Creating Involvement, Buy-In, & Virality In Next Gen

Multiplying Buy-In of parents, leaders, and students. How do we get the ministry clicking at every level? Parents and the home, adult leadership team, and the students all working together in sync.

How do we increase the involvement and ownership of parents, adult leaders, and students? I think there are principles that will apply to each of these and the overall health of the ministry.

There are so many barriers to healthy Next Gen Ministry. So let me give you what I believe are the most common principles for total ministry buy-in with parents, adult leaders, and students.

1. Shared communitas is the value of the individual within the whole.

Community is the group or the whole - Communitas is the individual.

What can one person teach me that could help shape my leadership? How do we place each person in their sweet spot? Our greatest effectiveness comes from everyone being valued and in place.

When each person is valued and placed look out. People will BURN ON and not BURN OUT.

2. Relevant content. No fear of topics or issues.

You want to increase involvement? Talk about the things people understand. I don't want the answers to the questions nobody is asking. People will run to that setting.

One of my favorite questions for youth pastors is to ask them what they are teaching or preaching on. Nobody wants to come to a setting that does not address their felt needs. Handling topics that divide assures an increase in attendance.

3. A Lack of Currency and Relevance.

Maybe you have started asking questions like, “Are my ideas relevant?” Or, “Can I relate to the younger generation?” Maybe they entertain the thought, “Is it time for someone younger to lead?”

As a Next Gen Leader or parent, it can be easy to question our relevancy.

So, what do we do about that? Spending time with the target (young people) increases currency.

Ask good questions and get good answers. Find out from the students exactly what you need from them!

4. Collaboration. Parents, leaders, and students working together.

Without some kind of collaborative effort, your vision, language, and thought are limited. It puts a ceiling on what people are going to hear. There is a university of information in our circles.

Ironman and Wonderwoman have a weakness. But, Avengers and Marvel have no weakness. What one may not be able to do, the team can do.

Together is better. The Team. The Team. The Team.

5. The Loss of Spiritual Health. Faith is the greatest thing one generation can give to the next.

The loss of spiritual vitality in parents, leaders, and students can be a reason for lethargy and non-involvement. The spiritual disciplines create health and involvement and ultimately momentum.

Healthy parents and healthy youth leaders create healthy students. And healthy students create healthy Next Gen Ministry. And ultimately a healthy society.

6. Not Solving Problems. Wins create better mental health and positivity. Hope is powerful.

Unsolved problems mount and create discouragement.

Here is a practical way to increase problem-solving: I often ask leaders to write down a list of the problems they are facing - and to then write down a list of solutions to those problems. You will find there are more solutions than problems.

Not solving problems is a joy-killer!

7. Diversity is a great unifier. Inclusion is multiplication and not just addition!

I’ve found that it takes all kinds of people to reach all kinds of people.

The excitement on a team and in a ministry is exponentially increased through diversity valuation. A variety of backgrounds – economic, educational, experiential, social, and racial – creates intrigue and conversation.

And those conversations are a draw each week.

8. Losing Relationship. Volunteerism and involvement is sparked by relationship.

The relational ethic is vital to the vibe/culture. The ministry cannot lose proximity and conversation and relationship.

We need a greater inter-relational connectivity between parents, leaders, and students. When youth leaders are not in the context or setting together, it is easy to lose the love of the personal stories that make up each person in the ministry.

In a society that has lost the sanctity really the meaning and the value of family, we need a greater family ethic in Next Gen. Maybe family is the missing piece to revival (Malachi 4).

9. Loss of the mission. When is the last time you cried for each other?

What keeps the ministry focused? It’s the mission. Understanding the contextualization. If we lose the why, everything becomes about the program and not the people. Focus on the mission - Christ and discipleship - and you are assured health.

Volunteerism becomes stale and a ceiling and fences are placed around the ministry when we lost mission. Mission is electric to a ministry or organization.

10. Shared experiences between everyone.

We need to create more shared experiences. This builds relationship and trust and ultimately an atmosphere of conversation and acceptance and growth.

Better together – monthly leaders, quarterly parents, and annual student meetings.

Parent meetings, leader meetings, and student meetings with planned content – Q&A, wins, calendar, spiritual moment, event-planning, training, and community.

Nobody wants bored meetings. But better meetings are productive.

Shared experiences are viral opportunites for growth.

Finally

Increase involvement through these simple principles.

Thank you for joining us at ythology live this week and another topic on youth leadership.

How do we increase the involvement and ownership of parents, adult leaders, and students? The vitality of the ministry is really easy to fix.

Just apply these principles and watch your buy-in increase!