Reggie Joiner's Blog, page 13

Why Digital Discipleship Matters to Accomplish Our Mission

When I first started going to church as a 17-year-old, I thought being a disciple meant completing the six-week discipleship class my church held twice a year. 

 

If I finished the class and got a good grade, then that meant I was a disciple … right?

 

I think the reason I thought that was because the Hebrew word we translate as “disciple” in the Bible is “talmid” ( דימלת pronounced “tal-meed”). This is usually translates to “student.” 

 

But an orthodox rabbi friend of mine once taught me that,...

Three Perspectives on Recruitment Sunday

Sunday is always coming. But sometimes an individual Sunday will surprise us with a fresh opportunity. When it comes to volunteers for your ministry, each and every Sunday either strengthens or weakens the volunteer culture. And your volunteer culture is the biggest predictor of your ability to recruit and even more importantly retain your volunteers.

 

That’s why it’s important to consider the different ways leaders approach volunteer recruitment and determine the best ways to ensure our Sunday...

Three Things 2022 Taught Us About Ministry

Well, 2022 is winding down. It’s this time of year when every platform and content creator is running countdowns like “top songs of the year” or “top sports stories of the year.” So, we figured we’d jump on the trend, but specifically with 3 things 2022 taught us about ministry. 

 

3 Things 2022 Taught Us About Ministry

 

1. The Importance of Proactive Proximity

 

Statistics and our own experience likely tell us that students are showing up less consistently than ever before. This doesn’t mean t...

A Family-Centered Christmas for Your Community

Christmastime is the time that most families look for an experience they can enjoy together. Whether it’s driving through neighborhoods to see the lights or grabbing a mug of hot chocolate, families want to enjoy a Christmas event to make memories that last!

 

But rather than giving families a random Christmas event or resource to enjoy this holiday season, what if you were strategic with it? This year, we have a few special family-centered Christmas experiences to share with the people in your ...

Four Ways to Win Between Christmas and New Year’s Day

Every job has its perks. Netflix doesn’t track vacation hours. Facebook has nap pods. Ben & Jerry’s rewards its employees with three pints of ice cream every day. And if you’re a ministry leader, most likely you get the week off between Christmas and New Year’s Day. (Hey, we’re not drawing comparisons here, just stating facts!)

 

The weeks leading up to Christmas can be some of the most joyful and impactful of our ministry careers. We often get a front-row seat to the radical generosity of our f...

Building Your Volunteer Leadership Team

There’s one thing that has always given me the confidence to ask a question in a room full of people: The fact that I know there’s probably at least one other person who has the same question but is afraid to ask. An internal whisper of “someone else has to be wondering this, too” seems to creep in my mind just seconds before I courageously shoot my hand in the air.

 

Throughout the course of just one week, all of us Orange Specialists have had the privilege of answering a ton of questions from...

How Mission Trips Develop the Next Generation of Leaders

We are excited to share this blog with you from our friends at YouthWorks, a youth missions organization founded in 1994 that exists to connect middle and high school students to God, each other, and communities. Enjoy!

 

How Mission Trips Develop the Next Generation of Leaders

 

We know of all the challenges Next Generation Ministry faces today. COVID-19 has devastated young people and as church leaders you are working to find a way forward and help meet needs. In the hundreds of conversations ...

A Thanksgiving Prayer

It seems a sort of cruel joke that that the time of the year most set aside for reflection and pausing also happens to be the time of year when things are the busiest. To-do lists keep growing. Errands keep accumulating. And stress seems like the natural default mode of our existence. 

 

With as crazy a season as the holidays tend to be, when you finally do get a chance to try to practice the gratitude this season centers around, when you finally get a moment to quiet yourself down, all you real...

Five Ways To Pitch XP3 To Your Leadership

Every week, I talk with student ministry leaders who are trying to pitch XP3 to their leadership. They’re burned out from creating all their own content for far too long. And they’ve done the research necessary to figure out which curriculum is best for them (with the people I talk with, they usually decide on XP3). They know how much/little budget money they have available. Now their final step is to convince their leadership.

 

Tips for Pitching XP3 to Your Leadership

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Partnering with Parents This Holiday Season

As Leaders, we understand that parents come in all forms, shapes, and sizes. There is no one style or category to fit them all into. But one thing we know: ALL parents are busy… 

 

Busy with the juggling act of school drop off.

All of the calendar management.

The work required of them inside and outside of their home.

Meal planning.

Busy with the effort it takes to maintain relationships.

 

And that’s not all of it! On top of that, the holiday season demands that they…

Buy the presents. 

Wrap th...