Questions Youth Pastors should ask a potential church

If you have ever been interviewed at a church for the position of youth pastor you know how difficult those can be.  Most of the time a church wants to know how you will handle issues in the youth ministry different than the last guy (this is done with “leading” questions like “what would you do if…”, or “what would you do about…”) and how much money you want. 

But, did you know that if you are interviewing at a church that you also need to “interview” them?  They are asking you to pack up and move to their town so you need to have a good idea of what the church dynamics and leadership is like BEFORE you say yes to the call. 

It is vital that the church know your core values, belief statements, and your leadership style before they hire you…it is also vital that you get as much information you can before you accept the invitation to move to a church.  Here are some sample questions to ask a potential church seeking you as a youth pastor:

1) What is the church mission/vision statement? – If they do not have one or if it cannot be defined it may explain a lot about the church.  This is not necessarily a cause to not accept the position, but one that definitely needs investigated.

2) Why do you need me as your youth pastor? – I have always been asked “why do you want to come here” but it is always surprising to here a potential church answer this question of why they want the candidate for their church.  This helps know if they truly prayed about whom to interview, or did they pick one out of the pile, or was your resume the only one received.  It also helps you understand the written and unwritten expectations of the ministry.

3) What are the biggest needs of teenagers in this church?  -- This helps me know how much of a pulse the church leadership has on the young people in their own church.  The answer to this question tells a lot about how much a church values teenagers.

4) What issues has the church gone through in the last 5 years and what were the lessons learned?  -- This helps you understand church leadership and if there are still unresolved issues that may be carried to your hire.  I learned this one the hard way.

5) What is the WRITTEN ministry description?  -- Get it in writing.  Get it signed.

There are probably more to add to this list, but this should help any of my youth pastor friends who are looking for a church to serve in and should help any church leaders who may be looking for a youth pastor in knowing what questions your candidate should know before coming to your church.

For long term ministry partnerships to happen the right person must be the right fit, and the only way that happens is when a church and pastor pray about being in the right place and they have all the information they need from the Holy Spirit to make an informed decision. 

Thanks for reading!

P.S.  Mt. Gilead people, I am not going anywhere and do not ever intend to go anywhere.  This blog was just on my mind the last week or so and needed to write it.

Teen Pressure and Youth Ministry

I read an article recently about different reasons young people are leaving the church.  The article in “Leadership Journal” Winter 2012 issue has 6 different reasons young people leave the church.  One of the 6 reasons was because they felt that they were forced to decide between the church and their friends, and that got me to thinking about youth ministry and the pressure put on our teenagers.

     

The average age a young person now begins to drift away from the church is around 15-16 years old…or when they begin to drive, get a job, be more mobile, etc…  How do we balance our holding kids accountable and challenging them to move deeper in their relationship with God and not put added pressure on them that also comes from their employers, coaches, parents, etc…?

First of all, we must hold kids accountable when they sin.  It is our duty as a fellow believer and the shepherd of our youth as adult youth leaders to do this, however we must be careful to not cross the line to judging.  The generation of young people we serve has been saturated with “tolerance and varying absolute truth” and so we must make sure we are very clear that we have the type of relationship with a student to hold them accountable and it be taken in the manner it is given.

Secondly, we must be practical and specific in our challenges.  To tell a student that they have to spend an hour reading their Bible and praying is a great thing…but it’s really not practical.  Instead we should challenge our students to give God SOMETHING…5, 10, 15 minutes, anything. 

Also, with sports and other school events no longer respecting Gods time on Sundays and Wednesdays, we only have our students for so long which means we must take our ministry to students seriously.  Our youth ministries absolutely must be more than having snacks and a great time…they must challenge our youth to grow deeper in their relationship with God, and we must do so because eternity hangs in the balance. 

What are your thoughts?  Anything you would add to this?  Let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading!

Getting Older...

Growing older is never something I have embraced.  I like being young.  I guess that is why I am in youth ministry!  This month I turn 39, I have always dreaded turning 40…I am not a fan of it!  I have realized recently that maybe, just maybe it is time I start to re-think things that I am doing in my life and start to take some things more seriously…like my health.

            

On my mom’s side of the family we have high blood pressure and vision issues and on my dad’s side of the family we have diabetes and heart disease.  Sounds fun, right?  I want to try and avoid as many of these as possible, obviously, and I also know what I need to do in order to make that happen…I need to lose weight.  

I am not extremely over weight, just at the high end of over-weight and almost to the obese line.  I need to drop 30 pounds and I want to do this by my 40^th birthday.  Here are some things that I am planning on doing to see this happen. 

LESS SODA, MORE WATER – I am a Mt. Dew junkie!  I love soda and always have.  I also know that drinking 2 or 3 sodas a day rots teeth and puts on calories and fat.  It is unrealistic for me to just quit all-together so I am doing it gradually.  I will only have 1 per day and try to not have any in a given day.  I will drink more water, kool-aid, tea, etc…

EAT BREAKFAST – I have never really been a breakfast eater.  I don’t usually wake up hungry, in fact I usually don’t even get hungry until almost lunch time.  I have read a lot of diet plans, however, that claim eating breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, supper, then a evening snack is the way to go.  It all starts with breakfast, so that is what I will do.

HEALTHIER SNACKS – Gone are the days of eating ice cream at 11pm and crackers and cheese at midnight (not on the same night!).  I know that my snack choices are to be healthier so I am going to sit down with my health expert (my amazing wife) and come up with a plan.

EXERCISE – I ran track in Jr. High.  I love to run and walk.  I need to make a priority to get back to doing that and working out to get in shape.  I want to run a marathon in my 40’s and I am in no shape to do that at all. 

These are the 4 areas that I am focusing on to try and lose weight and be in shape to live as long as possible.  Yes, you read correctly…I am trying to give up not only Mt. Dew, but all soda gradually.  As my friends feel free to hold me accountable and encourage me  as I try and train my body to be a better temple for God to use. 

Thanks for reading!

Christmas Blog

This is an exciting Christmas time in our house.  There is nothing like a child in their first Christmas time.  Malachi gets to experience his first Christmas this year.  He gets to experience the reading of the Christmas story from the book of Luke before we open presents.  He gets to experience our family discussion about the gift of Jesus and what Christmas is really all about.  He also gets to experience our family prayer time for those who are struggling this Christmas time either spiritually or physically.  These are our family Christmas habits in the Johnson house each year. 

I get concerned when I hear kids talk about their Christmas experiences and it’s almost always about a gift they have received and expressions like “this is the best Christmas ever!”.  As parents, it is our spiritual responsibility to make sure our children from the earliest possible age understand and have proper perspective about what this season is really about.  It’s about a little baby born in a cave that grew up as God in flesh to die for the greed we sometimes obsess ourselves with this time of the year. 

As you and your family celebrate and experience the Christmas weekend, make sure that the love of that baby Jesus shines through in everything you do and say.  If Jesus really is the reason for the season in your house…make sure there are examples to back that statement up this year. 

As I close.  Thanks for reading my blogs and for the comments I have received.  I am truly blessed to have incredible family, friends, and an incredible church to be a part of.  My greatest gifts are not going to be under a tree this year.  My greatest gifts came in a manger, are right now laughing and playing together on my living room floor (Hannah-14, Brianna-10, and Malachi-6 months), and made me the happiest man alive when she said “I do” 16 ½ years ago!

Merry Christmas!         

I Don't Babysit

     This is a little bit of a "soapbox" blog today.  Why is it when a child is home with mom they are called "stay at home mom" or something else that is positive, but when a child stays home with dad it's called "babysitting"?  Here are my thoughts on this topic...

     I don't babysit my kids.  I don't get paid for taking care of them.  I don't want paid...never have, never will.  When a child is born it takes a mom and a dad to raise them in the way that God intended.  This is why premarital sex and living together and having kids before you are married are not the way God intended.  When I  am home with my kids I am simply being dad who is home hanging out with my son/daughters when my wife works.  I am so blessed to have a "job" where I can set my own schedule and work from home on days that Darla works so our kids can have the most time with their parents and save money for childcare.

     I really believe that just about anyone can be a father.  It doesn't take much.  It does take a lot to be a dad that our kids need.  The role of mom is well documented, but just ask an adult about the relationship they wish they had more positive experiences with or cherished more...most of the time it's dad.  I don't hear many kids say they wish their mom spent more time with them, told them they were proud of them, kissed or told them they were loved.  It is their dad that they wish those words had come from.  Dad.

     This is a call to all dad's out there to spend time with your sons and daughters, tell them you love them, tell them they are valuable.  Remember that if you don't, someone else will and it will lead down a road you do not want to go.

     I don't babysit.  I simply try and do what God commands and that is to be the person that leads my kids to know Jesus, to know that they are treasured by me, and to train them in the ways of God so that when they leave my house they will not depart from it.


   

Salvation

     I grew up in the church.  My best friend was the preacher’s kid.  I grew up going to church with my brother and sister and mom.  When I was younger I always wanted to be in church as a family.  My dad went to church if there was nothing better to do or if he felt like it…pretty inconsistent (a great transformation happened a few years ago and my dad is a committed follower now and faithfully serves his church.  Great testimony!).  

     I knew at about 9 or 10 that I needed to accept Christ into my life and be baptized.  I knew it but put it off.  I put it off because, believe it or not I was scared to death to be in front of people.  I also wanted my dad to be there, but I didn’t want him to come to church just because I was getting baptized.  I wanted him in church because he wanted to be there. 

     On August 31, 1986 it happened.  We all went to church together as a family.  My mom was in nursery and usually my dad didn’t go if she was in there…all the more that it was God’s time for me to do this.  It was also our youth minister, Rich Weirsbe’s last Sunday at Little Prairie Christian Church.  I loved going to kids church with him and his wife…they made learning about Jesus fun.  The invitation song was “Trust and Obey” and I felt my knees buckle and my heart started racing.  I moved into the aisle and down I went.  It was the greatest day of my life…the day I accepted Christ as my Savior and was baptized.  Salvation never felt so good!

     I have had a lot of people in my life that made such an impact on me.  I can remember Sunday School teachers like Betty Saxe, Betty Bunting & Lola Summers, Donald & Dorothy Woods, Lorna Mann (who told me almost every Sunday I would be a minister…it’s your fault, Lorna!), and Jack Kelsey.  I remember youth group with Kevin & Pam Wiseman and Danny & Lana Newport…those were some great times!  I also remember cool youth ministers that impacted my life like Matt Sutman & Terry Harmon (the reason I am in youth ministry).

     You want to know something really cool about that day, 25 years ago on August 31, 1986?  On that very day in Potosi, Missouri my wife was making the exact same decision!  We did not know each other until her first day at St. Louis Christian College in 1992!  We have been spiritual soul mates from day one! 

     Accepting Christ and making him the Lord of your life is the single most important decision you will ever make.  It affects all of your other decisions and dreams for the rest of your life.  How you will treat other people, who you date and marry, where you go to college and what career you choose, how you raise your kids.  Everything is all tied around this decision.  So…have you made that decision?  Here is how…

Realize you have sin and need a Savior – Sin is anything that we do that breaks one of God’s commands.  We find in Romans 3:23 that we all sin and in Romans 6:23 that we deserve to be separated from God because of our sin.  We also notice in Romans 5:6-8 that Jesus died for our sins at just the right time so we can come to him to be clean.

Choose to accept Jesus as your Savior and be baptized – Romans 10:9 says to confess Jesus as Lord with your mouth.  Confess him as the captain of your ship.  Confess him as being in charge of your every decision.  Confess and acknowledge that you are nothing without him and are willing to totally surrender to his Lordship.  Acts 2:38 is our response to our confession…to repent and change our ways and be baptized.  Baptism is part of the salvation process and is necessary to wash us clean and it also symbolizes our death to our old self and raising to a new life with our Lord Jesus.

     I have never regretted making that decision to bring Jesus into my life at 13 years old.  I have regretted waiting until I was late high school and even early college to really be serious about my faith, however.  If you have not given your life to the one who gave his life for you, do so today.  I am always available and would love to talk to you about the greatest decision of your life.  Thanks for reading!

Discipleship

One of the most important responsibilities of the believer is to “go and make disciples” as Jesus lays out in Matthew 28:18-20. If we are not making disciples we are failing at our job as Christians. What does it exactly mean to make disciples? How do we make disciples?

Disciple making is about relationships. Making disciples means we are intentionally seeking out others to come along side and walk the journey of faith together. So many times in the church I see the church being about baptizing and forgetting about making disciples in the process. If all we are doing is baptizing, then maybe we need to look at our egos and make sure we are not just about numbers of baptisms. It is a travesty to leave someone at the baptistery because we are out trying to dunk the next one. So, what does discipleship look like? Here is a suggestion…

1. Discipleship is mentoring – Making disciples is really about mentoring a younger believer in the faith. Age does not matter…it’s not about younger in age, it’s younger in the faith. I think we really miss an opportunity when we do not immediately begin studying and praying and leading those who make salvation decisions. If we help lead someone to Christ, it is also our job to follow up by helping them in their walk with the Lord so that they can go and make disciples…it’s a chain reaction.

2. Discipleship is encouraging – As we mentor and make disciples we need to remember that it is our job to encourage. New believers will fail…just as you and I will. Encouragement is somewhat of a “lost art” in our “what have you done for me lately” culture, but it is crucial that we do not miss the opportunities to do so early and often for a new believer we are helping. Encouragement is being there when they fail, believing in them when they are trying something new, and being their biggest fan when they succeed. Encouragement is essential to making disciples. Don’t miss it.

4. Discipleship is follow-through – Discipleship takes time and it is hard work. Discipleship is also very time-consuming, especially in our self-serving culture we live in. I think that is why Jesus put a high priority on discipleship in Matthew 28. One of the last things Jesus told his followers was to make disciples. He didn’t want them hiding out any longer, and he sure didn’t want them to think their job was done and have them go back to their jobs and lives they left behind. Jesus placed a priority on discipleship because he knew they would change the world. When you keep your commitment to making disciples you are helping change the world.

I hope this helps as you think about discipleship. I would recommend that as you meet with someone in a discipleship setting that it be a one-on-one setting, or a group of no more than 3-4 of the same gender. This elevates the importance of the relationship with the person you are discipling and shows the importance of what is happening. It is also easier to share when the setting is more intimate. I also would recommend that you only disciple 1 or 2 people at a time, or if you do a group only do 1 group…many more than that takes too much time and cannot be done well.

The important thing is not how many you are discipling, but who are you discipling? Who are you pouring your life into so that the message of Christ will be spread all over the world? Discipleship…yeah, it’s that important. Thanks for reading!