The Forgotten God
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Well, it’s September 1st and I’m back from my summer blogging break but more importantly today is the official release date of Francis Chan’s latest work, The Forgotten God.
If you have been a fan of Chan’s speaking and his previous book, Crazy Love, you will not be disappointed by The Forgotten God. Chan writes in a real, relateable, style and treats the topic at hand (the Holy Spirit) in an honest fashion. Some may be intially put off by a book about the Holy Spirit and others may feel like they have a theological “corner on the market” and there is nothing new to learn. I would strongly encourage both camps to set their intial bias aside for a little while and judge the book after reading it.
Personally, I was greatly encouraged to seek a deeper, more full dependence reliance on the Holy Spirit in my life. I realized that I can’t follow Jesus quite as well as I could be without getting to know the Holy Spirit better.
A word for youth workers…
What part does the Holy Spirit play in your youth ministry? Is the Holy Spirit “the forgotten God?” Is the Holy Spirit focused on more that Jesus or the Father? Do yourself and your students a favor. Read this book, do some thinking about your view of the Holy Spirit and go from there.
Check out a sample chapter HERE
Still here!
By · CommentsSorry for the lack of updates lately! I’ve been pretty busy with some stuff!
- General end of the school year youth ministry stuff
- Speaking in our main services two weeks in a row
- Moving YouthMinBlog.com to a new server home
- Redecorating YouthMinBlog.com
- Starting work with a new website client
- And generally enjoying life!
Don’t worry, I’ll be back real soon!
What have you been up to lately?
Common Misconceptions About Movies in Church
By · CommentsI originally wrote the following post for Life In Student Ministry
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Ok, raise your hand if you’ve ever actually read that little FBI warning at the beginning of a movie! Well, lucky (and unlucky) for us that little warning has absolutely nothing to do with showing a movie in a youth ministry setting.
Over my years in youth ministry I have moved through the following progression when it comes to the issue of movies and copyrights.
- intentional ignorance on the matter of copyright law
- learning a little about it and then not really caring too much
- taking the copyright issue pretty seriously
About 7 or 8 years ago, when everyone was rocking Napster (the illegal predecessor to napster.com) I began to do some research on the reasons why breaking the music copyright was so bad. Hopefully, all of us are now on board with that issue by now, but that issue got me thinking about other areas of copyright law.
I’ve realized that as a representative of Christ in my community and as a model for my church, I need to “play by the rules” in order to not only live a “life that is above reproach,” but simply so I’m not stealing from others.
On to talking about movies, though…
Common Misconceptions
1. The FBI warning says that I can’t charge money for people to watch the movie so my event is ok.
The FBI warning actually pertains to an individual showing a movie within their home.
2. As long I am using the movie as a church event I am within the copyright laws.
This is a false statement because the only instance in which a movie may be screened, outside of a home, without a license, is in a non-profit educational setting with “face-to-face instruction.”
3. If I make a lesson out of the movie I want to show I will be within the copyright laws.
A non-profit educational setting has previously been specifically defined as a non-profit academic institution. The main activity of a church is not academics.
4. My church has the CVLI license, so we can show movies at any church event that we do.
This license only pertains to a church showing movies “in its facility(ies.)” This means that if you have a current CVLI license, you may show any legally obtained movie in your church property. (See points 1 and 4 on this page at CVLI.com.)
Also, the CVLI license only covers those movies “produced and/or distributed by CVLI affiliated motion picture companies only,” according to point 6. But you may be able to contact the motion picture company and get written permission to show the movie. As the copyright holder, if it is the copyright holder, it can waive its rights and grant a church or ministry permission to show the movie. If you want to do this, do it well in advance, the process is s l o w.
5. I can throw up a sheet, a PA system, and a projector to show the movie in the back yard of the church because I am within the church property.
The CVLI license specifically says that movies can be screened in its facilities. Upon speaking to a representative at CVLI, I pressed for clarification of “in facilities.” The answer that I got was that you would most likely be within the spirit of the agreement if the movie was screened outdoors only if in a secluded area where there was no chance that someone from the general public would see or hear any portion of the movie that was being screened.
6. Since I’m not charging a fee, I am showing the movie inside of my church, and I have the CVLI license, I can advertise my event in any fashion that I want.
In case you missed reading point 4 of the CVLI terms, “No specific titles, or any characters from such titles, or producers’ names will be advertised or publicized to the general public unless authorized by certain producers.”
Much more info on this topic can be found at:
So what should you do!?
- Make sure that your church has a current CVLI license.
- Only show movies at a youth ministry event within your church or at a camp location that has its own license since the license is restricted to a physical location.
- Invite a few students over to your house, where you show a movie inside, with out any advertising of any sort through your church.
It is possible to still do a movie event for the public, you’ll need to procure a license from mplc.org but make sure you follow their guidelines.
I hope this helps clear up some of the movie copyright confusion. Of course, there are a ton of other areas that I could have addressed, but I’m not a copyright lawyer, I’m a youth pastor. So, I am not giving you any legal advice on this matter, just a few tips and pointers. If you have questions about your situation it would be best to chat with your church’s attorney or speak directly with an attorney who specializes in copyright law since this is a very in depth area of law (which you noticed if you checked out copyright.gov).
Simple Student Ministry // Review
By · CommentsSo many of us in youth ministry have been talking about how to be more effective in ministry, how to change to reach the culture, or how to be more focused in our ministry. Tim Schmoyer has had a pretty big response to some changes that he is planning on and Youth Ministry 3.0 has been reverberating through the youth ministry world for months now, it seems that a lot of us are yearning for something more simple in youth ministry.
Simple Student Ministry by Eric Geiger & Jeff Borton has come just in time for many of us! Although the majority of the info in this book is basic, youth ministry 101 type stuff, it is a reminder that is much needed, at least among many of the youth workers that I interact with. The basics of a simple student ministry are having clarity, movement, alignment, and focus in the discipleship process.
The authors move us through
- defining what a simple student ministry is
- achieving clarity in your ministry
- creating movement through the ministry
- ensuring alignment of your programs
- focus on your process
The book also includes a number of real life examples of simple student ministries from a number of settings, including large churches, parachurch ministries, and small churches.
Do yourself a favor, don’t jump to conclusions about the basic nature of this book and be honest with yourself, is your student ministry really simple? If it’s not, you need to pick up a few copies of this book and work through it with a few key members of your team. I already have two extra copies that I’m giving to my jr high directors so we can work through it!
What’s Going On Here?
By · CommentsSome of you have heard about Derek Webb’s latest album, Stockholm Syndrome, which has not been released yet. Last week he sent out a letter to his fans stating that there were issues with the publishing company over the content of the album, here is the letter that he sent:
friends-
i haven’t sent many personal emails to this email list but we’re in a situation that has gotten a little out of control and it’s time to fill you in. as some of you may know, i’ve been working for months on my new record, ‘stockholm syndrome’, which i’ve recently finished and turned in to the record label. they’ve been very supportive over the years, but this time we didn’t get the response we expected. it seems i’ve finally found the line beyond which my label can support me, and apparently i’ve crossed it.i consider this my most important record and am adamant about all of you hearing it. we had originally hoped to have ‘stockholm syndrome’ out this month (next week even), but at this point we’re not sure when the record will come out and in what form. the majority of the controversy is surrounding one song, which i consider to be among the most important songs on the record. so we’ve decided it’s an appropriate time to break the rules.
but because of various legal/publishing issues we’re having to be rather careful with how we do what we’re going to do next. that’s really all i can say for now and i’ve probably said too much.
we have a plan and we’re moving ahead, but we’re not sure what kind of trouble we might be getting into. we’ll let you know as soon as we know our next move-
derek
That email created a stir amongst fans of Derek and a whole lot of speculation over what exactly could be so offensive to the publishing company. Then I found this email in my inbox this morning from Derek:
friends-
this is turning into a bigger deal than we expected. as a result, we’re having to temporarily _pull everything online down (can’t explain now). and to be on the s_afe side, i’m going to pe_rsonally go offline while we sort this out. i re_ally shouldn’t use my twitter account for now either so _don’t expect any updates there.make no m_istake, our trouble with the label over content i_s very real, and not as simple as one word; we’re back_ed into a corner. but we have applied all of our creative resources to th_is, working furiou_sly to create something that we believe not only subverts any leg_al issues but should also be a _pretty wild ride.
so this will be the l_ast email for a while. we’ll t_ry to lea_k information via a new tw_itter account, @ssyndrome. you’re o_n your own so start payin_g attention. i’l_l see you _on the o_ther side-
derek
Is there some sort of code in there? Is Derek attempting to set this up like the publishing company is holding him “hostage?” Remember what Stockholm Syndrome is all about after all.
Is this the begining of a Jesus Wants To Save Christians style game? Could it be that he is simply engaged in a marketing scheme?
Anxiety vs. Love – Part 6
By · CommentsAnxiety vs. Love
Products ———-People
Control ————-Contemplation
Experts ————-Process
Results ————-Relationships
Conformity ————-Creativity
Answers ————-Questions
One of the ways that we will surely tell us if we are beginning to live a little too much out of the anxiety instead of love is when we begin to feel a deep discomfort with questions about what we are leading. Living out of anxiety drives us to grasp for control and one of the things that makes us feel a little more in control is having all the answers to all the questions.
After thinking about this for some time, I think that we can follow this anxiety back all the way back to who we believe ourselves to be. It’s not really about any organization, ministry, or program that we are worried about. We end up feeling a deep anxiety about who we are and who accepts us and doesn’t accept us and we strive to control how others perceive us by having or demanding all the right answers.
Let’s try to live out of love this week, we know that, as followers of Jesus, we are children of God. Embrace the questions the come up, let them be, and instead of worrying about the answers to these questions love the people who are asking them.
Any way you can help out?
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So here’s the deal, my wife is a 4th grade teacher and her school has a little competition going on in which each classroom attempts to collect as many Box Tops For Education as possible to try to win a pizza party for the class. Sarah’s class is pretty close to the top of the rankings in her building. This where you come in, would you be willing to find some of these “box tops” around your house, maybe you’ve collected some over time, then mail them to me?
If you’ve got 5, 10, 50, 100 she’ll be happy to take them! Just send me a quick note here and I’ll get you the mailing address! Thanks so much! Maybe I’ll even have a little prize for the person that mails in the most box tops to me (think a great book!)
The 4 Jobs of a Small Group Leader (4 of 4)
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Job #4 – Spiritual Application/Implication
Without a small group leader doing this fourth job the small group would simply be another club.
For there to be success for a small group leader in this job, they have had to be deeply invested in jobs #1 & #3. If a small group leader has not invested in building relationships and in the care of students the odds of there being a environment where spiritual application/implication can be taken seriously are slim to none. So what exactly is application and implication?
- Spiritual Application – The small group leaders job here is to help students learn what spiritual truth they can apply to their life at that time. What part is there to learn from and live out? Application is about what we see on the outside, important but not as important as…
- Spiritual Implication – The small group leaders job here is to guide students in understanding how their lives are tied to, implicated in, God’s story. How does the Scripture that was looked into today shed light on your part in the story of the Kingdom? Implication is about our hearts being tied to what God is doing in this world.
Is there anything that you would add too, subtract from, or change around when it comes to these 4 jobs of a small group leader?
[Photo by: Wiedmaier]
The 4 Jobs of a Small Group Leader (3 of 4)
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Job #3 – Relational Connection
This job is all about simply building relationships with the students in your small group. Relational connection is different from care in that relational connection goes 360 degrees in your group, it’s all about developing a real not only between you and your students but amongst the students themselves. Relational connection is about creating a real group, not just a conglomeration of individuals.
As I said in the first post in this series, all of these jobs are equally important but they don’t all get equal time. The reason for this is that some just need more time than others to take effect. Relational connection is the one that will most likely need to take the majority of your actual small group meeting time (think 80%.)
It is vital that a good deal of time be spent just getting to know each other, having fun, and seemingly “wasting time” together because that time will create the foundational relationships that are necessary so that the group can begin to care for its’ own members and accountability will be taken to heart and not just heard.
If you are the point person for the small groups in your ministry then it is your job to overly give relational connection permission to the individual small group leaders. A lot of the time it may seem like group time is being wasted in catching up on the week or talking about sports, guys, girls, school & parent drama, but that relationship time is vital to the group and can be a great jumping off point for the next job of a small group leader!
So, what are some great ways to work on relational connection within a small group?
[Photo Copyright: Mabyn Ludke - Used With Permission]
The 4 Jobs of a Small Group Leader (2 of 4)
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Job #2 – Accountability
This is perhaps the toughest of all of the jobs of a small group leader to get a handle on and master. Having an attitude of accountability between a teenager and a small group leader isn’t something that can be manufactured within or imposed upon the relationship. Accountability needs to bubble up organically.
You’ll want to stay tuned for the next two jobs because I feel that all of these small group leader jobs work together. For now let’s look at how the first job mentioned, care, can help in the accountability area.
This is actually straight forward. Put yourself in the place of a teenager for a moment, why would you put yourself in a vulnerable situation, such as accountability, with a person who hasn’t proved that they care about you?
Be sure that you are continually working at caring for the students in your group and looking for organic opportunities for accountability to bubble up.
[Photo by: Vermont Lenses]
