Welcome

We at national youth ministries thank God for you and your commitment to youth! Thank you for loving and leading students. This monthly e-publication is about you, the youth leader. Every issue aims to encourage excellence and spark ideas in you as you endeavor to “make disciplined-learners (disciples)” of youth for Jesus Christ. We want to help you win, build and send them to fulfill the Great Commission. You are our heroes in this charge. We believe in you! Pray daily. Live like Jesus. Tell the Truth. Serve others. Give generously. You’ve got Momentum! —Jay Mooney, national youth director

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From Leader to Leader

Roger Nelmes and his wife Chrissy are on staff as the Student Ministries Pastors at First Assembly of God in New Castle, Pennsylvania.  Roger graduated (suma cum laude) from Zion Bible Institute in 1995 with a B.A. in Bible and Chrissy graduated with an associate’s in 1993.  Together they ministered in Florida for 3 years, Massachusetts for 5 years, Missouri for nearly 3 years, and now they are back in Roger’s home state of Pennsylvania.   They just celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary on May 28th and they have three boys, Jordan (9), Jonathan (7) and Joshua (3).   You can check out their web site at www.revolutionstudent.blogspot.com. One of the first things that you need to learn in leadership is the importance of building a team around you. That team will then have the potential to build and strengthen your organization or to weaken and tear it down. It is obviously the responsibility of the leader to bring stability and success to a team, but it is also the responsibility of the team to be people of character and integrity. My former team of leaders - the MGF club as we affectionately called it - was an amazing team that not only helped to build and strengthen our organization, but they also helped in building me into a better leader. The initials “MGF” represent "Multi Generational Friends" and these are a few of the things we learned together. 1. PASSION is only the starting point. Our particular organization deals with the spiritual mentoring of junior and senior high school age students. It is an understatement to say that young people are passionate. So to lead them, we must be passionate as well. But this is true of any leadership position. Passion is essential; however, it is not a means to an end. Passion is a powerful tool when yielded to reason and character. Passion can sometimes get us into a narrow minded rage that causes us to lose focus of our target goal. Passion can cause frustration and lack of patience, which can lead to disloyalty and ultimately the destruction of the team and organization. The first key to keeping passion as a tool rather than a vice is to stay in alignment with the head leader. Our number one driving passion should be to assist the head leader in obtaining his goal. To become a quality leader we must first be a good follower. It's okay to be passionate in other areas, but that passion needs to stay aligned with what the head leader has envisioned for the organization and his assigned methods of getting there. Another key to keeping our passion in check is to keep the end in mind. In other words, we need to have our purpose – our reason for being – clearly in focus at all times. Before we act on our passions we need to be sure that it will take us in the direction of our purpose. Otherwise, we can end up not only missing our mark, but we can lose our purpose altogether. 2. It's good to be FAT. Gluttony and eating disorders are definitely dangers to the individual, but as a team, being FAT is a key to proven longevity and prosperity. FAT is an acronym for Faithful, Available, and Teachable. Faithfulness deals with a person's integrity, honesty and ability to follow through with their assignments and commitments. Paul was explaining this to the Corinthian church when he said, "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." If we can't be true to our position as a leader we need to either learn how or step down. Being available doesn't mean that you have to say “yes” to everything that comes down the pike. Although many top leaders love having a "yes man", not everyone has that calling. Being available simply means to be ready for anything. Paul said something similar to Timothy. "...be prepared in season and out of season", 2 Timothy 4:2. Obviously we are not experts in every field, but at times we may be asked to step out of our comfort zone to help the team get the job done. As leaders, it is important for us to remain teachable. Titus was another young leader under Paul who was learning to be FAT. Paul told him, "Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives" (Titus 3:14). Leadership is a learning process that deals with submission and spiritual authority. Some lessons are easier than others, but the key is to learn the principles to stay productive. (See also 2 Timothy 2:23-26) 3. The greatest of these is LOVE. Some leadership gurus will disagree on this point, but I feel that it is of utmost importance. I believe that having quality loving relationships within a team will allow for more honest and open communication, release an openness to share new ideas, and remove a sense of intimidation that some may feel toward those in authority. Leaders need to provide for this affectionate love. I feel that leaders who stay at a relational arms length, never allowing themselves to be vulnerable to their team, will rob the team of vital genuineness. Paul tells us in first Corinthians 13:13, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." We can have the greatest of dreams, goals and plans for our team to accomplish but without genuine relationships within the team it will be a struggle getting there - if you can get there at all. A lack of genuine relationship within a team will cause three detrimental situations that can lead to self-destruction. I call them "The 3 F Words": Fear, Friction, and Frustration. Fear: The team won't openly communicate because of a fear of rejection and intimidation of a person in authority. There is no level of trust because nothing has been deposited in the team's bank account of relationship. This leads to a lack of peace - a walking on egg shells feeling. Friction: That lack of peace in the team will eventually lead to friction, which is also the result of a lack of open and honest communication. If not dealt with immediately, this friction will lead to "godless chatter". Paul warned the young leader Timothy on two separate occasions about this. "Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith" (1 Timothy 6:20-21). "Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly" (2 Timothy 2:16). Frustration: Once fear and friction are tolerated within a team, frustration will show its ugly face. Frustration is like hitting a brick wall at 100 miles per hour. You want things to work. You're trying and doing everything you can think of to make things work. Unfortunately, no matter how hard you work, fear and friction are stopping you cold. That's frustration. It takes a great team to build a strong and successful organization. Passionate, FAT, lovers is what I look for in a team and God has blessed me again with quality people in my new leadership position. I haven't replaced the original MGFs, I've simply been blessed to add more to the team!

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Sermon Outline

The Revolution                            John 3:30 "He must become greater, I must become less." It's a message of revival, a waking up to discover true life and purpose. "…this revolution of faith is the most significant transition that you and I will experience during our lifetime." – George Barna "…within in all of us there is a confession waiting to be declared without shame, 'I want to live!'." E. McManus A revolution is birthed in DOING. Text: John 3:22-30 1. Go Public with the Revolution. -     Example: Boston Tea Party A.     Verbal Profession of Faith "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34 A Revolutionary doesn't stop until everyone has heard their story. B.     Physical Profession of Faith "…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19 Water baptism is an outward profession of an inward change. A Revolutionary wants the world to see their inward faith put on display through water baptism. C. Spiritual Profession of Faith "You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14 A Revolutionary lives a life worthy of their calling. 2. Be the Best Man. A. Good Communication Illustration: Course Correction "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27We may not be able to read God's mind, but we can listen to his heart. -     Read His book -     Talk to Him -     Listen for His response A Revolutionary knows that consistency is the key to longevity and growth. B. The Power and Blessing of community. Friendship, encouragement, corporate prayer, sharing, strength in numbers…Acts 2:42-47; 4:24, 31-35; Phil 2:1-5 The Revolutionary knows that the wedding is NOT about him. 3. Putting Jesus Center Stage. (v30) A. Dying to Self "You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope.  With less of you there is more of God and His rule."  Matthew 5:3 TM "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."  Phil 1:21 -     Humility -     Not accepting any glory -     Not drawing attention to yourself A Revolutionary is more concerned about the image of Christ than his own reputation. B. Preaching Repentance & His soon Return "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near." Mat. 3:2; 4:17 A Revolutionary puts Christ center stage by telling the world the truth about their sin while showing them the opportunity for forgiveness and eternal life.

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For Your Library

Revolution by George Barna Book summary A revolution is a fundamental change.  A paradigm shift in the way a person views and interacts with his or her world.  According to years’ worth of data collected by George Barna, the church is undergoing the biggest revolution of our time.  If we expect to be effective in church work, especially ministering to students, we need to revolutionize our ways of reaching and keeping our adherents. Quote from book “The Revolution is designed to advance the Church and to redefine the church.” (pgX)  “Revolutionaries are, indeed, a different breed of people.  They accept the fact that life on earth is all about life after earth, and they live accordingly.” (pg. 96) Purchase this book online: www.christianbook.com

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Quotes for Leadership

(taken from The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotes  copyright  (c)1979,1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.) We may affirm absolutely that nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion. ~ Georg Hegel I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness. ~ Mother Teresa To love is to be vulnerable. ~ C.S. Lewis Fear closes the ears of the minds. ~ Sallust

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Statistics that Speak

The controversy fueled by George Barna’s current best-seller, Revolution, has raised many questions about the nature of the people the California-based researcher labels “revolutionaries.” Defined as born again people who have made their faith in God the highest priority in their life, who believe that their faith has greatly transformed their life, and who often express and experience their faith through alternative forms the Church, Barna this week released additional data about the beliefs, practices and lifestyle of revolutionaries in comparison to those who fit a more tame spiritual profile. More than seven out of every 10 revolutionaries are actively serving in their community, compared to 53% among non-revolutionary born again adults. The average amount of money donated by revolutionaries in 2005 was $2990. That surpasses the mean giving total among non-revolutionary born again adults ($1641) by 82%, despite household income levels that are similar. Almost all revolutionaries (97%) strongly affirm “the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches.” Far fewer non-revolutionary born again adults (65%) join them in that perspective. Perceiving oneself to be fully committed to God helps explain why 91% of revolutionaries view themselves as a “full-time servant of God” compared to only 72% among non-revolutionary born again adults. The above statistics can be found at www.barna.org and were taken from a study titled, Faith Revolutionaries Stand Out from the Crowd. (March 6, 2006)

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From the Field

Fine Arts With just a few weeks from this year’s National Fine Arts Festival, we wanted to share some information concerning the event.  Pocket Full of Rocks will be leading worship for the evening services. Bobby Bishop and Caleb Rowden will be our featured pre-service bands and Stellar Kart will be performing a late night concert. Also, National Youth Ministries would like to invite all youth leaders to stop by the Momentum Café to network with other youth pastors. There will be free wireless internet, coffee & snacks, and free giveaway items. You won’t want to miss it!

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Resources

Take a tour of thefiftytwo.com! Go to www.thefiftytwo.com for samples of just a few of the online resources that are available. Thefiftytwo.com includes sermons, powerpoint presentations, ministry graphics, small groups, parent-teen connects, leadership helps, drama sketches, ministry strategies, and multiple lists of ideas, for an entire year! Memberships are available August 1st.

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