gifting, don't apply if your ministry is typically characterized by last-minute decisions, and fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants spontaneity.

Doctrine/Philosophy of Ministry
If you are missional in your ministry philosophy and the prospective church is attractional, you will be miserable. Don't apply.

Don't apply for any ministry positions in which you feel like you would need to "change the church" to be happy. As a new youth pastor, while you certainly want to add value and impact in the church, it's not your job to change it (or the Senior Pastor for that matter). If you wouldn't be happy now, you won't be happy later.

#5 Pray Away Your Pride

#4 Monitor Your Myspace

#3 Figure our Your Philosophy of Ministry

#2 - Determine Your Doctrine

#1 - Refresh Your Resume

10 Essentials to Getting Hired as a Youth Pastor

Listen in on January's Cohort Call

Had an amazing conference call last week with our communicator's COHORT on the topic of Refining Your Message.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE CALL.

Be sure to join us on Thursday, January 16, 2014 when Saddleback's High School Pastor, Josh Griffin, shares his communication wisdom in the upcoming Master Class.

CLICK HERE to register for the COHORT for FREE and don't miss out on the call next month with Josh Griffin on Thursday, February 13.

Speaking at a Retreat This Weekend?

This coming weekend, I will have the honor to speak to about one hundred students from Northern Colorado at their Winter Retreat. This retreat is unique because it represents students from 6 different churches and youth groups (in the same community) coming together to be challenged by the Word of God. What a great step toward unity between local churches and answering Jesus' prayer in John 17.

If you are not speaking at a Winter Retreat this season, I hope you have the privilege to do so in the near future. Never had this kind of opportunity before? Pray and ask God to open a door for you. Remember, it's never about you, but always about SERVING THE STUDENTS you are speaking to.

I would love to partner with you and serve your students by speaking at your upcoming event this year (if I am able and available).

To view a sample speaking video or for more information about booking, CLICK HERE...