by ChaseSnyder | Nov 10, 2017 | Discipleship, Leadership, Ministry
Is your passion for Jesus burning out?
It happens to all of us.
Maybe a summer camp or incredible worship gathering stoked your fire for Jesus like never before. Chances are, there is a time where you have felt closer to Jesus.
One Saturday evening, not too long ago, Molly decided her life would never be the same. For the first time, she was truly excited about God.
During an amazing weekend retreat Jesus seemed to be closer to her than ever before.
- She finally felt God’s love.
- She let go of her guilt over past decisions and embraced what Jesus did for her.
- She developed new friendships with strong Christians.
When she headed home, she was ready to make drastic changes in her life, friendships, and habits.
But by midweek, she felt herself slipping away from Jesus.
Once full of hope and excitement about what Jesus could do in her life, Molly had now settled back into her old habits and friendships. She knew life could be different. However her old habits caused her passion to burn out.
Her passion for Jesus slowly burned out.
Have you ever met someone like Molly?
Perhaps you have had the same experience as Molly – during a retreat you experienced God like never before, but shortly after your passion seemed to slowly burn out.
From my vantage point as a pastor and former staff member at a Christian camp and retreat facility, I have seen tens of thousands of people draw near to Jesus – and subsequently I’ve seen hundreds of people fail to stoke that passion once they returned home.
But why did that passion fade?
Was it your schedule? Perhaps your habits? Or what about your relationships?
Every student leaves an event ready to passionately pursue Jesus, but many fall back into the passion-smothering routines that await.
How do we continue to stoke our passion for Jesus?
After working with thousands who have attended camps, retreats, and events, I knew that I had to encourage people to stoke their passion for Jesus in their day-to-day lives.
That’s when I began working on STOKED: 6 Questions To Fuel Your Fire For Jesus.
Stoking your fire for Jesus is easier than you think.
These six simple questions will enable your passion to burn brighter for the glory of Jesus.
The times when I was isolated, spiritually burned out, or tired were the times I made decisions that I regret. Stoked asks pointed questions that will lead students away from the habits and situations that are extinguishing their spiritual fires.
Stoked is designed to be either a stand-alone book or to be used in a small group setting. Each week explores one question with a core session and five daily devotions to spark conversations and habits.
Students are able to work through the book on their own as a six-week devotional, or small groups can study it together as a six-week small group study.
Purchase it now on Amazon.
by ChaseSnyder | Aug 11, 2017 | Leadership, Ministry
Volunteer meetings…
When was the last time you said, “Man, I need more meetings in my life.”
Or how about this one:
“Another meeting would bring more meaning to my life.”
Probably not.
While most people try their best to avoid meetings, they are necessary to set direction, communicate vision, and build a healthy team.
Family ministries can leverage volunteer meetings to encourage and equip their leaders, all while building momentum.
But many pastors fail to leverage volunteer meetings.
How do I know?
Most volunteers avoid, or even worse, dread, attending ministry meetings.
Every meeting can be better. Better meetings lead to more effective ministry and volunteer retention.
Here are 10 simple tips for creating valuable volunteer meetings.
[bctt tweet=”Better meetings lead to more effective ministry and volunteer retention. ” username=”chasesnyder12″]
10 Simple Tips For Creating Valuable Volunteer Meetings
Share Stories Of What God Is Doing
As the leader, it is easier for you to hear stories of how God is moving. Your volunteers aren’t as lucky. You must make it a priority to start every volunteer meeting by sharing the impact the Gospel is making in people’s lives. Nothing is more motivating than knowing your energy and effort are making a difference.
Come With An Agenda
Agendas help you focus the meeting. The last thing your busy, unpaid volunteer wants is to attend a pointless meeting. This is a no-brainer, but it tends to be the first item that gets pushed out of our to-do lists when we get busy.
Specify The Length Of The Meeting And Stick To It
Speaking of wasting time — you need to specify the length of the meeting and stick to it. You might get a five minute grace period if you go over. Going 15-plus minutes over doesn’t communicate more info. It communicates that you are unorganized.
Provide Childcare
Meetings must be accessible for your team. Less leaders will attend if they have to jump through a ton of hoops to find childcare. Heaven forbid if they would have to pay for childcare to attend your meeting. Go ahead and budget to provide childcare during your meetings. Give a few high school girls some Starbucks gifts cards and you all are set.
Meet When Leaders Are Already At The Church
Do you have two services? Plan on meeting with your leaders during the second service. There are several benefits to this plan. Their children are taken care of. You will not go over on time. More leaders will already be attending at that time slot. You don’t have to provide a lunch. There are a few considerations you will have to take into account: 1. Don’t meet during corporate worship more than once a semester. Your people will be frustrated to miss worship. 2. Get the support of your leadership before you schedule a meeting during a worship time.
Plan For Conversations
No one wants to hear you lecture for an hour. You need to engage your leaders in conversation during the meeting. You need their input. You need their ideas. You need their buy-in. The only way you can get those is if each person has an opportunity to communicate during the meeting. Plan to ask key questions or walk through exercises that will get your leaders talking about the agenda items.
Provide Food And A Relaxed Atmosphere
Everyone wins when meetings have food. Don’t worry about catering a nice meal in for your student ministry leader meeting. (Although, doing that once a year is a nice treat for your leaders.) Find a volunteer who has a gift of hospitality and charge that person with buying some drinks and snacks for your meal. Creating a relaxed atmosphere will encourage conversation to go beyond the surface and into what is needed to minister on a deeper level.
Meet At A Home
There is something warm about meeting in a person’s home. Find a gracious host in your church and schedule your leadership team meeting at a home.
Communicate Support
How are you going to ensure your leaders can lead? Are you going to back them with your budget? What about getting them sports passes to attend area football games? You need to communicate the specifics of your plan to support your team.
Come with a 6-9 Month Plan
It is your responsibility to set the direction for the ministry. Head into the meeting with a tentative direction on your smaller events for the next 6-9 months. Talk through these with the team and get their feedback. Your larger events (camps, disciple now, curriculum changes, etc.) need to be scheduled 12-18 months out. You won’t have the specifics laid out that far in advance, but you must have the dates confirmed.
Now What
How have you created engaging leadership team meetings?
by ChaseSnyder | Jul 4, 2017 | Leadership, Ministry
God hasn’t called us to be mediocre spiritual leaders.
Churches around the country are filled with leaders who more closely resemble warm bodies than spiritual leaders.
Small group leaders have an incredible calling to impart practical spiritual truth with a group of people who are on various levels of spiritual maturity. This is an incredibly difficult task!
It is well known that the best leaders are self-aware to their limitations, issues, and shortcomings. The list below reflects 14 qualities of incredible small group leaders. None of us match up with every one of these. We all have gaps. However, it is important for us to recognize where we are, where we need to be, and who we can bring into the mix to help us fill the gaps of our leadership.
Take your time and pray through this list and see where God is leading you to grow as a leader.
[bctt tweet=”God hasn’t called us to be mediocre spiritual leaders.” username=”chasesnyder12″]
14 Characteristics Of Incredible Small Group Leaders
Spiritually Mature
What right do you have leading others to Jesus if you are not following Him?
Small group leaders must be spiritually mature. Does this mean they have to be perfect? Of course not! Maturity doesn’t mean you are perfect. Maturity in Jesus means that you are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus through spiritual disciplines. Spiritually immature people are incapable of being spiritual leaders. The great news is that we can all, by the grace of Jesus and application of spiritual disciplines, grow spiritually.
[bctt tweet=”Spiritually immature people are incapable of being spiritual leaders.” username=”chasesnyder12″]
Attentive
Great small group leaders are attentive to the needs, spiritual condition, and personalities of the people that the are serving. It isn’t enough for a small group leader to know the bible study material – they must know the people they are serving.
Transparent
Transparency is essential to build relationships. Relationship is essential for discipleship. Every person in your small group doesn’t need to know every aspect of your life. Instead, they need to know that you are a real person with real struggles. Groups that are transparent are led by leader who are transparent.
Patient
Small group leaders are not responsible to “fix” people. There are too many negative ways you can take that statement, so I will move on. Some leaders become increasingly frustrated that the students in their group aren’t maturing as quickly as others. Be patient. People are different. People come from different backgrounds. People have different stories.
Person Of Integrity
This one is a no-brainer. Leaders have integrity. Without integrity you lose influence. Integrity comes from practicing what you preach, both publicly and privately.
Encourager
People are willing to follow someone who encourages them. Everyone feels inadequate in some areas of their spiritual life. Encouraging your small group can be as simple as praying, sending text messages, or remembering to follow up with a question.
[Read: 3 Ways You Can Be A Leader Who Encourages Others]
[bctt tweet=”People are willing to follow someone who encourages them.” username=”chasesnyder12″]
Relational
The love for people is an essential characteristic of great small group leaders. The best small group leaders are actively participating in other’s lives. The best small group leader’s are not the greatest Bible teachers – they are often the best relational leaders.
Positive
I find it hard to read the Bible and walk away with a negative attitude. God has repeatedly done the impossible for His people. Small group leaders need to approach their groups with a positive attitude. After all, God promises to provide for His people – both spiritually and relationally.
Servant
Jesus’ life exemplified the power present when we assume the role of a servant leader. Your small group doesn’t exist to serve you, but for you to serve them.
Available
The most encouraging person can still make for a bad small group leader if he is unavailable to his group. Time and energy are essential to disciple others. Small group leaders understand that at times they will sacrifice their schedule to minister to their group.
Intentional
Spiritual growth doesn’t appear magically. Growth takes intentionality. It is a small group leader’s responsibility to intentionally lead each person in his or her group.
Expectant
Do you believe that your group members can do incredible things to build the Kingdom of God? Healthy expectations can spur growth more so than wordsmithing a perfect open-ended question.
Each Jesus follower has been given spiritual gifts and talents to leverage in their mission to share the Gospel. Great leaders help their people set healthy expectations and paint a picture of what God may have for them in the near future.
Enthusiastic
Enthusiasm is contagious. It is important for you to enjoy spending time with your small group. The leader is the one who sets the pace for this. If you dread attending small group meetings your group will dread it as well. Add elements that will connect the team to one another and spark their enjoyment for life and Jesus.
[bctt tweet=”If you dread attending small group meetings your group will dread it as well.” username=”chasesnyder12″]
Facilitator
Your small group is not a platform. Your small group is not your audience. Don’t lecture to them for an hour. Be a leader that facilitates conversation. Facilitators steer the conversation without controlling the conversation. Facilitation, when done well, incorporates strong Biblical teaching and ensures there are practical steps for each person to walk away with.
[bctt tweet=”Facilitators steer the conversation without controlling the conversation.” username=”chasesnyder12″]
by ChaseSnyder | Jun 4, 2017 | Leadership, Ministry, Top Posts
A fire needs three things to burn: fuel, oxygen, and a spark.
If you remove any of these three a fire will quickly burn out.
I have done plenty of camping in my lifetime. Living in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park makes camping a natural part of life for my family. On top of camping, I worked at a Christian camp for over a decade. A safe estimation is that I made two campfires per week for groups and retreats for ten years – that is over a thousand campfires I built, lit, and stoked! Just imagine what I would have been capable of if I attended more than one Boy Scout meeting in elementary school.
While I build significantly less fires as a pastor, part of my role is to stoke spiritual fires in people’s lives.
- We create worship environments.
- We prepare lessons for small groups.
- We counsel families during crises.
- We leverage events to reach outsiders.
But for many of us we realize that in the midst of stoking everyone else’s spiritual fires we neglect to stoke our own. We start to burnout while we are busy stoking fires.
Martha is our spirit animal. We become so busy doing ministry and ensuring our congregation doesn’t miss Jesus that we fail to sit with Him on a daily basis. We literally miss out on the Jesus we are proclaiming to everyone else.
[Read: 3 Signs You Are Losing Your Passion For Serving]
The desire to serve others has left many church leaders with busy hands and passionless hearts. Some of us go as far as Martha and complain when others aren’t helping us with a noble task and we lead those people away from the essential, which is Jesus.(Read Luke 10: 41-42) Our concern for many things can easily draw us away from choosing what is of utmost importance – desiring Jesus.
Apart from Jesus’ sacrifice, service is meaningless. Ministry leaders who serve without sitting at Jesus’ feet are ministering in vain.
In an effort to stoke other’s spiritual fires we neglect to tend to our own. Obviously I’m not telling you that you should stop serving others – this is unbiblical and self-centered. I’m simply reminding you that you can’t neglect your relationship with Jesus.
[bctt tweet=”In an effort to stoke other’s spiritual fires we neglect to tend to our own.” username=”chasesnyder12″]
While a fire needs three elements to burn your soul needs three components to avoid burnout:
- Worship
- Spiritual Disciplines
- Community
[bctt tweet=”The desire to serve others has left many church leaders with busy hands and passionless hearts.” username=”chasesnyder12″]
Stoke Your Spiritual Fire
Worship
Being in awe of Jesus. More than worship music – this is about being in awe of Jesus and living a spirit-lead life full of prayer, repentance, and the Gospel. It is a reminder that Jesus is greater, our sins are forgiven, and our calling has been laid before us.
Spiritual Disciplines
Don’t pass over this like you have perfected your spiritual state. How are your spiritual disciplines going? We know that spiritual disciplines are essential for our specification and maturation process. Do you feel hypocritical teaching about the importance of spending time with God because you are unable to clear your calendar and prioritize Jesus in your own life?
Community
A fire left alone will burn out. Are you alone during this season of ministry? And you know that your spouse doesn’t count as being the totality of your community… Who are the people speaking into your life? Who is encouraging you? Who is telling you the truth, even when you want to avoid it? Who is discipling you?
[Read: 16 Ministry Quotes That Will Encourage You To Keep Serving]
Slow down before you rush over these three elements to address an issue or prepare for your next teaching lesson.
How is your fire for ministry going?
A fire left alone will go out.
A fire that isn’t stoked will slowly die.
A fire without oxygen will suffocate.
As one ministry leader to another – don’t be so busy stoking others fires that you neglect to tend your own.
by ChaseSnyder | May 22, 2017 | Discipleship, Leadership, Ministry
The past couple of months have been a little crazy around here.
The biggest factor contributing to the craziness?
My family is embarking on a new adventure starting this summer.
Yesterday I accepted a call to become the High School and Young Adults Pastor at First Baptist Church Loganville in Georgia and will begin serving there on June 18, 2017. Today I submitted my resignation as the Family Pastor at Valley Grove Baptist and will serve here until June 11, 2017.
During the entire process, God has been working in big ways. I know pastors tend to make cliché statements like that, but it’s the truth. Several months ago I received a message from the Executive Pastor in Loganville. He let me know that they were searching for a man who can equip students to continue following Jesus once they are in college and had all but shut down the search after months of looking through resumes. It turns out that he asked a close pastor friend for a recommendation, and my name was passed along.
I wasn’t looking to move to the Atlanta area and honestly had never heard of Loganville before my phone conversation! But the more we talked, the more I could see their heart for ministry and how God was at work.
You all know that I have a passion for encouraging and equipping pastors, leaders, and students to serve Jesus. High school and college are critical phases in the life of a young adult. These phases of life are of the utmost importance to me because that is when students start to discover what is means to live out their faith in Jesus. Students ask hard questions because they are discovering how God wants them to live. This is when students make the jump from merely listening to applying God’s Word. My heart for equipping leaders and students aligns perfectly with FBC Loganville’s. We are excited to see what God has in store as we serve in Loganville!
While we are stoked to accept the call to serve at FBC Loganville, it is definitely a bittersweet time for our family. Anne and I will be leaving our home in East Tennessee, which is a decision we don’t take lightly. We are sad about leaving the incredible people at Valley Grove and the Knoxville area. You all are our family, friends, and co-ministers. This area has always been my home, and Anne and I are so thankful for the friendships, memories, and investment that you all have made in our lives.
(And as a side note, we will never cheer for the Georgia Bulldogs. I will have Josh Dobbs’ Hail Mary playing on a loop in my office from now till I go to Heaven!)
Leaving Valley Grove and the Knoxville area has been a difficult decision for us to make. You all are family. You have helped raise Tripp and Brooke. Most of you have even sung “What Does The Fox Say?” with my kids during Bible study. We have made memories, shared milestones, walked alongside one another, and consumed large amounts of coffee together.
Moving to Loganville isn’t an attempt to run from Knoxville. That isn’t the case at all. We are faithfully following where Jesus is leading our family.
We are 100 percent certain that God is leading us to make the move to Loganville, Georgia. Anne and I sense God’s Spirit leading us to FBC Loganville. She and I are unified in spirit and are at peace.
As Christians, we understand that our lives are not our own. Our lives are hidden in Jesus and when He leads, we go. Going is always an adventure, and God has promised to provide for His plans.
One of my mentors has a quote that he says frequently:
“If I am where God wants me to be, not only will I have everything I need from God, God will also have everything He needs from me.”
This is my prayer for my ministry and my family: to be exactly where God wants me to be. I know that my life is making the biggest impact for the Kingdom of God when I’m in lockstep with Jesus.
Please be praying for Anne, Tripp, Brooke, and I as we begin the transition to Loganville, Georgia.
We are thankful for your prayers and support!
by ChaseSnyder | Apr 26, 2017 | Leadership, Ministry
Ministry is busy, ya’ll.
I’m sure that you operate like I do and are always looking for ways to maximize your time. We operate with a sense of urgency because we know that the need in our community is great and the time is short.
[Tweet “The need is great and the time is short”]
How can we avoid unnecessary tasks and focus on what is most important?
There are plenty of opinions for the most effective way to organize your week. I want to look at one of the most dangerous.
There is a popular teaching that encourages student pastors to divide their week into thirds.
According to this teaching a youth pastor will need to spend a third of his time with students, a third with parents, and a third with volunteer leaders.
- 1/3 of your time with students
- 1/3 of your time with parents
- 1/3 of your time with volunteers
Doesn’t that sound nice and predictable?
I bet that this method was first outlined in a Precious Moments Bible.
As you know, ministry is far from predictable. This method is as realistic as reaching Narnia.
Sure, you need to invest quality time in each area: students, parents, and volunteers. No one will argue this. But ministry is not as simple as investing a third of your time in students, parents, and volunteers.
This method misses the vast majority of work a student pastor handles.
- What about time for professional development?
- What about time to plan for the upcoming event?
- What about time spent investing in local schools?
- What about time to invest into your staff?
- What about time to prepare for your student worship talk?
- What about time to prepare expense reports?
Ministering to parents, students, and volunteers is paramount but your time will never be neatly divided.
How should a youth pastor manage his time?
I’m glad that you asked! Below are three keys that I have taken to heart as I strategically plan each week.
If you are a type A personality like myself, you will think that these three keys are too loose and too open-ended.
Operating within these truths allows you the freedom to structure your time as precisely as you want.
Three Keys For Managing Your Time
Stop re-inventing the wheel each week. After being in your current role for a couple months you know what to do. Many youth pastors go into the office on Monday without a clear idea of what they are doing each week. It isn’t that we forget what is important, we fail to develop weekly systems.
If nothing else gets done, what are the most important tasks that must take place? These items are the “non-negotiables” for your ministry.
Your list will likely include:
- Contacting leaders
- Preparing talks
- Encouraging parents
- Following up with visitors
Put these items on your calendar as recurring systems.
Make sure that you are investing in these key areas before being distracting by your other to-dos.
Recognize Your Current Context
A weak volunteer team may need more than one-third of your time this week. An open door to be on a local school campus will consume more than one-third of your time.
Pastors minister to the specific needs of their people – not a hypothetical group. You must recognize the needs in your specific context. How you manage your time will be different from the youth pastor at the church down the street.
[Tweet ” Pastors minister to the specific needs of their people – not a hypothetical group. “]
Maximize Your Current Season
Student ministry looks different in July than it does in September. Each season, holiday, and break allows time for you to shift your focus to maximize your time in a specific area.
The summer months are a perfect time to catch up on administrative work such as updating volunteer handbooks, recruiting leaders, and outlining sermon series.
The fall is a great season to reconnect with students and parents as they get back into the routines of the school semester.
Get to know the rhythms of your church, leadership, and community and start building on the momentum that is already present.
What are some practices you have used to manage your time?
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