YOUTH MINISTRY ASSESSMENT REPORT - AUMC · the States,” and the annual conference voted to give the college to the State of Alabama ... important special events that are a part

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YOUTH MINISTRY ASSESSMENT REPORT Building Sustainable Ministries . . . One Church at a Time

www.ministryarchitects.com

Auburn United Methodist Church of Auburn, AL

May 4, 2017

By David Carroll, Lead Consultant, and Monica Lewis, Staff Consultant

[email protected] [email protected]

BACKGROUND

Auburn United Methodist Church is a large, historic congregation located in a major university town in east central Alabama. Established in 1837, the church has a long history of ministry excellence, inspiring pastorates, and community and university partnerships. Church members describe their church family as “historic,” “very busy,” and ”highly influenced” by the nearby university.

Founded by Methodist settlers under the urging of an early circuit rider, the church was located on a portion of the current property in a log structure which also served as the community’s first school building. The most significant event in the community’s history, according to church historian Carolyn Ellis Lipscomb, was the founding of East Alabama Male College by the

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Methodist Episcopal Church in 1856. However, the college was closed during the “War Between the States,” and the annual conference voted to give the college to the State of Alabama following the war. The college was reorganized as Agricultural and Mechanical College, and we know it today as Auburn University. Since that time, as Ms. Lipscomb puts it, “the college and town have grown and prospered side-by-side, and this church has always been a vital part of that partnership, reflecting similar growth.”

Through 180 years and nine major additions/renovations, the church has grown and developed into the large congregation and facility that it is today with a commitment to “offer, nurture, and serve.”

The membership of the church is 4,321 and on an average week, around 1350 people attend one of the church’s five worship services. Since July, 2016, the church has been served by Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Cory Smith who followed a lengthy, 26-year appointment by the Rev. Dr. George Mathison. Other ordained clergy include Associate Pastor, Rev. Charles Cummings, Program Minister/Director of Singles Ministry, Rev. John Fox, and Director of Adult Christian Education and Family Ministry, Rev. Sarah Goolsby. There is also one provisional deacon and one ministry candidate in process. In addition, there are 16 other full-time or part-time program staff members.

The youth ministry schedule consists of Sunday School classes offered at 9:30AM and 11:00AM, a broadly graded UMYF (United Methodist Youth Fellowship) for 7th-12th graders on Sunday nights, small groups (D-Groups) on Wednesday nights, and separate morning Bible studies for junior high and senior high students on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. In the summer small groups take a breather, and UMYF moves to Wednesday nights. There are also important special events that are a part of the youth ministry annual calendar: M25 – an inner city mission experience, Sweat Week – a local mission “trip,” Winter Retreat – a February spiritual growth event, Sr. High Leadership Retreat – an end of year leadership challenge, Fall Kickoff – the start to the year, and Color Wars – an every third year fun competition, as well as other special events on the calendar throughout the year. In addition, there is also a Sunday afternoon youth choir. However, it is not structured under the youth ministry umbrella.

Currently, there are 856 7th through 12th graders in the youth database. During the last month, 433 of them participated in one of the youth ministry component programs. The youth ministry is described by some youth and parents as a large ministry that does the big events really well, while others say it is a big ministry that can be difficult to manage effectively.

The church has a 2017 budget of $4,045,245.00, of which $260,760.89 is dedicated to the youth ministry. This includes the program budget as well as the salary and benefits for the staff, consisting of Director of Youth Ministry, Marc Baugh, Associate Director of Youth Ministry, Sarah Buck, 3-4 youth ministry interns, and 85% of the compensation of Assistant to Youth and College Ministries, Jill Perry.

There are 83 adult volunteers involved each week in one of the major youth programs. Others help out at special events or behind the scenes throughout the year.

The ministry is led by a director of youth ministry who has been in the position since 2014, having previously served as the associate director for three years, as a volunteer prior to that, and as a ministry participant prior to that. The associate director has been in her position for one year.


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The youth ministry facilities include a large gathering space, conducive to the UMYF worship experience, a large video gaming space with three consoles and large screen displays, an indoor recreation space including a gaga ball layout, three classrooms, an outdoor game/court space, and an outdoor café style seating area under a pergola. The spaces reflect youth ministry themes, such as “heart, mind, life,” youth ministry logos, and scripture verses. The spaces are renovated occasionally, though some areas show signs of wear or a confusion of use.

Recently, leaders in the youth ministry have begun asking questions about their ministry -questions like, “Does it seem like we’re doing the same things we were doing 20 years ago?” “Is it my imagination, or are some of our senior highs disappearing?” “When it feels like we’re an effective, successful ministry, why does it seem like we’re missing some things?” “How can we take our ministry to the next level?” The consensus was that an objective look by an outside firm would bring the most clarity.

Ministry Architects was invited to do an initial assessment of the youth ministry and to make recommendations about how it might move strategically forward. This was an expression of the church’s commitment to ministry excellence and a chance for the youth ministry to gain clarity and insight on its current status and future direction. Ministry Architects met with 78 individuals in 10 focus groups or one-on-one meetings and received 5 survey responses from individuals who were unable to attend. What follows are the findings gleaned from those conversations along with recommendations and a proposed timeline for the future.

YOUTH MINISTRY IN CONTEXT

One lens Ministry Architects likes to use for understanding youth ministry is the idea of the “three rents.” Youth ministries that “pay these rents” tend to have much greater freedom to be creative, take risks, and experiment with innovative ideas. Those youth ministries that fail to pay these rents often find themselves mired in distrust, second-guessing, and discouragement.

It has been Ministry Architects’ experience that though these three rents, in and of themselves, do not ensure an effective or faithful ministry, they are often the most immediate evaluation tools used by youth, parents, staff, and the congregation at large.

Rent #1: NUMBERS—A significant percentage of youth need to be participating visibly in some aspect of the church’s ministry. It is important for this target number to be clearly agreed on by the church leaders and the staff. Ironically, when target numbers are not established, the youth ministry is typically more likely to be judged by numbers than if the target numbers are clearly established.

The consensus is that this rent is being paid. The community and church ‘buzz’ about the high number of students, particularly in D-Groups, is widely known and accepted. However, there is some concern about lower numbers in other components of the youth ministry.

Rent #2: PROGRAMS – In order to “earn the right” to experiment with changes, the youth leadership needs to provide the church with a few visible, effective youth programs that give both youth and parents “something to talk about.”

This rent appears to be paid. Several highly successful, widely attended programs like D-Groups, Winter Retreat, and Sweat Week create a positive springboard, allowing the ministry the room to accommodate change if needed.


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Rent #3: ENTHUSIASM – The joyful enthusiasm and positive attitude of the youth staff, volunteers, and the youth themselves are essential to building trust with the leadership of the church and with the parents.

While there is true cause for celebration regarding aspects of the youth ministry, and while the youth that we met reflect real joy about their spiritual growth and development, there are aspects of the ministry that are showing signs of strain and stress under the load of large church youth ministry and a shortage of staffing, financial, and volunteer resources, suggesting that this rent is not being paid on time.

As the leadership of the youth ministry develops its long-range vision, it will need, at the same time, to be attentive to these “three rents.” In this sense, the youth ministry faces parallel challenges.

Ministry Architects pictures the parallel challenge this way:

As the youth ministry leadership steps into this parallel process, five rules of thumb –“youth ministry norms” – will be helpful to keep in mind. These are not necessarily targets for success; they are simply what an average church typically experiences:

1) 10% of the Worshipping Congregation – In a typical church, the size of the youth ministry tends to settle at a number that is around 10% of the worshipping congregation. A church like AUMC with an average worship attendance of 1350 could expect an average weekly attendance of around 135 youth per week. The current weekly attendance of over 400 youth is well over and above what a church of this size could normally expect to see. Celebrate!

2) 20% Ceiling – Ministry Architects has also discovered that in many churches, the youth ministry has difficulty growing beyond a level that equals 20% of the weekly worshipping congregation. Very few youth ministries seem to be able to break beyond this 20% level. Auburn UMC might keep in mind, then, that the expected ceiling for this youth ministry is around 270 youth. The AUMC youth ministry would appear to be bursting, even exploding, through that ceiling.

3) $1,000 per Youth – With a budget of approximately $260,000 (including program budget, staff salaries, and benefits) dedicated to the youth ministry, Auburn UMC has the capacity to effectively reach and maintain a weekly participation level of somewhere in the neighborhood of 260 youth in some aspect of the church’s life. However, that $1,000 figure could be higher in a growing community such as Auburn. With over 400 currently participating every week, the ministry is underfunded to retain even the

Laying the Foundation: Building a foundation and infrastructure that will ensure the youth ministry’s future effectiveness, and at the same time,

Continuing to Do Ministry: Maintaining the current youth ministry in a way that builds the enthusiasm of youth, their families, the staff and the church at large.


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currently attending youth. In order to maintain the ministry at its current rate, it would be wise to consider how to give the ministry the resourcing it needs.

4) 1 Full-time Staff Person for Every 50 Youth – Considering all the positions giving time to the youth ministry, including a Director, Associate Director, Youth Ministry Interns, and Administrative Assistant, Auburn UMC has the capacity to sustain the engagement of about 200 youth on a weekly basis. The current staff configuration seems inadequate to sustain the needs of the ministry. Ordinarily, in over-capacity youth ministries, the youth staff is set up to be unable to fulfill all the expectations placed on them. The natural result is a climate of criticism and burn out.

5) 1 Adult for Every 5 Youth – Ministry Architects likes to think in terms of “spans of care,” recognizing that, realistically, most volunteers cannot effectively oversee the church’s Christian nurture of more than about five youth on an ongoing basis. With 83 weekly volunteers, Auburn UMC is currently at a ratio of 1 adult leader to every 4.8 youth, giving the ministry a capacity for 415 youth weekly. The current team seems to be about the right size for the current ministry of 433 youth. However, if the church wants to expand its impact, it will need to consider recruiting more volunteers.

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE STAFF

When a ministry is based solely on the giftedness of a single staff person, instability is a predictable result. Ministry Architects has found that the most stable approach to staffing a ministry is to build a staff of three different kinds of people:

The Architect: A person or organization that designs the building plan and ensures that building is done in compliance with the agreed-upon plan.

The General Contractor: A person or team who manages the flow and sequencing of work, manages the building process according to the agreed-upon blueprint, and ensures that the appropriate number of “laborers” is in place for each stage of the project.

The Laborers: Those people charged with specific gifts and responsibilities for particular aspects of the work. In youth ministry, a laborer might have particular skills in relating to youth, in planning and managing events, or in teaching.

Each of these roles is important as the Auburn Church pursues a more sustainable model of youth ministry. As the church moves forward, the following observations will be helpful to keep in mind:

In many churches, there is no person or group playing the role of the architect. The ministry simply moves from one event to the next without a clear vision or stated outcomes.

Sometimes paid staff are not given the time or training to do their important work as the “general contractor” of a complex ministry.

The staff is often expected to serve in all three of these roles. This is a recipe for congregational dissatisfaction and staff burnout.


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ASSETS

Strengths to protect in the current youth ministry

Location, Location, Location The AUMC youth ministry has clearly leveraged its location in a university downtown area to great degree. Youth are attracted by the opportunities for sharing meals in the downtown area and making the connection with the university setting. Young people stand at Toomer’s Corner and the ‘cool factor’ is quite tangible for them. A variety of local cuisine handily presents itself in nearby restaurants. And very apparently, AUMC becomes visible in the community on Wednesday nights, and local merchants and patrons easily identify the throngs of teenagers associated with a thriving youth ministry at AUMC. While the church’s decision to maintain its location on its long-held Magnolia and Gay St. corner has not come without its drawbacks, the youth ministry has found creative ways to take advantage of this unique setting.

Numbers Out the Wazoo! The most unique feature of the AUMC youth ministry has to be the numbers of teenagers involved in D-Groups. With over 400 teenagers and over 80 adult volunteers involved on a weekly basis, the D-Group attendance easily blows through Ministry Architects’ generally expected norms. And the church has been affirming and accommodating of the D-Group ministry, making almost every church space available for the approximately 40 D-Groups that meet in the building on Wednesday nights during the school year. Though the demand for space, volunteers, staffing, and financial resources to support such a ministry are high, in D-Groups the church has found a valuable outreach treasure that it wants to keep and undergird at all cost.

An Emphasis on Relationships The Heart focus of the youth ministry (part of “Heart, Mind, Life”) is an encouragement to live the life of faith in and through strong relationships, and that is a steady theme in many aspects of the youth ministry. D-Groups become the place where youth learn how to accept and love others despite their differences, and many of the relationships formed there last a lifetime. Family groups at the Winter Retreat pick up that theme. And of course, while not every youth feels that high sense of connection, the youth that we met in focus groups spoke freely of meaningful experiences through their small groups. The youth ministry staff is also setting a great example of establishing and nurturing authentic relationships with young people. The youth feel that they are loved and valued by leaders who really care about them and their spiritual development. One high school youth said, “Marc has inspired me to want to be a youth pastor when I grow up.” Another said, “The amount of love that our leaders show us, how much they love all of us is amazing.”

Several youth spoke about the accessibility of the youth staff at almost any time, particularly through text messaging, and they also applauded the speed of responses that they received. Members of the staff meet regularly with students one-on-one and use those opportunities to mentor and guide youth in their spiritual growth and development. While the youth ministry staff must be careful to maintain healthy boundaries for the sake of their own well-being and for the health of their family’s lives, their accessibility is impressive and has made a definite impression upon the young people that they serve.

Your Reputation Precedes You Several focus group participants expressed that they moved to Auburn already knowing that they would join AUMC because of its high-quality youth ministry. One parent commented,


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“before we moved here we started asking questions about the best and most active youth program in town, and everyone pointed us here [to AUMC].” The word is out in the surrounding region – AUMC has one of the most dynamic youth ministries in the area, and the church is committed to keeping it that way. As the community grows and changes at a high rate, the youth ministry landscape could easily shift as well, resulting in the need to more intentionally protect this ministry by which AUMC is so well known.

Millennials Want Missions, and They Find Them at AUMC As the Millennial Generation begins to wind down, its interest in and commitment to service and mission – the hands-on, shoe leather Gospel - is stronger than ever. Mission work is the authentic Gospel of this generation. Sweat Week and M25 give AUMC youth tremendous opportunities to live out and learn from mission experiences that benefit others and impact their own lives. Whether they are helping to lead an inner-city Vacation Bible School or roofing a house for a person in need, these young missionaries are doing meaningful work, offering meaningful help, making the connection to their lives of faith, and transforming the world in the process. One middle schooler said, “My favorite events are Sweat Week and M25. M25 is like 40 of us. We don’t really minister to the people there (Atlanta). We just hang out with … the people experiencing homelessness. It’s cool to hang out with them and hear their stories.” A junior high parent echoed that sentiment saying, “I think at AUMC it’s our strength. I think there’s a lot of opportunity for our kids to get involved.”

A Time of Transition While Director of Youth Ministry, Marc Baugh has now been in his position over 2 ½ years, the appointment of the Rev. Dr. Cory Smith as Senior Pastor has in a sense reopened the door of transition in the whole church. This affords the youth ministry an opportunity to explore potential changes, to experiment with ways to improve the youth ministry, and to examine avenues to align with the new staff leader’s vision for the work of the church, for instance, in the expansion of lay involvement. It is a golden window of opportunity to listen for new directions and possibilities.

Strong Event Traditions The youth ministry has established some strong traditions related to several events in the annual calendar. And traditions can be helpful in a lot of ways.

Youth and their parents know what to expect.

Leaders don’t have to interpret the event over and over.

Youth have the chance to relive significant moments in their lives.

The youth group has the chance to reaffirm its identity and history.

The strongest traditional events at AUMC seem to be Winter Retreat and Sweat Week with several other events or programs following close behind. They are a part of what makes the AUMC youth ministry the dynamic ministry that it is.

The Youth Are “Getting It” As we met with various adult groups and staff, a consistent theme emerged when we asked how participants would define success in the youth ministry. They said things like “They really want to be here for all the right reasons,” “You can just tell that they’re getting it,” or asthe senior pastor put it, “through transformed lives.” In meeting with focus groups of youth, we felt privileged to sit among super sharp young people and to hear about how God is transforming their lives through the youth ministry at AUMC. Though there are youth still searching for it, and while some may unfortunately never find it, we can without hesitation say that there is


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transformative work taking place through what this church is offering its youth. This is evidenced in the witness of the young people we heard. One high school junior summed it up like this, “The youth ministry has made a huge impact on my life.”

CHALLENGES

Obstacles to moving the youth ministry strategically forward

Communication and Marketing There was a general consensus among the listening groups that there are not clearly defined locations for streamlined communication about different aspects of the youth ministry. No one could name the top three places to find information. Some parents mentioned that, even though they prefer social media as a mechanism to get information, they are not receiving it early enough to accommodate their schedules. While parents acknowledged that there is information in the weekly general church email and bulletin they felt like those weren’t places where enough detail could be given. One parent said, “We find out last minute that things are happening.” Another one said, “We need communication from our kids’ D-Group leaders. There’s a disconnect somewhere with D-Group. I never hear from my child’s leader.” Several parents felt like they did not know what their children are learning about in Sunday school, what their studies are based on in D-Groups, and what biblical foundations are being addressed in Tuesday/Thursday morning Bible studies. Other parents mentioned that their youth who are “on the fringe and not part of the core group” would participate more if they were regularly communicated with. Clarity of Roles and Understaffed for Growth Considering on one hand the total number of church and community youth who are involved in AUMC’s youth ministry through D-Groups, and on the other hand all of the other weekday options that are primarily serving church youth, there appears to be a staffing deficit to both sustain and grow D-Groups. Because of the load that has to be carried to maintain the people-power for such a large ministry, AUMC’s youth staff is operating in a “just keep our heads above water” mentality. When everyone is just doing what needs done because someone has to do it without thought about differentiating among the responsibilities and needs, the waters can get muddied. Parents, staff, and youth all communicated a vague understanding of “who does what” in the youth ministry. This gray area also includes the 4 staff interns. One participant said, “I think raising expectations of the interns would be a really good thing. I think that expectation could come from the top.” Clarity of Vision – It’s Reactive Although most people in listening groups were able to name the weekly offerings of AUMC’s youth ministry, they were not able to differentiate among the individual purpose of each. Several people talked about a youth ministry that is reactive rather than proactive. Staff, parents, and youth agreed that there has not been a time of visioning or discerning “why we do what we do” and most things are being done because, “that’s the way we’ve always done them.” When asked to talk about weekly offerings, most parents couldn’t differentiate among the purpose of Bible studies, MYF, Sunday school, and D-Groups. When parents are not aware of the motivation for programming they are not as inclined to motivate their children to participate. Parents and staff also voiced a desire to better integrate the youth choir into the overall youth ministry. One parent said, “Music is such an important part of worship for high school students.”


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Staff confirmed that there are 22 youth involved in the youth choir, 5 of whom have no other connection to other youth programming. Parents and students both expressed a desire to grow the music ministry and integrate it into the total scope of the youth ministry. Division of Age Groups Sunday evening MYF gatherings are currently combining 7-12th grades. There was an overwhelming consensus that both parents and students wanted MYF to be divided by junior high and senior age markers. Parents expressed that they had given up on making their youth go to MYF because they agreed that it was not serving the developmentally appropriate needs of their child. One senior high student said, “The younger boys are an acquired taste…if we were separate but still together some, that would be good.” Another one expressed, “If we could split it to make it to where we could focus more specific on senior high. Those are two different messages.” One other senior high youth admitted, “The absence of senior high at MYF has turned it into an 8th grade level so I don’t really want to go back.” Ministry Spaces The amount of space available to the youth ministry is good, however it needs to be looked at with fresh eyes. Worn and overlooked furniture in the gaming room sends a message to new and existing youth that they are also overlooked. One youth said, “Every time I sit down on one of the couches I get brown dust all over me because it’s so worn out.” Another said, “I’m pretty sure it’s just all the couches from all around the church put in there.” Most youth and several parents indicated that they would like to see a general “sprucing up” of the youth spaces and some talked about a total overhaul, moving walls to open up the entire space for a more multi-purpose and multi-function room. During discussions with the junior high group, several of the youth agreed that they would like to see the stage area changed into something “cooler” for worship. While there are varying opinions of what the changes should look like, it’s clear that it’s time for the space to be redesigned. Where’s the Discipleship Path? Though there are a programs doing great work at speaking God‘s Word into the lives of the youth at AUMC, a clear cut spiritual overview is missing. Without an over-arching discipleship plan for what AUMC wants their youth to know, feel and do with their Christian faith upon graduating from the ministry as seniors (and potentially transitioning the AUMC’s college ministry), they run the great risk of a hit or miss approach rather than giving their children all that God intends for them to have. Without a clearly expressed, well-known set of spiritual developmental milestones and an understanding of when the youth will reach those markers, the possibility strongly exists that the students could miss the significance of key points within their Christian education. One D-Group leader said, “The curriculum for our girls wasn’t good. It wasn’t meeting their lives. To keep my girls invested we had to do something different.” Another said, “The curriculum is repetitive and they tune out. D-Group curriculum needs to really address the pressures of being a teenager.” Another risk of working without a scope and sequence net is that volunteers may be left with the responsibility of choosing their own version of what they think the youth should know. While this works sometimes, often it leads to fuzzy spiritual planning. At worst, it can lead youth down a spiritual path the church was not prepared for its students to go, particularly since many D-Group leaders are not connected to AUMC and may not understand the theological message the church espouses. One D-Group leader said, “It’s not consistent within the D-Group program.


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Some D-Groups are doing nothing.” Working without a defined spiritual theme plan that is executed among Tuesday/Thursday morning Bible studies, Sunday school, MYF, D-Groups, service projects, and major events leaves the risk of missed opportunity for spiritual growth, repeated topics and even missed educational opportunities for the parents and the youth group. Things Feel Static In each of the listening groups with youth, there was agreement that they wanted MYF to become a little more of a surprise each week. Kids talked about the desire to incorporate games, new speakers, and a little mystery so that Sunday evenings weren’t as predictable. One junior high student said, “Maybe we could do different things. It’s the same thing every week.” Another said, “At MYF on Sunday nights, I don’t really like singing all the time so if it could be changed somehow so it’s not the same every Sunday…” The senior high youth expressed similar feelings. One said, “Our interns are really good but having more people up there would be good. One time, the youth choir band played up there and that was so cool!” A junior high student said, “I think games would stimulate kids…or a guest speaker.” Many of the youth desired to hear other voices from outside of the youth ministry, “(At MYF) We could pull someone in to do a lesson. Another pastor…a guest…and athlete…even our interns.” Youth Leadership Development While there is a core group of students who have emerged as leaders among AUMC’s youth, there is much more potential to develop youth leaders. Younger youth talked about the importance of the relationships with the older youth and the value of those relationships as they learn to navigate the transition to senior high. At the same time, the senior high youth expressed a desire to be able to mentor younger students in the youth ministry. While there are mechanisms in place for leadership development, there’s not a system set up for intentional engagement to occur. There is also a desire from the youth to be in leadership. One youth said,, “I want senior high interns so they can learn about ministry as a career.” Another added, “When I was in 7th grade, the seniors talked (preached).” Some students articulated a welcoming environment for newcomers to the ministry while other parents mentioned their child had not felt welcomed or been integrated into the group after a few visits. While an official “welcome wagon” appears to exist, there is no strategic integration plan for a youth to become a fully participating member of the youth group.

Volunteer Processes AUMC’s youth ministry has the need for a large number of volunteers. One listening group participant said, “Getting parents involved in Sunday school is an issue. Families want to go to Sunday school for an hour and church for an hour. They don’t want to give up their own Sunday school time.” Some adults expressed feeling a deficit in available volunteers while others felt like there was a good amount. Regardless of an individual’s understanding of the capacity of volunteers, most agreed that there is neither an adequate system for recruiting volunteers nor continued opportunities to equip them once they’ve committed. On parent voiced concern saying, “Marc can’t do everything. He doesn’t have the time to train the D-Group leaders, too.”

Recruiting: Clear recruiting processes seem to be lacking. A parent said, “I’d like to serve but I’ve never really been asked. I’d like to see a more consistent volunteer recruitment process.”


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Equipping: Volunteers seem to be serving without the necessary tools in their toolbox. A D-Group leader said, “It’s hard because we don’t know what we’re doing and we need ongoing training.” Another said, “I’d like some help knowing how to handle some behavioral issues for some of the younger boys.”

D-Groups: While many of the D-Group volunteers come from the local community, the strategic processes for recruiting and equipping these leaders is also missing. Staff and parents recognized that recruiting for D-Group volunteers often happened “too late” and leads the team to a feeling of being unprepared.

No Formalized Governance AUMC’s youth ministry is staff driven and executed. While parents expressed an understanding of and appreciation for all that the staff does, many of the listening group participants also mentioned they would like to contribute to the direction and implementation of ministry offerings. Without a group of involved lay people to plan, advocate for, tell the stories of, be a sounding board for, and cheerlead for the youth ministry the purpose and vision can become trapped in the heads of the staff team. Several parents communicated that it seemed as though a very small number of people participate in the decision making process of the youth ministry. While staff communicated that the church is beginning a process to equip itself to move toward more lay led ministries, until it begins to take shape in the youth ministry many will continue to feel as one parent described it, like an “outsider.”

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Reframe the next 18 months as a time of building long-term infrastructure for the youth ministry. Understanding that significant and immediate momentum will be built throughout the process of renovating the youth ministry, target November 2018 as the date when the youth ministry renovation will be complete.

2. Establish a Prayer Team to undergird this renovation process.

3. Present this report to the Administrative Board and church leadership requesting that they endorse an 18-month strategic design process for the youth ministry.

4. Establish a Youth Ministry Team, made up of non-anxious, goal-oriented volunteers and Marc Baugh, who will work closely with Ministry Architects to ensure that the outcomes of this assessment are achieved. These recommendations include two overarching responsibilities:

1. Addressing the immediate pressure points facing the ministry as it transitions toward a thriving, sustainable youth ministry (e.g., keeping the trains running on time)

2. Implementing the strategic, long-term recommendations of this report (e.g., building a new railway system)

5. Partner with Ministry Architects to take responsibility for: 1. Managing the renovation process, working with the staff and volunteers to ensure

the achievement of the outcomes outlined in this report’s timeline 2. Assisting the youth ministry in overcoming the obstacles that are certain to arise

in the process of renovating the youth ministry.

6. Address the current pressure points facing the youth ministry:


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Pressure Point #1: Recognize and Protect the Gorilla (a.k.a. D-Groups) –Picture a zoo keeper chasing after an enormous, loveable, and laughing 800 pound gorilla, wearing a t-shirt that says “D-Group!” wildly running through the jungle while dragging its leash behind. The zoo keeper always has the gorilla in her sight but can never get quite close enough to catch it. That gorilla is one that needs to be protected and also one that needs to be contained. The zoo keeper wants to know what the gorilla is doing and wants to protect the gorilla from the wild. This appears to be an accurate metaphor of AUMC’s D-Groups. They are invaluable to the church and the community and, consequently, need protected and leveraged as such. To sustain their current impact and to plan for future growth the following action steps should occur:

Assess and communicate a clear vision and purpose for D-Groups.

Decide measureable markers to evaluate D-Group success.

Assess the current curriculum plan and begin to implement new systems for faith formation.

Assess the staffing needs to maintain the current capacity, curb attrition, and then build for sustainable growth in D-Groups.

Pressure Point #2: Create a Sustainable Staffing Model that will utilize current staff in their giftedness and fully resource AUMC’s youth ministry for long-term leadership and sustainable growth. Consider the following steps:

Clarify current roles and reevaluate current job descriptions of existing staff, including interns.

Adjust job descriptions with the understanding that the director of youth ministries should spend 80% of his/her time pouring into people.

Hire 1 full time director of D-Groups to be intentional about combatting attrition from 7th grade to 12th grade.

If necessary, amend current job descriptions and create specific job descriptions for each intern position.

As AUMC’s youth ministry moves toward growth, the assistant to youth and college ministry position should be shifted to a full-time administrative position for youth ministry.

Help each youth ministry staff member develop a “rhythmic week” including a Sabbath and “balcony” time (that is, time to look at the big picture and make strategic plans).

Propose a clear, appropriate long-term staffing plan, including the professional and volunteer components, for the youth ministry that will provide the church with significant capacity to sustain a thriving ministry to its targeted number of youth.

Pressure Point #3: Youth Ministry Team: Create a Youth Ministry Team to guide AUMC’s youth ministry through an 18-month clarification and renewal process. After that 18-month process, the Youth Ministry Team will provide support to the youth ministry and its staff through its annual rhythms.

The YMT should include 12 total people, 6 adults and 6 youth representing 7th-12th grades.


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Members of the YMT should serve 3-year terms so that there is continual renewal combined with institutional knowledge of the previous years.

Specific job descriptions should be given to each member of the YMT so that there is a clear mechanism to communicate the team member responsible for each responsibility.

7. Build the infrastructure required for a long-term, sustainable youth ministry.

Host a “Quick Start” Summit: Invite the key volunteers and youth staff to participate in a Quick Start Summit in which the renovation process is launched and the pressure points outlined in the Assessment Report are addressed. The Summit tackles the items that need to be done first, and builds momentum for the youth ministry renovation process.

Identify any progress in implementing the recommendations of this report. Orient the Youth Ministry Team to their specific responsibilities. Assign Youth Ministry Team members responsibility for implementing the

recommendations of the report. Calendar the dates involving Youth Ministry Team. Create a plan for concrete communication between the Youth Ministry Team and

staff to ensure that all parties feel they’re “in the know.” Draft the following documents, finalizing them within no more than two weeks

after the Quick Start Summit: A finalized version of the calendar for all weekly programs and major

special events through July 2018. Results-based, written job descriptions for all paid and volunteer positions

in the youth ministry. The job descriptions cover all current positions and also include additional, non-threatening opportunities for adult involvement in both visible and behind-the-scenes opportunities.

A clear and complete list of volunteer needs in the youth ministry, including relational and behind-the-scenes, weekly events and special event leaders.

A broad “fishing pond” list of at least 250 possible volunteers to call about volunteer positions. The list includes people we are sure will say yes, and it includes people we think will never say yes (but we hope they will one day).

Reasonable participation goals have been established for all youth ministry events and weekly programs through July 2018 and clear lines of responsibility for filling those events have been established.

Visioning: Ministry Architects regularly works with youth ministries to establish their mission, vision, and core values. Since there are already some of these in place in the youth ministry of AUMC, Ministry Architects can help clarify and solidify this vision through programming elements, staffing structure, curriculum development, and goals for the ministry. The alternate possibility would be to use this time of transition to dream big and reevaluate the mission, goals, and values of the ministry. Invite parents and leaders to participate in a multi-session, on-campus process of visioning a new future for the youth ministry with Ministry Architects, resulting in the following documents which will direct the ministry:

o A ministry mission statement


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o A statement of values o A set of three-year revolving goals and one-year benchmarks o An organizational structure for the ministry

Christian Formation Summit: Gather a team for a Christian Formation Summit to

discuss the learning objectives of each age level and how these might be accomplished utilizing curriculum, milestones and special programming.

o Evaluate the upcoming curriculum to ensure its effectiveness. o Develop a long-range scope and sequence as well as a set of core competencies

for the youth ministry programming. o Develop a clear plan for milestones and special events to shape the faith

formation from junior high to high school graduate. o Determine how the curriculum selected will be communicated to volunteers. o Decide what level of training will be required prior to full implementation.

Control Document Development: Complete and publish an 18-month calendar, create

major event notebooks to help event planners succeed, and generate a preventative maintenance calendar that schedules behind-the-scenes activities for each month (like “September: nail down the date for next year’s high school mission trip”).

Compliance Documents: Ensure that copyright licensing for music and videos has been obtained, an application and screening process for every volunteer is in place, and all adults working with any youth affirm a sexual abuse/child protection policy.

Building Utilization: Reevaluate the way AUMC’s youth ministry spaces are being used. Assess its creative use and consider new ways to leverage this valuable resource. Give youth an opportunity to participate with their input as well as any creative design work.

Marketing: Establish clear internal marketing processes that allow parents, youth, leaders, and the broader church to be exposed to the successes and good news surrounding the youth ministry.

Communication: Establish normative processes for effective and timely communication with parents, youth, and leaders utilizing as many forms of communication as possible including updating the youth page of the church’s website, Facebook, mass texting, mail, e-mail, etc.

Youth Ministry Manual: Develop a Youth Ministry Manual, including the most recent youth directory, a 12-18-Month calendar, results-based job descriptions for staff and volunteers, compliance documents, budgets, game plans, a preventative maintenance calendar, and notes for every major youth ministry event.

Fall Kick-Off/Parent Orientation: Reevaluate and potentially refresh the existing Fall Kick Off to make sure it is an intentional, family-based, incredibly fun Fall Kickoff event to launch the youth ministry in the fall of 2018. Use that event to cast the vision, share information, and build enthusiasm about the year ahead.


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Enlist an Experienced, Professional Coach: Invite Ministry Architects to play the “coach” role during this renovation period. Ministry Architects would offer experienced direction for the building of an infrastructure for the youth ministry and provide ongoing coaching for the youth ministry staff members as well as the volunteers.

DEVELOPING AND NURTURING STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS

Staff Development: Provide mechanisms for on-going education and coaching for the

youth ministry staff including coaching, reading and seminars.

Leadership Development: Complete results-based, written job descriptions for all paid and volunteer positions in the youth ministry and create a structure for the ongoing training of all volunteers at least quarterly.

Volunteer Recruitment: Build a fortified volunteer leadership team, some of who will do

relational ministry with youth while others work behind the scenes. Create a clear and complete list of the volunteer needs. Create a “fishing pond” list of at least 250 possible volunteers to call on for weekly volunteer positions.

Broaden Volunteer Definition and Opportunities: Create additional, non-threatening opportunities for adult involvement in the program. Encourage volunteer involvement in both visible and behind-the-scenes opportunities.

Leadership Launch: Schedule and implement an inspiring leadership-training event for all volunteer youth workers at the beginning of each school year.

Student Leadership Development: Develop a written game plan for combining the church’s current student leadership opportunities into a system that gives increasing load-bearing responsibility for mentoring and ministry leadership to youth.

DEVELOPING CLEAR STRATEGIES AND NEW INITIATIVES

Measurable Markers of Effectiveness: Determine reasonable participation goals for all youth ministry events and weekly programs through December 2019 and take responsibility for filling those events.

Welcome Squad: Recruit, train, and deploy 5-10 youth at each program with the task of creating a welcoming environment for new youth. Teach them how to meet new youth and to guide new youth into the program. Use this as an opportunity to help the welcome squad follow-up with new youth who come to programming and provide a relational engagement into the ministry.

Youth Contact: Develop and implement processes for ensuring that each youth or youth parent in the church receives a contact from someone on the youth leadership team at least once a month


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Retention Plans for the Youth Ministry: Create game plans for Keeping youth involved in the youth programs after Confirmation Continuing to engage youth who have gotten their drivers’ license Intentionally reaching out to missing-in-action (MIA) youth and reconnecting them

with the life of AUMC.

Building Bridges: Develop a game plan for building bridges between the children’s ministry, youth choir, youth ministry, and college ministry.

o Establish clear transition processes as a child advances in the ministries o Director of Children’s Ministry, Director of Youth Choir, Director of Youth Ministry,

and Director of College Ministry maintain open lines of communication and are intentionally planning and calendaring their programming year for maximum impact and to avoid potential scheduling conflicts.

o In cooperation with the Director of College Ministry, develop a two-pronged game plan to reach out to the youth who have graduated from the youth program and moved away from Auburn, as well as connecting to AUMC’s college ministry the graduating seniors who are attending Auburn University. Establish ongoing communication with them throughout the school year and when home from college for breaks.


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PROPOSED TIMELINE

The following provides Auburn United Methodist Church with a timeline that can serve as a blueprint for the strategic launch of sustainable, long-term youth ministry.

Many churches choose to use the services of Ministry Architects to provide coaching and experienced troubleshooting through this infrastructure-building process. If the church would like Ministry Architects to provide more specialized consulting in certain areas, particularly for the 18-month transition, we are available to help.

June 2017

Focus: Starting Right and Work Begins

Outcomes:

This report has been presented to the Administrative Board and church leadership for the strategic renovation of the youth ministry and they have given full support of this plan.

A Quick Start Summit has been scheduled for July.

The Youth Ministry Team has been recruited and the first meeting has been scheduled to take place during the Quick Start Summit.

A prayer team has been recruited and charged with praying for the youth ministry. They have received a copy of the assessment report and timeline.

Any immediate volunteer needs for the youth ministry have been determined and slots have been filled.

Results-based job descriptions have been written and distributed to the appropriate volunteers for the youth ministry.

A thank you event for all volunteers has been planned and scheduled to happen by the end of June. This event has also been communicated to all volunteers.

The church has partnered with Ministry Architects to serve as the architect for the entire renovation process.

Mechanisms for on-going education and coaching for the youth ministry staff and key volunteers have been provided.

July 2017

Focus: Renovation Underway, Calendars, Volunteers, Database, Volunteer Thank You, Quick Start Summit

Outcomes:

Work has begun on the 2017-2018 youth ministry calendar.

A fishing pond of 250 potential volunteers in the youth ministry has been created.

Work on the youth database has begun, collecting the most recent information for families and youth. All are categorized in a manner that will follow up on MIA families and youth. Each youth has been classified in the following categories:


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Active Youth are the ones whose families are members and have attended at least once in the past year – plus visitors who have become a regular part of the group. They should show up in your printed youth ministry directory.

Member Inactive (MIA) are still a part of the flock. You may not need to send them a Facebook message every time the group gets together, but you’ll want to regularly pursue these youth, whether they ever show up or not.

Visitor Active are those who regularly attend weekly programs and/or activities but are not an official member of the church.

Visitor Inactive are the ones who may have visited, but you are confident they will never become a regular part of the group. This group requires no follow up. But you’ll want to keep their information for the occasional big event to which you’ll want to invite everyone you know.

First Timers refer to visitors who have attended a program for the first time. You’ll want to have a process for capturing their information on their first visit and follow up with them within one week of their visit.

A Visioning Summit has been scheduled for September and a “save the date” email/postcard has been sent to all families.

A Quick Start Summit has taken place in which the renovation process was launched and pressure points outlined in the Assessment Report have been addressed. The Summit tackled the items that needed to be done first to initiate the youth ministry renovation process.

A Leadership Launch has been scheduled for early August for the volunteers in the youth ministry.

A Fall Kick-off for the youth ministry has been scheduled for late August or early September. A team of parents has been recruited to implement the Fall Kick-off.

A thank you event for all youth ministry volunteers has taken place.

August 2017

Focus: Calendars, Database, Communications, Visioning Promotion, Leadership Launch, Curriculum

Outcomes:

Promotion of the Visioning Summit has begun.

A database of all youth and their families has been compiled and each person is “tagged” with a category

Communication norms have been determined and those best practices are being implemented.

The 2017-2018 youth ministry calendar has been completed.

Curriculum has been chosen for the upcoming school year.

All volunteers have experienced a Leadership Launch, lasting 2-4 hours that clarified their roles, inspired them to grow in their own faith and equipped them to serve. The Safe Sanctuaries Policy was reviewed and adopted by all volunteers.


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Somewhere in the first six months: After reading Liz Wiseman’s book Multipliers, the director of youth ministry and his supervisor have re-tooled the youth director’s job description to spend more time in the roll of an architect and general contractor, nurturing the staff and the volunteers for front-line ministry.

September 2017

Focus: Visioning Summit, Pressure Points, Calendar, Curriculum, Fall Kick-off

Outcomes:

A Fall Kick-off has taken place that welcomed youth and parents into a program they can get excited about, introduced parents to a format and structure they can feel confident about and provided a forum for receiving information from families. All participants felt energized and enthusiastic about the coming year’s programs.

A Visioning Summit with all major stakeholders has occurred producing visioning documents for the youth ministry (mission statement, core values, goals and structure).

One-year benchmarks have been assigned to each three-year, revolving goal developed in the visioning process.

All programs have adhered to the Safe Sanctuaries policy as laid out by the church.

All pressure points have been addressed.

A Christian Formation Summit has been scheduled for 2017. The Summit will facilitate a discussion of the learning objectives of each age level and how these might be accomplished utilizing available curriculum.

Curriculum has been distributed to all teachers/volunteers and they are trained to implement the curriculum.

The 2017-2018 youth ministry calendar has been distributed to all youth and their families. The calendar has been publicized and major event dates are on the church’s calendar.

Each youth staff member has created a Rhythmic Week including balcony time and has begun to live into their Rhythmic Week.

October 2017

Focus: Participation Goals, Volunteers, Budget, Compliance

Outcomes:

Reasonable participation goals have been determined for all youth ministry events and weekly programs through August 2018 and steps to accomplish those targets have begun to be implemented.

All volunteer needs for the 2017-2018 school year for the youth ministry have been filled.


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A volunteer application, an application process and a screening process for all weekly hands-on volunteers have been created and implemented

Background checks have been done for all weekly hands-on volunteers.

All paperwork for hands on, weekly volunteers has been updated and is in compliance with the safe church policy.

Copyright licensing for music and videos has been obtained. Permission slips for each offsite event in addition to standard medical release forms for the entire year have been created.

A detailed 2018 budget for the youth ministry has been completed and submitted to the appropriate group.

November 2017

Focus: Mid-Course Evaluation, Major Event Notebooks, Attendance, Communication

Outcomes:

The Youth Ministry Team has completed a 6-month mid-course evaluation of the renovation process and made any adjustments necessary to improve the work being done.

Work has begun on major event notebooks – creating a template for the notebooks and collecting information on each youth event.

Communication methods currently being used to promote the youth ministry and share the successes with the congregation have been evaluated and added to if necessary.

Continuing education opportunities have been explored and calendared for the youth ministry staff.

A process for tracking and recording attendance in all youth ministry programs has been created and implemented.

December 2017

Focus: Catch up, Calendar

Outcomes Work has begun on the summer calendar for 2018.

The Youth Ministry Team has met monthly and decided how often they will meet for the remainder of the 18 months.


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January 2018

Focus: Christian Formation Summit, Calendars, Marketing, Volunteer Training

Outcomes: Interested staff, volunteers, and parents have gathered for a Christian Formation

Summit to discuss the learning objectives of each age level and how these might be accomplished utilizing available curriculum, milestones and special programming. At the Summit, the team Evaluated the upcoming curriculum to ensure its effectiveness. Developed a long-range scope and sequence as well as a set of core

competencies for the youth ministry programming. Develop a clear plan for milestones and special events to shape the faith

formation through the ages and stages. Determined how the curriculum selected will be communicated to volunteers. Decided what level of training will be required prior to full implementation.

Clear, internal marketing processes have been established that allow all church members to be exposed to the successes and good news surrounding the youth ministry.

A mid-year training event has taken place in which all volunteers received support and training in their specific roles. A “check-in” with each volunteer has taken place to evaluate how the volunteer has been doing in their role and addressed any concerns.

Work has begun on the 2019-2020 youth ministry calendar.

The summer 2018 calendar for the youth ministry has been completed and distributed.

February 2018

Focus: Calendar, Volunteer Recruitment

Outcomes:

50% of the one-year benchmarks have been accomplished.

The 2018-2019 youth ministry calendar has been completed through August 2020 including a Fall Kick-off.

Volunteer recruiting seasons has opened.

Volunteer job descriptions have been reviewed and updated as needed.

Names of potential volunteers have been added to the fishing pond.

All volunteer needs have been determined for the 2018-2019 school year.

The volunteer needs list and the potential volunteers list has been merged.

Current volunteers have been asked to evaluate and possibly renew their commitment to the youth ministry.

Recruitment has begun for hands-on weekly volunteers, event coordinators and behind-the-scenes volunteers for 2018-2019.


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Continuing education opportunities have been explored for the youth ministry staff and volunteers.

March 2018

Focus: Database, MIA, Volunteer Thank You, Benchmarks

Outcomes:

50% of the one-year benchmarks have been accomplished.

A volunteer thank you event has been scheduled and promotional materials have gone out to all youth volunteers.

MIA youth have been systematically contacted.

The collection of updated information from each youth and family has been completed and the database for youth ministry has been updated with that new information.

April 2018

Focus: Recruitment, Fall Kick-off, Major Event Notebooks

Outcomes:

Volunteer recruitment has continued.

A Fall Kick-off team has been recruited to begin planning for the start of the fall youth ministry programs.

All major event notebooks have been updated by the event coordinators and given back to the youth staff to pass along to the next year’s coordinator.

May 2018

Focus: Volunteer Thank You, Directory, Curriculum

Outcomes:

With the most recent information on youth and their families, a directory of all families and a directory of all volunteers have been created to be distributed at the Fall Kick-off.

The effectiveness of this past year’s curriculum has been reviewed and decisions have been made for any necessary changes for the upcoming school year.

A volunteer thank you event has taken place.

A game plan has been created to develop student leadership in the youth ministry. The youth have been given charge of creating a welcoming environment.


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June 2018

Focus: Manual, Volunteers

Outcomes:

All volunteer needs for the 2018-2019 school year for youth ministry have been filled.

The Youth Ministry Manuals (both hard copy and digital) have been completed, including

Visioning documents Directories Volunteer directory Volunteer training agendas and notes Attendance records Annual calendar Results-based job descriptions Game plans and new initiatives Meeting agendas and minutes for Youth Ministry Team. Christian Formation/Discipleship Plan and record of curriculum resources used

for the current year Budget and other financial documents Recruiting template, with a record of all the volunteer needs for the year Compliance documents

Youth ministry spaces have been evaluated and a follow-up plan for space renovations has been created.

New, non-threatening opportunities for adult involvement in the program have been created. Parent involvement has been encouraged, both visible and behind-the-scenes.

July 2018

Focus: Compliance, Preventative Maintenance Calendar, Reflection and Re-Assessment

Outcomes:

A review of the renovation process has been completed.

An online diagnostic has been completed to re-assess the youth ministry.

Current pressure points have been named

A preventative maintenance calendar has been created for the youth ministry that will help regularly deal with on-going “behind the scenes” ministry maintenance.

All youth programs have adhered to the Safe Sanctuaries policy.

August 2018

Focus: Major Event Notebooks, Leadership Launch, Participation Goals, Compliance

Outcomes:

All paperwork for hands on, weekly volunteers has been updated and is in compliance with the safe church policy. Background checks have been completed on each volunteer.


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All volunteers have experienced a Leadership Launch, lasting 2-4 hours that clarified their roles, inspired them to grow in their own faith and equipped them to serve. The Safe Sanctuaries Policy was reviewed and adopted by all volunteers.

Major event notebooks for each major event for the youth ministry have been handed out to this year’s event coordinators.

Reasonable participation goals have been determined for all youth ministry events and weekly programs through December 2019 and steps to accomplish those targets have begun to be implemented.

September 2018

Focus: Fall Kick-off, Benchmarks, Curriculum

Outcomes:

All one-year benchmarks have been achieved. Goals have been re-upped and new one-year benchmarks have been established.

Curriculum has been distributed to all teachers/volunteers and they have been trained to implement the curriculum.

A Fall Kick-off has taken place that welcomed youth and parents into a program they can get excited about, introduced parents to a format and structure they can feel confident about and provided a forum for receiving information from families. All participants feel energized and enthusiastic about the coming year’s programs.

A game plan has been written and implementation has begun to Keep youth involved in the youth programs after Confirmation Engage MIA youth who have gotten their drivers’ license Intentionally reach out to missing-in-action (MIA) youth and reconnecting

them with the life of AUMC.

October 2018

Focus: Strategic Staffing, Budget

Outcomes:

A detailed 2019 budget for the youth ministry has been completed and submitted to the appropriate group.

With the changes in the youth ministry, the volunteer staffing to meet the size and scope of the youth ministry has been evaluated and a game plan to meet those needs has been created if necessary.

A game plan has been written in cooperation with the Director of College Ministry to reach out to the youth who have graduated from the youth program. Ongoing communication with them has been established throughout the school year and when home from college.


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Reasonable participation goals have been established for all youth ministry events and weekly programs through December 2019 and clear lines of responsibility for filling those events have been established.

A process has been implemented to ensure that each youth or youth parent in the church receives a contact from someone on the youth leadership team at least once a month

November 2018

Focus: Sustainability

Outcomes: A timeline for the next 12 months has been created that included game plans for the

current pressure points and items from the online diagnostic.

Game plans have been put in place to sustain the processes and procedures during the renovation

Ongoing coaching has been secured and a sustainability plan has been put in place.

All game plans that have been launched in last 12 months have been evaluated and tweaked as necessary for impact and sustainability.

The staff and Youth Ministry Team have celebrated what God has done with their 18-month investment.

The Youth Ministry Team has transitioned their role to providing support and accountability to the youth volunteers and focusing on strategic issues such as three-year goals and one-year benchmarks, curriculum selection, calendars, and volunteer recruitment.

Youth ministry spaces have been renovated

A game plan for building bridges between the children’s ministry, youth ministry, and college ministry has been created.

A group of 5-10 youth at each program have been recruited, trained, and charged with the task of creating a welcoming environment for new youth. They have been trained on how to meet new youth and to guide new youth into the program.


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The Ministry Architects Team Serving

Auburn United Methodist Church (Auburn, Alabama)

DAVID CARROLL- LEAD CONSULTANT [email protected] (601) 291-8450 After 32 years of pastoral ministry in the United Methodist Church, David is visiting a different church every week, a valuable experience for immersing himself in the styles and practices of the modern Church. David is also pursuing his passion for camping ministry, having joined the staff of Camp Lake Stephens near Oxford, MS, as its Director of Development. He pursues his passion for ministry, and for youth ministry

particularly, through his expanded work with Ministry Architects. His lifetime work in youth ministry includes work in the local church as youth worker and pastor, at the regional level, and through his association with the camping ministries of Mississippi Methodism. David graduated from Millsaps College in Jackson, MS, with a B.A. in Sociology, then from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology with a Masters of Divinity degree. David is married to Laura, and they have three children, Ben, Kathryn, and Mary Evelyn. He loves the outdoors, travelling with his family, playing golf when he shoots under 95, his awesome back porch, and a good cup of coffee.

MONICA LEWIS – STAFF CONSULTANT

[email protected]

(913) 954-9298

Since 2000, Monica has served in a variety of roles in both small and large churches,

and understands the unique opportunities each setting brings. She has a passion for

setting up systems that help to equip people in relationship and mission. Monica

believes that churches are always changing and with the correct structures in place,

ministry will continue to flourish and new possibilities emerge during moments of transition.

Monica earned a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Divinity

degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She is an ordained minister in the Christian

Church (Disciples of Christ).

Monica lives in the Kansas City area with her minister husband, their daughter (for whom they try every

day to create a normal life as a double preacher’s kid) and their dog, Princess Leia (who likes long walks,

terrorizing rabbits, and cleaning up after meals).

BRYANT JOHNSON- SENIOR CONSULTANT [email protected] (321) 652-6947 Bryant began working in youth ministry in 1996 in the United Methodist Church. He has been worship speaker for summer camps, taught seminars for youth workers, and written curriculum for the Florida United Methodist Camping programs. Bryant graduated from Florida Southern College with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. In his free time Bryant enjoys all things technology, exercise, good movies,

and blogs at thepostlu.de. He and his wife, Tonya, live in Kernersville, NC.