Technology is larger than it has ever been! Honestly, what is scary is that it is getting bigger. There is no telling where the tech world will be in 10 years. My friends over at youth ministry media are totally as up to date as they come with technology, and what is new in the world of technology and ministry. They have derived a free sermon series on technology that could be used in your student ministry.
Tag Archives: Media
Freebie Friday: The Personal Life of a Youth Pastor Ebook
Today’s freebie friday comes from my friends over at youth ministry media. These guys are constantly producing practical help for youth minister’s as media is becoming such an important part of how we minister to students.
They recently came out with their second e-book entitled, “The Personal Life of a Youth Pastor.” I want to share this great resource with you today. Go get it, and download it. Also, I encourage you to add their feed to your reader and stay up to date with them and what is going on in their ministry.
Download this free e-book here!
Does media affect the self esteem of teenage girls?
Tim Schmoyer shared this video yesterday, and I thought it was very interesting, and I wanted to share it as well. You can read his thoughts and interact with him and others here. It has to do with the correlation of media and self-esteem. It deals with a teen girl and how the consumption of media can affect her self-esteem. This video is not necessarily written from a Christian perspective necessarily, but it has some principles that are great, and I wanted to see your thoughts. Here is the video:
Do you think media affects the self-esteem of our girls? What about guys? Comment below with your thoughts:
Freebie Friday: 5 Free backgrounds
If you are like me, you are always looking for some new worship or announcement backgrounds. I was struggling to find a freebie this week, and I came across these free backgrounds that Riley Hall and youthministry.com put out recently. These look good, and are original. So, go here and get your free backgrounds.
Download the FREE backgrounds here
Thanks to Youthministry.com and Riley Hall on providing us this free resource! Go to their site, and tell them that you appreciate the freebies that they so regularly provide!
Year in Review: Top 11 Posts of 2011
I just began blogging consistently this past year, and have really enjoyed it. I find it interesting that you have found my blog posts to be helpful and encouraging to you. I will continue blogging into the year 2012! I pray that my posts will continue to be a help to you in your area of ministry.
Today, I am going to share with you the top 11 posts of 2011 on my blog. This is based upon the number of views per post. I hope that you may have missed one of these posts, and this list could help you go back and check some of the older posts out. Here are the top 11 posts of 2011:
- Top Apps for student Ministry
- 8 Blogs every Student Pastor needs to read
- 10 ways to keep youth leaders long term
- 6 Boundaries you must have in student ministry
- Guidelines for using Social Media
- 5 Reasons your student ministry may NEVER grow
- Divided the Movie Review
- Poll: Texting Students Each Week
- 10 Cheap Student Ministry Activities
- How to keep students in church after high school
- How do I prepare a Sermon
Using Technology in Ministry
I have been using Facebook and some of the youth pastor sites to connect with other student pastors & to sharpen my student ministry skills as well as develop my leadership skills. A question arose recently about using technology in your ministry. Do we rely too much on technology. We do announcements, prayer requests, worship music, lessons all on powerpoint. I do most notes for meetings on powerpoint as well. What if technology does not work? What do we do? Will we survive? Here are a few thoughts about technology as you use it in your student ministry:
1. Live within your means. You don’t have to have it to share the Gospel. Some people think that they must have technology to win more people. The Gospel is powerful & life changing by itself. It does not have to have technology. Some churches do not have the capability or means to incorporate technology. Do not let that stop you from sharing the Gospel. Still share the Gospel regardless of if you have the means of using technology.
2. Do not completely rely on it. If it does not work, know how to roll with it. Be prepared for it to work perfectly and for it to not work at all, then you will be fine. If it does not work, and you cannot function, you are using it too much and relying on it too much. You should be able to effectively share the Gospel without technology.
3. Consider the culture of your church. Some churches are not into technology as much as others & be careful that you do not overstep your church & their culture. Be considerate of who your church is.
4. Do not allow it to replace the Word. The truth of the Word should be your main focus.
5. If something with technology goes wrong, turn it off quickly. The last thing that I want to see is the media team trying for 5 minutes to get something on the screen. We occasionally have issues with playing videos, and it is easy to keep trying, but it shows a lack of professionalism and is embarrassing to your ministry. This is a major pet peeve of mine.
If you have any feedback on using technology in ministry, leave a comment or send a direct message to joshhevans@gmail.com.
8 Blogs Every Student Pastor/Leader needs to read
Many people ask me what blogs I am currently checking out. I use google reader for my feeds, and I check out many, but these I check out regularly! These are some helpful blogs for you and your ministry. They entail leadership, media, and helpful thoughts on student ministry. I am a practical guy so most of these provide mainly practical thoughts on student ministry and leaderdship. Check them out. I have linked them for you…
Perry Noble- Perry is the lead pastor of Newspring Church in Anderson, SC. Newspring has flourished under Perry’s leadership. They have grown to be a multi-site congregation. They serve in many cities each week! The ministry is truly amazing. I love Perry and his blog. His blog has truly helped me in several areas with the main one being leadership. All student pastor’s need to grow their leadership development! We all have areas to improve on, and he will give you principles regularly on how to improve your leadership.
Austin McCann- You may or may not have heard of this young preacher, but he is one of the young guys coming up that you will hear about! Austin is a great friend of mine, and is completing his college degree. He has been serving on several internships this past year and is doing a fantastic job! He blogs about student ministry, resources, and media. This kid is crazy talented. He knows a lot about media as well as ministry! He is very gifted socially and I plan on seeing him grow a large student ministry one day soon! Follow this kid.
Youth Media Ministry- Youth Media Ministry is an incredible resource. They are using media and technology in student ministry to its fullest! They provide you with some great resources that will help you be effective. We live in a media crazed world, and our students are immediately drawn to things that are professionally done using media. These guys can come along side of you to give you some helpful pointers so that you can use media effectively in your student ministry.
Doug Fields- Doug has been over time the face of student ministry in my opinion! He is an intelligent writer, speaker, and blogger! His books are amazing, and filled with incredible principles for student pastors. He blogs regularly and you need to read regularly to better your leadership in your student ministry!
Terrace Crawford- Terrace is another friend of mine. We connected through the internet over time through social media. I began following his blog and him on twitter, and we connected! I am thankful to be connected with such a genuine guy. This guy is a great mentor and speaker to students. His blog is great. He also is an editor of churchleaders.com where he shares many great blogs on student ministry! Follow him and sign up for the churchleaders.com blog email update!
Josh Griffin- Josh is also a great resource for you in your ministry. He is the High School Pastor at Saddleback. He is an avid blogger, conference speaker, and a great writer. He blogs about student ministry and has many shared resources as well.
Church Leaders-Youth- This is a great site. They provide the top blogs and articles that pertain to the area of ministry that you are involved in. I subscribe to their emails regarding articles for small group ministry, student ministry, pastors, etc. I love the writings and they are put together well. They only share applicable and practical stuff. I encourage you to add this to R.S.S. feed quickly, and get them sent to your email!
Tim Schmoyer- Tim is the founder of studentminstry.org. This is an incredible site and Tim is an incredible guy. He is an avid blogger and has grown to be a friend of mine. He will connect with his listeners and fellow bloggers. He has written a book as well and is working on his next book! He has a lot of practical thoughts on student ministry. He also shares some helpful resources and freebies that can help you be more effective in your ministry.
If you have some others to recommend, let me know!
