Summer fun is almost done, but are you fall ready in youth ministry yet?
Zac and Chad have some laughs, stories, and insights to help get you ready for a big fall early.
In this episode the guys talk about recruiting and training leaders, transitioning new recruits via camp experiences, and launching key spiritual initiatives in September.
Summer fun isn't over yet! We're also going to walk you through the steps to a successful fall launch in student ministry. There's ideas for creating a vibrant environment, outside activities and a grand launch, sprucing up the space with new artwork, and hosting dedicated parent meetings.
Get fall ready before summer is even over!
Summer fun is almost done, but are you fall ready in youth ministry yet?
Zac and Chad have some laughs, stories, and insights to help get you ready for a big fall early.
In this episode the guys talk about recruiting and training leaders, transitioning new recruits via camp experiences, and launching key spiritual initiatives in September.
Summer fun isn't over yet! We're also going to walk you through the steps to a successful fall launch in student ministry. There's ideas for creating a vibrant environment, outside activities and a grand launch, sprucing up the space with new artwork, and hosting dedicated parent meetings.
Get fall ready before summer is even over!
A snack. Hey, and we're back for another episode of the Youth Ministry Booster Podcast. My name is Zach, workin' here in the garage with my best friend. I'm Chad Higgins. Hey, how are you? Happy summer? I guess if you're catching this one on the recent replay, it is in the fat middle, hot middle of summer. We had extra shirts on before we started recording episodes today because it is already warm in the garage. People out here got to know me and we're suffering. It's like a smooth 83 out here.
Speaker 2:The studio is non-air conditioning.
Speaker 1:It's for sound displacement. It just keeps it quiet.
Speaker 2:We will try to get this episode done before we start. visibly, you're already a little bit sweating. I got a little bit of the brow going. We're going to be talking about summer. I wanted us to go way back. I want you to think about childhood, not even like middle school, high school. I'm talking earlier than that. Give me a good memory of childhood, summer Zach.
Speaker 1:Summer was always like family stuff, church stuff. The lake is the big fun, kind of like strands across multiple summers. As a little kid, one of the most etched memories is swimming lessons, not like kindergarten, where it's like you try to swim, but like 4th, 5th grade where there's levels.
Speaker 1:You're like that technique right, you go from level three and you're learning different strokes or whatever. I was a pretty good swimmer as a little kid. It was like a strong thing for my family Learned piano, learned how to swim. If you're a lake family, that's pretty important, huge, huge. It was like 4th or 5th grade summer where it was pretty intense.
Speaker 1:Lesson started at 6 am. You're up early because that's apparently when strong swimmers start early. I don't know, i don't remember specifically, but your mom kind of ushering you out of the house in your swimsuit t-shirt and towel before it's fully light out. It was like. It's like still like, is it morning? Is the pool unlocked? Do we have our own key? It was a questionable thing That summer, for whatever reason.
Speaker 1:The instructor was like we go hard. That wasn't like a phrase 30 years ago, but it was pretty much like we go hard because it was getting the pool. There was no warm-up laps. It was like in the pool bobs And bobs.
Speaker 1:When you're a little kid is you grab the edge of the pool and it's head up, head down, head up. It's you just doing the breath of like. But it was like 30 to 50 bobs like to start your day, so baptizing yourself 35 times before 6.20 in the morning better than coffee. We were cold plunging before it was a thing And just like seven year old self like the overwhelming like urge to like have an empty stomach and yet also want to throw up because it was too much, too fast, too soon. Still to this day, like when the pool was a little cold, like my boys and I were swimming the other day and I literally was like give me a minute, they're like they're in jumping swim And I'm like hold on, like it's just like there's like a little bit of like I don't want to go too fast.
Speaker 2:You're like I got some trauma. I'm still working through.
Speaker 1:I got to sort this out just a little bit, like it's just a little bit too much, still 30 years later. So thanks, kimblepool, i still think about it.
Speaker 2:What about you? The summer thing that is etch into my mind is kind of similar.
Speaker 1:What trauma.
Speaker 2:They're trauma. Yeah, so you know we did. we did fun stuff during the summer, but like any kid and this is like later elementary for me Me and my brother would stay at the house by myself right, parents still got to work, yeah.
Speaker 1:And during the day, during the day, they weren't bailing on you like for weeks at a time. No, no, no, no. This is like we got in the right Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, casa de Higgins Mollies down the road. Okay, anything called And so, but we had like responsibilities Okay.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:But come on out, right, it's summer, clean your room. Yeah, i'm basically going to be on the computer play Duke Nukem all day long, of course.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, i say you, commander keen, yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm on the computer all day long My brother's doing who knows what I'm supposed to be watching him.
Speaker 1:I have no idea. Your brother is shirtless in the yard. You're like he's fine, he's fine, he's really fine.
Speaker 2:He made it. He's doing great now. So um love you, corey. There would come this point mom, mom gets home at 530. Okay.
Speaker 1:Like I knew it was. Basically it was like The witching hour Yeah 23.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're gonna do all of our chores Basically Five-O-Eight. Yeah, the remaining 15 minutes, yes, yes. And so I just remember so many times as a kid.
Speaker 1:You ever seen somebody speed clean their room by just pushing it all under their mattress?
Speaker 2:Bro, the amount of times that I vacuumed the entire house without plugging a vacuum in you just make it a trend. You just want those lines.
Speaker 1:You just need those lines. Yeah, you just make a tread mark, that's good.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, you're just dragging it For a brand new room. Man Down the hall, you just have a quarry sit on it.
Speaker 1:It's a real deep groove. Yeah, we really got it Yeah yeah, it's a real build up here. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, like dishes are just like stuffed into the dish. Oh yeah, Yeah, I mean, they're not even lined up And it just You open it as clatters out.
Speaker 1:Right, it's not great. Not a great look. Oh, it works, though, yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm pretty sure there were a couple of times that I threw clothes away instead of folding them.
Speaker 1:Oh, the shirts dirty. I guess it's done, it's out Yeah.
Speaker 2:We don't have time to fold this, so we're just going to shove it under the back.
Speaker 1:There's Walmart sacks of old shirts. You're like it's in a bag Must be new, I don't know. Man, That's pretty good Now I'm about to go. I'm about to go check my boys' closets to see what they've done.
Speaker 2:I get to be Yeah, Mom walked in and just like come here, You guys did a good job.
Speaker 1:You're like oh man, yeah, don't open the closet door.
Speaker 2:Yeah, kids summer. Okay, i got to add when you were kid, where was the like?
Speaker 1:where'd you hide your messes? It's like mine was always under the bed, as long as mom and dad never like. Closet was pretty good, my room was fine, dresser would put some books on or whatever, but if I ever had like clutter, like sports cards, that, and like comics or like game controller stuff, it was always just like under the bed.
Speaker 2:What was?
Speaker 1:your move. I feel like you have a move.
Speaker 2:Mine was the side of the bed, the side Okay. So, it's like lumping it over in a trough, so there wasn't a lot of room between the bed and the wall.
Speaker 1:Sure, on one side, yeah. Then it comes later in life, yeah, and so my parents never.
Speaker 2:They never walked fully in.
Speaker 1:So like you just throw everything. It was just like this, just your stuff and the booger wall. A booger wall, it's just a trough of things. You're like fishing down in there to get something out of it.
Speaker 2:Okay, so the booger wall made me think of a recent happening.
Speaker 1:You got a recent booger wall. You got a grown up booger wall. No, no, no, no, that's not right.
Speaker 2:We are heading to church, like three weeks ago, and Malia, from the back seat, goes Hey, did you know that I have a booger side? And I go booger side of what? What are you talking about? And she, she said, oh, on this side of my car seat. I put my boogers, yes. And so immediately, martha and I are like oh great, you're going to have to clean that car seat. Yeah, i'm looking at her like man, martha, come on, you're trained in this.
Speaker 1:We need some therapy lessons, or something How great, even at her age, to have a level of organization.
Speaker 2:She's very organized, she's so organized.
Speaker 1:That's fantastic. Yeah, it's good. It's good. It's like we're we're, we're, we're have to fix another problem, but we've, you know we solved one. It's great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she's ready to go, so she. Our boogers are very organized in the back seat, okay.
Speaker 1:Well, so room cleaning chores, but the embarrassment because you shared a pre show. this was kind of an embarrassing story, So what's the word?
Speaker 2:Where do you like?
Speaker 1:the embarrassment You get caught with the chores at home.
Speaker 2:Well, so the embarrassing story may your story of swim lessons from hell.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I actually think we were trying to recall whether or not I've shared this story on the podcast. If, if so, it was probably like a years ago, yeah.
Speaker 1:Um episode 78, for whoever the historian When.
Speaker 2:I was in swim lessons uh, there was, you know, like your normal swim lesson time and then, like me and my dad, went to the pool to like, for fun, work more on it, right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, or whatever.
Speaker 2:And free swim. This was the time in my life where I was pretty early in swim lessons because I was learning to glide, okay, okay, which is so much fun, right, yeah. Push off from the side, torpedo, you know. Make the little triangle with your hands, yeah, yeah. And so, right after lunch is when we went to the pool. I remember that that day we had chili dogs for lunch, okay, which was a staple in my family It's chili dog Thursday.
Speaker 1:It's a great day.
Speaker 2:Chili dog Saturday Yeah, Um, were you a whole Wolf brand chili man or whore male. What do you? what do?
Speaker 1:you. Uh, i think, Wolf brand make your own brand We were a whore male family.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, we like our chili to stand up when it comes to just in the can Peel that can back. So, uh, chili dogs for lunch, yeah. We head to the pool. Yeah, and I'm gliding to my dad. He's standing out in the pool. I'm pushing off and we're doing this.
Speaker 1:No problem, it's fun We're having a great time.
Speaker 2:And then one time, man I pushed off hard to glide hard And I guess I had my mouth open a little mouth breather at a young age and water bro, it just went. Like you know this scene and Pinocchio where the whale just takes the water Goes yeah, that's what it felt like water just went straight to the bottom of my belly.
Speaker 1:You had pool water in the belly and it sloshing echoed back up Yeah with chili dogs and all brought Pinocchio, Gepetto and the chili with it.
Speaker 2:I Don't know if you've ever been the child That I had to sit on the side of the pool While the entire public pool has been evacuated And they're like cleaning it up. That's the most embarrassing. How do you?
Speaker 1:clean up chili pool water. Is it just fishing?
Speaker 2:And the half a can of hormone at a time Walking by right, wanting to be in the pool, and they're like there's the kids that threw up.
Speaker 1:You're trying to point, but you got chili all over your chest, like clearly, like it's the stain. The stain remains, yeah, yeah, yeah. So my dad got me out of there. We didn't go back from war I think we were done with that pool.
Speaker 2:I think at that point you could ever go back.
Speaker 1:We actually move pools.
Speaker 2:Move cities.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, no, we don't swim in that town anymore. I was well. One of the aspirations is to the ministries to always have a rule that's named for you, not like legally named. Just, this side of the Duncan pool is like no chili dogs, that's it, just no chili dogs. You're like, hey, that's me, it's my problem.
Speaker 1:Fantastic, okay, but summer is right, in the middle summer winding down, which I think is a great time You're thinking about, not the summer, not the summer, which, again, it's a little bit hard for folks to hear, because some of you may have not even gone to camp yet, i think. For some folks, i think if you haven't been to camp, you need to be thinking about yeah, so even if you have a camp and a mission trip left, or you've got camp mission trip for anybody, okay, you still have more summer ahead of you than not. It's probably even more important to hear this, and it's not because we're asking you to do more, we're asking you to be aware of what comes next. I think that's such a like, if you're still planning camp at this point, man, like Here's the release, like it is what it is, let's work on the thing that we can work on and work toward and not get buried under the work that hasn't been done.
Speaker 2:Well, i think, if you haven't been to camp now, one of the things that I always want to do with my big events is I want to chain them, yeah, and so I want to be at that event talking about the next big thing, yeah and a lot of times you should have that in mind, like if you're at the thing like do do the movie trailer thing of knowing What comes next well, because for a lot, of, a lot of your kids, specifically a camp, those may be students that you don't see.
Speaker 2:All the time That's right, they may just be a camp for you.
Speaker 1:We talked about it a few weeks ago in the podcast that you know. One of the episodes of importance was you know, the getting folks to camp might be the best chance to invite the sports team. Might be the best chance to invite the marching band, because you're having camp at a season when they're not as busy or there might be things for them to do there that are regular. Sunday or Wednesday may not feel as like connected or enticing.
Speaker 2:And for me in my years of student ministry it always felt like the beginning of school year really was the start of the year.
Speaker 1:It is Like whether that's mid-August, september 1, that is the beginning of the youth ministry year. I think camp is either the like, the finale, or it's the pre To kick off. The kick off into what is the September, october, November is the most routine. I think that you'll ever get students involved in your ministry. If you're ever going to have any kind of like, like we're going to have a prayer practice or like a 30-day challenge, like September is kind of the most perfect month for that, more than I think any other month, because they're routineized in school and like they're adapting new routines out of an old routine, so it's the best time to add one more layer, yeah.
Speaker 2:So there are a couple of different things that I want to at least put in our brains as we think about the fall, the school year starting in the new year, all of those kind of things that I think are really important to be thinking about in student ministry. One one, it is recruitment training of your leaders. Get them ready now.
Speaker 2:This is a great time If you have. if you've invited new leaders to come to camp with you, which is a good invitation point, this is a great place to transition them into ongoing small group leaders.
Speaker 1:Hey, you had junior girls this summer at camp. What would you think about during the course of the school year, being involved more on Wednesday nights?
Speaker 2:And so be thinking right now okay, how are we going to recruit, train all these kinds of leaders beginning of school year? You need to be doing that, focused on that, now in the in between, because you've got to have them ready in August, right?
Speaker 1:July, June. July is the best time to get ready for August, September. when it comes to having your leaders in place, It's really hard the week before.
Speaker 2:Yeah, That's a hard as scrambling the week before or two weeks out to find leaders like you're really, really behind the game, and so that takes time. It takes, you know, asking for them to think about it and get back to you, and then there's some portion hopefully for you of going okay, even if it's as simple as here's how to get logged in to make sure to be able to download the curriculum that you're going to use.
Speaker 1:Here's the way we, here's the rhythm of we send it out on Thursdays or whatever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, And so we want to be thinking about leaders. It's a great time to be recruiting new leaders, gathering new leaders, getting to know them. Summer always feels like a relational time anyway, which is, i think, the most important and best way to recruit leaders, and so, instead of making those like blanket ask on a Sunday morning, or we church.
Speaker 1:If you want to hang out, we could use you in youth ministry. You're never going to get as many people as you need, or? the best people You're going to get folks that feel sorry for you and not folks that are excited about student ministry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, And so this is always a time period You're also around parents a little bit more. Yeah, i've always found that parents inside of the student ministry make for some of the best leaders. They're connected with other parents. They already know students. Those are some great relationships to lean on. And so going and having coffee or breakfast with that dad or lunch with that mom, or coffee and talking through hey, are you interested coming volunteer?
Speaker 1:More involved.
Speaker 2:This is what it would look like, and you may have different things that you have set up for that, and so this is a great time to be recruiting leaders and getting them in place.
Speaker 1:We actually utilize camp in the summer as a way to get folks into fall small groups either by who they were with at camp. But for our high school groups there was a season where we were meeting in homes and they were meeting in homes by more of geography and affinity than like seniors and sophomores. It wasn't grade level assigned, it was more like you live on this side of town, these are some of your friend groups, and so we would actually have them be connected and get signed up for those groups. Yeah, in July summer camp for September kickoff, which feels like a long time away until they help solidify that relationships. And so, again, if you're age-graded stuff, maybe that folds right into what you're doing on a Sunday or a midweek, but I think even utilizing camp to set you up for the fall is really important.
Speaker 2:The next thing that I think that you can think about during this time period is space. Okay, so like outer space. So yes, zach, you, and What is it? Neil deGrasse?
Speaker 1:DeGrasse Tyson, you say space and we think planets. Yeah, no, so your physical space?
Speaker 2:So room set up those kind of things, It's a great chance to paint a wall.
Speaker 1:Exactly, it really is. I know it seems like more work and it kind of is, but if you have a couple weeks off after camp, you probably have more help, you'll have more involvement and you'll have the time to do it.
Speaker 2:One of the things that I would recommend doing, if you're able to do it. Some churches will allow it, some won't, so you may have to get creative. Maybe you take a couple weeks outside, you're doing stuff at the pool, whatever, but close your building off, okay, for a month, if you can do it. Yeah, to do any sort of like set up. If you're gonna do a new stage design, yeah, redress classrooms.
Speaker 1:That kind of stuff, toss some stuff out of a closet Nobody wants to fight over.
Speaker 2:Give yourself a few weeks to be able to do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Schedule things outside if you're not able to completely close for a few weeks.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's great. So you're still meeting, but you're still meeting right hands off.
Speaker 2:Do it at the park or whatever. Yeah, but you can build some excitement that way. Okay For a launch. I'm a big believer in a great fall launch. Okay, so Wednesday night we're gearing for it.
Speaker 1:It's on calendar. There's a lead up to it. It's not just we got back from camp, We went right back to it. There's a little bit of. there's some space between.
Speaker 2:If you're having a big fall kickoff and you always want to have a purpose And a lot of times fall is great time because it's the beginning of the year, we want to revitalize our groups, those kind of things. So come, bring friends. For this group We're gonna have a big kickoff night. Fun stuff, high five to fun stuff. But your kids that are have been there the whole time getting to walk into a room that feels new.
Speaker 1:It feels new, it feels fresh. But again, that's part of the school excitement, making schools not always fun, but it is exciting when there's a new building, a new classroom, a new teacher And so And it doesn't have to be a full remodel or change, sometimes just some new artwork, some new banners, those kind of things New photos from camp that summer. Move some tables around Again you can do. You paint one wall and move the furniture from one side to the other. Bingo, bingo.
Speaker 2:It's a new room And sometimes just cleaning, right, like I've seen some youth rooms. There's, like that box that's been there since camp 08. Right, it probably needs to be moved. It's propping up the monitor wedge, right, right, and so we can freshen up our space. That way, i think this is a great time. Yeah, the other element that I think is huge, that I would actually recommend starting at the beginning of summer. But if you haven't yet, start today. Start today A transition of your sixth graders in, or your fifth graders, depending, the new class, your transition of your elementary into your student ministry. Getting those relationships going. And one of the best ways that's part of that process is parents At that age. Parents have been so, so hands on in their kids life. I think sometimes, as youth ministers, we forget that student ministry is one of the first places that parents will drop off their kid Outside of school, right, for the first time.
Speaker 1:It's one of the depending on the school and the church size, could be one of the largest social settings. Yeah, it's one of the large, potentially one of the largest trusted social settings for a parent in their kid Yeah, high trust, high trust.
Speaker 2:So I think making time to have a dedicated parent meeting this time period is so, so important. If you do it for not all of your parents, at least do it for those parents that are transitioning into. Yeah, you need to be able to talk about strategy, value of your student ministry, rhythm of meeting. Explain to your parents why it's important for their kids to be there. Yeah, you've got to understand. So many youth pastors are getting frustrated with their parents because they're choosing sports or activities over, because they've never been told that you're more than an activity. Right Right, like for many parents that didn't grow up around student ministry. Right Right, which is a lot. It's more than we think. Yeah, like their views Or?
Speaker 1:they grew up in one that was not good, Right Like their experience was bad.
Speaker 2:Therefore, if their kid has a bad experience they're super sympathetic to it Right, Because for a lot of parents that we're talking their age student ministry did just look like hanging out Student ministry.
Speaker 1:Was the pizza ping pong the silly fun, for not necessarily a reason or purpose? Right, it was the kid that ate too much chili dogs threw up. Yes, and now Jimmy's gross, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so for them to pick baseball over that, right In their mind, right, it may not seem like a big deal, and so for you to be able to talk through. Hey, here's our strategy, here's what I want your student to learn and know about who God is over the next seven years. Here's what you hope for your student, i think that's one of the things too.
Speaker 1:There's a trajectory for this. Like youth ministers will often say it to each other, like you're less likely to pick professional baseball and you're more likely to follow Jesus your whole life. Yeah, have you communicated that kindly to the parents? or is that just something that we say to each other on Facebook, because it's got to be something that they hear from you and not that you hope they figure out? Right, you've got to educate them as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the other thing that I really want to encourage during that time period is understand and know the parents fears.
Speaker 1:Hmm.
Speaker 2:You may want to go guns blazing and this is what your kids going to learn, and here's our values and all those.
Speaker 1:It's going to be loud and exciting and we're going to pack this room out. It's going to be hype.
Speaker 2:We're going to reach all these kids for Christ, which is awesome and a noble effort and, i believe, our number one calling.
Speaker 1:And Lila's mom heard you say loud, overwhelming, too much, and for her daughter, who already is, like a little sensitive to loud environments, she's out, she's out.
Speaker 2:She's out, or the big thing is this for so many of these parents. They are afraid and they're concerned for their kids safety. Yes, you've got to remember, these are parents of fifth graders who are sending their kid to a room that's going to meet couple hours every week. Yeah, and you may have 19 year old kids also in there. Yeah, that's an adult Right, and so that could be, that could be very terrifying. And so to be able to talk through with parents, hey, here are safety measures, here are the things that we've put in place to make sure that your kid is safe. Talk about the procedure that you have of how do we recruit leaders? Yeah, what are the background checks that we do? What are?
Speaker 1:the leaders, either in person or on a profile page.
Speaker 2:You need to have your leaders there to it, or at least a picture of your leaders, so your parents can see these are the people that I'm drawing, yeah, that I'm dropping my kid off, that I'm trusting them with. Talk about the ways that you are making sure that is as safe an environment as you possibly can for their kids. Yeah, it's good. You are in the period of time of building trust with these parents. You are, they are entrusting you by dropping off, yeah, the greatest thing they have in the world. Yeah, and I can't emphasize enough, we cannot take that lightly, yeah, and so I think, right now, whether you are planning for a big kickoff, a small kickoff, there are a lot of things that are coming up really quickly. Don't wait until the last moment to start preparing for these things that are starting up your entire year, that are so, so important.
Speaker 1:It's a silly adage but it's really true. Often how you start is how you finish And I think for a lot of folks that feel like the wheels come off halfway through the year, the trust stuff wasn't put there early enough, the expectations weren't set enough, like if you don't communicate to parents, like being here weekly. I know it's a sacrifice, but we think it's of eternal significance You start talking that way and how seriously you take the safety of their kid. It's a different conversation when they get busy with ball in January and February, when basketball season really ramps up and they're having to choose Because you've communicated.
Speaker 1:This isn't just another thing to fill their time. This is something we believe will shape them in a Christian community, will form values, will give them eternal hope, will give them life purpose beyond just the rigor of playing on a team for a sport that's fun now but may not have really an end game later. We believe that this is the most important thing You start talking with vision terms and backing it up with safety concerns. It will land differently and you will be charted out differently, yep.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a lot of ways that you can set yourself up for success in this time period that's going to pay dividends over and over the next year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's good. So, wherever you're at today, whether you're finishing up a camp and this is the road trip home or you are winding down from maybe a vacay with your family that we hope that you're taking, even if that's just a few days away, or a staycation at home, would you, in the next few weeks, as you get ready for one of the most we talk about summer as the busiest season in ministry I think fall might be one of the most important Yeah, at least for student ministry getting set on the right track. Take these seriously and if you have questions or concerns, would you message and reach out to us. Don't feel like we loaded up with a lot of things to say and with no help to give. Like. take it seriously enough to communicate, have conversation and make big moves to get ready for this fall season.
Speaker 2:Love you guys.