Mk.2.

5 seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, My child, your sins are forgiven
Daniel Globig Sen. Reflection YMI480 Prof. Brian Kono Weekly Article 8.0 10.21.13 o o o o o o Title of Article: Carpenters Helpers: Building a Ministry Team Author: Duffy Robbins Source: Book Youth Ministry: Nuts and Bolts Date of Article: 2010 Length: 15 pages Subject/Issue: Ministry Team; Recruiting; Sustainable

Summary (1,285 words): In this summary, I will discuss obstacles to overcome, in terms of getting volunteers, learning how to recruit a team, how to continue recruiting, and more stuff about recruiting. Duffy Robbins received a letter from a youth minister, telling about his group, before Robbins came to speak at the winter retreat; he found out more than expected. When this youth minister first came to the church, the youth group was around 100 and there were 12 leaders. They had developed a close bond during the four-month interim between youth directors, and they ran the programs. They apparently wanted things done their way, and not the new way. If [he] planned a program they didnt like, they expected [him] to drop it. To top this, the leaders were also unsupportive of the whole church. The new youth minister was asked to make the youth group less of a splinter-cell and more a part of the whole church, so he worked to this end. One youth leader decided to leave the church, and persistently wanted to still work with the youth ministry. However, the new youth minister and the church had a rule about not having people serve unless they were a part of the church. After this, there was a mass resignation of 10 of the 11 leaders, those who were left. They went one mile down the road, and started competing. Their church planned a fall retreat two weeks before the other churchs retreat. They started recruiting kids from the youth ministry to come to their youth ministry; they even had to disrespect to actively recruit youth by coming into the church to do so! Out of this situation came so much hurt and confusion. And there is No doubt the author of the letter often asked himself if it wouldnt be much easier to lead the youth program without any ministry team. But still, team ministry is the most common biblical type for practical reasons. There are so many different abilities, gifts, and a team can accomplish a ton more. This builds longevity and sustainability in a way which could never last especially in the absence of a previous youth minister. Someone needs to keep the ministry going; who better than those who were trained on the team to manage all programs, teach, plan, etc. A cord of three strands is not easily broken, and when one part of the rope breaks, at least the other strands will be able to temporarily hold the weight, in the wait of a new director.

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Mk.2.5 seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, My child, your sins are forgiven
Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to recruit a team. Many reasons it is difficult to lead are actually cultural tendencies. There is a movement away from volunteerism to the extent where parents want more and more leaders, but are unwilling to lead themselves. This is the mentality of, Lord, here am . Please send someone else. The Me Orientation is a huge problem which has developed in too many churches; people are more interested in gifts of the Spirit, but barely any want to serve. We lack a theology of service in churches today. In the words of Francis Xavier, the gospel challenges us to give up our small ambitions. There is a social isolation of youth volunteers since they are pursuing purpose; this usually has the opportunity cost of being able to spend time with friends their own age. This is why it is so important to implement something along the lines of Young Life which has Sunday night weekly exclusive nights with leaders only. Working women (and also working men) definitely shrink the pool of volunteering females. Apathy is huge. Short-term orientation is a trend in our culture; too many are unwilling to be tied down in other words, committed so much so the YMCA found people were more willing to work fifty hours over a four-week period than to spread that same time over four or five months. Generally, parents are only willing to commit six weeks max. So, we need to find some ways for volunteers to rotate or only serve for a period of time. The success of adult Sunday school classes has also taken a toll on the desire for parents to leave their nice group where they are nurtured, to nurture youth. This is why it is important to have a staggered teaching schedule, or elective format. Lack of prayer by youth ministers who actually want workers, is a huge cause of there being no workers assuming we believe prayer has power. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Luke 10.2) Our insecurity is an obstacle to overcome when recruiting leaders: what if theyre better leaders or better teachers. Volunteer insecurities can often be overcome by emphasizing how we serve students not because we are theological experts, but because we love them and we love Jesus! Another way we can calm volunteers fears is by having a job description with a set length of time (so they dont feel trapped), and emphasize they can dismiss themselves gracefully. Most importantly, we should invite prospective leaders to check out the youth ministry for a few weeks, without actually leading anything just being a picture on the wall. But how can I recruit a team? Getting people in the right positions can be quite a difficulty, and it requires starting with a recruiting climate. This starts by showcasing the youth ministry to the church or other venues via pictures, slideshows, videos, and such. We must ask tough questions; otherwise, as we are desperate for people, we might cut corners, which we cannot afford in order to be biblical (several biblical requirements: Lev. 21; 1 Tim. 3.1-13; Acts 6.3; Titus 6.3; Titus 1.5-9; 1 Peter 5.1-4). [Although, I might follow more of the catholic tendency, which is to get certain leaders in various positions not necessarily teaching positions who are not deeply discipled yet; then, the goal would be to develop and disciple them as well, after their in the door as opposed to

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Mk.2.5 seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, My child, your sins are forgiven
waiting for them to change before they can come in which tends to be the protestant approach to discipleship.] Recognize spiritual vitality because the youth ministry leaders should be an incarnational gospel, a living gospel (2 Cor.3.1-3). Beware of other pluses for the youth ministry such as youth culture understanding, [understanding of the local gangs or underground contextual culture], the ability to communicate [or jive in the local slang], interpersonal skills, a sense of humor (hoping its a mostly clean sense of humor), and patience. Its also important to decide beforehand the age spectrum we want leaders to generally be, approximately. Make recruiting everybodys job. With all of the above stated, there are four basic approached to recruiting volunteers to serve. The public appeal method is usually too guilt driven, nonspecific, and potentially risky. The youth should be asked who they want to be leaders. Volunteers could recruit other people they know who would be good. Still, it is pertinent to meet one-on-one, personally getting to know each person who is a prospective servant with the other youth ministers. The recruitment process follows these steps: make contact get to know who they are generally by asking general, open questions; 2nd arouse interest invite them to sit in on activities for a bit, which not being involved; 3rd specific proposal offer specific job descriptions (such as the one shown on page 142); 4th sign on the line give them about 1 week to sign on if they need time; 5th retention court them, counsel them, and cover them. The emphasis of step five is to reaffirm, re-approach, and retain. Reflection Questions (8-10): 1. How much of the early tension from the leaders was actually due to the new ministers fault? Was he trying to change too much? 2. Did he not time things appropriately? Did he start making changes too soon, or not get the right people under his wing? 3. What are some areas which are of most importance, in terms of having leaders meet certain requirements? (divorced, active church members, pregnant out of marriageetc) 4. How do I turn down people when they really want to volunteer, persistently saying they want to especially if the reason we are turning them down is due to something controversial? 5. What are the positions in which a leader doesnt necessarily need to be a Christian, and how could these people be managed so something sketchy doesnt happen? 6. How do I keep my leaders from having sex with the students since this is more likely in the inner-city? 7. To coincide with question six, what are the bottom-line requirements for someones background check, since many of the people might have a legal past?

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Mk.2.5 seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, My child, your sins are forgiven
8. Step five of the very last section, regarding the recruitment process, refers to courting, counseling, and covering the persons. What does this even mean practically? This was not explained with much detail. 9. What other legal forms or sentences should be at hand, so as to cover the butt of the youth ministry and youth center, as a whole? Application and Action: Honestly, I could easily see how this could happen. Especially if a group goes from an extremely tight-knit group of consistency and bliss to all-of-a-sudden changes, this would be a volcano waiting to erupt! The quote from Francis Xavier stuck out to me because we talked about him in History of Christianity today! We referred to his desire for people to serve in India, since there was so much need. A part of me wants to live comfortably, and the other part of me wants to live out of comfort for the rest of my life so I am forced to serve. I will still need to balance my life with sitting and serving. I might need to talk to Ben (Hub), Jim (met in Chicago - different youth center), John Weidman (Highland Park, Detroit, Outreach Center), and Dr. Britten about legal forms. Quotes or Stats: 1. If I planned a program they didnt like, they expected me to drop it. They were not aware that when there was a conflict it was almost always all of them against me I was an outsider! 2. team ministry was one of the major themes of Pauls letters (1 Cor.12; Eph.4.1-7; Rom.12.3-8). Not only is team ministry biblical, its just plain practical. 3. the greatest guarantor of ones longevity in youth work is the ability to effectively recruit, equip, and keep a good team of coworkers. A cord of three strands is not easily broken (Eccl.4.9-12). 4. You know, we asked the kids whom they would like to have working with them in their youth group, and sure enough, with one voice they began chanting your name. a. I like this kind of adulation or sweet talk; as long as it is authentic, this could be very helpful in getting certain volunteers to serve 5. Instead of asking how long theyve been married, I might simply say, Tell me about your family. 6. Instead of asking what they think their gifts are, Im going to ask, What do you most enjoy doing? Describe for me what would be your ideal role in a youth ministry program like ours. 7. Rather than asking them to give me their testimony, I might say, Describe to me your relationship with Jesus in terms you feel a teenager would understand.

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