1. Practice Discipleship
Fall 2011 Training
Youth Ministry Events as
Faith Formation:
Going Deeper and Preparing Your Group
Welcome!

2. Human BINGO
1. Introduce yourself to a person.
2. Get a signature from a person
who satisfies a statement in one
of the squares.
3. Each person may sign your sheet
only ONCE.

3. Community Building
Purpose of Community Building:
•Build trust among participants
•Establish an environment for
learning/experiencing
•Begin relationships
•Create space for relationships and space for a
transformative experience

4. Community Building
Human BINGO
•How well did you know the people here before we
played our Human Bingo game?
•What did you learn about people?
•How was that helpful for today’s training?
Once we know a little more about a person, it is
easier to be in conversation with them.

5. Community Building
Who Should You Build Community
With?
•Between the participants
•With the congregation
•As part of a larger group/picture

6. Community Building
How do you build community?
In preparation for an event:
(to help the group gel and form; establish
community and trust)
•Small group meetings
•Bible studies
•Prayer groups/partners
•Mentors/congregational involvement
•Fundraising

7. Community Building
How do you build community?
During an event:
(help build new relationships and
Reinforce relationships already established;
break down barriers and create comfortable
environment)
•Games and mixers
•Initiative games
•Affirmation activities
•Highs and lows

8. Small Group Discussion
Purpose of Small Groups:
•Youth ministry is relational.
•Small groups allow for intentional, caring
conversations.
•Small group leaders are a caring presence
sharing an experience with a relational God.

9. Small Group Discussion
1. Each person should choose one mini candy
from the table.
2. Find 4 to 5 other people with the same candy
around the room.
3. Once you have your group, sit in a circle, knee
to knee on the floor where everyone can see
each other’s eyes all around the circle.
•If you have a group member who cannot sit on the floor,
arrange your chairs in a circle close together and with
eye contact for everyone.

10. Small Group Discussion
Small Group time needs to be intentional.
•Consider group size – too big and people lose
opportunity and presence, too small can be
intimidating and threatening
•Consider space
•Eliminate distractions
•Make room for everyone around the circle

11. Small Group Discussion
Create atmosphere
•Be welcoming
•Use a focal point
•Leave an empty space as a reminder of God’s
presence
•Consider temperature, lighting, etc.

12. Small Group Discussion
At this time, place your candle in the center of the
group and light it as a focal point.

13. Small Group Discussion
Set Clear Expectations
•Create a group covenant
•Layout and verbalize the plan for the time
together
•Know your goals for your time together

14. Small Group Discussion
Small Group Leaders should:
•Offer presence
•Be authentic
•Listen
•Share appropriately
•Direct discussion and growth
•Begin with introductions

15. Small Group Discussion
At this time, take a few moments to go around
the circle and share your name and a memory
of a small group experience with the other
members in your group.

16. Small Group Discussion
Other things to consider when leading a group:
•Create an opportunity for all to share, and
allow passes.
•Build trust.
•Be in prayer.

17. Small Group Discussion
Share in your circle:
•What typically goes well for you in small group
leadership?
•What can you improve on?
•Ask someone in the small group to pray for
what they heard.

18. Group Sharing
In groups of 3 to 4 at your table:
1.Share a story with those in your group of a youth ministry
event where you observed some kind of transformation/aha
moment/growth in faith of a young person.
2.You may have observed this growth either at the event
itself, or after the event as a result.
3.“Event” can be used to describe a wide variety of activities
such as small group Bible study, a mission trip, a service
project, or a get-to-know-you pizza party.

19. What is a Youth Ministry Event?
Youth Ministry Event describes a wide variety of activities
that happen when we gather young people together in
community for the purpose of growing in their faith and
building up the Body of Christ.
Youth Ministry Event Examples:
•One hour small group Bible study or Confirmation lesson
•Mission trips
•Get-to-Know-You Pizza Party
•Service Projects in Your Community
•Youth Gatherings

20. Planning Events with Purpose
Events that are transformational are purposefully
and intentionally planned and thought out to make
a meaningful experience for the participant.
Matthew 28:18-20
•The Great Commission
Luke 10:27
•The Great Commandment
Ephesians 4:12-13
•Additional purposes to which vocational
ministers are called

21. Karen Jones* states that youth leaders
should approach planning events with two
tools:
a Compass and
a Ruler
The COMPASS points the leader in the right direction.
The RULER measures the results.
*From Chapter 25 in Starting Right.

22. The Compass
Spiritual Interest Categories
•Disinterested/Unaware
•Attending Resister
•Status Quo
•Seeker
•Committed

23. The Compass
Program Pyramid

24. As you review the spiritual interest
categories and the program pyramid:
•Think about the youth in your congregation or
community that you serve. Where do they fall on the
spectrum of the Spiritual Interest Categories?
•As you look at this program pyramid, think about your
youth events at church. Where do they fall? Do these
events meet the spiritual interest needs of the youth in
your congregation?
•Discuss in your group what a good balance of events
might look like, particularly in your own context.

25. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
The “MTD Creed”, so to speak:
1. A God exists who created and orders the world and
watches over human life on earth.
2. God wants people to be good, nice and fair to each
other, as taught in the Bible and by most world
religions.
3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good
about oneself.
4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s
life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

26. How are our events reaching past this
“creed” and encouraging even the
newest of Christians to push past
moralistic therapeutic deism towards a
deeper and transformational kind of
faith?

27. Small Group Activity
Spend the next 20 minutes designing some activities for your youth group.
Create one for each of the levels of the program pyramid.
•What is the purpose of this event? (Come and Enjoy, Come and Serve, etc.)
•Who is this event intended for? (Disinterested/Unaware, Committed, etc.)
•How will you reach out and bring in new attendees to this type of event?
•Are there youth leaders you might enlist to help you invite new youth to an
event of this nature?
•How will this event move youth a step deeper in faith?
•How will this event challenge youth in their faith? - OR - Which young
people in your ministry are ready for a faith challenge?
•How will this event speak to youth in a way they can understand, based on
their current understanding of faith?
•How will this event be processed with youth?
Talk through these questions with your group as
you work and use this time to also process how to
design events that transform as you plan!

28. The Ruler
Good evaluation is key.
Plan questions BEFORE the event to
measure your outcomes after the event.
•Did you meet your goal(s)?
•How do you know?
•What shows you the result?

29. Small Group Discussion
1. Go back to the events you planned a few
minutes ago and pick one to work with.
2. Create a list of five questions you could use to
evaluate the event.
3. Share your questions with your small group
and give feedback and/or suggestions to each
other.

30. Acting With Wisdom
Karen Jones also cautions that events “planned
for the right reasons can still be carried out in
an unwise manner.” (Starting Right, p. 355)
For practice, use the events you have been
planning today. Evaluate the next event using
the questions provided on the hand-out.

31. Discuss in your small group:
1.Is your event on track?
2.How might you tweak or change the event
(or do you need to) having read through this
list of questions?

32. Covenanting
Purpose of a Covenant
Opportunity for Law and Gospel
Include the “rules” for your time together as well
as the “good news” of connections and
community with each other

33. Covenanting
What is the specific purpose of the covenant
you are writing?
•Expectations before the event
•Rules/boundaries
•Expectations during the event

34. Covenanting
Who to Covenant with:
•Youth participants
•Adult leaders
•Parents
•Congregation/community

35. Covenanting
Creating a Covenant:
•Know your non-negotiables
•Brainstorm a list
•Share your brainstormed lists
•Cross out what cannot be agreed upon
•Add non-negotiables
•Have the group sign the covenant
•Be clear on the consequences
•Share the covenant with parents and congregation

36. Covenanting
When a covenant is broken:
•Be proactive
•Go to the individual first
•Involve other adult leaders in the discussion
•Bring the parents into the process
•Provide opportunity for community healing

37. Event Finances
Budgeting
Purpose of Budgeting
•Helps leaders be good stewards of resources
•Can guide the planning process
•Considers available resources

38. Event Finances
Base Costs
•This will vary event to event
•What MUST be included in the price?

39. Event Finances
How much will youth and families pay?
•A monetary investment increases commitment
•Scholarships?
How much will the church pay?
•Is there a budget?
•Other budgets?
How much will you fundraise?
•Based on what families and church
pay

40. Event Finances
Some things to consider:
•What message are you sending?
•Consider what the true needs are.
•Find ways for participants to commit
in other ways.
Options for families:
•Payment plans
•1/3 splits
•How much can the family pay?
•Consider alternative sources for
funding

41. Event Finances
Additional Costs for Events
•Transportation fees?
•Adult leader fees?
•Food not covered in
registration costs?
•Tips, tithes, offerings?
Whenever possible, it is a good practice to build in
sponsor expenses to pay their fees for an event.

42. Event Finances
Fundraising
Purpose of Fundraising
“Fundraising events are ministry – you are providing the
opportunity for the entire congregation to be part of
passing faith on to young people. Fundraisers are
opportunities to advance ministry.”

43. Event Finances
Two Key Things:
1.Make sure your fundraiser
builds community
• With the youth and leaders
• With the congregation
2.Make sure your fundraiser fills a
need

44. Event Finances
Steps for Solid Fundraising:
1.Inform
2.Motivate
3.Ask
4.Thank

45. Event Finances
Managing Funds
•Parent and youth led vs.
Adult leader led
•Team pot vs. Individual accounts
•Attendance at all fundraisers w/o misses vs.
Hours kept and funds divided

46. Release Forms/Consent Forms/Paperwork
The Purpose of Paperwork
Going BEYOND liability
•Paperwork ensures that you know how to
contact parents
•Paperwork gives you pertinent information
on a moment’s notice

47. Release Forms/Consent Forms/Paperwork
Kinds of Paperwork:
•Release forms
•Liability forms
•Medical treatment forms
•Pictures/video consent
•Special trip or high-risk activity forms
•Medical history forms
•Sign in sheets

48. Crisis Management
The Purpose of Crisis Management:
Being prepared for a crisis provides for a
safe environment for the youth we serve.

49. Crisis Management
Things to Consider:
•Plan for multiple adults at an event
oAlways have at least 2
•Have a plan for emergencies
oWho will make phone calls
oWho will transport for medical care
oNotification procedures

50. Crisis Management
Notification Procedures
Determine who needs to be
contacted and in what order:
•911
•Parents
•Other adult leaders at the event
•Pastor
•Church council president
•Youth committee chair

51. Crisis Management
Things to Consider:
•Who will deal with media
•Who will calm youth
•First aid
•Paperwork and release forms
•Counseling referral sheets
•Fire/weather meeting place
•Phones, hospitals and shelters

52. Closing Comments/Questions