It’s an honor to be able to serve with some great volunteers at TheBOD.tv.  Every year we honor volunteers at our annual October Event.  This year we decided to honor them all month long. We surprised our honorees at their homes, work, and even while they were serving to let them know how much we appreciate and love them all. We split the awards into three weeks and honored 4 a week during our Sunday morning experiences. You can see the videos below. Enjoy!

• Mobilization – Due to globalization, students are more compelled to work with God to fight world hunger, child soliders, and to help provide clean water. Students of the next generation are longing for energizing visions worthy of pursuit and sacrifice. Technology has empowered students to join God in His redemptive work in rescuing the world from its plight. Now, a student doesn’t have to just go on a mission trip to help the world better be a better, Gospel centered place. A student can mobilize his/her teenage tribe to do something about confronting the evils of the world—all while sitting in his/her bedroom eating potato chips.

• Integration – The usage of technology in youth ministry cannot be compartmentalized. Youth pastors cannot only be on facebook at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. Technology has to play an integral role in the life of youth ministry. Drew Sams refers to Marshall McLuhan, a sociologist from the 20th century, who defined technology as an “extension of our humanity.” It is important not to fight against the technological innovations but to learn how to adapt them into the every day praxis of youth ministry. Don’t use technology just to “spy” on students. Be visible, engaged, and interactive. The youth pastors and youth leaders that can implement and manage technology integration in their ministries will be highly effective in their contact work and relational ministry.

My warning – Please don’t let the integration of technology in your youth ministry dictate every aspect of your ministry. If you do, you will have missed my point. The use of technology should be used to enhance what you are already doing and to potentially change the way you are doing it, but only if it furthers the Kingdom. Just being connected for the sake of being connected will waste the resource that technology can be. There will need to be appropriate boundaries applied to this technology integration.

Jeremy Zach is an average-fixer upper- type of youth worker. Stuff that makes him smile: his wife, technology, student pastors, productivity, theology, airplanes, student ministry, Mixed Martial Arts and techno music.

• Contact Work – A large majority of contact work with students happens online. Contact work is when adult leaders build relationships with teens. There are three levels of contact work in order to build trust: 1) be seen, 2) talk with all types of kids, and 3) do something together. Level 1 and 2 can predominantly be done online. Typically, level 1 and 2 are the longest stages in contact work process. However, doing contact work online makes it way easier to connect with a wide variety of students in a short amount of time. Plus, the adult volunteer is highly visible and will be considered highly relational by students. Not only are students on technology a lot, but students are way more open when they are on their computer/smart phone keyboard than they are in small group. Some of my best ministry moments have happened from a keyboard. Youth leaders must meet students on their “technology turf” where they are comfortable in order to connect, relate and understand teens. Connecting in this way may seem impersonal to older generations, but we have to remember that the way teens connect with one another has changed dramatically even in the last five years.

• Globalization – Technology has enabled ideas and information to circulate and be spread around the world. Some of the strongest cell phone signals are in rural parts of Africa. Therefore, students are being exposed to other countries’ cultures and realities. Teens are becoming more aware of what is happening around the world without ever having to go anywhere. Students are realizing how good they have it in America. I think students are more motivated (than ever) to travel across the world to learn and be a part of cultural experiences. I have had former students who lived in Australia, Russia, Japan, China, Africa, Germany, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, and Switzerland. In their minds, traveling across the globe is not what just church missionaries do now. In addition students of the next generation are way more inspired to going on a oversees mission trip.

Younger adults rely on technology to facilitate their search for meaning and connection. Technologies have begun to rewire the ways in which young people—meet, express themselves, use content and stay connected.

Technology means too much to the teenage population. Technology must change and enhance the way we do ministry.  Over the next few days we’ll be sharing a few ways I have seen and heard technology changing the landscape of youth ministry praxis:

• Training – Leaders, families, and students are busy and may not have time to attend a mandatory parent meeting or leaders training. So, how can a student pastor still transmit content, information, and vision in a communication medium? Do it via social media. Start a website, youtube channel, and twitter feed and leverage social media in a way that can train adult volunteers or give parents critical info. The best part about this method is that they (parents/leaders) can be trained when it is most convient for them. My point is that multiple communication technologies are necessary when equipping and informing parents, leaders, or students because everyone doesn’t use the same medium. Yes, this might equal more work for the youth pastor, but it also equals a higher chance that the message will be received. One of my great friends in youth ministry, Drew Sams, pastor of student ministries at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, California, wrote a great article talking about leveraging social media to build a missional team. Read it here.. Youth ministry trainings are often offered more and more online than they are offline.

Can God trust me? If what we ask for is given to us (Luke 11) the flipside to the question is: “Can God trust me with that?” I’m realizing that as I move forward with blessings from God the only way to really receive is to be prepared to give what is given back away. Knowing that when God blesses me with material possessions, or authority, or position, or friends, or influence His ultimate for me is not to bless me but just like he told Abraham to bless the nations through me. So my question to you is: Can God Trust You?

I don’t need to be a better Christian.  I need to make disciples.  So should you.  It’s simple. It’s not easy though. Here it is from the message

Studies still show that the number one influence in a child’s life is their parent or guardian.  That mans YOU have the most influence over your child.  Not what they listen to or hear from the media, not their friends, or teachers, or youth leaders. It’s you. So what to do? Here’s a couple of simple practical ways to lead your family and have spiritual impact.

Have a Family Night

We have a family at our church that has started family night. It has begun to transform their relationships with one another.  It’s simple and easy. No television. Play a board game or card game. Go out for ice cream together.  Have a family dinner. Spend time together and don’t let anything get in the way. Schedule it. Spend some time thinking about what you will do.

A Family that Prays Together… Stays Together

Yes. Prayer is powerful.  At the end of the day it’s important for your family to know what’s important to you. Encouraging your family to pray together binds you together on mission when obstacles arise.  They help you to celebrate together when God comes through.  Pick a time and begin with three days a week and work up to 5 and then 7.  I’m still working on this myself and yes it’s simple but it’s not easy so keep at it.  Don’t give in to a busy schedule or compromise.

These are just a couple of quick ideas that can make a huge difference in your family.  I’ll be posting some more ideas ove the next couple of weeks, but I’d love to hear yours too! Comment and let’s start the conversation.

My wife is the kind of person who always asks big questions—usually at times that blindside me and knock me unconscious. For example, the other day, she asked me, “What’s important for us as a family?”

Not, “What do you want for dinner?” or “Do we have money to buy the boys some shoes?” (It seems like we’re always buying shoes.)

Nope, it was “What’s important for us as a family?”

Now my first reaction was, “What? Are you kidding me?” I mean, I’m an analytical person. I think a lot—sometimes too much. But I have so much stuff I’m already thinking about that I don’t have time for a question like this. It just requires too much effort. In fact, it makes my head hurt a little bit.

But there was something about her question that wasn’t so easy to dismiss. I have a son in middle school, two more in elementary. I’m realizing every day just how quickly time is passing and I’m also realizing that there are some things I want to make sure my boys learn and know before I start losing my audience with them.

I know I have a few years before the oldest moves out, but the reality is that someday he will and it will come much faster than I think. Someday he’ll walk into adulthood. And it’s important for me to prioritize the knowledge and experiences he needs in order to move forward confidently.

That may or may not happen if we keep moving in the direction we currently are. Our schedule is crazy. Our time at home is disjointed with everyone doing his or her own thing. And the reality is that without intentionality, our family will always drift along. Our tendency will always be to drift towards disconnection and randomness. My kids are not always going to just instinctively learn things from me. Sometimes it requires me putting time and energy into helping them learn those things—whether it’s how to read the Bible, make a budget, how to do laundry or how to change a tire. Sometimes it means that I let them face some consequences that I want to save them from.

For example, we were a little reluctant on the whole cell phone thing for my middle schooler. He doesn’t really talk on the phone very much, and he really only needs a phone occasionally. So we bought him one of those pay as you go phones. He has to pay to add minutes or text time to his phone. And the phone company requires that he adds to that balance every couple of months.

One weekend, he was on a retreat with our youth group. I needed to get in touch with him so I sent him a number of text messages. We talked back and forth, and while I was talking with him, I realized that I was using up his precious minutes.

My first instinct was to be generous and maybe swoop in and buy him some more minutes. But then I caught myself. I knew that if I did that, he would expect anytime I talked with him to be reimbursed. And that was not a precedent I wanted to set. So despite my “dad saves the day” intentions, I decided to just let it go and not say a thing. I would have loved to show him generosity, he’s a great kid. But I also knew that part of what makes him great and will continue to make him great is his sense of responsibility.

So what’s most important to your family? Think about it. Take a week and marinate on that. What do you want your child to walk into adulthood with? Beyond a diploma or a scholarship, what does he or she need to know to get to where he or she needs to grow? The reality is that unless it’s on your “to do” list, it won’t happen—and even then, you are going to have to work at making it happen. I know, it shouldn’t be that way, but it is. So how are the decisions, experiences and wisdom you are giving your child preparing him or her for the future?

Imagine the end. You’ll always be a parent. You’ll always be a part of your child’s life. But there will come a time when your “parenting” will end, when he or she will be making their own choices without your guidance or input. What does your child need when they get there? What are the important things you made sure they knew or experienced along the way to arrive at that point?

It may mean that you sacrifice some time on your part. It may mean that you make your child do something that he or she complains about the whole time. But when you are intentional about imagining the end, a few years from now, you’ll feel like you’ve done what you need to do to prepare your child for adulthood. It doesn’t mean you were perfect at it, but it does mean that instead of drifting, you steered your child in the right direction.

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For me the best part of his interview was his thank you’s.  I don’t think he could really get them all in.  People we’re coming to mind for him so fast he could barely get the name out and he’d think of another.  The power of relationships and prayer warriors in his life is immeasurable.  BJ thanks for sharing your story with me and I look forward to seeing what God’s gonna do with it.