Minnesota Student Ministries

Roosevelt Hunter passed away t…

Matt — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:34:04 +0000

Roosevelt Hunter passed away today. a friend of MSM and leaders across the nation. Many memories from camps with him. pray for his family.

SCOTTY GIBBONS GOODNUGGET #1

Alan — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:44:20 +0000

“The extent to which you realize His plan is directly correlated with your willingness to prepare for it.”

God gave Noah a vision and visions take planning. Building the ark took a huge amount of planning and preparation for what was to come. Our student ministries are the same way… and that can be overwhelming. Great things take planning and preparation. Noah’s willingness to prepare and build the ark was one that not only benefited himself but also those in his relational influence. Because of those relationships, the human race continued. So when you are preparing, don’t focus on the the size of the task, the number of students in our ministries, etc. Instead, focus on the relationships. One day the “ark” of our student ministry is going to decay but the relationships that we have “preserved” there have the potential to alter the human race and change the world. Let On The Verge help you in preparing for your student ministry to be one that raises up young people to make history.

SCOTTY GIBBONS AT ON THE VERGE

Alan — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:43:12 +0000

Our main speaker at this year’s On The Verge is Scotty Gibbons. If you have never met him or heard him, Scotty has a ministry of over a 1000 teenagers that he leads at James River Assembly. His honesty at On The Verge this year will be refreshing and motivating. To get to know the heart of Scotty, we will have some nuggets from his ministry and his book, “Carry-on” that we will be posting regularly. Keep an eye out for them!

ITS WITHIN REACH

Alan — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:01:12 +0000

So many of us have a dream for our youth ministries. We have a vision to see God expand our ministry and have an influence in our student’s lives and our student”s world. At times, it can seem so out of reach for us. God’s vision being fulfilled doesn’t “just happen.” It has to start from somewhere…and that somewhere is right where you are with what you have. We can see the story of Sampson who had nothing but a jawbone and a desire to see God inflict serious damage against the enemy (Judges 15:14-16). The Spirit of God comes upon him and he reaches down and grabs a jawbone of a donkey. It’s small, it’s convenient and it’s right within his reach. What he does with it is astonishing as he destroys a 1000 men and crushes the enemy allowing God’s people to triumph. At On The Verge, it’s about God showing you what’s within your reach so that you can have a sweet victory for you and your ministry. It probably won’t look like much and by appearances doesn’t seem like much. But in your hand when God’s Spirit is on you, it transforms from natural to supernatural and you and your ministry are never the same.

ROADTRIPPIN’

Alan — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:13:50 +0000

As you take advantage of On The Verge this year, make your roadtrip productive by having some creative roadtrip ideas planned that will not only bond you closer but make your ministry better. Here’s some ideas:

1. Get to know your team better by playing a modified version of “Loaded Questions” or “Would You Rather” and offer points and a free meal for the team member who gets the most right.

2. Offer some spiritual gift tests while on the road that they could take and talk about your strengths and what they contribute to the team. The Four Elements of Success by Laurie Beth Jones is a great read to simply ask the question: ”which element best describes you?”

3. Have a strategizing session by analyzing where you have been, where you are now and strategizing where you want to go as a youth ministry this upcoming school year.

4. Travel with other youth pastors from your area or offer to pick someone up and “compare notes” of what’s working in each other’s minstries and have an idea exchange.

5. Plan a creative back-to-school event this fall by giving someone in the car a notepad and brainstorming the name and some clever elements to make the best back-to-school event this fall!

6. Share some “high/low” moments by cultivating some transparency in the car of your high this past school year and your low. Also sharing where you are at in between a 1 to 5 rating helps everyone see where everyone else is at.

WALK, DON’T RUN RETREAT

Alan — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:38:47 +0000

In youth ministry we “run” from event to event, from Wednesday night to Wednesday night and from meeting to meeting it seems. That’s why we need to have times where we can get away from the running and allow God to “walk” us through our youth ministry to show us what is important, what needs to be “tweaked” and what needs to simply die. Jesus seemed to never run in the Bible. Jesus walked down the road with the fig tree and saw a fruitless tree (Matthew 21:18-22). He basically said, “You’re dead to me” and moved on. Fruitless tree’s don’t benefit anyone… and neither do some of our programs. On The Verge is a time to have you stop running and have Jesus walk with you through certain parts of your ministry: your calling, your leadership, your meeting nights, your small groups and all the parts of your ministry. He knows what’s working and what’s “just leaves.” We’ve all been running but when you devote a weekend for you and/or your team, Jesus can encourage you to have faith, crush your doubt and have a new sense of purpose and vision for you this new school year. Make On The Verge part of your calendar this summer! See you May 1st!

On The Verge… of something

Alan — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:09:01 +0000

Anticipation is a wonderful emotion. It keeps you alive with adrenaline and is part of the fuel for your passions. There’s an expectation that you have for your ministry, your students and your future. That feeling is saying you are on the edge of something… something great. The question is, what is your “something” that God has in mind for you? Some of you have had a glimpse of it, others of you have felt it in your service and others of you have heard it in the prayers of your students. Your something is being shaped and prepared by God right now and it involves God speaking to you and God giving you the courage to see it through. That is what On The Verge is about. God leading you to a place where you can see, hear, taste and touch your something. And once you experience your something, nothing will get in the way of you having everything you need to fulfill what waits on the verge.

Welcome to the New MSM Blog

Matt — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:35:38 +0000

We are in the process of updating our web presence and as a part of that we now have a Minnesota Student Ministries blog where youth pastors across the state can connect. We’re continually looking for ways to better connect and equip you. Hope you enjoy it!