Daniel Globig

Reflection

YM Exploratory

As I look to find out what Gods will is in my life I feel continually called to some form of ministry working with youth. To gain an understanding on the structure and planning behind youth ministry I served the youth at Cascades Baptist Church (CBC) in Jackson. The associate pastor and youth pastor, Pastor Steve, came to CBC in September of 07 and this gave me a chance to see how a youth pastor might transition into the role of his position smoothly. Aside from the way Pastor Steve was able to get along with our senior pastor he also did a great job of working with the people he encountered on a daily basis. I found him showing the teens how much he cared about them by looking them in the eyes and showing them they were almost the only one alive. His focus was solely on the person he was talking to. An incoming pastor or youth pastor also needs to hit a home run with the parents of the church and of the students. Pastor Steve always made sure the parents knew at great detail what the youth of the church were doing at youth group activities. He wrote this letter to parents every month or so. The letters kept everyone at ease as a new youth/associate pastor made changes in a turbulent field of youth ministry. I recognize Pastor Steve as a man who truly seeks to serve God in youth ministry. He took me under his wing and gave me many opportunities to experience youth ministry. I was given many leadership responsibilities. At first I was opening up Wednesday nights, and other events. I then worked into leading games, describing upcoming events, giving small tidbits about world events concerning Christian living, and for quite some time I led a junior high small group. I usually spent a few hours preparing for each time I spoke so the teens would have visuals to better understand and so I would be able to actually familiarize myself with what I would present. I spent some time contacting the teens outside of youth group functions or church. One of the kids had a recent divorce because his father was involved in some stuff concerning women and it seemed to be deeper than most people knew. He was pretty hurt by it all and actually was open to 1 Professor Kono 12.24.08

Daniel Globig

Reflection

YM Exploratory

talking about it. I think it helped having a time outside of the church building or church functions. He even openly talked about his random girlfriends and such. It was pretty crazy because the kid was getting involved with these girls almost out of not having a strong dad there to guide him. There was another kid who went to a separate school then did most the kids so he was pretty quiet around youth group or church. I dont think he would have come if his parents hadnt forced him and his little brother to rush into the car and sit down in a pew. He and his brother both seemed to resent their parents when they first started coming but I want to focus on the older brother. As for the younger brother, well, he still hasnt quite opened up. Ive only gotten the kid to smile or laugh a few times. Aside from those slight smiles he remained stoic. The older brother actually had a great sense of humor and he always seemed open to see me or talk. There was a time at his house when we played basketball, football, and messed with some paintball guns. In the down time he opened up. Those few minutes were priceless. He talked so openly and admitted his poor choice of friends among other things who were getting in the way of his success in living a life for Christ. Of course he used different words but after this encounter with him he seemed to be twice as open at youth group. His dad actually mentioned both of them wanting to come because I was there but I have to give credit to God. He was the one who worked in their hearts and He was the one who allowed me a wicked man to serve Him in ministry. Jim Burns Relational Youth Ministry definitely came useful in working with these teens. They needed to know I cared before they cared what I wanted them to know. My strengths were, lets just say obsolete. I think at this early in the stage of youth ministry I am not doing anything right. The funny thing was how God seemed to give me certain strengths where I needed it. He gave me the ability to talk with the teens on a one-on-one basis which opened up the playing field. In small groups God gave me His words even when I was clueless as to what I should say. I 2 Professor Kono 12.24.08

Daniel Globig

Reflection

YM Exploratory

would say my strength in talking with the teens was teaching them. However, this was in talking to them, but I dont want to be the one who speaks the entire time. I wanted to ask them questions and invoke thinking. My sever weakness; I cannot seem to find suitable questions to ask all the time. It is hard for me to take teaching from the angle of asking questions and directing them toward the right answers. What questions should I ask? An even more important weakness I have is remembering names. To this day I do not actually know all the kids names. I should know them all because I have been working with them regularly for about 2 years but remembering names is one thing I write off on my weakness list. I make it a future goal to set up a picture-name system where everybody has their picture taken and their names are matched with their pictures for the leaders use. This idea was originally Jim Burns in his book Youth Builder. When relating to the kids one might assume a 19 year old youth leader would have all the grounds for being relative to the teens but I really have a hard time keeping up with whats new and big. I do not know the new stars, pop artists (any of their lyrics), sports teams, or anything classified new. I have always relied on my friends to keep me up to date. Somehow I need to grasp some resources on what is new and what is going on in the world of teens. Through my strengths and weaknesses God has showed me many things practically. This experience showed me how to deal with people; parents, workers, volunteers, students, and leaders within the church structure. I also learned a great deal about how much it takes to get events planned and structured. Speaking in front of everybody was probably one of my favorite things to do but also the most draining and sometimes embarrassing. This calls for, in the words of a friend, many hours spent on your knees. If I am to do what God has called me to and if I am to open my mouth and allow God to speak through it then I must bruise my knees much more. While just grazing the surface of youth ministry and poking my head into the world of youth I have understood how much progress I must still make. It seems there is not enough time for all of my

3 Professor Kono 12.24.08

Daniel Globig

Reflection

YM Exploratory

future goals but I will have to just let God carry me one step and one day at a time. By reading 1 Timothy 3 one can easily see the difficulty of the task at hand in youth ministry.

4 Professor Kono 12.24.08