Hello Tooth Fairy...

I've written numerous times on the importance of child-like faith...and how having child-like (and not childish) faith can extend our youth ministry careers.  How God has set aside the Kingdom of God for the childlike...for those who are loving enough to trust and obey Him, and humble enough to depend on Him.

Which brings us to this week's post.  My middle-child Jake wiggled one of his teeth right off of the gum last night and decided to write the Tooth Fairy a note before he went to bed.

His heartfelt letter is a perfect example of child-like faith:  it's innocent, it's curious, and full of wonder and awe.

I think his Tooth Fairy is going to have to find a second job though.

Clayton Imoo is husband to Gail and father to sons Sean Isaiah and Jacob Isaac and daughter Kayla Marie.  He has served as the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver for the past ten years.  Learn more about him at http://www.claytonimoo.com or follow him @claytonimoo

Love Your Neighbour

One thing I found while I was in ministry was that very often I would get caught up in the act of doing ministry and keeping the machine going that I would tend to forget the very reason I got there in the first place.  I would focus on just getting that next lesson done, or finishing up the planning for that big event, or making sure I had all the fundraising money in where it was supposed to be going. 

In the midst of all that I would forget WHY I was doing it.  Jesus has called us to love our neighbour, and I would tend to forget that love is a verb, meaning action!  While I believe that all the things that are a part of general Youth Ministry are important and foundational, I'm urging you this week to focus on what you can do to love on your neighbour.  Do they need some small kind of help like cleaning up their yard after fall decided to puke all over their lawn? Do they need something more serious like food? Are they in some kind of crises that you can help with?  The more I learn about God the more I learn just how much his heart aches for the world and understand the responsibility that we have for our heart to ache in the same way.

There is a new book that is on my next to read list called "Love Does" by Bob Goff that speaks directly to it.  I'll be sure to write a review here some week when I get around to getting off my list. 

So what are you doing this week to be the action verb part of loving your neighbour?

Going Slow with Dr. Low

That sucks!

I was vacuuming the floor yesterday and nothing was coming up. It looked like I was vacuuming because I was leaving the little grooves from the vacuum all over the floor so I probably could have gotten away with making my wife think I had vacuumed, but the reality was nothing was being sucked up. So I decided to do the obvious and empty the canister to see if that would help.

My wife had warned me that the canister was full and needed emptying but I thought I would do it after I vacuumed. But when I emptied it I realized it wasn't just full, it was so full that it was clogged and nothing was able to be sucked in, not even air. Because of the weather and shear laziness we had not emptied the vacuum in weeks even though we knew we should and now we were paying for it.

While the analogy may seem obvious it did make me think of what I am not able to take in or embrace when my heart, mind, soul or even schedule is too full. How many blessings and opportunities from God do I miss simply because I fail to keep the flow open as it gets clogged up with too many things - maybe blatant sin or maybe just innocent busyness or distraction.

What do you need to clean up, give up or open up in order to experience more of a free-flowing connection with God?

 P.S. Check out my new book, Playground Prayers and Monkey Bar Meditations.

If you only had 15 minutes

If you had 15 minutes to talk to parents and teenagers about living out their faith in today's world, what would you say to them?

How would you take your years of experience and sum it up in 15 minutes? What topics would you cover? What passages of scripture would you use to communicate your heart felt desire to these students and parents? Would you be funny or serious in your presentation? Would you use visuals (Keynote/PowerPoint)?

Would your topics include:

• texting
• social media
• culture
• biblical lesson or point
• parenting do's & don'ts
• how to share who Jesus is with their friends
• how to read their bible
• share a personal story
• give them something to take home

So what would you do if you were given 15 minutes to talk to parents and teenagers about living out their faith in today's world?

Why We Do What We Do (as Youth Ministers)

This past weekend, we held our annual Spirit Day rally for the grade 7 students of the Archdiocese of Vancouver.  Themed “Almighty”, it was our biggest Spirit Day ever with 2,100 youth and adult participants converging at the Chandos Pattison Auditorium in Surrey over the weekend.

We’ve been very deliberate, intentional, and strategic in our Spirit Day planning since its inception in 2005.  In some respects it has become the “piece de resistance” of our Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry given its size, scope, and impact. 

There are so many elements to the event that remind me of why I serve in youth ministry and how blessed I am to serve in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.  For instance:

• When I see the joy and hope in the faces of the grade 7 students...a true spirit of wonder, awe, and excitement to be there - I’m reminded of why I serve in youth ministry.
• When the manager of the venue affirms us (with tears welling up in her eyes) by stating that she wished she had events like these when she was a grade 7 student – I’m reminded of why I serve in youth ministry.
• When our final tally shows 175 volunteers for the weekend with a large percentage of them being past Spirit Day attendees who want to give back - I’m reminded of why I serve in youth ministry.
• When young adults write an intelligent and entertaining script that springs to life on stage via the Stage Team complete with costumes, choreography, and genuine emotion - I’m reminded of why I serve in youth ministry.
• When members of the Logistics Team stand outside all day in the cold rain just to make the experience a tad more enjoyable for the participants - I’m reminded of why I serve in youth ministry.
• When our Spirit Team superheroes are hoarse and dog-tired because of 2 days of screaming, shouting, playing and singing - I’m reminded of why I serve in youth ministry.
• When a parent I’ve known for 13 years thanks us for the opportunities we’ve given her kids and tells me that I literally saved one of her children by my witness and invitation – I’m reminded of why I serve in youth ministry.

I know that is sounds like I’m bragging.  In fact, I probably am.

But I give all the glory, praise and honour to God.  For through Him, with Him, and in Him, all things are possible.

He is Almighty indeed.

Clayton Imoo is husband to Gail and father to sons Sean Isaiah and Jacob Isaac and daughter Kayla Marie.  He has served as the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver for the past ten years, helping parishes develop their own youth and young adult ministries.  When not doing ministry, Clay enjoys spending time with his family, playing music, playing sports, playing naptime, and writing blogs on topics such as family, faith, and the Vancouver Canucks.  Learn more about him at http://www.claytonimoo.com or follow him @claytonimoo 
 

Ice Breakers Part 4 - Conclusion

I've been absent for the last few weeks.  Things have been pretty busy for me lately and I haven't had the time to write as I'd like.

Here is the last part in a chapter in a book I'm pecking away at about putting youth lessons together in an easy to read and practical fashion.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Conclusion

This seemingly simple part of the lesson can sometimes be the most powerful utility in your toolbox as a youth leader. Most of the time you are going to get a wide variety of pointless answers that seem to go nowhere.  But for that one time, when a difficult kid who refuses to speak, opens up about an inner dream of theirs, it makes the whole process worth it.

At the end of the day, your goal as a Youth Worker should be to connect with kids.  Many times this can be a very difficult process, especially for those leaders who do not have a ton of experience.  The Ice Breaker does not need to be confined to your lesson. Feel free to use it when hanging out with your youth.  Using neutral, light hearted questions can open doors for you to grow in your relationship with them and at the end of the day that is why we are here.

Ice Breakers Examples that I have used with success:

·         Who is your favorite super hero and why?

·         Name something you collect?

·         What was your favorite thing you did all summer (Fall/Spring/Winter)?

·         What is the weirdest dream you have ever had?

·         What is your favorite (or least favorite)______(drink/food/Day/Month/etc)?

·         If there was a movie made about your life, who would play you?

·         What is one thing you are looking forward to doing this year?

·         What is your favorite cartoon?

·         What is one thing you would like to do in Youth Group this year?

·         If you could do anything for the rest of your life, what would it be?

·         If you could only take one thing on a desert island, what would it be?

·         If money was no object, what is one thing that you would buy and why?

·         What was your favorite toy as a child?

·         If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?

·         If you could ask God one question, what would it be?

·         The most memorable gift you received was?

·         Where do you usually like to shop?

·         What is something you want to accomplish this year?

·         If you could only have one album on a deserted island what would it be?

 

How to Change a Church Culture

Almost every single youth worker I know is a maverick. They're on the front-lines and taking ground, they're passionate about what they do, and their picture of the future is big. Unfortunately, many of these same youth workers get bogged down in a church or ministry culture that stifles and kills this maverick baditude.  

Creating environments where people feel risky enough to lead and innovate is no easy task – especially when many church environment's have a default setting to minimize or eliminate risk all-together. Further, innovation within an organization that has a “we used to do it this way” mentality or a flat-lining budget will, inevitably, pose the most resistance to change. Yet, these are the churches and organizations whose very lives depend on the maverick attitude of new blood to breathe life and daring into it.

Photo credit: Jeremy Postal

So what do you do if you find yourself in a church or organization that needs change but is afraid or unwilling to do so? You’re the maverick, what do you do?

REMEMBER:

1. It is unlikely that you will effect much or any change from the outside. Lean in, engage deeper, and begin to live and operate differently.
2. The bigger the ship, the slower the change. Small teams and organizations are generally more nimble, act quicker, and learn faster. The larger your church is the longer and more complicated it will be to bring change.
3. Deal with your pride. Humility goes a long way in creating an atmosphere of trust and credibility. People would much rather go with someone through the turbulence of risk, innovation, and change if they are being led in humility and not arrogance.

ACT:

1. Prepare – Do your homework, read Seth Godin’s blog on creating a plan, and find good counsel. Blaine Bartel wrote that “If you sweat in preparation you will not bleed in battle.”
2. Do – After you make the plan, work the plan. Many mavericks are capable of seeing the start line and the finish line but lack the sight, skills, structure, and stamina to work the race. You can’t just be a maverick, you have to do what mavericks do.
3. Evaluate – Measure the results, take notes throughout the entire process, and make sure that you can quantify the positive effect of innovation. Analytics are powerful voices of change around a board or staff table.
4. Improve – Do it again, use what you’ve measured, and take your game to the next level.

QUESTION: What are the biggest road-blocks that youth ministry mavericks face in a church or organization?

Jeremy Postal is the director of Whistler School, a bible and discipleship school based out of beautiful Whistler, BC. He is passionate about building communities of restoration & creativity with Christ as the focus. You can also catch him regularly on his blog at www.jeremypostal.com or connect via Twitter @JeremyPostal.