Part 3- People Helping

     One thing that has to be remembered in ministry is: YOU CANNOT DO IT ON YOUR OWN! You need help (and sometimes lots of it!). Get some helpers to aid in the different areas of teen explosion. So, how many people need to help? Ask yourself a few questions first. First, how many areas of teen explosion need workers? (food, games, songs, prayer, altar workers, etc.) Second, how many workers need to help in each area? Third, how many teens will be at teen explosion? Figure on having one adult per every 10 teens to help with crowd control. When you have an idea of how many you may need, begin recruiting!

     Adults are necessary, but not all adults can help in any area. Any personality type can help with Teen Explosion. There are people who can help with food, games, songs, etc. However, when it comes to direct contact with teens, be careful what kind of person you allow to help. When recruiting those who will directly work with the teens:

1.     Pray for God to show you who would be a good helper.

2.     Do not announce from the pulpit for these helpers. You can announce that you need help with the food, games, etc. But do NOT announce from the pulpit for those that will work directly with the teens. Why? Because you will have someone meet you after the service that you know would NOT do well with teens. So, how can you tell them “no” if you announced it from the pulpit?

3.     Seek out people you know have a heart for teens and know how to handle teens maturely. Get parents to help- they have teenagers and know how to deal with them. They have the experience already!

     Teens are necessary in helping as well.If there’s anyone who can reach teenagers better than you, it’s other teenagers. Your teens are vital when it comes to reaching other teens. So, how do you use them in Teen Explosion?

1.     Let them be seen serving.Have them open in prayer.Have them serving food.Have them perform or lead music.Have them do skits.When your teens are visibly serving it shows that there is something special about your youth group. It helps draw and attract teens.

2.     Get them to mingle.One thing that teens often struggle with is meeting someone new. Many youth ministries struggle with it- a visitor shows up and no one says hello to them, etc. However, during Teen Explosion it is imperative that your teens meet and greet visitors. It should be more than just “Hi. How are you?” It should be that they learn the visitor’s names, find out what school they go to, do they have any interests or friends in common, etc. If you have TE for 5 days or nights, your teens can become familiar faces to visitors and also end up befriending them. They’ll be able to call the visitor by name, ask them to sit with them, invite them to the next teen activity, etc.

     Are there some teens that shouldn’t help? Helping in the ministry is a privilege, not a right. Be careful of what teens you let help. Almost every youth group has the guy or girl who doesn’t want to do anything. If you give them a responsibility, will they do it? Probably not. Also, watch out for putting teens in mixed groups alone. If they are in mixed groups, make sure that an adult is present. There are those teens that look for every opportunity to be alone with someone of the opposite sex. Overall, use your best judgment on who helps and what they do.

     * Note: Have background checks run on all adult helpers. This will protect your ministry from pedophiles and criminals. If you have someone who is saved, wants to help, but has a history of being a sexual offender do NOT let them help. If a visiting teen makes an accusation against him/her, their lost parents won’t realize that this person is saved, changed and different. They will be able to sue your church and win. Keep your ministry “blameless”.

Submitted by BBTUth

BLOW UP YOUR TEEN DEPARTMENT part 3

Posted by BBTUth on Wednesday 23 January 2008 - 13:20:34 | Read/Post Comment: 0 |