Despising None blog and podcast

We are our own worst enemies

Joe Ball — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:47:00 -0400

Several things are stirring in my mind that lead to the title of this post. The first two are news reports that came out this week.

The first is out of Nelson County KY where a 13 year-old died in a car crash because his youth minister let him drive his car. Click here for full report. The only response I have is what was he thinking? And while he is not a Baptist youth minister I am sure there are some of us that have done similar if not the same sort of thing.

The second is from the Leaf Chronicle in Clarksville TN where a youth minister had inappropriate relations with 3 teen girls in his youth ministry. Again the only response I have is, what was he thinking?

These are not isolated cases, and stories like this are in the news way too much. They will be sensationalized on every news media in the area and we will get a well deserved black eye for the actions of a couple of individuals. These two events should make us angry, embarrassed and call us to pray for the families of all parties involved.

The third is a reflection of the events surrounding the SBC that met in Louisville earlier this week. And it has absolutely nothing to do with motions, or direction or visions or votes. But it has everything to do with what happened after we left the meetings. The reports of how we behaved in Louisville restaurants are appalling. SBC Messengers (with tags still around their neck so there wasn't any doubt) STIFFING the wait staff and leaving no tips. Some wait staff at restaurant asking to be taking off the schedule until "the Baptist" leave town and saying, "they hoped they (the Baptist) never came back to Louisville and that they would never go to a Baptist church if that was the way Baptist acted". There was even a report of one group who stayed at a restaurant for over an hour, had a meal and dessert and then didn't want to pay full price for their meal or leave a tip because they were offended at the shortness of the waitress’s skirt. Where was the offense when she first started waiting on you?

Similar complaints were heard by hotel staff.

And while we were busy leaving and eating there, who was left to clean up the mounds of liter we threw all over the floors and the parking lots at the Exposition Center? It was amazing to watch one young man, a convention attendee, consistently go behind other convention attendees and pick up the paper and trash they would drop. When ask about it his reply was a simple "The employees here all know we are Christian’s right? So shouldn't we leave this place better than we found it"?

And maybe that should have been our mantra for the Convention. Let’s LOVE out LOUD, and while we're at it, let's leave Louisville a better place than we found it.

Does street evangelism work?

Joe Ball — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:38:00 -0400

I came across this in Geg Steir from Dare2Share's blog. He refrences an article in Salon Magazine (not a magazine that I normally read) where a unchristian student, Kevin Roose, accompanies his Chirstian friends to Florida for Beach Reach. This chapter in Salon is an excerpt fron a book he has written about being a sinner at one of America's holiest Universities.

It is an interesting read. Stier says in his blog, "he didn't write his article out of vindictiveness or venom. He seemed to actually like these evangelicals and was exploring why they were willing to go through all the pain and strain of being persecuted without seeing tangible results."

I will post a few excerpts from the excerpt and then link you to both the Salon article and Steir's response. There are some areas for greaet conversation.

First a little about the author to help set the stage.

But I'm not a young evangelical -- not even close. Two months ago, I transferred to Liberty from Brown, ...I had a secular liberal upbringing and I've always considered myself pretty ambivalent about God, but I decided to enroll at Liberty for a semester to learn about my conservative Christian peers and find out whether any common ground existed between my world and theirs. Since then, I've been living undercover in an all-male dorm ...And when March rolled around, I decided to do what many Christian college students do over spring break: take a mission trip.

A major point for Roose is the evangelist zeal but the lack of a follow-up plan....

The issue of post-salvation behavior is an interesting one. I thought, when Scott was teaching us to evangelize, that we'd be told to do some sort of follow-up with successful converts, if we had any -- guide them to a local church, maybe, or at least take their contact information. But there's no such procedure. If Jason had decided to get saved (he didn't), Martina would have led him through the Sinner's Prayer ("Jesus, I am a sinner, come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior" or some variant thereof), she would have let him know he was saved, perhaps given him some Bible verses to read, and they never would have seen each other again. Cold-turkey evangelism provides the shortest, most non-committal conversion offer of any Western religion -- which, I suspect, is part of the appeal.
If the new believer backslides, though, like Jason was suggesting he might, Christians are likely to believe that he wasn't really saved. False conversions are a glaring wart on the face of Christian evangelism... I found several sobering statistics about the percentage of apparent converts who stay involved with the church in the long term, including one from Peter Wagner, a seminary professor in California who estimated that only 3 to 16 percent of the converts at Christian crusades stay involved.
The false conversion rate is profoundly depressing if you believe in this stuff. After all, if we get ten converts during this week -- an optimistic number -- and our false conversion numbers are consistent with the average, this group has spent a week's worth of twelve-hour days, thousands of dollars, and suffered massive amounts of emotional trauma for what? One more Christian? Two?
There must be an easier way.

At the end of the week he looks back at this experience and says:

Then again, maybe this trip was never all about the Spring Breakers. Battleground evangelism, it turns out, can be just as useful for the evangelists as for the non-believers. For these Liberty students, going to Daytona is a tool for self-anaesthetization, a way to get used t o the feeling of being an outcast in the secular world. The first 40 times someone blows you off, it feels awful. The second 40 times, you start reassuring yourself that all of this must serve a higher purpose. By the end of the week, you get the point -- you are going to be mocked and scorned for your faith, and this is the way it's supposed to be.

To read the entire excerpt in Salon click here

To read Steir's respons, click here

Scouting and Youth Ministry

Joe Ball — Tue, 9 Jun 2009 13:33:00 -0400

Today's podcast is a conversation with Clint Scharff, Director of Field Service, Lincoln Heritage Council, BSA on Scouting as part of a local churches ministry.

If you know me, you know that I have been raised in the Boy Scouts. I was 6 when my dad became scoutmaster of Troop 20 in Overdale KY,, a role he still holds today some 40+ years later.

Clint and I talked openly about scoutings role in the church, and how both organizations can benefit from one another.

A couple of links refered to in the program.

http://www.scouting.org
http://www.lhcbsa.org/
www.royalambassadors.org

Simple Student Ministry - A Review

Joe Ball — Sat, 30 May 2009 21:49:00 -0400

Borton, Jeff and Eric Geiger. Simple Student Ministry: A Clear Process for Strategic Youth Discipleship. Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing Group, 2009. 217 pp.
This review was originally posted at sbcimpact.
Anyone involved in student ministry understands the frustrations that come along with the territory. There always seems to be a plethora of events and programs that compete for the time of both the leaders and the students. For the leaders, it seems like there is never anytime to stop and smell the roses. As soon as one event ends, it is time to begin planning the next one. For students, there is always the hype of the next event to try and combat the sure-to-come crash from the spiritual high they got while attending the last big event.
Is there some way to change this busyness and start truly affecting the lives of students? That is what Eric Geiger and Jeff Borton hope to accomplish with Simple Student Ministry. This book builds on the same principles contained in the book Geiger coauthored with Thom S. Rainer, Simple Church. There is no new research added in this book and it is not necessary to have read Simple Church to understand what is discussed by Geiger and Borton in this book.
The authors simply hope to help student ministry leaders make a “renewed commitment to the essence of the gospel” (Pg. 2)—making and maturing disciples. If you are looking for a new model for your student ministry, then this book is not for you. The book is not another model for student ministry; this book is about a new way to do ministry.
The fact is that many student ministries wander aimlessly about hoping they are making a real difference in the lives of students. There is no real goal in mind, no purpose to the events and programs, and no clear understanding of how discipleship is being accomplished. For real discipleship to take place there must be a process. Process is what Simple Student Ministry is about. Geiger and Borton explain how to go about establishing a process of discipleship in any student ministry. How does this process accomplish discipleship? It is the process that “creates space for relationships, engages students in ministry and mission, fosters less dependence on programs, and operates with great intentionality” (Pg. 20). This is accomplished through four key elements: clarity, movement, alignment, and focus.
Clarity breathes life into the process. A student ministry without clarity is a complex student ministry. On the other hand, a student ministry with clarity is a student ministry that knows exactly what it is trying to accomplish in its students’ lives. It is present in a ministry that can clearly articulate how discipleship is taking place.
Movement naturally follows clarity. Once a process has been identified, there must be movement along that process. To put into my own words what the authors caution though is that this movement must move people along the process, not simply rearrange for the sake of movement. Ultimately, the process must be moving the students to action—to living out what they have learned.
Alignment must take place for the process to be successful. All the leaders of the student ministry must be committed to the process. When the leaders are aligned, there is a sense of ownership as well as unity among the team.
Once the process has been developed and implemented, there must be focus to keep it on track. Without focus, every ministry will begin to deviate and become complex. Part of remaining focused is eliminating the nonessentials, limiting the a ddition of programs, and reducing special events.
The book also contains case studies of mega churches, small and midsize churches, and parachurch organizations that have implemented the simple student ministry process. Along with the chapters on the different case studies, there is a chapter on how to go about implementing a simple process for ministry wherever you serve.
This book contains some great principles that can be applied to ministries of any size and any cultural context. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to simplify their student ministry and increase the effect upon the lives of the students to which they minister. Eric Geiger and Jeff Borton do an excellent job of explaining how to make any student ministry simple in an entertaining and easy to read format.
***
sbc IMPACT! published this review as part of an ongoing partnership with Broadman & Holman Publishers.

iTunes Apps Are Revolutionizing The Way Brands Reach Teens

Joe Ball — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:55:00 -0400

Originally posted at:
Ypulse Sponsored Post: How iTunes Apps Are Revolutionizing The Way Brands Reach Teens
Posted by meredith

One App, Two App, Three App, Four: How iTunes applications are revolutionizing the way brands reach teens

The one-billionth iTunes application was downloaded by a 13 year old. Although most likely a coincidence, it is very symbolic of the connection between teens, cell phones and mobile media players - particularly iPhones and the iPod Touch.

Now, I may be biased considering I call my iPhone "The Oracle," but the numbers show that I'm not a lone ranger on this iPhone frontier. There are over 3 million iPhone users in the United States, 50% of which are under 30. That's not counting the large population of iPod Touch users, which is estimated at over 10 million.

Let's start from the top. Virtually all teenagers have cell phones, metaphorically surgically grafted to them, with email, internet, GPS, weather, games and music at their fingertips, not to mention the ability to actually make phone calls. They are listening to the latest tracks while playing some video-game-like app and waiting for a text back from their friends. This idea of an all-in-one device is a marketer's dream! They are already spending a large majority of their free time on their phone, the most popular by far being the iPhone, why not incorporate branding and marketing into the mix?

The iTunes application store has become a hotbed of marketing potential, targeting the young generation who are no longer captivated by billboards and traditional media and advertising. They are too busy twittering and texting, and probably doing both from their phone. It’s like a one-stop shop, and as such, provides an endless realm of opportunity to get your brand or service in the face of this generation.

Companies are leveraging this hyperactivity in a multitude of apps – whether free or for sale; including Uniqlo's Uniqlock, Chanel showcasing their latest fashion shows via a free app, Audi A4 Driving Challenge, North Face's Snow Report and many more. The Lucky Magazine app allows users to not only browse shoes and bags from the most recent issue, but also check and see where the closest retailer is and even have the item put on hold. If I hadn’t already been a subscriber to the magazine, that would have certainly made me one. These companies have latched on to a branding opportunity connected to the most accessible and highly used piece of technology in every teenager’s hands.

Recent research conducted by Fuse has shown that teenagers rate the iTunes application store TV commercials as one of their favorites. It is becoming clear that iTunes apps, and the marketing approach behind the apps, are resonating with teens across all platforms. It is almost a guarantee, at some point, to hear a teenage conversation begin with "do you have 'XYZ' app?"

If you look at the variety of applications offered, it is somewhat surprising that more brands have yet to jump on the bandwagon. With the possibility of Apple creating a Verizon version of the iPhone in the future, it is clear that they are quickly taking over the cellular device world. And apps are no bench-warmer in that game. iPhones and iPod Touch go beyond functionality and increase a user’s ability to personalize and exercise creativity; be it through their homepage photo, the ability to blog and upload photos right from the phone, or even just the exterior casing.

The key with where iTunes applications, and iPhones and the iPod Touch, will win out among Gen Y is this all-encompassin g approach. Beyond the ability to personalize and get creative, users can experience a brand without it feeling invasive or unnatural.

Applications allow a brand to do something a little more interactive, engaging, and fun - and in the end hooking consumers. Teens aren’t interested in the typical advertising rigmarole or in-your-face branding. Give them an experience with a brand, and you are far more likely to truly connect with them. Get them to play your video game or surf your products directly on their phone, and the brand is far more likely to stick with them once the phone is shut off (assuming it ever is).

Prior to the inception of the iPhone and iTunes apps, 45% of teens said that having a cell phone is the key to their social lives. Enter the iPhone and apps, and the sky’s the limit to what those numbers are reaching now. It's no wonder brands are allocating budgets in an effort to jump on the apps train… in hopes of reaching teens via their "third arm."

OK. So somebody help me here. I don't have an iphone, Jordan does, but I don't. And I know that the is constantly downloading apps. In fact one day I ask him if there was any app that he didin't have......Is anybody out there providing apps that are useable in ministry? Is it possible for individual churches to produce apps that there students could use?
talk to me......

Nine Precautionary Steps to Enhance Your Church’s Security

Joe Ball — Mon, 25 May 2009 09:25:00 -0400

This article, Written by Keith Hamilton was originally posted at Lifeway's site.
1. Plan for the unexpected by developing procedures for different security breaches.
2. Ask the local law enforcement officers to discuss church security with church leaders and the church staff.
3. Hire off-duty police officers and encourage church members who are in law enforcement to wear their uniforms.
4. Trim the hedges around windows and doors and make sure the church’s security lights are working properly.
5. Train ushers on how to react in an emergency.
6. Establish a parking lot greeters’ ministry.
7. Make sure all events are well supervised by adults.
8. Develop an action plan for necessary steps to take should someone becomes disruptive during a worship service.
9 Announce to the congregation the worship service will never have a drama that includes violence.
to read the article in its entirity,, click here

Many Churchgoers and Faith Leaders Struggle to Define Spiritual Maturity

Joe Ball — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The Barna Group recently released an article on how we struggle to define spiritual maturity. CLICK HERE to read the full article.
Some of the highlights from the article:
many churchgoers and clergy struggle to articulate a basic understanding of spiritual maturity. People aspire to be spiritually mature, but they do not know what it means. Pastors want to guide others on the path to spiritual wholeness, but they are often not clearly defining the goals or the outcomes of that process.
Five Challenges
The study showed five significant challenges when it comes to facilitating people’s spiritual growth.
1. Most Christians equate spiritual maturity with following the rules.
2. Most churchgoers are not clear what their church expects in terms of spiritual maturity.
3. Most Christians offer one-dimensional views of personal spiritual maturity.
4. Most pastors struggle with feeling the relevance as well as articulating a specific set of objectives for spirituality, often favoring activities over attitudes.
5. Pastors are surprisingly vague about the biblical references they use to chart spiritual maturity for people.
Five Opportunities
The research also identifies a number of opportunities that can be leveraged to address the problems related to spirituality maturity.
1. Christians and pastors have clarity about the major boundaries that must be addressed to tackle the problem.
2. While most Americans are relatively content with their spirituality “as is,” millions aspire to grow spiritually.
3. Compared to older believers, Christians under the age of 40 are less satisfied with spirituality and less “rule oriented.”
4. Pastors realize they need more help when it comes to assessing spiritual health.
5. Pastors tend to be harder on themselves than are congregants.
David Kinnaman, President of the California-based research firm, directed the research project, pointed several implications of the study:
“America has a spiritual depth problem partly because the faith community does not have a robust definition of its spiritual goals. The study shows the need for new types of spiritual metrics. One new metric might be a renewed effort on the part of leaders to articulate the outcomes of spiritual growth. Another might be the relational engagement and accountability that people maintain. Of course, spirituality is neither a science nor a business, so there is a natural resistance to ascribing scientific or operational standards to what most people believe is an organic process. Yet, the process of spiritual growth is neither simplistic nor without guidelines, so hard work and solid thinking in this arena is needed.”
“As people begin to realize that the concepts and practices of spiritual maturity have been underdeveloped, the Christian community is likely to enter a time of renewed emphasis on discipleship, soul care, the tensions of truth and grace, the so-called ‘fruits’ of the spiritual life, and the practices of spiritual disciplines. A related challenge is that as spiritual formation becomes ‘trendy’ it will inevitably become ‘watered down’ with products that over-pr omise or are simply counter-productive. Leaders have to take on this issue more effectively, and part of that task is weeding out the good from bad.”

what can a church do to better prepare itself for youth ministry in the summer months?

Joe Ball — Thu, 7 May 2009 10:55:00 -0400

Often I am asked if I miss the local church ministry. That is a difficult question to answer, because most of the time the answer is yes and no. There are some things I don’t miss about local church ministry and there are other things that I do miss. One of the things I miss the most is summer. For me there was no better time in youth ministry than summertime!
As churches are preparing for summer I ask some of our youth pastors, “what can a church do to better prepare itself for youth ministry in the summer months”?
Dave Levee, Student Minister at Crestwood Baptist in Crestwood said, “My initial response to this question is to start planning for the summer the year before. Most of the time as a church we try to plan everything so last minute that we pull off a good summer schedule that could have been an amazing summer experience for students”. He continues, “And by preparing on the forefront we can maximize the minimal amount of time we have with students during the quickly passing summer. If we are taking all of our focus to plan during the summer time we are missing out on the relationships we need to be building with students!!!”
Wayne Yeager at Immanuel Baptist, Pikeville had some great advice. He states, “Try something new and mix things up. Don't be afraid to do something different over the summer that you can't do during the winter, fall and spring.” One of the things he has done was, “instead of meeting at our church, we went to a different church member's house each Wednesday. The church member would provide us dinner, a space for our Bible study and then the use of their home for the evening. If they had a pool, we went swimming. If they had big yard, we played volleyball or kickball. If they had a game room, we played games. It was something different and we could go later since there was no school the next day. The students really looked forward to a new location each week.”
Yeager continued, “teach the sixth grade class in Vacation Bible School, even though I'm the youth pastor. It's a way for me to meet and get to know the upcoming seventh graders before they're promoted into the youth group. It also lets them get to know me on a more personal basis, since for that week, I only have six graders - not the whole youth group. It helps bridge a gap and helps them feel more comfortable about promoting into the youth group with the ‘older’ kids.”
“Summer” says Jeff Sparks, youth minister, Cynthania Baptist, Cynthania says, “is a different type of ministry. I love using the summer to be very relationship driven. Taking the students fishing, hiking, or climbing in small groups can be a great way to build relationships and do ministry.” He continued by saying that church members need to have an “understanding that I may not be in the office to answer the phone 40 hours a week in the summer. ; If I am in the office I am not building relationships.”

Cindy Long, from First Baptist Church in Princeton says, “Mix it up - maybe a daytime "pool-side" Bible study, breakfast or lunch together (don't forget the devotion). Change up some of your studies to let the youth lead out in them. (After all they are future church leaders/teachers); Be creative - have fun - BUT - sta y with God's word - go deep. (After all they don't have homework during the summer). God knows what their summer is like - but the summer belongs to Him. And by all means - plan something magnificent for them (camp, retreat, Kentucky Changers, trip).”

Minister to Youth at First Baptist Church Richmond, Steve Coleman says it best, “plan for your results, bathe them in prayer and know where you are going for the summer. By the way, most Youth Ministers I know are already praying for mid August and most have the date circled. It's the day they go back to school. I have been praying for that day since about February”!

First person: Does your church have a crisis communications plan?

Joe Ball — Mon, 4 May 2009 21:30:00 -0400

This article by Rob Phillips was originally posted at Lifeway.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn., 4/22/09 – When Illinois pastor Fred Winters was gunned down while preaching to his congregation March 8, church leaders across the country rightly began asking tough questions about security. What they may have overlooked, however, were questions about how to communicate in a crisis: Who should speak? What should they say? Why should they talk to the news media? How soon, how often and with whom should they communicate? Basically, how can a church be prepared to handle communications when the unthinkable occurs?
Most large organizations, from multinational corporations to universities, have crisis communications plans, and so should churches, no matter their size. Whether yours is a megachurch with scores of staff members or a small congregation with a bivocational pastor, it’s vital to have a plan. And it begins by addressing some simple questions.
What is a crisis?
According to the Institute for Crisis Management (ICM), every crisis begins as a problem. A problem becomes a crisis when it escapes the organization before its people can control it. Based on this premise, a church may define a crisis as a significant disruption in normal activities that stimulates media coverage and public scrutiny.
What types of crises should we expect?
Crises generally fall into two categories, according to ICM. First is the sudden crisis that occurs with little warning. Examples include natural disasters such as floods or tornadoes; accidents such as food poisoning at potluck suppers; sabotage or vandalism of church property; the sudden death of a church leader; bomb threats; and injury or death on church property.
The second type is the smoldering crisis, a potentially damaging condition that is known to one or more persons. According to ICM research, 77 percent of crises are of the "smoldering" type. Examples include scandals such as embezzlement of church funds; immorality or ethical breaches; picketing of church facilities; blogging campaigns against the church or church members; even theological issues that divide congregations and expose the church to public ridicule.
How do we plan for a crisis?
First, keep in mind that a crisis communications plan is distinct from an operational plan designed to deal with church security, evacuation procedures and other emergencies, yet it should complement any church’s operational plan. Here are tips for getting started:
Define your crisis. State clearly and in writing the types of sudden and smoldering crises most likely to disrupt your church’s activities and stimulate media coverage and public scrutiny.
Recruit a crisis communications team. Identify members that can serve in key roles during a crisis. Consider appointing a director of communications who manages the team (a trusted leader in the church who is a good organizer); a spokesperson (someone comfortable addressing the news media and other external audiences); a congregational liaison who ensures church members are communicated with early and often; an administrator who handles calls to the church and manages office support; and a writer who works with the team to draft clear and consistent messages.
Other team memb ers may be necessary such as logistics specialists to set up a news conference, secure office supplies and arrange for meals and other necessities; graphic designers; photographers; telephone operators, etc. Keep the team fairly small and identify backups for each position. Publish cell phone numbers for each team member and backup.
Know your audiences. List the key people with whom you must communicate in a crisis. This list might include church members, neighbors, the general public, the associational and/or state convention office, etc. Once you’ve identified who you need to reach, determine how you’ll reach them. Consider using your church Website, e-mail lists, e-newsletters, telephone calls, a public address system, written or spoken statements to the news media, news conferences, etc. Assign the best delivery system for each audience; for example, church members may be reached most quickly via e-mail, Website or telephone, depending on church size and organization.
Know your mission. What’s the mission of your church? Make sure it comes through clearly in your communications. Think about how a crisis impacts your mission, what you must do to address the crisis and how you must stay focused on your mission in a crisis.
Involve your congregation. Put together a simple step-by-step response plan that your crisis communications team will carry out and make sure each member of that team, as well as your church staff, has a copy. Be sure your congregation knows you have a plan and how to alert church leaders in the event of a potential crisis. Also, make sure everyone has access to public statements during a crisis. This will enable and empower them to talk to their families, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Your members are perhaps the most effective spokespersons for the church – if they are informed, equipped and empowered. Finally, make sure they know that only designated spokespersons should speak with the news media.
Be specific. Here is a simple step-by-step plan:
Step 1 – Any church member should notify the crisis communications director immediately upon hearing of a situation or problem that may become a crisis. The director will seek to verify the information and evaluate the situation to determine whether it truly is a crisis or potential crisis.

Step 2 – The director activates the crisis communications team, calling or texting each member immediately.

Step 3 – The team meets within 30 minutes, in person or via phone, to assess the situation, prepare a short statement, develop key messages and put the right people in place.

Step 4 – The congregational liaison (internal) and spokesperson (external) deliver an initial statement within one hour of being notified of the crisis. Church members should have access to all information being made public and, if possible, receive that information before or at the same time it is being released to the public. Use the most appropriate delivery systems – news conference, Web posting, e-mail, etc.

Step 5 – The team develops and delivers additional statements as more information becomes available. These are provided to church members as they are released to the public.

Step 6 – If the crisis is a sustained one, the team calls upon additional resources to organize shifts, arrange for catering of food, etc.

Step 7 – The team shuts down when it is determined the situation is no longer o f media interest or public scrutiny. Other arrangements related to the church’s operational plan may still be needed – an alternative worship site if the church building has been destroyed, for example, and the crisis communications team may need to help transition to normal communications channels.

Step 8 – Debrief. What worked well and what didn’t? How should the crisis communications plan be improved for future preparations?
Practice. No plan is perfect, but practice will help improve your church’s plan. Assemble your crisis communications team once or twice a year for drills. Role play. Involve church members. Hold mock news conferences. Work the plan and adjust it.
Finally, consider media training for your crisis communications team. While there are many good consultants, one that has worked successfully with LifeWay is Crucial Communications (www.crucialcommunicationsgroup.com). LifeWay offers "Speak for Yourself," a proprietary media training course for employees.

The Recession-Proof Value of Hanging Out For Teens

Joe Ball — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:08:00 -0400
This was originally posted at ypulse by Meredith on April 27th.
You've probably heard by now that teens are not immune to the recession. Concerned about their families' security and their own joblessness, many are spending less and more selectively. Ad Age reports on the recent Piper Jaffray survey:
According to Piper Jaffray, [teens] are cutting back on apparel, beauty and food, and excursions to movies, concerts and sporting events… Teens are not willing to live without things such as music, DVDs, video games and video-game systems, and spending in those areas has been less affected.
On the one hand, the idea of teens choosing not to spend their disposable incomes on fun activities like movies and concerts may seem surprising. But on the other, it's.. well, not. Because as much fun as it is to go to the movies with a bunch of friends, the movie itself is probably the least important part of the equation. It's much more about who you run into at the mall or who you get to sit next to in the theater. Just look at the plot of the recent teen book-turned-film "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist." The entirety of the film is spent leading up to a concert that ends up being beside the point. In short, while teens may enjoy live music and moviegoing (and obviously still love the products themselves), it's the freedom to hang out together without parents around that they really appreciate.
That's not to say that they won't dole out $10 — or however much tickets cost — for a movie they really want to see or even a whole lot more than that for an awesome concert they want to attend (see Coachella). But if the choice is between a mediocre film and just standing around at the mall? Or between seeing a semi-decent band and just driving around aimlessly for a while? For teens, especially those sensitive to their parents' situations, the decision is not that hard to make.
And while in a perfect world this would inspire studios to strive and make more quality teen movies, movie theaters to reinstate student discounts, and teens to discover cool, alternative hang out spots like, gasp, the library (fingers crossed on that last one), I think it's important to recognize that this development isn't necessarily a bad thing. I know some parents can't exactly grasp what there is to do hanging out at a mall not shopping or standing around in a parking lot for hours on end, but usually — not always — it's nothing that reprehensible and certainly nothing that wouldn't happen if you thought your teen was at a movie, but they weren't. I should know. Back in ninth grade, well before the economy even factored into this decision, I lied about seeing a movie at the mall just for the two uninterrupted hours of hang out time. Sorry, Mom.

So it got me to thinking....what are we doing to create hang out time? Do we have space where students can hang out in a safe environment? I heard it refered to in a church planting/missional seminar as "third space". That space between home and work where people spend their time.
have you seen this being done by any youth ministries?
Better yet are you providing this space?
let us know. I love to hear what you are doing. You never know, you could be the next guest on the despising none podcast!

The Top Ten Reasons for Churches to Twitter

Joe Ball — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:03:00 -0400

First posted at churchmarketingonline.com
Author: Kurt // Category: Social Networking, social media
Twitter is growing in popularity right along with Facebook. So, why should the church care? Here’s my top ten reasons for churches to Twitter:
1. You can connect to cell phones via text messaging. So, any member with a cell phone would be connected.
2. Twitter is faster than email, easier than phone calls, and more manageable than group text. You can notify people instantly because it’s a cell phone text (or at least can be) as opposed to email which people may not check regularly. It’s especially helpful for urgent messages (“The youth group will be a little late getting back from the concert”) and last minute reminders.
3. Twitter can give visitors a personal insight into your ministry. Non-church members can get a very good idea of what the people and ministry are like just from viewing the tweets.
4. You can include links in tweets such as links to more info, signup forms, or just a link to your church website. This can improve responsiveness from congregants and increase traffic to your website.
5. You can put feeds on your website. This is extremely helpful in keeping the pages of your church website up to date with the latest news while informing your members at the same time.
6. You can use twitter to develop relationships between staff and members as well as members and members. While there are many reasons people may visit or join a church, relationships tend to be what keep members. Twitter gives another way for members to develop more personal relationships with each other. Twitter also gives a way for members to be more personally connected with the pastor and other church staff. This is especially good for larger congregations when the pastor and staff don’t have enough time to show individual personal attention to all the church members in the meaningful way.
7. You can send sermon point reminders during the week so members keep the sermon message in mind. Do the same for Bible studies, youth group messages and Sunday school memory verses.
8. You can have multiple Twitter accounts so you have one for each ministry. This allows communic ation with your members to be targeted so people are only receiving messages related to them.
9. Twitter is world wide. Anywhere people have their cell phone or internet access they can receive your church’s Tweets or post Tweets th emselves.
10. Twitter is free and simple enough that most anyone can use it.
What do you think are the best features of Twitter for churches?

Helping the transition to college

Joe Ball — Thu, 9 Apr 2009 15:30:00 -0400
Here is a great video showing how to help high school students (soon-to-be graduates) prepare for their transition to college, practically & spiritually.

Check it out!

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8MwF6WRVaY

Or http://LiveAbove.com/ondemand

If you found it to be as powerful as I did, let me know and please pass it on to everyone you know. Help us push it to the most viewed video list on YouTube today.

Visit LiveAbove.com to connect to college ministries and roommates before graduation...today.

It will help our graduates!

Have we done enough?

Joe Ball — Tue, 7 Apr 2009 09:52:00 -0400

Spring promises to be a busy time in our house. Karen will graduate from the University of the Cumberlands; Jordan will turn 18 and graduate from North Bullitt High School. As Jordan finishes high school and spends his last summer as a kid, I wonder have we done enough to prepare him for college and for adulthood. There is a small window of time left to teach him some things he will need to know before he goes off to make his way in the world.
While by no means is this an exhaustive list, here are a few things that Gina and I as parents and we as a church family need to “make sure” they know before our students head off to college.
Practical things- As I picture Jordan heading off this fall with that 2006 electric blue Nissan Altima loaded down with his clothes, two things enter my mind. One-does he know how to wash those clothes. For years they have been tossed into a clothes hamper and set in the hall on wash day. Okay, they have been tossed on the floor then put in the hamper to set in the Hall on wash day. Does he know how to separate lights from dark, cold from hot? And Two-can he do the simple checkups on his car? Is he comfortable, checking the oil, air pressure in the tires, can he change the bulb in the tail light?
Financial things- Have a taught him how to budget his money? I am terrible with this. He all ready has a better understanding of finances than I did at his age. But does he know how to save, how to balance a checkbook, how to spend wisely?
Spiritual things-I remember when he was a small boy in a high chair and took the spoon to fed himself for the first time. It was a big day. It was messy and it brought a whole new set of concerns as he then had a little more control over what he ate and how much he ate. I wonder, as he graduates High School and heads of to the University, if we have taught him how to feed himself spiritually. Have we taught him and showed him how about the spiritual disciplines? Does he know the importance of having a daily quiet time, praying with passion, journaling? Have we taught him how to defend his faith, or at least know heresy when he hears it? From the observations I have made traveling the state most youth ministries spoon feed spiritual truths to students until they graduate the youth ministry. Our students are taking AP English and Advanced Calculus and we are still teaching scripture to them like they are in the second or third grade. Have we taught him enough to be strong in his faith as a young adult?
Church things-I intentionally separated this from spiritual things. While they are interconnected, they are not the same thing. It is amazing to hear parents talk about their students that had went off to college and how the adjustment was going. They talk about roommates, grades, friends made, fraternity/sororities that had been pledge but very little about where they had gotten plugged into a local church. There are plenty of churches all across the state that has excellent college/young adult ministries. When we took Karen to Cumberland and moved her in on Saturday we stayed over to Sunday and went to church with her that morning. I think it set the tone of expectation, plus it gave us a few more hours with her before we had to pull out and head home.
It is April and in four months this year’s senior class heads out into the world to make their mark. There is still time for us to prepare them for what is ahead, but that time is gr owing short.

Reasons Juniors and Seniors in High School Have Dropped Out

Joe Ball — Thu, 2 Apr 2009 22:11:00 -0400
This is a summary list of reasons juniors and seniors in high school drop out of church involvement. These reasons were secured from current high school juniors and seniors, current college students and youth/student leaders of NAMB, IMB, Lifeway and our SBC State Conventions. The reasons are not listed in any particular order. Some juniors and seniors drop out for a combination of several of the reasons. Others drop out for one particular reason.
1.      Youth Ministry Turnover
2.      Change in Youth Ministers directions, philosophy, planning, etc. after youth ministry turnover.
3.      School Activities – Athletics, band, etc.
4.      Youth Beginning or Working a Job
5.      Middle And High School Ministries Being Merged Together
6.      Lack Of Ownership Of The Youth Ministry And The Church
7.      Lack Of Involvement, Relationships With Adults And Staff In The Church
8.      Church Isn’t Fun, Exciting, Rewarding
9.      Morals And Spiritual Principles Of The Youth Aren’t Their Own…They’re Worshipping Their Parents’ God
10. Focus Of Ministry Is On Younger Kids
11. Loss of Youth Choirs from most churches
12. Sin Culture Surrounding The Youth
13. Dating
14. Lack of Spiritual Transformation and Depth
15. Too Much Play/Too Little Play
16. Many churches not meeting on Sunday nights.

Teens and SEXTING

Joe Ball — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:25:00 -0400
I have delay posting about this for a while. I actually had started a post a couple of weeks ago, but wanted to wait and see how this issue was going to be portrayed in the media and how much of a blip it would make in the markets. The local TV Station here WHAS 11 has run a couple of nights of stories related to this issue. On NBC's Today Show Matt Lauer did an interview with a mom of college girl that committed suicide because her ex-boyfriend sent pictures, which she had sent to him, to other people after they broke up.  The San Francisco Chronicle and many other newspapers have run front page stories on this issue.
With all that background let’s talk a little bit about this new phenomenon of Sexting, which is basically the practices of taking racy pictures of your self and then sending it with or as a text message. Mostly the pictures are taken and sent cell phone to cell phone.
Here are some excerpts from the article in the San Francisco Chronicle.
In December, a study from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reported that 20 percent of 653 teenagers polled said they'd posted nude or seminude pictures of themselves at least once via computer or cell phone. After school administrators and law enforcement agencies nationwide learned of the activity, USA Today reported that since January at least two dozen teenagers in six states were being investigated for sending explicit images by cell phone, including two Massachusetts teens who faced felony child pornography distribution charges. Last week in Los Alamitos (Orange County), as many as nine middle school boys were suspended after they digitally shared a nude picture of a 14-year-old female student. Anastasia Goodstein, author of "Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online," said that when she interviewed teenagers recently at a Texas high school, none was aware of the term "sexting," and no one copped to engaging in the activity.
Yet for those who do click and send, Goodstein said the images are intended for immediate friends.
"They're not thinking through the consequences that digital images can go viral," Goodstein said. "They're growing up with these tools, documenting their lives in public spaces and not thinking down the line as to who might see it."
Instead of punishing these teenagers, Goodstein suggested, "Parents should be asking their teenagers what their real motivations are for doing this. Is it peer pressure? I s it based on ideas of what being sexy is ?"

And some from the WHAS story
In the WHAS11 survey, 55 out of 123 girls knew what sexting was, so did 51 out of 125 boys. Even more disturbing, 17 girls said they had sent a semi nude or nude photo of themselves.
18 boys said they had. Authorities will tell you it's no laughing matter. In states like Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and at a high school in Virginia, teenagers face charges for sending and receiving nude pictures.

There is plenty of things that we are youth workers need to inform a parents about. This is just another avenue for us to provide a way for parents and their teens to engage in conversation. If after having conversation with the teens about this issue if parents think they need it, mymoblewatchdog.com. is a website where parents can go and sign up to receive email copies of every text there child sends and receives. There is a monthly fee attached to it.

More Americans say they have no religion

Joe Ball — Mon, 9 Mar 2009 09:55:00 -0400

RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer, released this story this morning. It is her summary of t"he report from The Program on Public Values at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., surveyed 54,461 adults in English or Spanish from February through November of last year. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.5 percentage points. The findings are part of a series of studies on American religion by the program that will later look more closely at reasons behind the trends."
Here are some highlighted portions from her article:
Fifteen percent of respondents said they had no religion, an increase from 14.2 percent in 2001 and 8.2 percent in 1990, according to the American Religious Identification Survey.
the study found that the numbers of Americans with no religion rose in every state.
Nationally, Catholics remain the largest religious group, with 57 million people saying they belong to the church. The tradition gained 11 million followers since 1990, but its share of the population fell by about a percentage point to 25 percent.
In 2008, Christians comprised 76 percent of U.S. adults, compared to about 77 percent in 2001 and about 86 percent in 1990. Researchers said the dwindling ranks of mainline Protestants, including Methodists, Lutherans and Episcopalians, largely explains the shift. Over the last seven years, mainline Protestants dropped from just over 17 percent to 12.9 percent of the population.
The current survey, being released Monday, found traditional organized religion playing less of a role in many lives. Thirty percent of married couples did not have a religious wedding ceremony and 27 percent of respondents said they did not want a religious funeral.
About 12 percent of Americans believe in a higher power but not the personal God at the core of monotheistic faiths. And, since 1990, a slightly greater share of respondents — 1.2 percent — said they were part of new religious movements, including Scientology, Wicca and Santeria.
Evangelical or born-again Americans make up 34 percent of all American adults and 45 percent of all Christians and Catholics, the study found. Researchers found that 18 percent of Catholics consider themselves born-again or evangelical, and nearly 39 percent of mainline Protestants prefer those labels. Many mainline Protestant groups are riven by conflict over how they should interpret what the Bible says about gay relationships, salvation and other issues.
For Complete Survey results: http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/

Priorities for part-time ministers

Joe Ball — Fri, 6 Mar 2009 23:06:00 -0400

This article was originally posted at Threads. A great website dedicated to young adult ministry.
Make sure you are on the same page as the full-time ministers in your church.
Because you won’t spend endless hours with the ministerial staff, you need to make sure expectations and goals are crystal clear. You won’t be with them in meetings, at lunch, or just hanging with them in the office, and those are the times when moments of clarity often arrive. So, follow-up with them on everything from the big picture to the small details. Make certain you are communicating clearly and following the same vision.
For example, you’re a part-time young adult minister. Where should you focus most of your time? On young married couples? On single 20-somethings? If you and your full-time ministerial staff don’t have the same answer to this question, you have a problem.
Focus on over-communicating.
E-mail? Great. Facebook? Wonderful. Texting? Beautiful. Phone? Outstanding. Use every communication tool available to you, but don’t rely on just one to make sure everyone knows what’s happening. I once read in a marketing book that it takes seven different touches to make a sale. I think the same rule applies to church life. If you’re starting a small group, you probably need to make multiple touches with people through multiple methods to make sure they know they’re invited, where they need to go, and what they need to do. If you’re launching a mid-week worship service, the same truth applies.
Two big cautions also apply here. Don’t rely on electronic methods when you need to make a personal touch. Texting one of your leaders a note of comfort when they lose their job doesn’t cut it. They need a visit. They need to look you in the eyes and know that you care. Don’t abandon snail mail either. People like to get cards and letters from you. They know it took time, and they know you went out of your way to think of them. So, be a cards and letters kind of part-time minister.
Invest in your leaders.
Depending on the size of church you serve in, you may not have time to personally invest in every person your ministry touches. However, you MUST make time to personally invest in your leaders. They are the heart and soul of your ministry, and you need to pour yourself into them. Help them become better Bible study leaders. Listen and address their concerns. Know what’s happening in their personal and spiritual lives. Know when they’re burnt out and need to take some time off. Know them by heart and make sure they know you love them. Follow Jesus’ model of pouring into the 12 disciples. He couldn’t spend time with every person in the crowd. While He did invest in select people from the crowds, like the woman at the well, Nicodemus, or Zacchaeus, He spent most of His time with His leaders.

Lessons for the interim periods

Joe Ball — Tue, 3 Mar 2009 13:32:00 -0400

I have the privilege this past month to speak at two churches that are in an interim period, Post Oak in Russellville has an interim pastor and Melbourne Heights in Louisville is in a interim youth period. The time with an interim brings its challenges. I ask a few others to share the lessons they learned during interim periods they experienced so we can learn from them. Some of the comments refer to their time with interim pastors, others with interim youth ministers, but I think the lessons can apply to both situations.
Jeff Perry, Minister to Students at Burlington Baptist Church, Burlington said, “Getting through the Interim period really forces you to check your mindset. I will have to admit that when we had staff departures, I wondered if it would be a case of everyone pulling at me or everyone pulling together. I have to say that I am blessed to be surrounded by a church family that went right to work making sure that the mission of the church was still clearly defined and moving forward. “

Steve Coleman, Minister to Youth at First Baptist Church, Richmond who went through an interim period while he was in Hopkinsville said, “In the interim period it is my recommendation that you communicate, and over communicate. The pastor that left had his own way of doing things and with the interim coming in he will do things another way. What worked as far as communicating before may not be the way the interim will want it done. How to discuss things, staff things, church issues, work hours, what is going on in staff meetings, absences, etc. Make sure you communicate, in fact have the mantra, ‘You cannot Over Communicate!’”
Perry, continued, “One thing that I think every staff person should do when faced with a time of transition is to find someone in the church that can be your advisor and sounding board. Such a person can keep you from biting off more than you can chew. Also, make sure that you’re open and listening to the Lay leadership of your church. Their input is priceless and their help is the thing that keeps you from losing it. In my time of transition, I was always mindful to say thank you to the entire church for the way we pulled together.”
Coleman continued, “Ask questions and follow up with assignments and requests. Be a resource for the interim and help him as he is in this transition time. Also keep in focus your calling and why you are there. It is imperative that you focus on what you are called to do and not what others have projected on you to do. Be you, be the person that God has called you to be, and be obedient to the ministry that God has given you to do. Faithful, always be faithful to the one."

Tree Akers, Minister to Students at Northside Baptist in Elizabthtown said, “There are a few things that are beneficial for a church that is in an interim youth minister phase, or has no youth minister. -There is a great resource called the "Ideas Library" which has cre ative games, skits, mission opportunties, lessons, etc. This has been a huge help to the youth ministry volunteer leadership that is "covering" in the interim timeframe.” Also, “Network with churches near your area that have a full-time youth minister, you might be able to get some ideas from them, as well as connect up with some events that they are doing. “ And finally Akers said to, “PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!”
Perry said, “Remember that Christ ta ught the Disciples so they could serve in His absence, so make sure that you are equipping and training the people of the church how to serve for you never know when you will need them.”

some lessons on GEN Y

Joe Ball — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:12:00 -0400

At y-pulse today they posted an interview with Donna Fenn, author of Upstarts! How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You can Profit From Their Success. A couple of pointers we can learn from her interview.
the most important point about this generation, which is that they are, first and foremost, highly collaborative – I call them "Extreme Collaborators."
They're not afraid to say "I don't know how to do this; help me." I think that previous generations prized the romantic image of the "lone wolf entrepreneur." But the world has changed and Gen Y intuitively understands the power of collaboration and collective knowledge.
Because they're young and relatively unburdened by the financial obligations of their parents' generation, they're great at bootstrapping. They don't mind eating Top Ramen and sleeping on a futon at the office.
I've noticed that GenY entrepreneurs are more likely to have some sort of social mission right out the gate....While older entrepreneurs tend to wait until their companies are established and profitable, young entrepreneurs often want to make a commitment to a social mission right away. For instance, Happy Baby Food pledges to feed a child in Malawi for a day for every package sold. This generation wants to change the world and they're using entrepreneurship to do it.
They use youth to market to youth. Companies like College Boxes and DormAid are using student representatives to sell their services on campuses. That’s because young people care less about what you say about your company than what their peers say.
They cater to GenY's love of customization and originality
Gen Y wants to be entertained. How else can you explain the "Eat A Chiquita" video on Facebook or BMW’s mockumentary, "Rampenfest?" If you want to get Gen Y’s attention, give them entertaining content that they can share with their friends.
Is your brain running 1000 mph on how we can better reach this generation? Mine is. I would love to hear what you are thinking that this information means to us who are trying to find culturally relevant ways to reach this generation.

Community wide disciple now

Joe Ball — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:40:00 -0400

I had the privilege of leading a Disciple now house for Second Baptist Church, Hopkinsville, where Chuck Poe is the youth minister. 13 High School seniors were in my house. It was a good time. We talked about Jesus and about life after youth ministry. It was refreshing that most of the seniors in the house were concerned about staying connected to the church after leaving the youth ministry. And the fact that 13 seniors were still willing to participate in a church event was refreshing. Most things we do in churches our juniors and seniors have all ready checked out of.
A couple of observations from the seniors on staying connected. They wanted a pastor that would speak in a manor that was relevant to where they are. Not talk down to them like they are children, but speak biblical truth them that speaks into their lives. They also wanted to know that they wouldn’t be forgotten when they went of to college. In addition, they also wanted a relationship with an adult that would walk along side them, in a mentoring relationship.
One of the other joys of this disciple now experience was to see it still going on, I was there when we held the first community wide dnow in 1994. It is a real blessing to know that it has remained a highlight of the year for the students and still a viable tool for helping students grow in their relationship with Christ. The community wide aspect is what sold me on it years ago, and some of the host families and Bible Study leaders this year, began their disciple now experience as youth participants. There are very few things we do that have this kind of continuous involvement.
There are some significant benefits that I have noticed through the years of doing a community-wide disciple now.
It develops a sense of community. When the students all wear their official d-now shirts to school they realize they are not all alone. There is strength in numbers. Most students will know the other students from their own churches youth ministry but sadly may not know the students in the other youth groups in the community. The common t-shirt tied to a common community wide event lets them know there are other believers around them. It is amazing how many students think they are the only Christian in the class.
It is a common event that maintains church autonomy.   It is a wonderful tool to rally around a common theme and a common corporate worship experience that also allows for different churches and denominations to come together. Each church can take the theme and teach it to their students and maintain their own doctrinal purity, while agreeing on the non-negotiable of our faith.
There is Camaraderie among youth leaders. The months of planning that go into this event brings local youth leaders together for an extended period of time. As themes, curriculum, worship and community experiences are planed and prayer sessions are held, you can’t help but to grow closer to one another. There were at least 14 churches that participated this year.
It is small church friendly. One of the blessings through the years has been watch churches of all sizes participate. Larger churches have provided resources as needed (curriculum, Bible study leaders, merge students from small groups in with their students). Only to send them back to their home churches. The attitude among the youth ministers has remained, to this day, that there are enough lost students in the community for all of us, I don’t want your students. There is sacred trust not to “steal another churches sheep”.
Corporate worship together. This particular Saturday the worship had over 1100 gathered for worship in the sanctuary of Second Baptist Church.& nbsp; The excitement in the room with that many students and their leaders coming together to worship God is amazing. This year the praise band was a blend of students from different churches. They auditioned and had been practicing for several weeks to prepare their hearts to lead worship. The was a sense of unity among the students, both those leading worship and those being lead. There was a sense that for a little while, maybe the Pointer Sisters had it right: “We are family”.