GO AHEAD, PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK!!

5 things that every Committee is doing to develop community

The broad definition of a YOUNG LIFE ALUMNI is ‘anyone who has ever participated or engaged YL locally.’ That means just about everybody!  We are NOT talking about thousands of people, but rather millions of individuals over 80+ years. That’s really good news!

So you may ask, “Does that mean …

• “...Junior high kids?”  YEP!

• “...Somebody that went to summer camp?”  FOR SURE! 

• “...Somebody who serves on a committee or a board?”  DUH! 

• “...Someone who was on staff?”  OF COURSE! 

• “...Someone who has donated once or faithfully over decades?”  ABSOLUTELY! 

Recently, we rediscovered the phrase ‘Friends for Life'  (Thanks, Mal McSwain) when highlighting the lifelong impact relationships have on a person or community. Here’s the really great news -->  YOU engage alumni!  Committees, Volunteers, Young Life Staff, and Mission communities participate for years! It is part of our DNA.

Take a minute and read the five key areas of emphasis that every YL area shares when engaging their alumni. All five are included in the local area’s leadership role. Several we are actively  doing, and several need improvement.  Bottom line:   a focus on the shortlist below, will gain volunteers, greater vision, richer community, and adequate funding, and more adolescents will hear about God’s love for them.

1. HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE CAMPAIGN:  Keep track of students involved in local junior high,  high school, and college programs. A Committee member is perfect for this role. Make sure you stay in contact with them consistently as well as encourage them in their faith wherever their next phase in life will take them. For questions and tips contact Kelianne Gros Louis.

1. COMMUNITY DEVELOPER:  A coveted Committee role is ‘social chair or community developer’.  Have someone on your local committee or board tasked to think through the engagement of your community.  Even better, form a subcommittee that is responsible for executing simple YL events and ‘hangouts’ during the year.  if you want to be a part of a cohort developing this role, email Emily Lewis to find out more.

1. SERVE YOUR CHURCH:  One of the best ways to engage the people in your community with previous YL involvement is committing to your faith community.  Young Life people tend to find one another and Church proves to be a  great place to start.  Pro tip: Wearing a YL T-shirt when appropriate never hurts. 

1. GATHERINGS:  Social hours, house concerts, New Year's Eve parties, camp reunions, Fourth of July picnics, are just some of the ideas that serve as an excuse to come together.  They are proven ways for bringing the larger, YL family together.   When YL is the common thread, great things happen. If you have successful ideas or best practices to share, we would love to hear them. Contact Tank.

1. ADULT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY:  Every Young Life area in the United States submits a plan for engaging adults and families. Internationally, we do the same within the international context. Family camp weekends or trips to Trail West are transformative experiences for Parents and families that change generations.  Your local Regional office strategically thinks through the adult guest process also.  Check out our article on the Adult guest strategy in this issue of 5 for Friday (October, 2022).

We know they are simple; they’re just five things. One for each finger on one hand and you are already engaged. It’s comprehensive too. You have a plan to stay connected to students that are currently involved as well as adults who have been involved in the past - your whole community. The above list includes disciplines  executed on the volunteer committee level and when faithfully executed throughout years, your local area becomes healthier. 

 An exercise:  Print this article and take 15 minutes to discuss and grade your performance as a group at your next Committee meeting.  When you are done, plan 2-3 next steps for the coming year.  

-Ken B Tank.  YL Community Networks

MAKING STRATEGIES SIMPLE

TAKEAWAYS FROM OUR FOUNDER:

We’re grateful to Rick Beckwith and Marty Caldwell who have pulled these letters back into the light. Below is a letter from our founder, Jim Rayburn, from the early years of Young Life. As all our communities look at their strategies for the upcoming school year, we felt it was poignant in its simplicity and focus. Jim focuses on contact work, follow-up, training of leaders, and gracious, informal Club and Camp time.

“There is much more to be said about Young Life strategy but this much leads me to emphasize that the most significant thing is not the techniques or the people. It is, instead, this true compassion that comes from above.” - Jim Rayburn

Here’s a potential exercise:

1. Read these letters with your committee and/or leaders.

2. Adopt the outline of this strategy as your plan for your upcoming year.

3. Share with us if you’ve already been adopting.

3 Key Elements to a Young Life Banquet

I’ve been a part of numerous Young Life Banquets, both as an Area Director and a Speaker. It can be a stressful month leading up to the event and a hectic evening for a staff person and a committee. But I don’t think it has to be that way. I think the banquet can be the evening we look forward to most as an Area. And what we look forward to has nothing to do with our budget.  

Here are three simple elements that need to be first and foremost at any Young Life Banquet that will leave you and your committee saying, “I can’t wait for next year,’ rather than wiping their brow and saying, “Phew! I’m glad that’s over.”

1. Fun - Remember, this is Young Life! Don’t forget to bring the fun… skits, walk-ons, great music, games, and humor. We can get so caught up in the finances and stress of the evening that we lose the fun. And don’t limit that one just one five-minute portion of the evening.  

We bring in a program team and plan a weekend camp, ski trip, or summer camp week. They plot and theme everything from when kids arrive to when they leave. Why not do that with your banquet? These adults are worth it. The gospel you will share with them is more than worth it!  

Plan and theme the guest’s arrival to their departure. This means more than just having a gauntlet of kids screaming as they walk in. (…to be honest, that’s a bit jarring)  

• What music will match the theme?  

• What is the first thing they will see when they walk in the door?  

• How will they be greeted?  

• How will they get to their table?  

• What will be on the table?

• What is up on the big screen?

• What music will play during dinner?

• How will the program start?

• How will kids be a part of the program?

• What kind of t-shirts could the kids wear to match the theme?

• What walk-on characters could be a part of the theme?

• How can we get parents and kids together in the skit or game?

• How will the message build off the program and theme?

• How can the pitch tie in?

• What kind of surprise ending could follow the pitch that would leave people wanting to tell their friends all about it for days?

That might sound like a lot of work, but you are about to have hundreds of adults in a room with whom you get to share the gospel and let them know what Jesus is doing in kids' lives. What could be better? Should that two hours be endured or celebrated?

It is a sin to bore a kid with the gospel, but it is also a sin to bore an adult with your banquet.

2. The Gospel: The essential thing that will happen the night of your banquet is that someone (maybe you) will open up scripture and talk about Jesus in a way that causes adults to lean in and listen. Maybe they don’t go to church. Or perhaps they go to a church that does not talk about Jesus in a way they relate to. You (or your banquet speaker) get to step in the gap.   Even your budget is not more important than this.

One staff person said after a banquet, “I’ve never seen my dad lean in and listen to anything like that before.” I’ve had other banquet attendees say, “If you would preach at church, I’d go every week.”  

What they are really saying is, “I’ve never heard anyone talk about Jesus like that. I want to know more.” Don’t miss that opportunity.

3. Testimonies of Changes Lives:  Whether via video or live, stories of changed lives must be told. We need to remember that having “the best week of my life” at camp does not equal a changed life. Lives only change when hearts change first, and only Jesus (not a change of geography) can change hearts. I’ve seen too many testimonies be more about how great camp is rather than a story of Jesus, and probably so have you. 

We want our guests to know that God is on the move in our community, and one vehicle he uses is Young Life. They will know that is true by hearing stories of, “…all I know is I was lost, and now I am found in Christ.”

There are many ways to accomplish this. You could do an interview, a rehearsed testimony, cardboard testimonies, videos, or kids visiting tables. But remember, it’s about Jesus, not a camp commercial.  

If we were to stop there, and all three elements above were executed well, that would be a successful night!  

Notice that I did not mention the amount of money being raised as a part of success. Not everyone will agree with this, but I would never “count the money” the night of the event. I always wanted to celebrate with our staff, leaders, and committee the clear sharing of the gospel, changed lives, and laughter without it being seen through the lens of a dollar amount.

But wait, isn’t a banquet a fundraiser? Sure it is. But I think think the elements I listed are more important. And it always seemed if I did my best in those elements, the rest would take care of itself. I may be crazy, but I can also tell you that I missed only one paycheck in my 35 years on staff. It was my second month on staff, and I got my back pay the next month. So, somehow it all worked out.

Since you’ve been so kind to read this far, I’ll throw in a few other things to consider…

• Bathe the Event in Prayer:  Two weeks out, I had someone praying at the venue every morning. Committee signed up for slots. (see example Banquet Prayer Sheet HERE)

• The Element of Surprise: Do you realize how many chicken banquets your guests go to each year? Surprise them. Turn left when they think you are going right. Kids came running in last year? Unveil an actual bus to raise camp money this year! Mix it up! You want people going home saying, “I can’t believe… (fill in the blank)!”

• The Pitch: Needs to be rehearsed, concise, and clear. You don’t need your pitch person sharing about the butterfly they saw this morning during their quiet time or trying to re-give the speaker’s message. Have them introduce themselves, ask for what is needed clearly, and give the guests time to respond. It’s just that simple.

I love it when parents come up to me after the banquet and say, “Now I know why no matter how much homework my kid has, they always want to go to Young Life.” I’ve also heard the classic line, “Can you have Old Life? I’d go to that.

That’s the kind of banquet that creates tradition. That’s the banquet people want to return to and bring their friends.  

Stay true to these three elements, and that’s the kind of banquet you will have.

Written by: – Brian Summerall

I WAS THAT KID

Many of us were THAT KID and we have never forgotten…

As we walk through another summer of camping, let’s dream. Let’s look at the masses getting off of the buses and consider what God is going to do in each of them. He’s not just changing lives and hearts, but he’s pivotally changing the direction of their lives. 

As we’ve seen, many of our amazing staff were THAT KID and an experience at camp changed the course of their life and their impact on other kids. 

So many of us can say we were THAT KID, and many more will say that in the future.

KEEP THE CORE - CHANGE THE CONTEXT

KEEP THE CORE - CHANGE THE CONTEXT 

“But it's different over here!” 

 I am not sure the first time I noticed the phrase above, but I can tell you that I have heard it countless times since. Over the past eight decades, as Young Life has grown and expanded,  we have committed organizationally to reaching adolescents in ALL communities and settings. What started with high school students in Texas now has a presence in all 50 states in the US and over 100+ countries around the globe. The graphic below gives a sense of how Young Life became Young Life and where ministry and cultural moments intersected.   

(Thank you - YL Creative Services)

• Over the last several years we have tried to get a ‘pulse’ on the growth of new ministry models beyond AGE & STAGE Ministry and FOCUS Ministries (Capernaum and YoungLives). Below is a simple, broad overview of the ministry models that we are aware of globally and it is growing daily!

• So what do you do when you have literally a few dozen ministry models spanning Junior High to College aged?

• What do you do when your rhetoric is to reach ‘Every Kid’ not just in the US but globally?’  

YOU FOCUS ON  TWO KEY VARIABLES. 

1. You align your ministry along CORE principles.

2. You give great flexibility to allow for a broad range of CONTEXTS. 

The relationship between ‘Core to Context,’ may be the most valuable connection that we can foster to stay relevant in the coming years. If we understand it well, we are allowed to pivot, shift, have permission, and adjust according to the context we serve. When we stay committed to our Values and Methods and adjust to specifically serve our communities, everyone wins!  At the intersection of  ‘Core to Context’ is the heart of the gospel, and Jesus modeled it well:

• Jesus was multicultural 

• Jesus went to people 

• Jesus was relational

• Jesus looked for common ground

• He asked good questions and listened,  Jesus was authentic 

• Jesus didn’t avoid hard topics 

• Jesus was not afraid to speak truth 

• Jesus kept the gospel primary

As a mission, we will survive if we remain different because we respond to the shifts we observe in the culture. So we should stay committed to Principles and be flexible in Particulars.  

Try this 15-minute EXERCISE with your team:  

Answer 3 simple questions-

1. (6 min) What are some core (key) essentials to your Young Life ministry that are non-negotiable? (List 10 or more!)  

2. (6 min) What are some specific contextual elements within your community that make it different? (List 5 or more)

3. (3 min) Grade yourself on how you are doing on the relationship between core to context? What should you do more or less?

Students are changing constantly although, at their core, their needs are similar to what they were when Young Life began. Young Life is the same too - Jesus, faithful adults, lasting relationships, and a compelling presentation of the gospel. Being different will be a good thing only if it helps us reach not just more kids but the current kid as well as the next kid. 

Written by Ken B Tank

A Good Testimony

In my 29 years on Staff and more recently working with hundreds of students for their Work Crew or Banquet Testimonies.

One phrase I hear too often, “I don’t have a 'Good Testimony.’” That phrase just kills me.

Watch this 2 minute video to encourage you and yours to rethink how we might see our Testimony as God sees it.

Feel free to reach out to Kent personally at (971) 506-5368 or Kent@1161.younglife.org if you are interested in more help.

---

Part two of a “Good Testimony” helps us remember what we are celebrating in a testimony in the first place.

Where should we place our focus? Who stands in the spotlight?

Also, it gives us three quick steps to rethink how to put our thoughts together around sharing what Jesus has done in us.

Don’t let yourself fall into the trap that more sin equals a better testimony.

Feel free to reach out to Kent personally at (971) 506-5368 or Kent@1161.younglife.org if you are interested in more help.

WHO OWNS ALUMNI?

Last Sunday night my husband and I enjoyed a night out at our local area Young Life Banquet sitting next to Kiki & Rhett. We met them as middle schoolers when I was on field staff in the early 2000s. They are now married, have two kids, and live five minutes away from us. I had the realization as I was sitting there, that they are now Alumni and Friends and we could be engaging with them even more! 

A week prior I had asked our local Area Director the following three questions:

1. What does your Area do to stay connected to YL alumni?   

2. What would be your top three things in a job description for someone helping your area with alumni?  

3. What are the top 1-3 positives you see for your area if alumni were more engaged?

I asked because my husband and I are former club kids, volunteers, leaders, and staff. We are YL Alumni & Friends from all angles as well. 

As such, we want to be part of the answer to the question ‘who owns alumni?’ In a word, the answer to that question is ‘everyone.’ In reality, it seems most effective if an area has a team of people in their mission community who raise their hands to come alongside staff to own, engage, and build a structure around alumni in the local area. 

This got me wondering if a job description existed for a “YL Community Engagement Coordinator?” Let’s take a quick stab at some essentials for this role that I’m beginning to think every committee needs:

• A SPECIFIC ROLE on your local area committee

  • Who is someone who is already a part of your community and is excited about essentially being a volunteer leader with alumni?

  • This needs to be someone excited to build a team of people who engage alumni (former staff, volunteer leaders, parents, etc.).

• The Alumni & Friends team will IDENTIFY the “alumni & friends” living in your local area

  • Work with area databases, former staff people, former volunteer leaders by reaching out to the Alumni & Friends department and work with your Area administrator.

• The Alumni & Friends team will OFFER mutually beneficial opportunities 

  • What are we offering that is of value to alumni? Networking opportunities, invitation to be a part of reaching kids with the gospel, relationships, & community.

  • As with any other part of Young Life, we want our engagement of alumni to be transformational, not merely transactional.

• The Alumni & Friends team will make it hard to say no 

  • Who wouldn’t want to go to a happy hour and reconnect with old friends?

  • Everyone is looking for community and relationships no matter their life stage.

  • Include alumni in celebrating what God is doing in the lives of kids in your local area.

  • Personal invitations are everyone’s favorite! Develop a culture of invitation among alumni: nothing is off limits!

Would a structure like this help your Area Director answer those initial three questions without expanding their bandwidth? YES! Consider this Young Life 2.0.: offering alumni & friends around the mission a chance to reconnect, re-engage, and continue the relationships that have always been at the core of Young Life. A win all around for sure!

Written by: Emily Lewis

YOUNG LIFE COMMITTEE PURPOSE & EXPECTATIONS

Over the years we have been asked time and time again if there is clarity around the expectations and purpose of the local Committee. There are several documents tied to covenants, and roles and the general purpose but there has been a resistance to being specific about the expectations that surround the local committee and mission community.

Over the past month, we asked a team to put together a simple one-pager that could give clarity to a potential Committee member as they pray and discuss the possibility of serving in this key area role. HERE it is! Simple, clear and short. If you would like to take it and make some edits for your local context, contact Tank and we will get you an editable version. If you have improvements or additions to it, please share so we can continue to serve this key leadership base the best we can.

In Many Ways, We’re All Just Big Kids!

Similar to building relationships with adolescents and growing a Club or a Campaigner group, building a community of adults “on mission” together in a local area often requires engaging them where they are at, and building bridges of friendship through shared experiences. Over the past several years, this kind of effort has been taking place in several locations for both men and women. Among these is “Man Camp” at Frontier Ranch.

“What is Man Camp?” you might ask. 

According to one past attendee, “Man Camp is an opportunity to invite my friends and my family to come and experience the best weekend of their life once a year.” In the words of another guy, “Man Camp is rest, it’s fun, but it’s being real.” And in the words of Young Life friend, independent artist and Man Camp musician, Christopher Williams, “It’s hanging out with dudes and learning more about Jesus!” (Check out this video for more!) 

The goal of this Young Life weekend camp is to “help men grow in relationship with God, each other and the Young Life mission.” Among the many benefits that flow out of this experience are closer relationships, growth in faith, practical help with life’s challenges, greater understanding of the Young Life mission globally and locally, and a trickle-down of relationships and resources to the local ministry. For many disconnected Young Life alumni, the invitation to go back to Young Life camp is not only an opportunity they have been hoping for, but it is also an opportunity for them to invite those who don’t have history with the mission! Many men are just waiting for Young Life to take the first step by inviting them to a place and an experience that was transformative in their life!

The need for opportunities like this for men cannot be overstated. According to recent Pew Research Center studies, of those who self-report as being religiously unaffiliated (“nones”), 57% are men while 43% are women. In the same survey, when asked about attendance at religious services, 35% of men said that they attend “seldom to never,” compared to 26% of women. Interestingly, when asked about “feeling wonder about the universe,” more men felt this way on a weekly basis than women! What better place to experience the wonder of God’s creation than at a Young Life property! 

Like most Young Life camps, Man Camp features terrific speaking, incredible music, informative seminars, fun activities and plenty of time to rest, reflect and build relationships. (By the way, last year we chose to take Man Camp virtual! You can enjoy Greg Hook’s messages here and here.)

Obviously, Man Camp is just one of many Young Life weekend camps that impact both men and women across the U.S. It is but one example of how mission community can be built while engaging adults at a Young Life property. If you would be interested in learning more about how to establish a men’s or women’s camp in your region or division, reach out to Jonathan at JSchultz@sc.younglife.org. 

For more information on our 2022 Man Camp weekend, go here.

*Survey Quotes from https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/gender-composition/ 

Onboarding with Intention: Growing Your Committee

Your prospective committee members probably know enough about Young Life to be interested and they have probably a foggy idea of what a nonprofit board is all about. But, what’s next? How do you onboard them in an efficient (we’re mostly volunteers here, right?), yet effective way. 

Many times, we bring people onto our committees and they have no clue what our purpose is, what we’re working toward, and what their role is in the group. While we have good intentions to make our committees organized and moving together to support the Area, it can feel clumsy at best. 

Our committee has been at a point where we need to grow our committee. We’d been laying the groundwork for a couple years after hiring a new Area Director in our area and in our committee. So, we thought we’d share a few elements of our current process to onboard new members to our committee. 

1. Confirm committee structure. We worked with our NEW Area Director to ensure what structure and roles work for the staff, Area goals, and needs. We spent time to ensure we had buy-in on all key players on the direction we’re going.

2. Date our Committee: Get to know Us. Invite committee members to “date” our committee for six months. During this time, the goal is to get to know each other and see what roles the prospective member might best fit in.

This document is intended to share with prospective committee members. It includes the following sections:

1. Activities to do to get to know the Area in the first six months

2. Young Life’s Statement of Faith

3. Our Area’s Top Areas of Focus

4. Purpose of Young Life Committees

5. Our Staff - Overview

6. Our Current Committee Members - Overview

7. Our Committee’s Biggest Needs Currently and our Current Subcommittees

*We also created separate documents that lay out more specifics around some of the main subcommittees. Examples are RCE Crew, and Leader Care Crew. 

1. Six Month Checkpoint: Prospective Committee Members will follow up and meet with Area Director and Committee Chair to discuss if they want to dive in as an official committee member and what core role on the committee might be right for them. 

2. Committee Immersion: We set up this document to organize information about who we are as a committee. It includes the following sections:

   1. Activities we expect committee members to participate in outside of our monthly committee meetings. These are ways to get to know Young Life, our leaders, local ministry, and more! 

   2. Committee Expectations

   3. Committee Core Values

We want to provide committee members with some foundational information, yet not overwhelm them! We are still very much IN-PROCESS with these documents, procedures, and content here, but we hope it’s helped give ideas for your own framework or process. If you have any tips of what’s worked for your own committee onboard, please send them my way!

Written by: Valerie Morris (valerie.l.morris@gmail.com, Committee Chair, Douglas County, CO

3-2-1 ‘GO’ Strategic Planning

(How to plan a yearly strategy during a 2 hour  Committee Meeting)

“ Hope is not a STRATEGY.”   -Vince Lombardi

“A vision without a STRATEGY remains an illusion.” -Lee Bowman

“ There is only one growth STRATEGY : work hard.”  -William Hague

“ STRATEGY  without process is little more than a wish list.” -Robert Filek

Like most epiphanies, it started with a question…

“What are THREE AREAS of focus YoungLife could prioritize to promote HEALTH & GROWTH for the next 12 months?”

While pondering my response, I was struck that the question was a perfect example of the Strategic Process. It was clear, thought provoking, and demanded engagement.  3 areas of focus tied to 2 measurements for 1 year made me FOCUS. Focus allows you to say ‘No’ because you are clear on where you have to ‘Go’!  Focus helps you identify what you are going to measure and determines your agenda. Talking with leaders, I’ve noticed that most have a vision and a plan but may NOT know it. Focus helps you get your vision and plan on paper and once you do that, you are well on your way! 

Below is a simple 3 step process to discern strategic focus for your community. Just by devoting a few hours with key stakeholders to gather input, foster ownership and discern a plan then the outcome will be a simple, clear and compelling strategy for the next 12 months.  

STEP ONE:  CHOOSE 3 AREAS OF ‘SPECIFIC’ FOCUS

 “ Always start at the end before you begin.”  -Robert Kiyosaki  

The ‘work’ of every Young Life area around the globe is separated into 5 Core Functions. 

Direct Ministry

Spiritual Development

Resource Development

Ministry Support

Leadership Development

Now, pick 3 areas of specific focus for your community/context. Each area you choose will be tied to one of the Core Functions. These are areas of focus that you feel will bring the greatest ‘leveraged effect’ to your ministry. Basically, “if we focus HERE there will be a ripple effect throughout the YL Area.”  A few other reminders: 

1. DREAM OUT LOUD: Strategy is a group activity, and I think you will be amazed at the alignment that is revealed as you ask others the question at the top of this page. Staff, Committee, Key Leaders, Major Donors, and Respected Mentors should all be brought into the conversation. 

2. TAKE A.I.M.(Areas, Impact, Measures): As you talk and pray about where to give focus, take AIM by focusing on specific Areas, with leveraged Impact, that will be easily measured.

3. MAJOR IN MAJORS: The ‘day to day’ running of a YL area has many elements but the goal of this exercise is to recognize where you will place a major ‘focus.’ In addition to what typically occurs over the year, where will you place specific emphasis?

STEP TWO:  DETERMINE ‘ACTION STEPS’ TIED TO THESE 2 PRIORITIES - HEALTH AND GROWTH

“The essence of STRATEGY is choosing what not to do”  -Michael Porter

Step 2, the job of every Staffer, Committee member, and Chair is to foster local Health and Growth. Health means you are rooted and growth means you’re maturing. As you develop your areas of focus, think specifically how they will affect the health and growth of the YL area. To help refine your next steps, consider these questions.

• What other ‘good things’ will happen because of this focus?  

• How will this help us reach more kids?  

• What will be some of the unmistakable outcomes of health and growth?  

Now think through some specific measures and outcomes that are ambitious but within reach. We have some examples in our sample 3-2-1 Strategic plan HERE. (Thank You Douglas County, CO Young Life!) 

STEP THREE:  KEEP THE FOCUS FOR 1 YEAR

“ STRATEGY  is a fancy word for coming up with a long term plan and putting it into action.”  -Ellie Pidot

This 3-2-1 strategy suggests you stay the course for at least one year and my guess is that when you ‘re-up’ or revamp your plan, you may extend it to a 2nd year or longer.  Ministry moves slowly and culture takes time to take root. The biggest challenge I have witnessed watching others think strategically is our inability to stay comfortable and committed as we stick to a plan.   

Now what? So, you have answered the question “What are three areas of focus Young Life could prioritize to increase health & growth for the next 12 months?”  Now you get to relax. This plan is your Committee Agenda going forward. Jack Welch may have said it best.“ Strategy is actually very straightforward. You pick a general direction and implement it like crazy.”  3-2-1, Now GO!

*WANT TO TALK MORE??  We will have a short (1 hour)  3-2-1 Strategic Planning training for interested Committee Chairs and AD’s via zoom in the coming weeks.  Email EMILY LEWIS  to reserve a spot and receive details.  (Spots are limited!)

Written by: Ken Tankersley

CAUGHT MORE THAN TAUGHT

(increasing your Committee IQ)

Ted Johnson (former Committee member, Young Life Foundation Director, Board of Trustee member, Chief Encouragement Officer, and interim YL President) famously described his first Adult Guest experience as when he ‘GOT DIPPED’ in Young Life. He would often mention that after seeing...

• The Mission’s commitment to Christ and prayer

• The genius of Contact Work and Club

• The heart of Volunteer Leaders

• The beauty, hospitality, and commitment to excellence of a Young Life Camp

• The focus on relationships and the furthest out. 

• The lightness in our spirit, our freedom of theology, and humor

...and He never looked  back. What he experienced was ‘ON-Boarding.’ Simply put, this is when someone acquires the knowledge, skills, and behavior to be a valued member of a group, organization, or ministry. In our view, on-boarding never stops. It is the process of going deeper through the concentric circles that go from Seeing & Understanding the ministry to Partnering & Leading.  

An EXERCISE:   Check the boxes below on THE STATE OF YOUR COMMITTEE

          ✅  We have Great people who love Christ, Kids, and each other! 

          ✅  We have a clear set of expectations and terms

          ✅  We have a plan and a vision! 

          ✅  Our Committee members have the right gifting to address the current needs of our Area

• We NEED a Committee Orientation plan during the first 12 months someone is on Committee. 

• We NEED to have a Continuing Education plan for ‘seasoned’ Committee members after year one. 

What you need is a plan to help the Committee ‘Get Dipped!’ Below is a result of some of the best practices from Committees around the Globe. These are simple experiences that up the Committee IQ of your local committee members and create a learning culture within this key volunteer group.  Below are two tables. (Table 1) is a list of experiences for Committee orientation for year 1. (Table 2) Is a list of additional experiences or Continuing education for all Committee members

Since Young Life is ‘caught more than taught,’ below are 4 STEPS TO COMMITTEE ON-BOARDING

STEP 1-  Print out on-boarding table #1 or #2  as is or add your own experiences.

STEP 2-  Have new and current committee members pick an ambitious but reasonable # of experiences to achieve this year. (suggested 3-5)

STEP 3-  Make this list part of your monthly Committee meeting agenda and dedicate a block of time for a member to ‘report’ on what they have done!

STEP 4-  Get ready to have a more engaged, passionate, and informed Committee, Board or Adult Support team. 

One last step- if you have an onboarding experience that isn’t listed- let me know!! Email Tank.

-Contributors (Frank Ivey, Newt and Susan Crenshaw, Blake Raney, Emily Lewis, Ken Tankersley, Valerie Morris, Dave Avramovich, Tim Hartin, Rob Anderson, Eric Protzman, Keith Dow, Jeff Huber, Jon Mueller, Gill Richard, Anneke Brown, Kimberly Silvernale)

HOW BUILDING YOUR ADULT MISSION COMMUNITY IS LIKE BOARDING A PLANE…

It’s been a minute. Given the state of the world over the last year and a half, most of us have likely gotten out of the habit of flying. In fact, I’m experiencing this lack of familiarity right now, as I sit on a plane smelling the collective scent of alcohol swabs and listening to a toddler cry during takeoff. The truth is, we’re all a little bit like that toddler these days - feeling out of rhythm and wondering how and where to begin again.  

As I’ve worked with Area Directors and Regional Directors over the past year, I’ve heard countless stories of innovation and creative pivots. And the collective resilience we’ve shown as a mission is a beautiful, courageous thing.  But I need to be real with you and tell you that I’ve also heard a lot of this…

• “11 volunteer leaders quit over the summer.”

• “My committee doesn’t exist anymore.”

• “I have a camp trip coming up and have two entire cabins without leaders.”

Stop. Take a deep breath. Acknowledge the loss. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  

We are known for being the ministry that “does relationships well,” which means that we have much to lose when we lose people. As staff and committee people, we are pouring out all of our resources to build mission communities, to enable people to live in their unique and gifted callings while sharing the gospel with lost kids. We count it an immeasurable joy to get to do this together, while knowing that it involves great sacrifice. So when we lose teammates, it’s painful. And we’ve lost many of them.  

So here we are, starting another school year, trying to figure out how to have more impactful ministry as this worldwide pandemic rages on. And if I’m being honest, my guess is that many of us aren’t ready to find new people to replace the partners in ministry who aren’t in our team meetings. We miss them. We are grieving the loss. We are tired. We are feeling out of rhythm and are wondering how and where to begin. 

Hear me say this - I’m no expert here. There have been times in my ministry career where I’ve had rich, diverse adult mission communities, and times where I wondered where did all the good people go? But in those celebrations and struggles, I’ve learned that bringing adults into the fold of your mission community is a lot like boarding a plane…  

Steps of Boarding a Plane…

Buy ticket.  Wait.  Pack.  Wait.  Check-in.  Wait.  Travel to the airport.  Wait.  Check luggage.  Wait.  Security.  Wait.  Board plane.  Wait.  Take-off.  Wait.  Arrive.  Wait.  

What do you notice there? It’s an awful lot of waiting, right? Littered throughout crucial action steps. And my guess is that most of us capitalize on all of that waiting - we bring devices to do good work, books we haven’t gotten to read, make phone calls to catch up as we wait and wait and wait. Some might say that the work we do while waiting is as important, if not more important than the flying itself. Sure, getting to your destination is the end goal, but the waiting isn’t simply a means to get there, it becomes something in and of itself.  

What if we thought of building Adult Mission Communities like boarding a plane? Maybe the first steps would look something like this…

Canvas area needs.  Pray.  Establish a Prayer team.  Pray.  Host Friendraisers.  Pray.  Visit local churches.  Pray.  Check Alumni & Friends data.  Pray.  Host a parents meeting.  Pray.  Meet with local church staff.  Pray.  Cast vision with local Fellows programs.  Pray.  Plan an adult guest trip to camp.  Pray.  Invite friends to join you at the high school basketball game.  Pray.  Host a Bible Study about giving your life away.  Pray…

What do you notice there? It’s an awful lot of praying, right? But instead of it being littered throughout crucial action steps, I’d argue that it’s always the most crucial action step. And that while all of the other ideas are useful, they are only maximized when supported and surrounded by prayer. The praying is as important, if not more important than the collective pursuit itself.  

Praying reminds us that the God of the universe is calling human souls, with all of their love and joy and talents and compassion and sin and hurt and need and baggage, to share in this mission of living out the Good News, shoulder to shoulder, so that adolescents might catch a glimpse of who Jesus is. That the God of the universe wants every adult who we serve with to grow in deeper intimacy with Him, to know Him more as Comforter, Creator, and King. That the God of the universe would use teams of broken, imperfect people to share the arrival of His whole and perfect Son.

I don’t want you to miss the value of what it means to invite an adult to partner with you in this mission. That invitation is their ticket to a destination most of them have no concept of, while also experiencing a deep, deep longing for - true mission community. That existence that you often have to experience to understand or believe, where you grow in depth of relationship because of what God is doing in and through all of you, through your willingness to serve kids. And while it can be a long, tedious, wait-filled journey, with much sacrifice on your part, it’s always worth it. 

Kristy Clifford kclifford@sc.younglife.org

5 Things We Learned About Online Giving Campaigns

What we learned from online giving campaigns during the pandemic.

Taking time to reflect can often be the most valuable part of teamwork. Intentionally setting aside time to look in the rear-view-mirror and make careful observations of how you did, what were the results of your endeavor, and can the effectiveness of your plan be measured are absolutely questions worth asking. 

Here are five things that we learned from the online giving campaigns produced during the past 18 months:

It is what it is!

Banquets, auctions, friend-raisers, and giving campaigns are mutually exclusive efforts online. Meaning, each of these things are uniquely different. You could make a case for an online banquet having the ability to accomplish all the ‘whys’ that happen in each type of event. Areas have done a good job with transferring their traditional banquet to a virtual platform. However, the need for manipulating your event to a virtual scale is passing way. 

We’ve made the clear and definite observation that the strategy and execution of these online events are distinctly different from one another. The online giving campaign has the laser-like focus on answering these three questions:

1. What are you asking for?

2. When do you want it?

3. How do I respond?

Anything that distracts your audience from clear answers to these questions is hindering your opportunity to reach your funding goal. It’s unique and has a specialized place in the market. 

It’s here to stay. 

There’s no question of the effectiveness and efficiency of an online giving campaign. If it doesn’t seem obvious to you yet, let me encourage you now:  add this to your funding schedule! I believe that each ministry should include some type of online giving effort in their annual development plan. 

Slowly, but surely, we are moving away from attempting to put our traditional banquet or auction onto a virtual platform. As the world becomes more safe and things open up, there’s less interest in the next innovative way to produce an online event that replaces our ministries traditional gathering. People will return to those when available. Yet, the online giving campaign will be acceptable and well-received for many years. 

Follow the Data.

We live in an age of instant information. The data and analytics that you can access are endless when it comes to the behavior of your audience online. Trust the data! Trust the experience of those who have done this. Trust us; we’re here to help and can offer a variety of coaching and consulting mediums for your ministry. 

Have a Plan. Have a Team

It’s important to not go at this alone. Like most things in ministry, loneliness and isolation will slowly destroy you. In particular, creating something online can feel like it’s possible to accomplish with fewer people on the team. We would strongly discourage that notion. Your audience will respond—or in this case, make a donation or give a gift—when they are invited to do so directly. The most effective way to get someone to contribute to your campaign is to personally ask them. All the emails, social posts, videos, and text messages will certainly bring awareness; but the highest rate of donations come from individual appeals. You need a team to accomplish this. The greater your team, the broader your reach, and the more positive your results.

It Works.

Surprisingly, some of the most basic development principles stand true in the online giving campaign. More than 80% of your contributions will come from less than 20% of your audience. Faithful, recurring donors are still the ones to contribute the most. Establishing major gifts before the event is a key to reaching your goal. 

Additionally, an online campaign has the ability to reach a large number of people. You’ll have the opportunity to reach lapsed donors, new donors, one-time donors or event participants, parents, church groups, leaders, neighbors, and more. 

A thoughtful understanding of your community is the best way to determine your goal. Relationships are the resounding ingredient to a successful campaign. Reaching new donors and growing your ministry is still possible when the campaign is presented correctly. 

The next time we do an on-line campaign, there are 3 key things I will do differently.  

1. MORE PROACTIVE:  Next year our team will make more phone calls. Including a phone-a-thon during the campaign.

2. BIGGER NETWORK: Next year, I am going to thank people who gave a gift immediately after the transaction and ask them to spread the word and share the information in the email thank you response.

3. INTENTIONAL COLLABORATION:  Next year I will invite other organizations (like a church or other nonprofit) with a broad audience to share the campaign information.

Don’t hesitate to add this to your annual fundraising schedule. Let us know how we can help! 

Written by: Blake Raney

THE KEY TO THE BEST COMMITTEE MEETING EVER? GO ‘HYBRID!’

By now, we have all mastered the art of the zoom virtual meeting. We know breakout rooms and polling questions. Some of us even got fancy and figured out emoji reactions, virtual backgrounds, and video filters. But what about doing a ‘hybrid’ meeting where...   

-Some folks are in the room

-Some join virtually 

Read below for some ‘pro tips’ gathered from Committees and staff around the mission on the benefit of embracing a hybrid meeting and doing it well! It requires more than a laptop sitting on a conference table but less than a $1,000 investment from your local area budget! 

A few principles that apply to any good meeting regardless of the platform:

• Did you value people’s time?

• Did you get something done?

• How did people feel when they left?

It seems easy to pull these things off in person, but harder to do in a virtual setting and even more difficult if you’re doing anything hybrid. With the busyness of the current culture and the significant challenge of getting everyone in the same room at the same time, there are some obvious benefits to having a hybrid option.

• Flexibility:  accessibility allows more of your team to attend in the midst of busy schedules/travel

• Invite List: Hybrid opens the door to invite other guests and more diverse voices to your meeting. 

• Save Time & Money: Although in-person is better, the hybrid option provides a saving of  time and money. Win-Win!

To move from hosting a ho-hum video conference call where some join remotely and are relegated to a 1 inch square on your phone or iPad, there are a few investments you can make listed below that will increase participation and engagement.  

First, a few reminders: 

• Sound quality is key: making sure that folks joining virtually can hear everyone when they speak makes people feel like they are a part of the meeting.

• Good video: Plan on setting up a large TV or screen so that the participants joining via zoom/video are able to be seen by the participants in the physical room.

• Interaction: The host of the meeting needs to remember to engage in-person and virtual participants.

BELOW ARE LINKS TO ALL THE  ITEMS YOU NEED  FOR HOSTING ANY HYBRID MEETING:

• Large monitor, flat screen or Portable projector $68

• 360 degree, camera, microphone and speaker in one! $899

OTHER ACCESSORIES IF NEEDED-

• Bluetooth conference room speaker: $68 

• HDMI Cord:  10 feet.  

• Ipad Tripod-so it is a little tripod that comes with a mount for a tablet or smartphone. $23

• Bluetooth conference call camera: $22 

Luke Feather, lfeather@grandvalley.younglife.org, Area Director, Grand Junction, Colorado 

Desirable Qualities of Young Life STAFF in a Small Town

A Small Town Young Life Staff person shares similar qualities to the majority of Young Life staff, but, at the same time, has a distinct set of qualities perfectly suited for the small town context. Below is a list of the character qualities observed in successful Small Town staff. 

• MISSIONAL:  As always, look for a leader who loves Jesus and kids and wants to ‘find a way’ to make Him known. A staff person with the right motivation and in it for the long haul can have a major effect on a community. 

• TEACHABLE:  In a small town, a teachable, humble, and obedient spirit is primary in the development of a staff person. In sparsely populated communities you need to listen first, ask good questions, and understand the nuances of a small town.

• SELF STARTER: Loneliness is a major challenge for any Young Life  staff person and even more so in a small community.  The staff person needs to build teams, ask for help, and engage the community. The qualities of a trailblazer, self-starter, networker, and pioneer will come in handy. 

• LOCAL:  A home-grown person can get you far down the road. Ideally, find someone who lives in the community, formerly raised in the community, or has ties to the community (spouse grew up there). Someone who understands a specific small-town’s culture and a known entity earns credibility quickly.  

• COMMUNITY-MINDED:  The staff person in a small town can feel isolated by being a significant distance from other staff. It is essential that a support system is built within the community and local church.

• FAITHFUL/INVESTED:  It is valuable if a potential staff person can commit to an 8-10 year period. It can take this long to become a fabric of the community and school system. Longevity is critical for the goal of creating sustainable ministry.

• PERSONAL INTEGRITY: Young Life Small Town staff live in a fishbowl, everywhere he or she goes there will be a club kid, supporter, or pastor, to run into. Because the staff person is on display at all times he or she must walk the talk.    

7  OTHER HELPFUL SKILLS, INTERESTS, HOBBIES 

1. COACHING:  An easy way to serve a small town is by helping coach a sport (football, volleyball, drama, debate).

2. FUNDING: Personal support can help decrease local funding pressure and quicken on-boarding. 

3. TRAVEL: To serve in a small town, an enjoyment of road trips and travel is a must. 

4. OUTDOORS:  Many towns work around the hunting /fishing seasons and rhythms of an outdoor lifestyle.  

5. SUBSTITUTE TEACHING:  A great way to augment a personal budget and meet key influencers in a ST. 

6. SCHOOL/COMMUNITY RESOURCE:  Staff with skills to serve  the local school/community will be an asset. 

7. BROAD SKILL SET: Staff with broad talents, skills, and interests will have several in-roads to small town life. 

9 WAYS TO UPGRADE YOUR NEXT VIRTUAL EVENT

By now, most of us have participated, hosted or patiently endured our fair share of VIRTUAL EVENTS.

From virtual yoga classes, elementary school online auctions, zoom birthday parties and happy hours, weekly virtual team calls or Facetime family reunions and watch parties, it’s safe to say we have adjusted the meaning of ‘attending’ gatherings. 

After watching, and facilitating over 100 ‘virtual events’ we have identified 9 things that are non-negotiables to make your next virtual event excellent and unforgettable (in a good way).

9. IDENTIFYING THE PURPOSE OF YOUR EVENT WILL HELP DETERMINE THE BEST PLATFORM TO USE: Regardless the size or purpose of your virtual event, the ‘why’ will direct the ‘how.’ If the primary goal of your event is ‘entertainment’ then a webinar will be your best option. If you want engagement from the crowd, try a Zoom call or broadcast live on YouTube.

8. IT’S A TEAM SPORT: The best virtual events take a team of people. From the Host/MC to the Q&A facilitator, chat engagers, and tech support are all key roles in the execution of a seamless virtual event.

7. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Plan on 2-3 practice sessions for your virtual event with the entire team. Practice how you will welcome people, practice playing videos, power points, key transitions etc. Take good notes, and make adjustments as needed. You will be so glad you did!

6. TRANSITIONS ARE KEY: Similar to an in person event, transitions are so important. We often don’t recognize when they are smooth but absolutely recognize when they are bad. When you think of introducing a speaker or transitioning to a video, make sure you take the mic quickly and give 110%. 

5. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE CHAT FEATURE: The chat feature is hands down the best way to invite people to be a part of your virtual event but only if you have chat engagers. Think of chat engagers like cheerleaders at a pep-assembly, welcome folks in with enthusiasm, get them excited about the content you’re presenting

4. USE ADD ONS TO INCREASE ENGAGEMENT: Countdown clocks, mentimeter, zoom poles, and trivia or raffle drawings are just a few fun and easy ways to increase and encourage engagement.

3. ALWAYS ENABLE THE WAITING ROOM: Here’s the best way to describe it, when you arrive at summer camp, you don’t want to be the only one going through the Work Crew tunnel of love, you want your friends to come too. Picture that scenario when you’re welcoming people into a virtual event...it’s so fun when you’re all being welcomed at once. The waiting room not only allows that grand welcome to happen but it also gives your team time to get on the same page, take a deep breath and welcome attendees when you’re ready.

2. DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO ELIMINATE DISTRACTION: One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone is presenting and you hear their text messages, emails, or calendar reminder notifications ding through. 

1. GIVE 110%: When I was trained as a volunteer leader, my Area Director always said “give 110% energy in club so that kids give 80%.” This same principle applies to virtual events. It might sound strange, but be prepared to be exhausted after hosting a virtual event. It may sound crazy, but bringing energy to a virtual event is so important and so hard to do. We take for granted the magic that happens when we’re in a room with people….get ready to give it all you’ve got.

PREPARING THE TABLE

TIME TO GET READY…...Finally!!

I have a video from 2009 that has become one of my favorite camp memories. It’s a time-lapse of setting up the “big table” dinner at Frontier Ranch. Let me paint the picture in case you haven’t been or don’t have time to watch the video. All the campers are in club. When they come out, there’s a surprise waiting - one giant table with hundreds of seats stretching up through camp. 

During club, it’s all hands on deck. We have about an hour to line up dozens of tables, hundreds of chairs, pitchers, napkins, prep food, and more. It looks chaotic, but is well-orchestrated. A sight to behold. I think this video has resonated in this season because it feels a little like we are preparing for something big and beautiful. We’ve invested in kids this past year, and know that sometime soon (Lord willing) - be it summer camp or fall clubs - the floodgates might open. Here’s what the video is teaching me:

Focus. To get the table set, people know their role. Some are table carriers. Someone else is a chair straightener. Cooks are cooking. There are a few people directing traffic. 

1. TAKEAWAY #1: Make sure your team is focused on key things you can do to be ready (sidenote - in our division, our four are: prayer, financial health, staff/leaders in the right seats and on-going relationships with kids).

   1. No Changing Light Bulbs. In the midst of trying to get a big task done, there are things you aren’t doing - things that can wait. That doesn’t make them unimportant, they just aren’t part of the task at hand. 

2. TAKEAWAY #2: Ask ourselves - what things could distract us from being able to reach lots of lost kids in the coming months?

   1. The Timing is Loose. We’ve all run club. Sometimes an hour, as much as you rehearse, really is 55 minutes or maybe 70. At the big table dinner, you don’t know exactly when kids will show up, so you are poised and ready. 

3. TAKEAWAY #3: Stay alert so you can be ready to start club back up, add another bus or launch a new ministry. Make sure people on your team are embedded in the world of kids so that you’ll see the clues to help you pivot and take action. 

The most beautiful moment of the night was a five senses experience. First, you hear the club room doors bang open. You see the fastest little freshman from the track team pop over the hill. You can feel the pounding of a thousand feet as they find their seats.

I can’t wait for that this year. In different communities, the timing will vary. But, kids are coming over the hill. Those we’ve stayed close to during Covid will let us know when. I think countless kids are hungry for a meal of adventure, friendship, conversation and hope. May we be at our best as we set that table and stand ready to offer ourselves and our Savior to them.

A 'TED TALK' TO REMEMBER

MY LAST CONVERSATION WITH TED JOHNSON

I don’t remember the first time I met Ted Johnson; he tends to be the type of guy you need to meet a few times to truly ‘capture’ him. Over the years the settings varied:  golf course, a hallway, a board meeting, or countless Banquets. Adorned with a perpetual tan, wry smile, a glimmer in his eye, and an appearance like he just finished golfing, Ted was hard to miss. When your eyes met Ted’s, you would receive a clear message of “there you are!” as you walked into the room. In a Young Life mission that is full of ‘characters,’ Ted was one of a kind! 

Ted went to be with the Lord on December 1, 2020 and already, many of us are realizing the hole this leaves in the legacy, humor, and history of this mission. According to Ted, in 1956, Bob Mitchell “snookered” him into chaperoning a bus load of kids to Malibu Club in Canada. Shortly thereafter he was on the local Santa Barbara adult committee! 60 Years later Ted split his time between Arizona and Colorado, as he continued to be actively involved with Young Life in both states.

Over the years Ted served on five different local committees as well as holding the national Committee Chair role. In 1990, he became president of the Young Life Foundation and served the mission as interim president for 18 months beginning in 1992. In addition to the Young Life Foundation role, he handled a variety of duties including raising money and speaking at over 247 banquets. In 2014, he ‘officially’ semi-retired.

If you have had your own encounter with Ted, then you completely understand why he was fondly described as YL’s Chief Encouragement Officer (CEO). You left every interaction feeling smarter, taller, funnier, wiser, and a better golfer then you were just  moments earlier. He just had that gift. I think in a person’s life there are a handful of encounters where someone speaks, truth, vision, and calling into your life. It may be a parent, teacher, close friend, or perhaps a Young Life leader or Pastor. Although their statements may range from eloquent to clumsy, they ARE always significant! In my life, Ted was responsible for ONE of those encounters. After a 7:00 am call on November 27, 2020 he added a SECOND one. 

Early that Friday morning in November, I received a call asking if I had a few minutes to talk to Ted. ‘YES!’ was my blurted response. I knew Ted was in the hospital fighting health issues complicated by Covid-19 and I was desperate to see/talk to him but knew that would be difficult. The call lasted 47 minutes and it was full of the expected humor and sharp wit that disguised the reality of an aging man in a hospital bed. Ted mentioned more than once that he thought he may pass (be promoted) that day! Urgency edits conversations and makes words intensify and linger, so the conversation shifted. 

We talked about many things like the historical marks/cultural DNA of the Young Life mission and then he got to business. He wanted to make sure that with whatever influence and commitment I could muster I would help ensure that Young Life would continue to be about 5 things. The rest of the time was spent talking about these 5 marks of the mission of Young Life (My very own ‘Ted’ Talk). 

Here are those FIVE:

1. That WE would be about UNREACHED/disinterested kids. 

2. That WE would find a way to go to them. 

3. That WE would always strive to make the gospel accessible because ‘it's a sin to bore a kid’. 

4. That WE would be open to being in their life for a lifetime, because that’s part of disciple making.  

5. That WE would be instrumental in getting them involved with the local church or faith community.

The phone call was a holy moment and a sacramental  conversation. So here’s the thing:  nothing Ted shared was new or even had shifted in its phrasing. I might have just as well been reading from a Young Life Leader manual.  That being said, it felt new to me, and I was renewed by it.  I cried, I was inspired, called, convicted, and found my head nodding in agreement and hearing  something close to “amen...amen” coming from my lips as he spoke. Truth tends to elicit that kind of response I guess. 

At the end of the call, Ted encouraged me to help keep us (Young Life) on this 5-prong path and I found myself committing to that challenge and saying “Ted, trust me, I am not going anywhere. We will make sure we stay the course!” (I may have committed to a few more years on staff during that early morning phone call.) Over the subsequent weeks, I found out that Ted had dozens of calls like this with young and old staff all around the mission!  Classic Ted! He made me feel like it was just for ME (and it was) and he made sure the message got to EVERYONE (and it did).  

In an interview with our YL Alumni Department in 2016 Ted was asked what he would say to current and former staff. Here is his answer: “To those who are currently serving in a staff role, I would say two things. Whatever it costs, stay focused on unreached kids. It’s what Jesus would have done. Also, I encourage you to invite a former staff person to lunch and ask some questions. To those who are no longer serving in a staff role, if there are lines in heaven, you’ll be in front. Thanks for your service!”

I want to be like Ted Johnson:  affirming, funny, tan, golfing. But now I want to be like him in another way - thinking about Christ and Kids in the final week of his life and ensuring that the next generation and the generation after that understands the gift of being able to carry the torch. I’m hoping  to make calls from my hospital bed when the time comes. If you haven’t had the privilege of having a Ted Johnson encounter, enjoy his cameo at YL2020 during THE NEXT BIG THING! 

Written by: Ken Tankersley

1000 HOME VISITS = EXPONENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES!

Since Young Life goes to where kids are and in many of our states kids are having to do school from home, we decided to visit kids at their homes. We have done this with WyldLife, Capernaum, and our Young Life clubs. All told, we have visited kids’ homes almost 1000 times this past fall semester. 

We divided our club roster amongst the leadership team and the same leader kept going to the same homes.  We did sidewalk graduation ceremonies, we delivered Easter candy baskets, back to school care packages, giant sized otter pops, frozen yogurt, lunches from their favorite fast food place, birthday/half-birthday greetings, and finally this fall started to do what we called “club on the porch.” 

“Club on the Porch”  is where we would come up with a club game that they could do on their porch or driveway. We came up with games that an overall winner could easily be identified by who did the game the fastest, furthest, or most in the allotted time. Then we would come back with a surprise sidewalk award ceremony that we plotted with the parents to get their kid to walk outside and not suspect us hiding around the corner, behind the bushes, or the car in the driveway. We’d play “We are the Champions,” explode confetti cannons, present an award certificate or trophy and bringa free lunch to be enjoyed on the back patio with their YL leader. We’ve done all this with leaders showing up wearing masks, bringing a bottle of hand sanitizer, and other good practices to keep leaders and families safe.

What happened after almost 1000 home visits?  

Leaders got to know kids so much better through their conversations. Kids really look forward to their leader showing up. Leaders got to know parents better than ever! I can confidently say that I got to know more parents in six months than the past three years!  Parents loved that we consistently showed up 1-2 times a month. They enjoyed talking to another adult face to face.

Towards the end of the fall semester we started bringing high school campaigners and student leaders with us. We invited these students along so that they could introduce us to their friends who we didn’t yet know, those friends' of theirs homes that don’t come to club. We plan to continue this moving forward. This spring we are going to take Young Life leaders and high school student leaders along with our WyldLife leaders to meet all of the graduating 8th graders.

This has been such a win for our area that we will continue to do this when Covid restrictions are long gone. Showing up in their world for some one on one time with a splash of Young Life fun has made the past nine months some of the best ministry we have ever done in our area.

Looking for some ideas and inspiration? Check out some of these ideas:

Birthday Ideas    

Club on the Porch      

Sidewalk Graduation Ceremony

Back to School video Compilation video

Photo Albums Ping Pong Game, Capernaum Porch Club, Teddy Bear Club, TB Club 2, Back to school, Graduation Pics, Graduation Pics 2, Award Ceremony Video

By Robb Schreiber and Brad Scandrett from San Diego North Young Life