Ministry Blackboard

11Mar/130

the Monday Morning Debrief: Keeping students engaged

If you haven't ever met me before in person, it wouldn't take you long to figure out, once we do meet, that I am a big fan of all things Apple, Inc.  I have a MacBook, iPhone, Apple TV, iPad and my girls have their own Apple products as well.

One reason why I keep buying Apple products is that they have great products.  But, another reason is probably more important.  See, with those great products, they have established an eco-system that is hard to move away from.  By that I mean that when you buy an iPhone, you buy your Apps, movies and songs all through the iTunes store.  Once you buy it on one device you can use what you bought on every other Apple device.  That means you don't have to keep buying the same game, song, movie or app over and over again to play it on your various devices.  AllThingsD explains this further in a great article about the Stickiness of the Apple iOS.

So what's the stickiness of Apple have to do with ministry?

Once you are sold on Apple's platform and products, it is hard to stray to devices Android and Windows make, but you have tremendous by in already.  It doesn't make sense economically to buy an iPad and then a Galaxy III because you will have to buy the same Angry Birds app twice whereas if you just had an iPhone, you could easy download it without having to pay for it all over again.

So the question is, have we engaged our students enough...do they have enough "buy in" our programs and offerings that they aren't going to be wandering off to other programs, ministries or other worldly desires.  Now, I'm all about Kingdom work and I don't care who gets the credit when it comes to the salvation of students.  However, I believe that if we do ministry well, students aren't going to be looking at other places to find exactly what they are looking for.

So, are your students engaged?  Do they like what you are doing?  Do they have ownership of the program?  Are the contributors or spectators?  Are they trying to help but you aren't listening?  Do you have a strategy for taking them from new believer to fully devoted follower of Christ?  What is our eco-system that students can latch onto?

These are all questions we should be asking ourselves as we try to keep students engaged...not just for the sake of engagement, but to keep them learning and growing in Christ in hopes that the Kingdom of Heaven can continue to grow, one engaged life at a time.

Thoughts? Experiences? Post a comment so that we can all learn from each other and benefit.

 

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18Feb/131

the Monday Morning Debrief: Changing the Rules of the Game

On Friday, MG Siegler from TechCrunch wrote about Apple and its gaming possibilities.  As he weighed in on his opinion he made a comment that made me think a lot.  He said, "Apple will not win this space by playing the game that Microsoft, Sony, and to some extent, Nintendo, are playing. They will win by changing the rules of the game."

Fascinating comment. Actually, it's more than fascinating.  It was a brilliant observation because that is what Apple has always done.  They have never played by the same rules as everyone else.  They have always changed the rules.  Beginning with linking the iPod to an actual music store (iTunes), the iPhone WITHOUT a keyboard and the whole new category they created with the iPad.  Sure, Apple didn't create the 1st mp3 player or phone or tablet.  They just changed the rules on how they would attack these products.

In the same way, I think we, Youth Ministers, need to change the rules of the game in reaching students.  Students are different than they were 20 years ago (that's when I graduated...I know I'm an old man).  That means, the ways we reach them needs to change.  And, instead of being reactive to their changes, I believe we need to change the rules of the game and be proactive.  We need to give these students something they want without them even knowing they want it.  I know it sounds consumerism but hear me out.

Before Apple introduced the iPad, there were tablet computers out there.  But not like the iPad.  Tablets were used as a cross between notebooks and desktops.  But what Apple did with the iPad was they created a whole new niche...a consumption machine.  The iPad wasn't necessarily for profession or getting work done.  Rather, it was more for consumption of information.  No one ever though of it like that before.  And the iPad was and continues to have a HUGE market share of the tablet market.  They created something that we wanted but didn't even realize we wanted until they told us.

How can we present Christ in such a way that they are learning and growing in HIM and not even really realize what they are doing?  I'm not saying we trick them but I think we get so fixated on doing things the way they have always done, that we forget how to innovate and create something that is so exciting that students can't wait to participate.

So what is that?  I DON'T KNOW!  Seriously, I have no idea but being apart of the nZone at New Life has caused me to think of what youth ministry rules I need to break to reach students for Christ.  I've already tried a weight training Bible study last summer and I'm looking at doing some intramural type events this spring and fall.  But I know there are more possibilities out there.  What are they and how can we pull them off?  It's exactly the kind of challenge that I'm sure companies like Apple ask themselves all the time.  And we, as Youth Ministers, need to be doing the same.

So right now, TAKE A MINUTE and think through what are rules you need to change to win the game.  What is it that you can offer that is so out of the box that students get sucked in and don't ever want to get out of?  Each ministry is different as each can offer something unique.  It's finding that "something" that can cause the Kingdom of heaven sing praises and praises because of all the young people that are meeting the Lord for hopefully the 1st time.

Thoughts?  Experiences?  Post a comment so that we can all be breaking the rules of the game for the sake of the Kingdom.  I would love to hear your ideas.

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13Sep/120

Most Useful Piece of Technology

Ok admit it. Really, it's ok. Even if you aren't an Apple Fanboy, you were watching the iPhone 5 announcement with excitement, curiosity and maybe even a little bit of glee as you were debating whether or not to upgrade your current phone. Seriously, it is ok...I did.

With the iPhone 5 announcement, iPod update and the much speculated "iPad Mini" release, it made me think of 2 things:

  1. My love of Apple products (I'm not afraid to admit it)
  2. How much I rely on technology for ministry.

Technology has become so vital to how we do ministry so I thought it would be fun to see which piece of technology do we rely on the most and why. For me, it's the iPhone. Why? It's because I can store and play music and videos on it for youth activities. I also rely on the Maps feature for directions for youth trips. In addition, all the social media apps I use (I'm currently writing this blog on my iPhone app), makes for a great way to connect to students and leaders.

I could go on and on about the many uses of my iPhone but I want to hear from you. So right now, TAKE A MINUTE and share your most favorite, useful piece of technology you use for ministry.  Whether it's the iPhone, iPad, Android phone, projector, Wii (did you hear about the new Wii U out in soon?) or some other product, share your thoughts and post why.

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20Jun/120

Splice, a very useful ministry app

I'm always looking for new apps on my iPhone that I can use for ministry.  Well, I think I found the mother load with Splice.  Splice is a FREE video editor app.

The reason why I love splice is that it is simple to use.  I take the photos and video on my iPhone.  I then open the app, start a new video and select the photos and videos I want to include.

After that, Splice prepares it in order and even adds transitions from photo to video or video to video.  When they prepare it you can preview it and even add it more photos, videos or transitions.  Also, you can include your own text as slides and add music as the background from your music library.

Then, when it is all done, you export it right to your camera roll.  From there I've tweeted it and put it on youtube.  It was so easy to do.

Honestly, I'm feel like I'm having a hard time explaining how easy it is, so you are just going to have to try it for yourself.  In the meantime, cheek out this video I just did on Monday (filmed on Sunday, put it together on Monday).  It took me maybe 45 minutes to do.

YouTube Preview Image

Splice is an iPhone only app.  For more information on Splice, click here.

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14May/120

the Monday Morning Debrief: Quit Overdoing

This weekend I saw a short little article about the difference between Android based products and Apple based products.  It's actually more of a photo than anything else as just looking at the visual speaks volumes.

The posting goes on to say that there is so much Android compared to just 2 Apple products.  To some people that may seem like a good thing for Android. But this article goes on the point out that in order for you, a developer, to get your Android based app out, you have to test it against some 400 based devices because every device runs a slightly different version of Android.  That is compared to just 2 iOS devices in the iPhone and iPad.  The concluding statement was that they support iOS because it is "A little simpler, if you ask us."

So what?  So how does this relate to ministry at all?

Simple really...Simplify your life.  Simplify your ministry.  Android is all over the place but it is fragmented.  There is so much that the product it is hard for programmers to develop for them because each product is just a little different.  On the other hand, it is easy for programmers to develop of Apple since there are only 2 main devices.

In our lives and ministry we can dilute our time with unnecessary things and programs. We do this thing and that program and we have made ourselves so busy because we believe that the more busy we are the more production we are having.  But the reality is that sometimes we do, do, do and then forget why we actually do certain things.  It had a purpose early on, but maybe now that purpose is no longer relevant or valid.  All these "things" do is clutter our life with more and more unnecessary stuff.

So my encouragement for all of us today is to TAKE A MINUTE and think through what we are doing (both in our personal lives and our ministry).  Is something you need to cut out?  If so, what do you need to eliminate, not to make your life "easier" but to simplify it so you stay focused on the main things in life and ministry?

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Experiences?  Post a comment and let the discussion begin so that we can all benefit from it.

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20Apr/120

POLL: What phone do you use for Youth Ministry

Just curious, what phone do you use (not wish you had), but use for ministry?

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1Sep/110

Making Changes: Part 3 – Staffing/Volunteer

In case you didn't hear, Steve Jobs resigned this past Wednesday afternoon.  This comes at a time when Apple, Inc. is riding an all time high of momentum (check out their latest quarterly earnings and how they apply to ministry here). Whether it is an iPhone, iPod, iPad or any other Mac computer, Apple is crushing the competition.  But it wasn't always this way with Steve Jobs and Apple.

Did you know that Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, Inc., was actually forced out of the company back in 1985?  Because of slow Mac sales, poor relationships with colleagues and stronger competition from Microsoft, Jobs was shown the door from the company he created.  However, with Apple struggling even more than when Jobs left in 1985, they asked him to come in 1997 to come back to Apple and take it over as CEO.  It was only then that the new and improved Apple, Inc. came into fruition.  What Jobs has done with Apple since his return is remarkable and his legacy will last a long time as a innovator and marketing genius.

Steve Jobs may be an extreme example, but sometimes job changes and even personnel changes may help make the person and the company better.  Obviously, Apple looks really bad in hindsight for letting go of Steve Jobs back in the '80s but better late than never in recognizing that and bringing him back.

In light of last week's resignation, today I am going focus on part 3 of making ministry changes.  Part 1: Programmatic changes and Part 2: Strategic changes were done last week.  This change may be one of the hardest and biggest one of all the changes you make.  It is making staffing and volunteer changes.

As hard as it may be at times, making some staffing and volunteer changes may be exactly what your ministry needs.  There are probably a ton of reasons why these changes need to happen but the reality is that when making a change you realize that this particular Staffer or Volunteer is no longer being a valuable assest to your program.  They are no longer making an impact.  They may not be doing anything negative to affect the program but a change may be needed for the better.  There are two different types of "personel" changes:

  1. It could be something simple like changing their focus
  2. Asking a leader to step down and no longer be a leader
The better option of these two is when you ask a leader to change their focus.  When you do that you are still desiring for them to be involved, but simply change what they are currently doing to do something different.  I have asked leaders this mainly because the time and energy they have for the youth and the ministry is no longer what it used to be.  A perfect example is an old college-aged leader I had.  He was great and served together with me for many years as he was in college and just out of college.  He had no strings attached and was alway really involved with students and programming aspects of the ministry.  But then he got married, which started taking up more of his time.  He wasn't as "available" as he used to be.  THEN, he started having a family by having children!  Really!?!  Just kidding, but seriously, because of this, he was hardly available.  So he and I sat down and talk through what his role would look like from that point on.  It was a great conversation because he realized that I cared for him and his family while also caring for the students in our program.  We were able to talk through a perfect new role for him.

Now, I want to caution you, my 1st suggestion would be to not just let this person "go" and ask them not to be a leader.  The first thing you need to do is to go before God first and foremost and seek his counsel on it.  See what He is telling you to do. If, after this time with the Lord, you feel like this person could be of some use in another area of your ministry, it would be best to meet with him/her and discuss your concerns and try to work out a plan for this person to go from making a limited impact to a highly successful one.  After all, we want all our staffers and volunteers to be making an impact.  If they are not, and have no desire to adjust and change, then there really isn't a point in having them involved much longer.

But what if you have a staffer or volunteer that is causing division and a divide in your group or leadership?  What do you do then?  Good question and for the sake of longevity of this post, I will be posting on that topic early next week.

Regardless of what you feel like God is leading you to do, I can say that if you know a change needs to happen and you, for whatever reason, do not make the change, it is going to affect your students and program.

So right now, TAKE A MINUTE and go before the Lord and seek his wisdom.  Is there a change that needs to happen? In addition, after you spend some time with the Lord, go to a few trusted people with knowledge of your program and see if they feel any changes need to happen.

Thoughts, comments, questions?  Post a comment so we can all benefit.

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