Reggie Joiner's Blog, page 7
July 10, 2023
Why Churches Should Leverage Texting to Engage Their Congregations
As tech continues to evolve, so do the ways churches connect with people. Take 2020, for example. The shutdown happened fast, and pastors needed an instant way to communicate with their churches. While Facebook and emails were helpful, notifications were still missed. This is why texting started to shine. It provided a way for members to stay updated multiple times a day as churches navigated complex guidelines and schedule changes.
So, in light of that, we figured it was tim...
July 6, 2023
Pitfalls of a Kids Ministry Leader
Leading a kids ministry isn’t easy. It’s not supposed to be either. After all, we get the opportunity to be called leaders and impact volunteers, kids, and parents. While that sounds amazing, there are a few pitfalls we need to avoid if we want to be the best leaders we can be and have the maximum impact.
Kids Ministry Leader Pitfalls to Avoid
1. No Recruitment
No Recruitment -> You Fill Gaps -> People Burnout
You’ve read it before.
“The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.”
...July 3, 2023
How to Keep Your Volunteers From Quitting
Your volunteers want to quit.
Okay, not all of them and not all the time. But as a lifelong volunteer and leader of volunteers, I can promise you this is true for at least a few volunteers every Sunday.
This is true even if. . .
they love where they serve,
they love you,
and they are regularly appreciated with t-shirts, donuts and custom promotional water bottles.
Even if, like me, volunteering at church is the highlight of their week, there will be times when that nagging voice in...
June 30, 2023
Six Activity Station Ideas for Your Youth Ministry Party
As the end of summer approaches, it’s time to start thinking about your next youth ministry party! And let’s face it, what better way to end a summer-long series called Start the Party than with an actual party?
We have given you many fun ideas to set the perfect environment for an end-of-summer party that will end with a bang. However, we all know there are some students in our ministries that don’t always feel like participating in the big games. Some kids need a little break or need an envi...
June 29, 2023
Let’s Start The Party: Unveiling VBS 2024
paint some signs
decorate the walls
hang the lights
turn up the music
invite some friends
throw open the doors
We don’t think it’s just ok to have fun,
We think it should be a priority.
Why?
Because people who follow Jesus have a lot to celebrate.
Jesus gives us some pretty good reasons to party.
Friendship, belonging, forgiveness, abundant life, and purpose.
That’s why we believe the Gospel of Jesus is the good news.
Since there seems to be a lot of bad news...
Planning a Fun, Restful Summer
I still remember that feeling. Walking out of school that last day with nothing but endless possibilities in front of me. Freedom! Summer nights with no bedtime and no alarm clock. Just sleepovers, beach trips, camping trips, and a week at camp to look forward to. Ahhh, the long lazy days of summer.
Years later, as a Family Pastor, the anticipation of summer made my heart race for a completely different reason. Vacations meant fewer volunteers and fewer families attending regularly. It’s the ...
June 27, 2023
Why Your Entire Team Should Attend Orange Tour 2023
The Orange Conference is one of the best conferences around for students, kids, and next gen leaders and volunteers. There are thousands of people just like you learning from wonderful speakers while also being exposed to great resources and tools to help you in your ministry. I come back from the Orange Conference energized and excited to finish the year strong and plan ahead for the future of the ministry.
As great of a conference as it is, it is not always affordable or doable for your enti...
June 19, 2023
Rethinking Altar Calls and Some Better Options
It was the summer before I went into high school and my cousins invited me up to their house to stay for a week. I loved going to their house, mostly because it was so different from my everyday life living out in the country where my closest neighbor was a mile away.
My uncle was a Nazarene pastor and the week I was staying with them there was a community summer revival going on. What you need to know about me is that my family didn’t really go to church outside of the major holidays. I woul...
June 16, 2023
How Not to Emotionally Manipulate Students at Summer Camp
The rest of the church may be slowing a bit once school lets out. But for student ministries, this can be one of the busiest times because the summer season equals summer camp season. For many teenagers, summer camp experiences are some of the most formational times in their faith. A lot of teenagers make a decision to commit to following Jesus, some may experience a kind of calling to be in professional ministry, some decide to get baptized, or some decide to re-up their spiritual habits and co...
June 13, 2023
Rethinking Summer Programming
Ready or not, summer is upon us.
It is finally hot enough to complain about how hot it is.
And nothing says summer more than when the plastic chair you’re sitting in outside gets up when you do.
Simply stated, summer happens.
Which means all of us in the wide, wide world of youth ministry should probably consider what teenagers with more free time — and adult leaders who want and need more free time — means for our summer programming rhythms.
How do we build the shifts that summer ...
