It takes a special kind of person to work with pre-teens and teenagers. Some won't even consider it, and others believe it's a job best handled by those not much older than the teens themselves. It surprises many that a good number of seniors love leading youth ministries San Antonio TX teens actually want to attend. Most of the leaders use similar strategies to make this happen.
If you are leading a group, you have to make it fun. If it isn't, you will quickly lose your crowd. You can make up silly games, have sleep ins, and recruit rock bands for parties. On the surface, they might not seem to have much to do with ministry, but every activity has to have a purpose behind it. You might be encouraging shy kids to participate or forcing everybody to work together. Whatever it is, there must be a gospel message at the foundation.
There are always going to be kids who stand off from the group. These might be teens with parents who forced them into the ministry program or a kid with a crush on a peer who actively attends. Ignoring them is not a solution, and your skin has to be thick enough to withstand repeated rejection. If you keep attempting to engage them, you will eventually get a response of some kind.
It's important to make the truth of the gospel fun. Very few kids are interested in being preached to or memorizing Bible verses. They will be much more willing to listen to you, if you give them unusual examples of how these centuries old stories apply to their daily lives. Kids have a lot of imagination, and you can capture it if you start the conversation and then sit back and let them take it wherever they want to go with it.
It's important for you to really understand these kids. You have to be sensitive to which ones will grab the spotlight away from others and which ones are terrified of being singled out. You need to understand where they are on their spiritual journey. Instead of asking directly, which will embarrass most of them, you have to let them open up on their own terms.
You should make an effort to get to know the parents, without embarrassing the kids. Parents of little ones will rest easier knowing who you are and that you have their kid's best interests at heart. Parents who don't show up need special attention. Reaching out to them may have to start with you introducing yourself at drop off or pick up times.
If you are going to lead a ministry, you must make the commitment to then stick with it. This can't be a whim that you drop when it gets hard. You have to consider the damage you can do to kids have had losses and disappointments heaped on them by other adults in their lives.
Teenagers are not babies, and they aren't adults. They are in flux between the two. This is a critical time, and you can make a difference.
If you are leading a group, you have to make it fun. If it isn't, you will quickly lose your crowd. You can make up silly games, have sleep ins, and recruit rock bands for parties. On the surface, they might not seem to have much to do with ministry, but every activity has to have a purpose behind it. You might be encouraging shy kids to participate or forcing everybody to work together. Whatever it is, there must be a gospel message at the foundation.
There are always going to be kids who stand off from the group. These might be teens with parents who forced them into the ministry program or a kid with a crush on a peer who actively attends. Ignoring them is not a solution, and your skin has to be thick enough to withstand repeated rejection. If you keep attempting to engage them, you will eventually get a response of some kind.
It's important to make the truth of the gospel fun. Very few kids are interested in being preached to or memorizing Bible verses. They will be much more willing to listen to you, if you give them unusual examples of how these centuries old stories apply to their daily lives. Kids have a lot of imagination, and you can capture it if you start the conversation and then sit back and let them take it wherever they want to go with it.
It's important for you to really understand these kids. You have to be sensitive to which ones will grab the spotlight away from others and which ones are terrified of being singled out. You need to understand where they are on their spiritual journey. Instead of asking directly, which will embarrass most of them, you have to let them open up on their own terms.
You should make an effort to get to know the parents, without embarrassing the kids. Parents of little ones will rest easier knowing who you are and that you have their kid's best interests at heart. Parents who don't show up need special attention. Reaching out to them may have to start with you introducing yourself at drop off or pick up times.
If you are going to lead a ministry, you must make the commitment to then stick with it. This can't be a whim that you drop when it gets hard. You have to consider the damage you can do to kids have had losses and disappointments heaped on them by other adults in their lives.
Teenagers are not babies, and they aren't adults. They are in flux between the two. This is a critical time, and you can make a difference.
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When you are searching for information about youth ministries San Antonio TX residents can come to our web pages online today. More details are available at http://www.mountzionfbc.org/youth now.
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