Story Matters

August 03, 2015 in Professional Youth Minister, catechetics, fun-towns

Would you buy a thrift store porcelain figurine for $17 if someone wrote a fictitious story to explain its origins? The existence of such a thing as Significant Objects is a testament to the goodness of the internet. Authors wrote little vingettes to go with the crap objects, and they were then sold on eBay. The fact that all of these yard sale insignificants sold for a total of $8,000 is a testament to the power of story.

Jesus told lots of stories. People connect with stories. In evangelization and catechesis, you can root an idea or doctrine firmly into reality and your audience's mind by telling a story.

Tell more stories. End your talk with a story. Write a story into your thing. Put a story on the website. Throw a story into the newsletter. After that conference send out the story of one of the teen's experience to the parents.

Tell more stories.

Figuring Out How to Evaluate Ministry Methods

July 31, 2015 in Professional Youth Minister, catechetics

As you may have guessed by a previous article of mine about common fallacies found in critiques of youth ministry, I get pretty testy when it comes to people's opinions and critiques of different methods of ministry. I'm not against us making things better, but I go a little crazy when I read a majority of the comments, articles, and books that are a part of this conversation. (Some definitions first. When I say ministry, I'm speaking of ministries in the Church that deal with evangelization and catechesis. Also, I'm using method in a broad sense. Think Lifeteen, YDisciple, peer ministry, Adoration, Lectio Divina, gregorian chant, small groups, experiential catechesis, inductive methods, deductive methods, praise and worship, talks, skits, activities, coloring books, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, relational ministry, prayer ministry, conferences, spoon man, summer camps, etc. etc.)

I'm working on an article that I hope will offer a framework for evaluating methods and methodology for ministry, using specifically youth ministry as a practical example.

But I want your input first.

While doing some reading I came across this quote from the GDC in a fantastic chapter on this exact topic. It is Caroline Farey's work in the book The Pedagogy of God. Her chapter is titled "Methodology in the Light of the Pedagogy of God".

Here's the first:

"The Church, in transmitting the faith, does not have a particular method nor any single method. Rather, she discerns contemporary methods in the light of the pedagogy of God." General Directory for Catechesis 148

Caroline takes this quote to set up her thesis that all methods must be evaluated against God's pedagogy, or God's method.

(I love this because one of the biggest problems is the lack of distinctions we make between the objective and subjective ways we speak about a method.)

Caroline's bold claim is this:

Catechists (read youth minister, blogger, DRE, Diocesan Minister, speakers, etc) need formation, firstly in the deposit of Faith, then in the pedagogy of God... and then in how to examine methods and methodologies in its light in order to discern those methods that are suitable for communication the Faith and those that are not."

Caroline Farey in The Pedagogy of God p.163

So Here's my question to you:

How do you evaluate different methods of (youth) ministry? What makes a particular method successful?

Answer in the comments below or email me. Say something smart or witty and I may include it in the article I'm writing. I'm looking forward to the discussion!

Jerry Seinfeld: How to Write a Joke

June 15, 2015 in Professional Youth Minister

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itWxXyCfW5s I love this clip of Jerry Seinfeld showing the New York Times his process behind writing a joke. A joke two years in the making...about a poptart. Its interesting how deeply he thinks about his process, in a career where you might be tempted to think comedians just stumble upon funny material, or are just naturally funny.

He talks about trying to find the perfect connection between two parts of the joke.

"I'm looking for the connective tissue that gives me that really tight smooth link, like a jigsaw puzzle link. And if its too long, like a split second too long, you will shave letters off of words. You count syllables, you know to get it just... its more like song writing."

He makes me want to work harder on talks and catechesis and writing. Maybe take one 20 minute talk and work on it for two years. Obsessing about the delivery and the connections. Shaving off words. And praying about it. Praying and shaving. Praying and shaving. (What a t-shirt...)

Also, take note of the fact that he's weird about always using yellow pads and a specific type of pen - Bic clear barrel blue. Which if you're a long-time fan of the blog, you know how weird I am about Pilot G-2 10's.

I'm developing a theory that being obsessive about the small things gives room for being creative in the big things.

Something like "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones." Luke 16:10.

So be trustworthy and use a Pilot G-2 10. Be faithful in the small matters my son.

And,

Work hard on your craft.

Pray.

And get back to work.

Why You Get Less Done in More Time - Pope's Window Syndrome

February 17, 2015 in Professional Youth Minister

Youth ministers seem to be particularly prone to what I will call “Pope’s Window Syndrome”. I stood in St. Peter’s Square a few years ago while a friend told me the Pope’s office window is the last light to turn off at the Vatican, communicating to everyone just how hard the Pope is working for our Church. PWS hits youth ministers hard, as they wake up early (or maybe not so early) and put in grueling 50-60 hour work weeks, leaving lights on in their office or the youth center long after everyone else has left the building.

And while putting in 60 hours a week may make you feel like you are working hard, not getting paid enough, and completely unappreciated, there is a lot of evidence that suggests the more hours you work, the less productive you could become. (See this, that, and here.) Not to mention the huge negative impact on your family life if you are married and your sanity if you are single.

Enter Sheryl Sandberg and Parkinson’s Law

Sheryl Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer at Facebook and the first woman board member of Facebook’s board of directors. Before Facebook, she was Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google. Before Google, she worked as chief of staff for the United States Secretary of the Treasury. In 2012 Sheryl made the Time 100, a list of the 100 most influential people in the world. My girl Sheryl ain’t messing around.

And Sheryl leaves work everyday at 5:30 p.m.

How? My guess is that Sheryl is intentionally using something called “Parkinson’s Law” to her advantage. Parkinson’s Law originated as a simple and cheeky opening observation by Cyril Northcote Parkinson in an essay in The Economist published in 1955:

“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

This one sentence kicked me in the pants and changed the way I do, well, everything. Now when I hear people moan about how late they stayed at the office, or how many hours they worked last week, I wonder if they are busy or if maybe they could do these two things better...READ MORE

[This is an excerpt of an article written for Projectym.com. You can read the rest of the article here.]

How to Read 75 Books a Year and Remember What You Read

February 09, 2015 in Professional Youth Minister, guest post

Some of the topics Brandon covers:

How to build a library and why you should (with great resources for finding cheap books)
Easy ways to creatively find more time to read (with some great tech tips)
How to engage the author effectively
How to remember what you read so you can use what you read (more great tech tips)
How to X-ray a book and find out in 3 minutes if its worth reading (from the legendary Mortimer Adler book)

(This book should be required reading for every living person who ever plans on reading a book and thinking clearly about it.)