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HOME » FOR TEACHERS AND YOUTH WORKERS » TIPS FOR THE YOUTH WORKER » TIPS FOR THE SERIOUS YOUTH WORKER IMPACTING LIVES: THE LIFE CHANGING TRINITY OF ... (1) TEACHING, (2) MOTIVATING, (3) INSPIRING: To know/teaching, to do/example and to become/inspiration. Of the three inspiring is the greatest. MINISTRY?: Don't make the all too common mistake of administrating yourself out of ministry. 'Administration’ has a nice important ring to it and often punctuated with $ $ $’s . An office, secretary, nice desk and comfortable chair and phone, can easily dumb you down and gradually separate you from real front line "people ministry." BE A STICKER!: A good old plodder. Determine to stay in your ministry and your kids lives for many years. Sticking and being long-term is largely an attitude. A long-term ministry is incredibly rewarding! AS LEADER, YOU SET THE PACE: Unlike military leadership that sits safely behind the front lines; as a leader in youth work, you're expected to be in the battle with the troops, you set the pace! Rest assured, if you slow down, the troops will also slow down, if you take it easy, the troops will take it easier. As you go, so goes the group you lead. Common sense. LEAD YOUR LEADERS AND YOU LEAD YOUR GROUP; How true this is! A concept so simple. Find your leaders, spend time with them and win them. Then work to become their leader by earning their friendship and respect. Use your leaders to help you in your ministry. RESPECTED?: As a leader you can be loved and not respected and you can be respected and not loved! HAPPY AND EFFECTIVE IS THE LEADER THAT'S BOTH LOVED AND RESPECTED by his followers. He is the healthy leader people willingly listen to and follow. Aim high! CAUTION, IN A VACUUM OF LEADERSHIP A LEADER WILL APPEAR: A perception, by your group, of 'no leadership’ or 'weak leadership’ will be an invitation to any potential wannabe leaders waiting in the wings. In the environment of strong leadership the wannabes disappear. In a vacuum of leadership a group will shrink and disband, or a leader will surface. POLITICS: Learn how to function in a political environment. Every organization will have politics, even churches! True, 'Churches’ started as a Spiritual organism, but unfortunately, in too short a time, the Church, the Bride of Christ, the body of Christ became a building with an organization inside. Organizations invite politics. Where you have a lot of people, you will have politics. Learn to live with it. ADMITTING A MISTAKE!: Be quick to admit a mistake and quicker still to correct it. PREVENT PROBLEMS; DON'T WAIT FOR THEM TO COME YOUR WAY: Be pro-active. Most people tend to wait for problems and then deal with them as they come. We need to learn a new perspective on dealing with problems. The best way to handle a problem is to (1) see it coming and (2) doing your best to preempt it. Live life looking ahead, thinking ahead and note possible situations that could develop into problems coming down the line. Then preempt those “problem” factors before they connect and form into problems. A form of preempting problems is to tell people ahead of time what they're going to be expected to do or hear later. Give your spin on it gradually and early and convincingly. (FACT! People tend to believe who and what they hear first. ) TAKING THE HEAT: 'If you can’t take the heat stay out of the kitchen’. The buck stops with the top leader, the one in charge. A good leader takes the responsibility. He doesn’t make excuses or point fingers. A good leader is one who can take it! THE DANGER OF ASSUMING: The common disease of assuming, let’s call it 'assumption’, destroys so many good plans. Assumption leaves you wide open for Murphy's Law. Simply assuming that another will be dependable and do his job, is a formula for disaster. Blame yourself. DON'T RE-INVENT THE WHEEL: Waste of time! Discover and build upon whatever wheel you choose, and/or have available, and you'll get farther faster. BE COOL: Every youth worker, or teacher (or dad)! needs to be known by his kids as being cool. Confident, authoritative, sharp, and ahead of your troops. I think parents should be seen by their kids as cool. While you may never be seen as a hero, you can be seen as cool. Cool can be defined in many ways. Not 'fake’ cool but authentic confident cool ... the fact that you are considered cool by your kids. THE MIGHTY PLATFORM: (BULLY PULPIT) and group control. Powerful tool ... use it wisely. (1) Know the power of the platform and (2) use it! DISCIPLINE OF TEACHING: Make and/or take opportunities to teach and preach. In doing this, you force yourself to learn and keep spiritually fresh. SELLING: Between telling, yelling and selling ... selling is the best! Why? Because the person buys into what you are saying. It becomes his truth. His truth will become permanent and affect his life! THE BACK DOOR IS THE BEST DOOR: In communicating with an audience remember that the 'back door’ is the informal door that 'friends’ use, it's the honest door. The front door is the formal and predictable door that everyone uses. Unfortunately the front door is what most speakers go for. Speaking for myself, in my role as a speaker I avoid the (predictable) front door and head into my audience looking for their 'back door.’ For me, as a speaker, the back door of each audience has three hinges, humor, interest and adventure. REPETITION IS A KEY IN LEARNING: When speaking to an audience: (1) Tell them what your going to tell them; (2) tell them, then (3) tell them what you told them. The success of repetition! It takes a few years for some communicators to learn that repetition is not wrong but a key to learning. ALWAYS SEPARATE NITRO FROM GLYCERIN: ... Individual control. Separate dangerous "disturbance" people combinations before they combine ... Do you have two kids in your group or class that always sit together and talk through your session? Name them 'Nitro’ and 'Glycerin’ and treat them accordingly ... no danger alone, but get them together and 'boom!’ (1) See them coming and (2) separate. POSITIONING YOUR AUDIENCE IS CRITICAL: NEVER FACE PEOPLE YOU ARE TALKING TO INTO THE SUN OR INTO VISUAL DISTRACTION!: It seems logical, but so few speakers and leaders are alert enough to follow the principle. As a speaker you need everything you can get in your favor. Your message is at stake here. Face your audience away from distraction. TWEAKING! DON'T WASTE TIME TRYING TO FINE TUNE SUCCESS: If it isn't success, tune it. If it is success build on it. You can't do more than that. GOOD MEN DON'T STAND AROUND WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED: Sometimes its tempting to pull someone available into a job you need filled. There are always available people waiting around to be given a job or called to a ministry, but none I would seriously invest in. The people I want are not waiting to be discovered but already committed and successful in their area of commitment. I'll go after them. Even if they're going the wrong direction, at least they're moving and I can help steer them into a different direction. WITH KIDS MAKE AGE THE PRIORITY: Selfish 'Me first’ is normal with kids but often ends up in yelling and a tussle. Remember with children, age, is the normal and accepted priority. Not first come first served, big guys win, or favoritism. All kids know and respect birthdays. Now there is no need to rush to be first. THE ART OF MILKING... ALWAYS MILK YOUR EFFORTS: ... Get the most out of what you do, where you go and what you spend. Ex. In milking old daisy. If something you do clicks, don’t be afraid to USE IT AGAIN in a matter of time .. just don't wear it out. SIGNALING AGREEMENT ... READING RAISED HANDS! RAISE YOUR HANDS/LET'S SEE YOUR HANDS IF YOU: ... "How many of you ... ?" A show of hands can be a disaster! Never count on raised hands as a sure fire signal. Why don’t public signals work? The people in a given audience look at who's raising their hands and make their decision accordingly. If people are slow in response or if people are few in response or if the wrong people respond ... this can effect or kill your activity or project before it begins. THE LOUDEST VOICE IS SELDOM THE VOICE OF THE MAJORITY: This is also a fact the politicians need to know. Fortunately I learned this early in my professional life as a Youth Worker. It was an expensive lesson. Learn this early. CAUTION OF MAKING A PRECEDENT: It's so easy overlook a special favor given. Remember when you react the same way in several similar occasions with the same person or group you are moving from a special occasion to an 'EXPECTED’ occasion, which may be hard to break. People tend to take a repetition and subconsciously make it an expected rule. Call it 'precedent.’ Caution! AIM FOR BOYS!: Boys are the natural leaders. If your group has a healthy number of boys, your group will also attract a balancing group of girls. If you focus on girls you will end up with ... mostly a girls club. MOST IMPORTANT ... BEST TILL LAST!: If you are a Christian Youth Worker in an Evangelical Church or Para-Church, the most important time you spend is your time alone with God; in prayer, Worship and in His Word. Being hard-working, skilled, creative, experienced, educated, competent ... whatever ... those important qualities will never do for you what God wants to do through you! Let the early morning be God’s time. Von.

HOME » FOR TEACHERS AND YOUTH WORKERS » TIPS FOR THE YOUTH WORKER » TIPS FOR THE SERIOUS YOUTH WORKER

IMPACTING LIVES: THE LIFE CHANGING TRINITY OF ... (1) TEACHING, (2) MOTIVATING, (3) INSPIRING: To know/teaching, to do/example and to become/inspiration. Of the three inspiring is the greatest.
MINISTRY?: Don't make the all too common mistake of administrating yourself out of ministry. 'Administration’ has a nice important ring to it and often punctuated with $ $ $’s . An office, secretary, nice desk and comfortable chair and phone, can easily dumb you down and gradually separate you from real front line "people ministry."
BE A STICKER!: A good old plodder. Determine to stay in your ministry and your kids lives for many years. Sticking and being long-term is largely an attitude. A long-term ministry is incredibly rewarding!
AS LEADER, YOU SET THE PACE: Unlike military leadership that sits safely behind the front lines; as a leader in youth work, you're expected to be in the battle with the troops, you set the pace! Rest assured, if you slow down, the troops will also slow down, if you take it easy, the troops will take it easier. As you go, so goes the group you lead. Common sense.
LEAD YOUR LEADERS AND YOU LEAD YOUR GROUP; How true this is! A concept so simple. Find your leaders, spend time with them and win them. Then work to become their leader by earning their friendship and respect. Use your leaders to help you in your ministry.
RESPECTED?: As a leader you can be loved and not respected and you can be respected and not loved! HAPPY AND EFFECTIVE IS THE LEADER THAT'S BOTH LOVED AND RESPECTED by his followers. He is the healthy leader people willingly listen to and follow. Aim high!
CAUTION, IN A VACUUM OF LEADERSHIP A LEADER WILL APPEAR: A perception, by your group, of 'no leadership’ or 'weak leadership’ will be an invitation to any potential wannabe leaders waiting in the wings. In the environment of strong leadership the wannabes disappear. In a vacuum of leadership a group will shrink and disband, or a leader will surface.
POLITICS: Learn how to function in a political environment. Every organization will have politics, even churches! True, 'Churches’ started as a Spiritual organism, but unfortunately, in too short a time, the Church, the Bride of Christ, the body of Christ became a building with an organization inside. Organizations invite politics. Where you have a lot of people, you will have politics. Learn to live with it.
ADMITTING A MISTAKE!: Be quick to admit a mistake and quicker still to correct it.
PREVENT PROBLEMS; DON'T WAIT FOR THEM TO COME YOUR WAY: Be pro-active. Most people tend to wait for problems and then deal with them as they come. We need to learn a new perspective on dealing with problems. The best way to handle a problem is to (1) see it coming and (2) doing your best to preempt it. Live life looking ahead, thinking ahead and note possible situations that could develop into problems coming down the line. Then preempt those “problem” factors before they connect and form into problems. A form of preempting problems is to tell people ahead of time what they're going to be expected to do or hear later. Give your spin on it gradually and early and convincingly. (FACT! People tend to believe who and what they hear first. )
TAKING THE HEAT: 'If you can’t take the heat stay out of the kitchen’. The buck stops with the top leader, the one in charge. A good leader takes the responsibility. He doesn’t make excuses or point fingers. A good leader is one who can take it!
THE DANGER OF ASSUMING: The common disease of assuming, let’s call it 'assumption’, destroys so many good plans. Assumption leaves you wide open for Murphy's Law. Simply assuming that another will be dependable and do his job, is a formula for disaster. Blame yourself.
DON'T RE-INVENT THE WHEEL: Waste of time! Discover and build upon whatever wheel you choose, and/or have available, and you'll get farther faster.
BE COOL: Every youth worker, or teacher (or dad)! needs to be known by his kids as being cool. Confident, authoritative, sharp, and ahead of your troops. I think parents should be seen by their kids as cool. While you may never be seen as a hero, you can be seen as cool. Cool can be defined in many ways. Not 'fake’ cool but authentic confident cool ... the fact that you are considered cool by your kids.
THE MIGHTY PLATFORM: (BULLY PULPIT) and group control. Powerful tool ... use it wisely. (1) Know the power of the platform and (2) use it!
DISCIPLINE OF TEACHING: Make and/or take opportunities to teach and preach. In doing this, you force yourself to learn and keep spiritually fresh.
SELLING: Between telling, yelling and selling ... selling is the best! Why? Because the person buys into what you are saying. It becomes his truth. His truth will become permanent and affect his life!
THE BACK DOOR IS THE BEST DOOR: In communicating with an audience remember that the 'back door’ is the informal door that 'friends’ use, it's the honest door. The front door is the formal and predictable door that everyone uses. Unfortunately the front door is what most speakers go for. Speaking for myself, in my role as a speaker I avoid the (predictable) front door and head into my audience looking for their 'back door.’ For me, as a speaker, the back door of each audience has three hinges, humor, interest and adventure.
REPETITION IS A KEY IN LEARNING: When speaking to an audience: (1) Tell them what your going to tell them; (2) tell them, then (3) tell them what you told them. The success of repetition! It takes a few years for some communicators to learn that repetition is not wrong but a key to learning.
ALWAYS SEPARATE NITRO FROM GLYCERIN: ... Individual control. Separate dangerous "disturbance" people combinations before they combine ... Do you have two kids in your group or class that always sit together and talk through your session? Name them 'Nitro’ and 'Glycerin’ and treat them accordingly ... no danger alone, but get them together and 'boom!’ (1) See them coming and (2) separate.
POSITIONING YOUR AUDIENCE IS CRITICAL: NEVER FACE PEOPLE YOU ARE TALKING TO INTO THE SUN OR INTO VISUAL DISTRACTION!: It seems logical, but so few speakers and leaders are alert enough to follow the principle. As a speaker you need everything you can get in your favor. Your message is at stake here. Face your audience away from distraction.
TWEAKING! DON'T WASTE TIME TRYING TO FINE TUNE SUCCESS: If it isn't success, tune it. If it is success build on it. You can't do more than that.
GOOD MEN DON'T STAND AROUND WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED: Sometimes its tempting to pull someone available into a job you need filled. There are always available people waiting around to be given a job or called to a ministry, but none I would seriously invest in. The people I want are not waiting to be discovered but already committed and successful in their area of commitment. I'll go after them. Even if they're going the wrong direction, at least they're moving and I can help steer them into a different direction.
WITH KIDS MAKE AGE THE PRIORITY: Selfish 'Me first’ is normal with kids but often ends up in yelling and a tussle. Remember with children, age, is the normal and accepted priority. Not first come first served, big guys win, or favoritism. All kids know and respect birthdays. Now there is no need to rush to be first.
THE ART OF MILKING... ALWAYS MILK YOUR EFFORTS: ... Get the most out of what you do, where you go and what you spend. Ex. In milking old daisy. If something you do clicks, don’t be afraid to USE IT AGAIN in a matter of time .. just don't wear it out.
SIGNALING AGREEMENT ... READING RAISED HANDS! RAISE YOUR HANDS/LET'S SEE YOUR HANDS IF YOU: ... "How many of you ... ?" A show of hands can be a disaster! Never count on raised hands as a sure fire signal. Why don’t public signals work? The people in a given audience look at who's raising their hands and make their decision accordingly. If people are slow in response or if people are few in response or if the wrong people respond ... this can effect or kill your activity or project before it begins.
THE LOUDEST VOICE IS SELDOM THE VOICE OF THE MAJORITY: This is also a fact the politicians need to know. Fortunately I learned this early in my professional life as a Youth Worker. It was an expensive lesson. Learn this early.
CAUTION OF MAKING A PRECEDENT: It's so easy overlook a special favor given. Remember when you react the same way in several similar occasions with the same person or group you are moving from a special occasion to an 'EXPECTED’ occasion, which may be hard to break. People tend to take a repetition and subconsciously make it an expected rule. Call it 'precedent.’ Caution!
AIM FOR BOYS!: Boys are the natural leaders. If your group has a healthy number of boys, your group will also attract a balancing group of girls. If you focus on girls you will end up with ... mostly a girls club.
MOST IMPORTANT ... BEST TILL LAST!: If you are a Christian Youth Worker in an Evangelical Church or Para-Church, the most important time you spend is your time alone with God; in prayer, Worship and in His Word. Being hard-working, skilled, creative, experienced, educated, competent ... whatever ... those important qualities will never do for you what God wants to do through you! Let the early morning be God’s time. Von.