Creating a Next Gen Viral Movement
Next Gen ‘24 Content / Session 1, Creating a Next Gen Viral Movement, Jeff Grenell
One of the pressures that Next Gen leaders face is increasing the footprint and impact of your ministry. What is success? How do we measure our impact? And what can we do to increase our influence and leadership?
We will discuss 10 principles to create greater internal movement in the church and greater external movement in the culture for your ministry.
Internal Movement
1. Everyone in the ministry knows the vision and the mission of the ministry
· Say it, say it again, and say it one more time
· Can everyone else say it?
2. Placement of leaders in their sweet spot creates great effectiveness for everyone
· Burn out VS. Burn on
· Matching competency creates ultimate success
3. A culture of unity and relationship that builds an atmosphere of acceptance and love
· What is the vibe of the ministry in one word?
· Names and stories
4. A plurality of leadership In a singular vision
· It takes all kinds of people to reach all kinds of people
· Valuing diversity on the leadership team will reflect diversity growth in the ministry
5. Student involvement
· Ownership creates momentum through workforce
· But this takes training and development continually
External Movement
1. Training everyone on the team to have an outreach or community mentality
· It is not us against them
· Hosting and greeting principles (early and often)
2. Common language outside of the establishment
· Are we misunderstood?
· Choice of words, phrases, illustrations, branding, and etymology increase communication
3. Relationship with key church, parachurch, government, and community leaders
· Being a part of the story of a community
· Attending community meetings, resourcing community problems, meeting community needs
4. Strategic meetings with non-stakeholders to get feedback
· Sitting with people outside of the ministry and asking questions (individuals, or public panels, Q & A, informational meetings, and surveys)
· Invest in professional and veteran coaching
5. Social media presence that is consistent and relevant
· Social strategy that is noticeable and unified across platforms
· Involvement of gifted influencers on each platform be
Next Gen ‘24 Content / Session 2, Multiplying Buy-In, Jeff Grenell
How do we increase the involvement and ownership of parents, adult leaders, and students? We will discuss 10 practical ways to accomplish this so that you are not working alone!
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.
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.
2. Relevant content. No fear of topics or issues.
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.
3. A Lack of Currency. Spending time with the target (young people) increases currency.
As a Next Gen Leader or parent, it can be easy to question our relevancy. Maybe they start 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 you go through your own age stages, your experience increases. It so does your effectiveness.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recruiting a variety of backgrounds – economic, educational, experiential, social, and racial – creates intrigue and conversation.
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.
9. Loss of the mission. When is the last time you cried for each other?
What keeps the ministry focused? It’s the mission. The contextualization. If we lose that, everything becomes about the program and not the people.
Our volunteerism becomes stale and a ceiling and fences are placed around the ministry.
10. Shared experiences. Better together – meet monthly leaders/quarterly parents/annual student meetings.
We need to create more shared experiences. This builds relationship and trust and ultimately an atmosphere of acceptance and growth.
Parent meetings, leader meetings, and student meetings with planned agenda content – Q&A, wins, calendar, spiritual moment, event-planning, training, and community.