Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Girls Ministry Ideas- Blowing The Dust Off

When it comes to girls ministry ideas, and all ministry, we probably have learned that there truly is nothing new under the sun. Everything has been done before. Everything comes full circle. Also, everything will tend to come back in style again.  Because of this it may be time to blow the dust off of your old ideas.  Look back into your archives and see what you have done in the past and what has worked well. If you do not have these archives, then start to make notes so that you will have them in the future.  By doing this you can avoid the time of striving to come up with something new and inevitably just recreating something someone else already has.  Another option you have is to blow the dust off of someone else's idea altogether.  For example, we have tons of ideas to share with you. Why not just use ours and save yourself the trouble. This does not make you a bad minister but actually a better one as you are freed up to do the really important things you are called to do.  So stop racking your brain to come up with something new. Just take something old and treat it like it is brand new. Because after all, the girls in your ministry will never know the difference.  

Monday, June 13, 2011

Girls Ministry Ideas- Camp Share Time

I am sure that one of the number one girls ministry ideas on your mind is having a share time after camp.  It almost seems like something we have to do and I understand.  Students do need to get to learn how to speak out for God and share what He has done in their lives.  But if you are not careful you will do more damage then good. This is why I suggest doing a few things.  One is set clear rules about what can be shared and what can not. Do not let people talk about the food or recreation time.  Make sure they are sharing spiritual things. Also, preselect who will share. Hopefully you know how God moved in each of your students' lives. This way you can decided who needs to share and who does not. You still need to let the Spirit move as He leads people to share.  You also need to be careful to not only choose the "usual suspects" to share.  You would be surprised by who God can use. But if you select people before hand your share time will be more effective and make a better impact on the students in your ministry and your church. Share time is great and probably necessary, but only if you do it properly.  

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Girls Ministry Ideas- Morning People

As brainstormers of girls ministry ideas we are all unique.  This includes the fact that some of us are morning people and others are night time people.  I have also mentioned before I believe that I am definitely a morning person.  If I haven't I am mentioning it now.  I also want to encourage you to be one too. You may think that you cannot or you were not designed to be, but I used to be the same way. It took time and discipline but eventually I changed. The reason I feel that being a morning person is important is because there is something powerful about the sunrise.  There is something powerful about getting up in the quiet and seeing the day begin. I cannot begin to tell you the many spiritual insights you can receive and the wonderful conversations you can have with God. Yes you can have these at night too and should, but believe me, there is something powerful about the morning.  

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Girls Ministry Ideas- Always Be Ready

When it comes to brainstorming girls ministry ideas you need to always be ready.  You never know when the stroke of genius will hit you and you need to be prepared to record your ideas or write them down. Yes you might be able to remember them but why take the chance?  I know that I struggle with memory and many times have forgotten great ideas. All this could have been avoided if I was simply ready to jot them down or record them.  Plus, by doing this you can go back and tweak and refine ideas over time.  So I encourage you to keep track of things.  Record by voice or on paper every idea that comes to mind. Pretend there are no bad ideas and then refine things later.  How you do this is up to you.  You could use pen and paper.  I personally like to use the voice memo and notepad on my iPhone.  This way I can look at and listen to them regularly and they are backed up on my phone.  I still carry a pen with me too but this is my primary means for recording ideas. So be ready. Choose your weapon. Because you never know when genius will come.    

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Girls Ministry ideas- get your church involved

If any of your girls ministry ideas are going to be successful you are going to have to get your church involved.  You need their support and you need thei hands and feet. This can be difficult as many people are afraid of students.  But there are some ways that you can help them step out and serve in your ministry. First of all do not push to hard.  Just lay the opportunities out there, ask people to pray about them, you pray, and let God work.  Next, think outside the box.  Do not get a picture in your head of who the perfect leader is.  Trust, me you will be surprised by who becomes a great youth leader and who is not.  Finally, give them an easy opportunity to get started.  For example, with camp coming up, let adults each pray for a student by name. This will give them a connection with students and begin to open the doors of their hearts to the idea of serving.  If you are going to be successful you will have to get your church involved and hopefully these ideas will help you.  

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Girls Ministry Ideas- Relevance

As you brainstorm girls ministry ideas one topic in particular will always come to mind.  This is the idea of relevance.  There has always been a debate over what it means to be relevant and whether or not the church should be relevant. In short, I think the ideas you come up with and ministry opportunities you create should have some relevance.  The key is to make sure you do not overdo it.  For example, you do not want come up with activities that do not relate to your students and would not have related to students of any generation for that matter.  You want your students to have interest in your ideas and have a connection to them.  You do not want to overdo it though and be pandering. For example, your kids might like to party but this does not mean that you should bring a keg to church. Find a balance because if you are too “relevant” your ministry will actually become irrelevant and have no impact at all. 

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Girls Ministry Ideas- Going Out To Lunch

When it comes to girls ministry ideas sometimes the simplest ideas are the best.  I definitely think that is true in this scenario.  This is one of the simplest ideas I have ever come up with but I truly believe it is one of the best.  This is the simple idea of taking the girls in your ministry out to lunch.  This takes minimal investment on your part but can have amazing lasting impact.  It seems like everywhere you look in the new Testament, whether with Jesus and His disciples or the early church, someone is sharing a meal together.  This was definitely a cultural thing but there is also something powerful about sharing a meal together.  There is time to build relationships.  There is time to open. There is time for you to show you care and to have teachable moments.  I encourage you to make this investment. Right now make contact with the girls in your ministry and set up a time.  You will be amazed at how little effort this takes on your part but at the same time you will be amazed at how rewarding and fruitful this time will be.