Youth Speaking Ninja Halloween Tip

This tip from How to Become a Youth Speaking Ninja is like a great halloween costume... Just enough detail to get the point across; but, not so much that no one can figure out what you're dressed up as:

YOUTH SPEAKING NINJA HALLOWEEN TIP:

When in doubt, leave it out. If an illustration or story doesn't fit with your main theme, leave it out of the message. Don't try to cram a funny story in just because you think it will give you laughs. 

10 Essentials to Getting Hired as a Youth Pastor

If you are in student ministry (or want to get into student ministry), chances are you will face TRANSITION (and probably more than once).

Finding a new youth ministry job can feel like an incredibly daunting, frustrating and hopeless task. While transitions in ministry require a lot of faith, risk, courage and stamina, you can position yourself to minimize the grief and increase the hope.

Over the next number of weeks, you will have the opportunity to examine each of these 10 essentials in detail (including helpful examples, ideas, templates and such).

Here is an overview of the 10 essentials to getting hired as a youth pastor:

1. Refresh Your Resume

The role of the resume is to get you the initial interview.

2. Determine Your Doctrine

What are to your essentials and non-essentials? 

3. Figure out Your Philosophy of Ministry

Your ministry philosophy is the "WHY" of ministry.

4. Monitor Your MySpace

Who uses MySpace anymore? Exactly. What is the personal “brand” you are portraying of yourself online?

5. Pray Away Your Pride

Not your will... His will. Watch God open and close the doors in the midst of the process.

6. Ask Before You Apply

Be selective. If you don’t think you’d be a good fit, don’t apply.

7. Network like Nobody Else

Do you want to know the dirty little secret of getting hired into a new student ministry? Network.

8. Investigate Before You Interview

The Boy Scout motto says it best, “Be Prepared.”

9. Turn the Tables

Interview the prospective church/ministry during the interview.

10. Consider the Offer Carefully

Just because you receive an offer, don’t respond too quickly.

Get ready to examine each of these essentials in detail over the next several weeks. If you are anything like a number of the youth pastors I connect with each month, you may be in the midst of considering a transition RIGHT NOW. If so, send me an email at mattmaiberger@gmail.com and share your story. I’d love to pray for you. Don’t worry… it’s 100% confidential.

John Cleese on Creativity [VIDEO]

Here is a clip of John Cleese discussing humor, seriousness, and solemness. Well worth your two-minute investment:

This is Now Officially a Best-Selling Book on Amazon

Last week, the Kindle book, How to Become a Youth Speaking Ninja, became a #1 Bestseller in Amazon.com's Kindle preaching category (it also climbed to #2 in the youth ministry category). It's officially a #1 Bestseller!

YOU CAN PURCHASE THE BOOK BY CLICKING HERE!

5 Reasons You Need to Start Networking NOW!

Networking and building relationships with other youth workers, church members, people in the community, and pastors is essential to expanding your influence and growing your ministry. Here are five reasons you need to start networking today:

1. You need the encouragement.

Youth ministry can sometimes feel like the loneliest job on the planet. No one understands you. You feel like your Senior Pastor doesn’t understand the extra hours you give and parents think all you do is watch YouTube videos and eat pizza all day. Take the time to connect with other youth pastors in your community on a monthly basis. They get it. They are just like you.

2. You need more volunteers.

When you take the time to build relationships with the parents in your ministry as well as other adults in your church, it is as if the heavens open up and God pours volunteers into your student ministry. The vision that the Holy Spirit has put in you to reach young people will come out in conversation. Most folks are looking for ways that they can serve but they don’t know how their gifts fit. When they catch the vision and see how they can partner with you, they will jump on board. Psalm 110:3 states, “Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power...” (NASB).

3. You need more speaking opportunities.

Networking with other ministries, leaders and churches across the United States will naturally lead to more opportunities for you to speak. The next time you are at summer camp or youth conference, break out of your comfort zone and get to know the other youth leaders who are there with their youth groups. You never know when a little networking will lead to a new opportunity.

4. You need more resources.

Not enough money in your youth budget? Taking the time to connect with other adults in your church or community (outside of your student ministry) can lead to great financial provision. There are many Christians (and even some unbelievers) who God has positioned to parter with your student ministry financially. One of the best ways to tap into that provision is to build relationships and share the vision.

5. You need a new ministry.

Want to know the dirty little secret of finding a new ministry? Network. As you go through the process of searching for where God is calling you next, most of the time, the churches who will extend you a job offer are those who know you. Friends in ministry and life can connect you with churches that are searching. Stop looking at churchstaffing.com five times a day or uploading your resume to Vanderbloemen. It is typically WHO YOU KNOW, not what you know (or your experience/credentials), that will land you in your next ministry.

Pastor Richard Crisco Coaches the Cohort on Growing in Your Relationship with Jesus as a Youth Pastor

What an incredible conference call!

The Youth Communicator's Cohort was blessed to host Pastor Richard Crisco on the call last week. Here is a recording of his training on "Growing in Your Relationship with Jesus as a Youth Pastor."

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OCTOBER'S COHORT CONFERENCE CALL

Simply incredible content.

Want to join the Youth Communicator's Cohort?

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE COHORT!

FREE Illustration of the Month (October Edition)

This month's FREE illustration, comes to you courtesy of a YouTube viral video classic. It's the Grape-Stomping News Reporter FAIL: