Slaying the

Goliaths:Youth Ministry

in the Small Church

Learning from Apple

Failure isn’t fatal (so keep swinging).

Think different - not always bigger or better

Embrace uncertainty.

Never forget your purpose or values.

Never let the critics-even within-dictate your mood, method, or mission to grow your youth ministry.

Find one thing and do it with excellence, rather than repeating mediocre results.

It only takes one small thing to turn everything around.

Small Church Goliaths

•Volunteers

•Money

•Attendance

•Facilities and Space

•Envy and Comparison

Prayer

VolunteersWHAT NOT TO DO:

1. Never stand in front of your congregation and make a plea for help. 

2. Never beg people to join your ministry. 

3. Never invite someone to join your ministry team unless you’re confident in their abilities to fulfill the roles you assign.

WHAT TO DO:

1. Ask your church staff and other trusted leaders for referrals of people they think would be a great fit for your ministry.

2. Talk with other people who know your potential recruit. 

3. If everything checks out, approach the recruit and cast the vision for your ministry. 

4. Invite the recruit to become a part of the ministry as a fly on the wall — no responsibilities, just to observe. Debrief together after every experience.

5. If they agree to join the ministry, clearly set the expectations and responsibilities for that individual.

6. Set your standards high and keep ‘em there! 

MoneyBudget!

Tip #1: Carefully think through curriculum

Tip #2: Invest into leaders

Tip #3: Plan out expenses for each month

Tip #4: Keep it flexible

Tip #5: Plan for an income

Tip #6: Prioritize the funds

Tip #7: Run it by a couple adult youth leaders

Tip #8: Be careful about mixing your own finances

Attendance1. Build personal relationships with the kids you’re in touch with.

2. Facilitate an environment where those kids can build relationships with each other.

Some practical ways to do this:

1. Rather than expecting kids to come to you, go to them instead.

2. Every relationship revolves around trust.

3. With the kids that do come to youth group, even if it’s just two kids, take both of them out for ice cream and just talk.

Outreach

The church was meant to be missional.

Experiential Learning

Dr. Donald Wetmore of the Productivity Institute conducted a study on retention. His study found, we retain 10 percent of what we read. We retain 20 percent of what we hear. We retain 30 percent of what we see. We retain 50 percent of what we hear and see. We retain 70 percent of what we say. We retain 90

percent of what we do.

Be Different

The smaller congregation is amazingly unique, with natural strengths and

supernatural gifts that larger churches also envy!

Creating Vision

A smaller-church youth ministry must envision what it can

accomplish through a fervent reliance upon God's power.

Slaying the

Goliaths:Youth Ministry

in the Small Church